James Beard Chef Vitaly Paley's Russian Tea Experience at Headwaters is Back with Daily Offerings for the Holidays

Holiday reservations now open for the celebrated Pacific Northwest chef’s creative take on tea with a distinctly Russian flare

PORTLAND, Ore. (November 2, 2017) – James Beard chef Vitaly Paley will launch daily tea for the holiday season beginning on Black Friday, November 24th, with a distinct Russian flare at the historic Heathman Hotel. Gearing up for the holidays, Paley and team have recently ramped up tea service to include two seatings now on both Saturdays and Sundays. Hosted in the wood-paneled two story Heathman Grand Tea Court, adjacent to Headwaters, the tea court is adorned in rich fabrics, Russian tableware, and decorated warmly especially for the holidays. This unique experience is perfect for holiday gatherings with friends and family alike. Russian Tea features a prix fixe menu, $38 for adults and $16 for children, complete with tea and a three-tiered stand of sweet and savory treats. A specially curated list of cocktails, vodka and champagne will be available for purchase. Seatings will be available Black Friday November 24th, 2017 through January 1st, 2018 between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Reservations for Russian Tea are open now, and can be made booking online on Open Table.

The Russian Tea menu is an expression and collaboration between Vitaly Paley, Executive Chef Tim Eckard, and Pastry Chef Megan Jeans. Together the chefs pay homage to the rich history of the tea court while adding a Russian flare that speaks to Paley’s own heritage, with a bit of inspiration pulled from his notable pop-up DaNet illustrating pre-Soviet Russian cuisine. The Russian Tea Court serves Vitaly’s creative interpretations from the classic pastime, adding a jolt of energy to tea time. The menu is comprised of both sweet and savory Russian dishes. Sweet tea companions include Steopka (grandmother’s sour cream and walnut cake), Tort Po Kievski (hazelnut meringue, coffee buttercream, chocolate ganache), and Lemon Zest Halva (a crystallized sesame candy). Savory dishes include Mushroom Piroshki (freshly made potato bread stuffed with mushrooms), Khachapouri (Georgian cheese bread, local honey), Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant Roll (sunflower seed oil, preserved lemon, mint) and Traditional Blini (salmon caviar, sour cream).

The Russian Tea Court’s beverage program features a traditional Russian samovar service including an array of teas from Steven Smith Teamaker, plus wines, champagne, and vodka available for purchase. Working in collaboration with Steven Smith Teamaker, two featured teas are custom blends specific for Headwaters including Georgian Caravan and Chocolate Peppermint Pu’erh. Cocktails are also available from Headwaters bar manager Brandy Feit, a protege of lauded bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Feit’s cocktail menu features a Vodka Flight, a bartender’s choice of a Russian, local and infused vodka and playful spins on the classic cocktails with a twist like the K’vass Punch, a Russian beverage made from fermented rye bread.

Holiday Russian Tea Menu:

Adult Menu

includes choice of loose leaf tea

Mushroom Piroshki fresh made potato bread stuffed with mushrooms
Khachapouri Georgian cheese bread, local honey
Stuffed Eggs sumac
Walnut Stuffed Eggplant Roll sunflower seed oil, preserved lemon, mint
Traditional Blini salmon caviar, sour cream
Buterbrodi open face rye bread sandwiches, various toppings
Steopka grandmother’s sour cream and walnut cake
Medovik Tort honey cake, graham dust, light cream
Lemon Zest Halva crystallized sesame candy
Tort Po Kievski hazelnut meringue, coffee buttercream, chocolate ganache
Zapekanka russian cheesecake, lemon zest
Rulet S Makom Ukrainian poppyseed roll

Children’s Menu
includes choice of loose leaf tea

Deviled Eggs, Cheese Bread
Cheddar Blocks & Carrot Sticks
Ants on a Log, Cheesecake Squares
Chocolate Cake Balls
Medovik Tort
Daily Fruit Gelée
Caviar Buterbrodi
Ikura Salmon (8g) 4.
Trout (8g) 8.
Golden Brook Trout (8g) 34.
Hackelback (8g) 22.

Bubbles

Catherine et Pierre Breton
Brut Vouvray, FR NV 15.
Moet Imperial
Brut Champagne, FR NV 17.
Domaine Brazilier
Brut Rose, FR NV 13.

Cocktails

Vodka Flight bartender’s choice of a russian, local and infused vodka 12.

K’vass Punch our nod to HH’s tiki room, spiced dark rums, russian ‘bread drink’, creole shrubb, pineapple, pink peppercorn 10.

Heel Clicker bulliet bourbon, novo fogo cachaça, bonal, benedictine, bitters 12.

Tea Selections

selection of Steven Smith Teas

Bai Mu Dan
This White Peony tea, is produced in China using either the bud or top two leaves and bud of the tea bush. Pale in color and delicate in flavor, white tea is slightly sweet and creamy with a clean, lingering aftertaste.

Georgian Caravan
An upscale salute to the classic caravan teas of Russia. Great all by itself, it tastes even more wonderful when mixed with our house-made jam.

Bungalow
Grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, this blend of first and second flush organic Darjeeling teas produces a light, yet complex tea with the aroma and flavor of fruits, nuts and flowers.

Lord Bergamot
A flavor somewhat superior to traditional Earl Grey. Fragrant Ceylon Dimbulla and Uva are artfully combined with select teas from India’s Assam valley, then scented with the flavor of bergamot from the realm of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Sencha
Slender needle-like leaves produce a deeply vegetal taste and aroma, ripe with notes of toasted rice and nori. Harvested in the spring to early summer just south of Mt. Fuji, the leaves are steamed to perfection to stop oxidation of the leaf, as well as to lock in their deep jade color and flavor.

Chocolate Peppermint Pu’erh
A decadent and cooling offering blended with Pacific Northwest peppermint leaves, rich cocoa nibs, aged pu’erh and European orange blossoms.

Meadow
A blend of golden Egyptian chamomile flowers and mildly stimulating, fragrant hyssop joined with smooth Cape rooibos, rose petals and linden flowers.

Peppermint Leaves
Made with the best peppermint from the Pacific Northwest. Gently hand-screened for perfect leaf size, it infuses a full, creamy flavor with distinct chocolate notes and an intense finish.

ABOUT HEADWATERS

Headwaters is located in the historic Heathman Hotel in Downtown Portland. In October of 2016 after a dramatic renovation, chef/owner Vitaly Paley, his longtime wife/partner Kimberly Paley and Garrett Peck opened the reimagined dining room at the Heathman Hotel. The property, which possesses a storied culinary history, was constructed in the early Twentieth Century and is a member of the National Historic Register. Chef Vitaly Paley is the third James Beard Best Chef Northwest winner to take the helm of the Portland institution, a long running dining destination in the Pacific Northwest. Named for “the source”, Headwaters showcases local ingredients from Oregon’s diverse bounty, from farm to sea. The approachable menu is an expression and collaboration between Vitaly Paley and Executive Chef Tim Eckard with Pacific Northwest flavors flowing throughout. The chefs pay homage to the rich history of the location, reviving the iconic tea court, adding a Russian flare that speaks to Paley’s own heritage, with a bit of inspiration pulled from his notable pop-up DaNet illustrating pre-Soviet Russian cuisine. Headwaters has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, OPB’s Think Out Loud, The Oregonian, Bon Appetit Magazine and Russian Tea at Headwaters has been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Sunset Magazine, and Portland Monthly Magazine. Headwaters was named one of Portland’s best restaurants of 2017 by both Portland Monthly and The Oregonian. Headwaters showcases Paley’s renowned cooking, which helped him earn Portland Monthly’s 2012 Chef of the Year and a 2012 Empire Builder Award by Food & Wine. Chef Paley also received the 2005 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Pacific Northwest award, was nominated as a 2012 and 2013 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, and was a victor on Food Network’s popular series Iron Chef America. Paley, considered the Dean of Portland Chefs for many years, rediscovers Pacific Northwest culinary pathways and follows the footsteps of Oregon’s own James Beard. Headwaters is located at 1001 SW Broadway (The Heathman Hotel), Portland, Oregon 97205. Find more information at www.headwaterspdx.com, by phone 503-790-7752, and for private dining information, call 503-790-7126. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at HeadwatersPDX.