Chef Jason French has Elder Hall, the annex to his Ned Ludd restaurant, fully up and running following a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier in the year. This month sees the start of a series of classes run by French himself, offering tuition in culinary techniques, food preservation, fermentation and the like, while sharing stories and exploring food traditions. Coffee, tea, wine and snacks are all promised too; each class is scheduled 9 am–noon, costs $75 and are as follows:
11/15 The Chicken Came First
11/16 Thanksgiving Feast Class
12/13 Stocking your Holiday Larder
12/14 Christmas Feast Class
Also starting is the Small Supper series that offers themed dinners in a communal setting—the first is Le Petit Bistro, which runs with the idea of French home-style cooking, while the Hall gets itself a bistro makeover (Breton shirts and berets are no doubt encouraged). Dinners are $60 per person with optional wine pairings on November 20 and December 4, with seatings at 6 pm and 8:30 pm.
Elder Hall is also hosting special PREAM nights—that’s the excellent Ned Ludd Monday pizza takeover that has lines out the door. The idea is to absorb some of the demand, but to also offer pasta, something French has wanted to do for a while but couldn’t with the limitations of the Ned Ludd kitchen. Karl Holl, formerly of San Francisco’s Perbacco Ristorante, will undertake pasta duties, which will be available in both spaces. The Hall will get another makeover, this time channeling a “cheesy Italian/American Legion” vibe. Pizza-pasta nights are happening on November 24 and December 1 and 22.
Finally, it seems that despite French’s success and renown people have a hard time with his name. In the book 101 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die, he’s become Jason Helms (eh?), while the Willamette Week calls him James French. Still, I have a friend who called up the restaurant once—admittedly she was deep into her cups—and demanded to know whether Jason Ludd was in the kitchen. What’s the guy to do? Ned Ludd/Elder Hall, 3925 NE MLK
