Dining in Portland

[Belmont3]

I will be in Portland in February for a class with Andre Soltner. Anyone have good suggestions for Dinner on a Saturday and Sunday night? I have done Papa Haydens (sp?) and Scarlet Begonias. Both of which very good.

[mamster]

Belmont--welcome. First thing, have a look at the Willamette Week restaurant guide which came out just a couple months ago and features a number of reviews by our own Jim Dixon. Top spots in Portland in the last few years are Higgins, Wildwood, Paley's Place, and...what am I missing?

It's been a long time since I've done any fine dining in Portland (I hope to rectify this soon), but one of my earliest culinary conversion experiences was the filet mignon in port wine sauce at Cafe des Amis; I'd had steak before, but not like that. They still have it on the menu, and I feel like I should go back for it one of these days.

[Belmont3]

Mamster, thanks for the link. I take it your out of the Seattle area. If so i was in you neck of the woods a couple months ago and ate a fantastic place, Canlis. What food and a great wine list. Any hopes of finding a spot like that in Portland?

[mamster]

I don't think there's anything quite like Canlis in Portland, but (a) I could be wrong, and (b) there are a variety that are equally good but different. Wildwood and Higgins both focus on Northwest ingredients, for example, and are considered quintessential Portland destinations.

[Jim Dixon]

A few other possibilities....

Lucere, formerly The Esplanade (in the Riverplace Hotel) has a great chef...Pascal Sauton...who offers a sort of French country menu adapted to the local ingredients. (disclosure: one of my olive oil customers)

There are several really good Italian places within a few blocks of each other (some actually next door) on NW 21st:

Serratto, Caffe Mingo, and Bastas (this last one is, I think, one of Portland's most under-rated restaurants).

Cafe Azul (NW 9th and Davis) serves Mexican food you're unlikely to find anywhere north of the border. The chef, Claire Archibald, worked at Chez Panisse and makes an annual pilgrimage to Mexico to hang with Diana Kennedy.

Bluehour may be Portland's hippest place (in the oh-so-cool Weiden and Kennedy Building) but chef Ken Giambalvo serves excellent Mediterranean-influenced food.(another occasional olive oil customer)

Pho Van in the newish, art-deco Gregory on NW 10th is an upscale but very good version of the Vietnamese cafes that can be found all over town (for Asian food in Portland, Vietnamese is the way to go, altho' I also like the dim sum at Fong Chong).

Navarre is one of a wave of new wine bars, but I think the food here is incredible....small plates from $2 to $10 and a short but perfectly appropriate wine list by the glass, 1/2 carafe, carafe, or bottle. On the east side (NE 28th and Burnside, 503-232-3555) but still close to downtown. (another customer)

Finally, on SE Belmont Street, there's Genoa. A seven-course meal (the menu changes every 2 weeks and focuses on a different region of Italy) costs about $70 and stretches over 2-3 hours. Deep wine list and knowledgeable servers...co-owner and chef Cathy Whims recently left, but since all the cooking staff share the chef title and take responsiility for an antire menu every few wweeks, the food should still be great. (and, of course, they buy olive oil from me)

Jim

[Belmont3]

Thanks for a ll the great tips, It looks like I will need to extend my time there or plan for a return trip.