Underground Dining: Restaurant Style

"Great restaurants are of course, nothing but mouth brothels. There is no point in going into them if one intends to keep one's buckled." -- Frederic Raphael
On my last night in Portland, I tried out Beast, a restaurant style supper club for the first time.
[A restaurant style supper club] is an actual restaurant establishment, functioning almost every day, same place same time, and seats double the guests of a regular underground supper club. It's basically a communal dining restaurant with a fancier name because it only has 1 menu, all guests must RSVP and you dont get to mingle with the chef.

Beast seats at least 24 in 2 large dining tables. They have a refined and sensual French inspired 6 course meal for $65 and wine pairing for an additional $35.

#1: End of summer gazpacho with shaved chorizo. A nice twist to a tomato soup.


#1.5: A palate cleanser. Grapefruit shaved ice. Real grapefruit juice used, not artificial concentrate.


#2: Charcuterie Plate: 12 oclock to clockwise-- foie gras bon bon, sausage, gelee, steak tartare + quail egg, pork liver +sour cherry pate, pickled shallot pork, chicken liver mousse. Center greens to cleanse palette.

Steak tartare and foie gras were my favorite!


#3: Paupiettes de Veau: stuffed veal rolls with tails and trotters and side of sauteed greens and summer chanterelles


#4: Frisee Aux Lardons with poached egg and soft croutons


#5: Selection of Cheese paired with shortbread, bittersweet farms honey, figs and candied hazelnut.

#6: Brown butter crepe and house chocolate + hazelnit spread (HELLO, NUTELLA!), topped with vanilla ice cream.

Needless to say, after 6 glasses of wine, I was feeling gooood--despite that dinner ran over time to 8:45PM, and my flight was at 9:30PM...doh! Thank you Scott and Drew for the free ride to the airport!! Portlander's are the best!

Travel: Portland, Oregon

So I took a mini vacation 4 days, 3 nights to Portland, Oregon in the beginning of September-- mostly to bicycle around, relax and...EAT!

Besides Stumptown, Voodoo Donuts and food carts-- here are my favorite establishments narrowed down to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Pine State Biscuits for breakfast!
They are famous for their Reggie Deluxe, which is a precious layer of biscuits, fried chicken, bacon, egg, cheese and graaaaaavy. $8 = stomach full all day. I then rode up Mount Tabor and to Vancouver trying to burn off the calories.

Bunk Sandwiches for lunch!
I know..I know...we have Defontes in Red Hook which will always be my favorite-- but Bunk was just another level of greatness!! I ordered the Pork Belly Cubano Sandwich with ham and cheese (bottom left). Excellent twist of flavors and fatty belly! The meatball parmigiano hero is also one of the best sellers, along with that roast beef .... There is a line out the door just like Pine State.

Clyde Common for dinner!
It was fate to dine at Clyde Common--I stayed at the Ace Hotel next door. Their menu is New American just the way I like it--nothing normal.
-Started with the complimentary focaccia bread in olive oil/pepper--still moist and warm.
-Then I ordered the chicken-fried chicken livers--anything fried is good!!! Frisee and pickled onions really eased the way to finishing it all up.
-My main course was a whole (DE-BONED, how convenient) grilled trout--slightly charred skin, topped with a sunny side egg!! Genius. It came with side potatoes and beef cheeks. Mmm... yeah, Im no vegetarian.
-And last (yes, I saved room for dessert), I had a tartine with figs and melted ice cream.

When youre on vacation-- there is no diet!

On Vacations/ Traveling for Work

Will play catch up next Monday, 9/21. Ive been traveling 2 weeks in a row and cant seem to post fast enough. Be expecting food from Portland Oregon and Montreal Canada!