Mon 4 Sep 2006
Wildwood restaurant in Portland is a great exposition of local, seasonal fare. When I asked the waiter about where the meat came from, he gave me a surprisingly detailed answer. “Our beef is from Strawberry Moutain in Oregon, is grass fed, and is finished for a week on grain.” Wow. That’s what you call a knowledgeable waiter. He also said that the restaurant is now close to 100% local ingredients on the menu, which was also really impressive.
Appetizer:
stuffed squash blossoms - Squash, lightly pan fried. It came with heirloom tomato slices, sweet peppers, and spicy peppers.
Entree:
Strawberry Mountain New York strip - A wonderful 12 oz cut of grass-fed beef served over organic fingerling potatoes. Wow.
Dessert:
Sauternes Poached Harmony Peach - peach sherbet, sauternes sabayon and almond wafers. Definitely a tasty treat highlighting the peach flavor in both the peach slices and the sherbet without being overwhelmingly sweet. Sabayon, as it turns out, is a custard of sorts made from egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine. Yum.
Dessert Wine:
1985 vintage port.
September 6th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
[…] After scouring the wine list for some of the local pinot noirs we had sampled on our wine tasting trip, I started with some Puget Sound mussels. They were all quite meaty and accentuated by a saffron and butter sauce. As good as they were, the grass-fed strip steak was even better. Done to perfect pinkness, it tasted lighter than “normal” beef and went down nicely with the pinot. Along with some hush puppies and sauteed fresh veggies, it was quite a plate. The desert and after-dinner drink list were equally impressive, and I couldn’t pass up a chance to try their chocolate pudding with a side marshmellow and chocolate cracker smore. Brian also blogged about his dinner. […]