Redolent of the sea, oysters at Aviary restaurant come five to a plate on a sparkling bed of ice. They hit the tongue like silk, sliding back, the tiny summer tang of tomato granite, building to the barest hint of horseradish, and then as they go down, a whisper of salty ocean air, like you are standing on a beach in a warm breeze.When you start a meal at Aviary with … [Read more...] about Review: Aviary Restaurant in Portland
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Review: St. Jack
A Review of St. Jack Restaurant by Roger Porter Liberté, Egalité, Gastromie! The French Revolution has come to town, and the only guillotine in sight is a chef’s cleaver hacking at a pig. Within a month of each other two French bistros have opened in Portland—Little Bird downtown and St. Jack, in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, across the street from Vindaloo. Gabe … [Read more...] about Review: St. Jack
Review: Thistle Restaurant in McMinnville
A Review of Eric Bechard's Thistle Restaurant in McMinnville By Roger PorterI promised myself I wouldn’t allude in this review to Eric Bechard’s incident this spring involving a defiant defense of local animals, a stance provoked by a rival chef who, in his eyes, had heretically championed a Midwest over an Oregon pig. The great porcine passion probably put Bechard’s name … [Read more...] about Review: Thistle Restaurant in McMinnville
Review: Andina Restaurant in Portland
2017: this restaurant has tobogganed downhill since my original review was written. The food lacks the polish it used to have, and the prices have risen. The restaurant has been expanded over the years to use every square inch of space for seating - basement, upstairs and mid-level. At the same time, the kitchen doesn't seem to have been enlarged to handle the additional … [Read more...] about Review: Andina Restaurant in Portland
Review: Toro Bravo Restaurant
To understand Spanish food, it helps to have a little understanding of the culture behind it Spain tugs at something deep in my soul. Maybe it is because taste, music, and memory are so closely intertwined, but every time I hear flamenco, I flash back to a time 25 years ago.I was living in Healdsburg in the Sonoma Valley, where I frequented a restaurant in an old building … [Read more...] about Review: Toro Bravo Restaurant