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Durant — the Dayton, Oregon vineyard, winery, and olive mill — is reprising its annual Olio Nuovo festival with events happening throughout November. Founded in 2008, Durant Olive Mill has the distinction of being Oregon’s only commercial olive mill, encompassing 17 acres of olive trees.
The festival, which is based on a southern Italian tradition of honoring the harvest of olio nuovo, or “new oil,” runs from November 1 through November 30 and includes an array of events that highlight Durant’s range of olive oils. On a few Saturdays through the month, Durant will host oyster and olio happy hours, pairing Pacific Oysters dressed in Olio Nuovo mignonette with Durant Vineyards brut ($40, tickets can be purchased here). From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekend in November, the estate will host a free open-air marketplace at Durant Vineyards’ tasting room, featuring food producers from the Willamette Valley wine region, food trucks, and live music. And every day, visitors can take guided tours of the olive mill for $10 (advance reservations are required), or pop by the complimentary olive oil tasting bar within Durant’s Red Ridge Farms gift shop.
Lardo honors chef Sarah Pliner with November “Chefwich”
Rick Gencarelli’s sandwich shop Lardo is paying tribute to the late chef Sarah Pliner with the November “chefwich,” a rotating monthly special created by local chefs with proceeds going to a local nonprofit. The Aviary duck banh mi comes with crispy duck confit, duck liver mousse, and spicy green papaya salad; it’s available this month for $18, with proceeds benefiting the Street Trust, an organization that advocates for safety, accessibility, and equity in Portland-area transportation.
Downtown Italian restaurant Il Solito has reopened
Il Solito, a red sauce Italian restaurant that takes inspiration from the East Coast, reopened on November 2 after being shuttered since March 2020. Diners can expect a refreshed menu with handmade pasta, entrees like veal chop parmesan and chicken marsala, and fall cocktails. The restaurant is currently open for dinner 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with extended hours to come.
