Welcome back to Anatomy of a Dish, our weekly dissection of Portland’s most delicious, multi-layered creations. This week we climb into Picnic’s wooden, A-frame cart to find out what “from scratch” really means. Owner John Dovydenas just opened up shop on the corner of SW Third and Stark, unveiling a brand new menu with everything baked, fermented, and cultured inside his 150-square-foot interior. Picnic’s Chicken Pistou sandwich is the freshest in town with still-warm sourdough, hand-stretched mozzarella, and creamy, whey-brined chicken.

Sourdough Bread: Sourdough with a quiet tang, formed and baked in-cart with a “mother” starter of whole wheat flour, raisins, and honey.

Radicchio: Crunchy, vivacious leaves from Groundwork Organics, soaked in water to take off the bitter edge. 

Mozzarella: Fresh cow's milk is heated, drained, and kneaded cart-side, producing fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth shreds of cheese. 

Chicken: Whole chickens from Oregon-based Kookoolan Farms are brined for three days in milky whey (a byproduct of Dovydenas’ mozzarella), rosemary, thyme, and salt before being          roasted whole.

Pistou: A rough ground spread of toasted pine nuts, garlic, and basil from Groundwork—a Provencial pesto without the parmesan.

Picnic
SW Third and Stark
Mon-Fri, 11-2pm