Zeus Cafe and the McMenamins Passport

If you live in Portland, I’m sure you have heard of McMenamins before- their gathering spots here in Portland vary from your neighborhood pub to hotels, music and movie venues, breweries, wineries, distilleries and even a coffee roaster. Founded by the two brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin, all their locations still reflect their love for artwork, family friendly, and historic buildings. It’s hard to imagine a Portland experience without visiting at least one McMenamins – be it for a huge value of a happy hour with their irresistible cajun tots or to admire how they transformed a poor farm (Edgefield) or school (Kennedy School) into a property for retreating that is full of local whimsical art, choice of restaurants, spas and movies. Their hotel locations are fun to visit even if you aren’t staying there.

McMenamins just seems like such a Portland institution that you would mention in the same breath as talking about Powell’s Book Store, the Portland White Stag sign, the easy access to the Columbia Gorge and Coast – it’s just a Portland thing. I love taking visitors from out of town to wander the hallways of photos and art particularly at Edgefield (generally as part of my Columbia Gorge waterfall tour) and Kennedy School. There are times people at my work treat the Ceder Hills location as an after work meeting room, and I fight the urge as I smell the burger and fries every time I walk past my neighborhood location of a McMenamins pub, Market Street Pub.

Even though it is a chain, each location has its own individual personality. Recently, I discovered a location McMenamins has downtown as part of the Crystal Hotel, the Zeus Cafe.
Inside Zeus Cafe: The atmosphere at Zeus Café – an open kitchen and full bar at the center of the room surrounded by the twinkling of vintage chandeliers and local art – is comfortable and inviting, Photo credit: McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg
Inside Zeus Cafe: The atmosphere at Zeus Café – an open kitchen and full bar at the center of the room surrounded by the twinkling of vintage chandeliers and local art – is comfortable and inviting, Photo credit: McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg

Their focus is elevated food while still keeping it celebrating the very local bounty of the Northwest. For instance, they still offer a pretty good burger (though less burger selection- no Communication Breakdown burger or Caption Neon burger here – but they offer upgraded versions of a burger, such as a Grass Fed Beef Burger or a Housemade Falafel Burger instead). Instead of cajun tots you can get truffle fries or as you see here, chickpea fries with harissa aioli.
"Zeus "Zeus

And instead of breadsticks or spinach and artichoke dip or hummus like the typical pub, now you can feast on

  • a Charcuterie Board, here with housemade rabbit rillette, coppa di testa head cheese, Asiago Fresca, Ancient Heritage Willow, Pickled Cauliflower & cranberries, Mandarin compote and McMenamins Terminator mustard
    Zeus Cafe Charcuterie Board with rabbit rillette, coppa di testa (head cheese), Asiago Fresca, Ancient Heritage Willow(cow/sheep blend), Pickled Cauliflower & cranberries, Mandarin compote and Mcmenamins terminator mustard
  • or Seared Sea Scallops with arugula, currants, and chorizo vinaigrette
    Zeus Cafe appetizer of seared sea scallops, arugula, currants, and chorizo vinaigrette
  • or Smoked Brisket Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with cauliflower purée, fried almonds, and chimmichurri.
    Zeus Cafe smoked brisket stuffed piquillo peppers, cauliflower purée, fried almonds, chimmichurri Zeus Cafe smoked brisket stuffed piquillo peppers, cauliflower purée, fried almonds, chimmichurri

Wow right? They have a menu that changes often based on what is best from various local farms and purveyers (such as Flying Fish for their seafood, Painted Hill or NW Grass Fed Farms Washington or Pat and Tam’s Farm for meat, etc. A special starter on my visit night included Speck wrapped Rabbit Loin on a Lard Sable cracker (this was a bit hard to eat because it was soft and crumbly and super buttery, but oh so delicious) with Huckleberry Jam and Chervil.
A special starter on my visit night at Zeus Cafe of Speck wrapped Rabbit Loin on a Lard Sable cracker (shortbread like) with Huckleberry Jam, touch of Chervil.

Wait til you see my dinner entree, and desserts.
Executive chef, Jordan Taylor, and Pastry chef, Warren Pinkston Kaam, in Zeus Café’s open kitchen, Photo credit: McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg
Executive chef, Jordan Taylor, and Pastry chef, Warren Pinkston Kaam, in Zeus Café’s open kitchen, Photo credit: McMenamins/Kathleen Nyberg

Head Chef Jordan Taylor loves the freedom he  has at Zeus to explore various flavor profiles using Northwest ingredients then tinged with influences from the Mediterranean and in this one dish, Asia: super tender Bulgogi Braised Short Ribs served with a slightly crispy but also soft fresh grilled rice cake, spicy broccoli, and sunny side egg.
Zeus Cafe dinner entree of bulgogi braised short ribs, grilled rice cake, spicy broccoli, sunny side egg "Zeus

Pastry Chef Warren Pinkston Kaam is a hidden gem of a dessert genius here in Portland with impressive dessert options here that I sampled including

  • my favorite a Toffee Budino with honeyed crème fraîche, toffee sauce, hazelnut pralines, chocolate sea salt. I’m still thinking about how dreamy this tasted, I think ate half of it on behalf of my part of the table
  • Malted Milk Chocolate Tart with espresso pastry cream, mascarpone crema, and micro shiso
  • Molasses Custard with sugared pecans, bourbon cream, shortbread crumble, vanilla ice cream
  • a special that evening of a deconstructed dessert of Yuzu Curd with elderflower jelly, hazelnut nougatine, hazelnut dacquoise, toasted meringue.

Toffee Budino with honeyed crème fraîche, toffee sauce, hazelnut pralines, chocolate sea salt Zeus Cafe dessert of Malted Milk Chocolate Tart with espresso pastry cream, mascarpone crema, micro shiso Zeus Cafe dessert of Molasses Custard with sugared pecans, bourbon cream, shortbread crumble, vanilla ice cream Zeus Cafe deconstructed dessert of Yuzu Curd with elderflower jelly, hazelnut nougatine, hazelnut dacquoise, toasted meringue

In terms of beverages, my world was rocked by the Zeus Cafe cocktail called the The Café Smash that in winter, is composed of muddled Blackberry, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Fresh Squeezed Lemon, Black Pepper Syrup and Crater Lake Vodka. In the summer it may go back to strawberries instead of blackberries, which was the original inspiration for Adam Kurth: Zeus Café Bar Manager, when he was trying to create a cocktail to pair with a salad. I loved the sweet but sour and savory flavors all in one cocktail.
Zeus Cafe cocktail that in winter, The Café Smash was composed of muddled Blackberry, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Frsh. Squeezed Lemon, Black. Pepper Syrup and Crater Lake Vodka. In the summer it may go back to strawberries instead of blackberries

Another impressive cocktail is the Fuentes with el jimador blanco tequila, del maguey la vida mezcal, aperol, fresh squeezed grapefruit (MeMenamins always uses fresh juices for their cocktails), smoked ice cube, and smoked glassware.
Fuentes, a Zeus Cafe cocktail with el jimador blanco tequila, del maguey la vida mezcal, aperol, fresh squeezed grapefruit, smoked ice cube, and smoked glassware

I was also blown away with the sippers of a cocktail called Burnt Bulleit with bulleit rye whiskey, burnt sugar syrup, lemon zest and a hefty shake of angostura bitters. The discovery of a burnt sugar syrup was a total accident, and as other locations were bring instructed how to make this cocktail they were understandably nervous that a step included recreating that mistake m!

Another tasty libation was a cocktail called the Riptide with maui dark hawaiian rum, espresso vanilla bean syrup, fernet branca, aztec chocolate bitters and orange zest. And I was fortunate to get a strong smooth sip of the Devil’s Bit Whiskey
Burnt Bulleit with bulleit rye whiskey, burnt sugar syrup, lemon zest and a hefty shake of angostura bitters, and the Riptide with maui dark hawaiian rum, espresso vanilla bean syrup, fernet branca, aztec chocolate bitters and orange zest Burnt Bulleit with bulleit rye whiskey, burnt sugar syrup, lemon zest and a hefty shake of angostura bitters, and the Riptide with maui dark hawaiian rum, espresso vanilla bean syrup, fernet branca, aztec chocolate bitters and orange zest Sip of Devil's Bit Whiskey

Besides of course dinner and happy hour, Zeus also offers brunch, with options like Spanish Eggs or Greek Eggs if you want to do an egg face-off, or Chilaquiles if you want to take your egg options around the world. Their version of eggs benedict comes with Hills Farm ham, chipotle hollandaise and your choice of home fries or creamy polenta. And, Zeus’ brunch seems to be  a hidden secret so far, so currently there is no brunch line.

I know that for some of you Portland residents, when you think of McMenamins, you think of your casual beer place with the interesting building and servers so laid back that you know not to go there if you’re in a rush. At the same time though, if you want to squat a table chatting or on your laptop working at the pub for 2 hours, or sit outside at a table while your dogs and kids play on a lawn of one of their hotel, there is also no one giving you trouble. Children are always welcome (obviously accompanied by adults) at I think almost all McMenamins locations. Think of their unhurried relaxed character as both a positive and a negative, depending on what you are looking for in an experience.

The vibe at Zeus is still relaxed, but the mellowness has been replaced by more attentiveness than you will find at their casual pubs. As I was unwrapping my napkin, I accidentally dropped my knife on the carpet. No big deal- we were just at appetizers. But in only a few minutes, a server brought me a new knife without me saying a thing. The water glasses were always full, empty cocktail glasses were checked to make sure I didn’t want the last bit melted with ice before being removed from the table not long after I finished them. They swapped out our silverware between dinner and desserts, a friend with some food restrictions was happily accommodated where they checked in with her for each course that everything in the dish would be ok.

I definitely plan to come back to Zeus to try more of the great experimental drinks that this McMenamins location is doing and think you might want to give it a try too.

Did you know there’s a rewards program to entice you to check out each McMenamin’s location? This was one of the most exciting things I learned during my evening at Zeus. It’s called McMenamins Passport. It is a cool quest you can do in which you collect stamps in a passport book to win prizes and just have extra experiences whenever you visit any McMenamins location- and of course, encourage you to visit McMenamins locations and to check out specials they have.
McMenamins Passport

There is an initial cost for the passport – $25 (up from $20 of last year), and you must be 21 years old at a minimum. Once you have the passport however, there is no more additional cost in most cases – for instance you can visit a location and get a stamp without eating or staying there at all. The few exceptions for instance might be for instance if a stamp is for seeing a movie, you will have to buy a ticket to a movie at that location (or attend a free movie show- but either way you have to see a movie somehow!).

Each page in the passport is for either a location or for a theme (for instance, there is one for Edgefield that consists of multiple stamps, but there is also a whole page that is for all of the Seattle locations all in one page). And each stamp is different!

Some stamps are more than just visiting the location – besides an experience (such as seeing a movie), there may be tasks you need to do like a photo hunt for a certain artwork in the location based on a clue that you are given. There are also special stamps that are available for events or even for a seasonal beer or because you experienced something (such as taking a tour of a property, stopping at a location on your birthday, or having a pint with a pup!)
Example page 4 from the McMenamins Passport Examples pages from the McMenamins Passport

Once you collect all the stamps on one page, you get a prize. Prizes for filling out each page vary from food like free tots (which you can collect right then and there, or come back to a location on that page to get later) to t-shirts, gift cards, even stays at various McMenamins hotel locations.

The Grand Prize, if you collect all the stamps in a book for visiting all the locations, is pretty impressive. Keep in mind some pages are just to collect the special stamps – like the various seasonal beer stamps don’t count towards filling out the book- you don’t have to drink them all. Still, considering that there are 57 locations in Oregon and Washington, this is literally a quest to travel to collect stamps / an excuse or New Year’s resolution to help you explore various small towns that are served by their unique, neighborhood McMenamins pub.

The Grand Prize includes 3 overnight stays at a McMenamins hotel of your choice, pair of event tickets, showing the Grand Prize Booklet to get drinks at happy hour prices Sunday-Thursday for the first year after you’ve completed your passport, and invitations and discounts to special exclusive events that are open only to those who have completed a passport, a special group of successful McMenamins questers called Cosmic Tripsters. Did you know there is a whole special group of Cosmic Tripsters, sort of like a secret society, that meets and communicates with each other?

For a feel of the fun, check out this video, and get more details at their website at their McMenamins Passport page.

I was so excited when I heard about the Passport that I even sitting with a group of other food lovers, that’s what we just kept chatting about. This year, I hope to fill out a lot of my Passport – I’ll keep you appraised with posts as I go!

Have you ever been to Zeus Cafe, or heard of the McMenamins Passport program?

McMenamins Passport Back of the McMenamins Passport

 

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, and I was given a McMenamins Passport to fill out. But I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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Martinis at Bartini, and a 3 Course Dinner at Urban Fondue

Today I am in Los Angeles to help throw my sister’s wedding shower tomorrow. Later, there will be a bachelorette getaway in Montreal, Canada in September. Unfortunately, there is no shindig here in Portland, because I might have proposed some martinis at Bartini. Still, if you have a special occasion coming up soon, you might consider Bartini and Urban Fondue.

Ideally, you will start next door at Bartini. There, you will peruse their menu of 100 martinis and pick one to kick off your date – be it a romantic date or friend date. If like my friend and I, you come after work, you can practically be stealing these martinis at the happy hour prices (half off) making them in the range of $3-4 but still at full price pours! A huge deal!

Bartini atmosphere

The happy starts at 4pm and goes to 6:30pm Tuesday-Saturday and again 9:30pm-close, but is all night on Sunday and Monday.

There are a large variety of martinis to choose from here, for instance:

  • Cosmopolitans varying from Lavender Cosmo, Pomegranate Cosmo to Plum Cosmo, Sparkling Mandarin Cosmo, and Watermelon Cosmo
  • Lemon Drops, varying from Sweet Tea to Violet Lemon to Tuscan Rosemary and more flavors
  • Fresh and Fruity Martinis, including Very Mango, Bird of Paradise (shown below, a combo with coconut rum, mango puree, and pineapple juice and a bit of cinnamon), Hypnotic Strawberry, Peartini, etc with various fruit possibilities
    Bartini, Birds of Paradise martini with coconut rum, mango puree and pineapple juice topped with a dash of cinnamon
  • Aromatic Martinis such as White Elderflower, Ruby Rose, Sweet Nasturtium and a few others
  • Clean and Serene Martinis such as Bellinitinis with 8 possible flavors shaken and topped with champagne, Blue Eyes (with simple vodka, blue curacao and lemon twist), French Kiss or English Cucumber Martini. Below, you see the French Kiss martini, vodka swirled with a hint of strawberry puree and topped with champagne
    Bartini, French Kiss martini, vodka swirled with a hint of strawberry puree and topped with champagne
  • Herb Martinis, varying from Basil Berry and Lemon Basil to Rosemary Grapefruit and Juniper
  • Spicy Martinis, my favorite being the Diablo with habanero pepper infused vodka, passion fruit puree, cilantro and fresh lemon
  • Bold Martinis, which I question how martini they are as they include ingredients like tequila and bourbon in here.
  • Decadent Martinis, which seem to mean desserts turned into martini form, given the list that includes Bananas Foster, Caramel Apple, Chocolate Kiss, Creme Brulee, Key Lime Pie, Oatmeal Cookie, Rainbow Sherbetini, Snickertini etc. The Oatmeal Cookie Martini really is like liquid oatmeal cookie, I can never resist getting one. It’s concocted from butterscotch and Irish creme liqueurs shaken with cinnamon liqueur and cream
    Bartini, Oatmeal Cookie martini with butterscotch and Irish creme liqueurs shaken with cinnamon liqueur and cream

After 1 or 2 martinis, go next door to Urban Fondue where you have made your reservation. Make sure you do make a reservation- you never know if it will be a busy night because of a celebration of an anniversary, birthday, bachelorette party or any girls’ night out.

You can order each fondue a la carte, or you can choose to have a 3 Course Dinner at Urban Fondue that starts with your choice of a cheese, then a broth, and then a dessert fondue. I think the best fondues they offer are the cheese and the chocolate ones, so you can certainly just come here for appetizers or for dessert if you wanted. We ordered the 3 course.
Urban Fondue menu

To start, I recommend the Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine.
Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine

They have other options of cheese combos, such as a simple smoked cheddar, brie and gorgonzola topped with hazelnuts, tomato basil with smoked cheddar, or a white cheddar with roasted caraway. All yum right? The cheese fondue only comes with bread, but you can add for additional cost extras such as asparagus (which is what we did), mushrooms, sausage, or fruit (pears, grapes, apples).
Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine

For the entrees, it is a broth fondue, and you have the choice of 5 different broths and half a dozen kinds of meat/seafood combination plates that you can dip in the broth for cooking, varying from baby lobster tails or Carlton Pork to New York strip loin or Tiger Prawns, and they also have a vegetarian option with tofu and other vegetables. All the meat options do have a few vegetables and a couple raviolis to balance out all the meat and seafood on your plate.

This is nice in that even though you are sharing the broth, you can customize your selection of what you want to eat. It may not look like much when it first comes to the table, but it does add up as you eat each piece 2 at a time (using your 2 skewers). Make sure you use the skewers for dipping in the fondue, and then when it’s cooked transfer it to your other plate that you eat with a fork so you don’t cross-contaminate!

To the left you see the Chef’s Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns.
Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns. Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns. Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns.

When cooking the meat, you want to keep it in the broth for a certain amount of time, so Urban Fondue provides you these cute little hourglass timers to help you keep track.
Urban Fondue, cooking timers for the broth fondue

To further customize the experience, they bring out all these dipping sauces for you to try with your broth cooked meat/seafood. There are a whole bunch of different ones, complimenting the meat and seafood in different ways:

  1. Lime Chili
  2. Wild Mushroom Demi Glace
  3. Bavarian Balsamic Grain Mustard
  4. Au Poivre Peppercorn (really good with the steak)
  5. Thai Peanut Sauce
  6. Blackberry Ketchup
  7. Basil Pesto
  8. Meyer Lemon Hollandaise
  9. Smoked Tomato Aioli
  10. Lemon-Garlic Butter with Parsley and Caper

Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue

I was pretty full but we still had dessert to go! One of the strengths of Urban Fondue is their dessert fondue options- they have almost a dozen options, varying from simple chocolate with whipped cream or chocolate with hazelnuts to more complex chocolate combinations such as a Rocky Road Fondue with chocolate with marshmallow ganache and peanuts, a Heathbar version with chocolates and chunks of Heath bar, Marionberry Cheesecake Fondue with cream cheese with marionberry and lemon puree and graham crackers, or a Caramel Cognac… yeah. We picked the Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers
Urban Fondue, dessert fondue of Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers Urban Fondue, dessert fondue of Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers

One thing Urban Fondue does is do special occasions right- in addition to the normal accompaniments to the dessert for dipping like banana, cheesecake, cookie dough, and pound cake, they brought out a special birthday lit plate that included pretzels, strawberries, more cheesecake and a bit of caramel sauce!
Urban Fondue birthday surprise

So that summarizes a happy hour at Bartini followed by our 3 course dinner experience at Urban Fondue. Thank you S for taking me out for this wonderful dinner for my birthday. Sometimes they have Groupons so be on the look out for that too!

Have you been to Bartini or to Urban Fondue? What do you think you would want to try?

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Acadia Bloggers Dinner

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Acadia, a New Orleans Bistro, at NE Fremont and 13th in the Sabin neighborhood of Portland serves modern American cuisine with local ingredients rooted in Louisiana Cajun/Creole traditions. Every day, Acadia serves up Louisiana classic southern food, including shipping the real deal ingredients that can’t be sourced locally here right from the South like Gulf shrimp, blue crab, and Louisiana crawfish to compliment the locally sourced fresh Northwest ingredients.

The food is high quality and service very smooth and caring like your charming neighborhood favorite restaurant (I saw staff welcome back and chat with several regulars during our meal).
Acadia Restaurant in Portland, a Sabin neighborhood Cajun/Creole restaurant Acadia Restaurant in Portland, a Sabin neighborhood Cajun/Creole restaurant

Chef/Owner Adam Higgs is representing New Orleans here- I think the restaurant’s New Orleans artwork and Creole/Cajun artifacts are from his personal collection. Similar to how Andy Ricker researches every year in Thailand for Pok Pok, Chef Adam also travels to New Orleans at least once a year for research as well.

Inside, the restaurant is bold with color instead of the usual bare bones natural wood/stone/concrete you so often see, with yellow, cobalt blue, bright reds to rejuvenate you from what may be a rainy Portland grey day into more festive spirits.

Acadia Restaurant in Portland, a Sabin neighborhood Cajun/Creole restaurant Acadia Restaurant in Portland, a Sabin neighborhood Cajun/Creole restaurant

I was recently fortunate enough to get to family style share and try some of the current seasonal dishes and some of the popular mainstays from the regular menu with a few other Portland bloggers. These included

  • Cornmeal-Fried Louisiana Soft Shell Blue Crab with jalapeño tartar, English Pea & mint salad, and fresh lemon, a springtime adaptation of a very popular dish.
  • Louisiana Barbeque Shrimp with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. I went back to the bowl and spooned the sauce right onto my bread.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Cornmeal-Fried Louisiana Soft Shell Blue Crab with jalapeño tartar, English Pea & mint salad, and fresh lemon, a springtime adaptation of a very popular dish. Acadia Restaurant Portland, Louisiana Barbeque Shrimp with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. I went back to the bowl and spooned the sauce right onto my bread.
  • Chicken-Fried Chicken Skins with cayenne-cane syrup mustard. Let’s face it, this is the best part of the chicken, without all that pesky chicken. You know when I come back I’m going to order this dish again. And this time I won’t have to share, muahaha.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Chicken-Fried Chicken Skins with cayenne-cane syrup mustard.
  • Radicchio Treviso & Rhubarb Salad with Portland Creamery Chévre, spicy candied pecans, honey-cured kumquats and poppy seed dressing. I loved the little honey cured kumquats here
  • Crawfish Boil & Collard Greens Salad with crawfish tails, red remoulade dressing, boiled fingerlings, corn, andouille, shaved Parmesan and a crispy poached egg. I don’t know how they did that crispy poached egg, but there was a little mini sigh/gasp on my side of the ten-top as Rebekah cut into the egg and the golden yolk oozed out.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Radicchio Treviso & Rhubarb Salad with Portland Creamery Chévre, spicy candied pecans, honey-cured kumquats and poppy seed dressing Acadia Restaurant Portland, Crawfish Boil & Collard Greens Salad with crawfish tails, red remoulade dressing, boiled fingerlings, corn, andouille, shaved Parmesan and a crispy poached egg
  • One of the 3 mains we tried was special sexy sexy bang bang (ok, I dubbed it that) pork dish off menu- Acadia changes the menu often, though they will probably have some version of their thick Grilled Carlton Farms Pork Chop on the menu. We were all having silent moments as we enjoyed our share of this pork.
    Acadia Restaurant off menu special pork Acadia Restaurant off menu special pork
  • Bronzed, Wild-Caught Louisiana Sheepshead with Spinach Madeline pie and blue crab meuniére. Sheepshead is a brackish water fish (sometimes called convict fish because of its broad black & white stripes) that’s fished from rocky waters. It has a texture that is almost creamy but not fatty, and some describe it as “crab-like” which is interesting because the fish’s diet is comprised heavily of shellfish and bivalves.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Bronzed, Wild-Caught Louisiana Sheepshead with Spinach Madeline pie and blue crab meuniére.
  • Portland Creamery Goat Cheese Gnocchi with foraged stinging nettle purée, early morels, asparagus, spinach, sliced toasted almonds and shaved Grana Padano Parmesan. The vegetarian entree, though the gnocchi is updated with what is fresh and seasonal of course. There are also several items that are or can be made gluten-free.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Portland Creamery Goat Cheese Gnocchi with foraged stinging nettle purée, early morels, asparagus, spinach, sliced toasted almonds and shaved Grana Padano Parmesan.

We also shared (thus all the straws you may see in a drink sometimes) FIVE fabulous cocktails, all of them real beauties, courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. These included

  • Big Easy section: Julep with bourbon, mint, sugar and some special secret ingredient…
  • Light and Breezy section: Young Sarandon with Union gin, fresh rhubarb, suze, house-made rhubarb sorbet.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland,, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Big Easy section: Julep with bourbon, mint, sugar and some special secret ingredient... Acadia Restaurant Portland,, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Light and Breezy section: Young Sarandon with Union gin, fresh rhubarb, suze, house-made rhubarb sorbet.
  • Light and Breezy section: Study Retreat with cucumber vodka, blood orange, byrrh, peychaud’s bitters, port, salt.
  • Big, Rich and Boozy section: Commander La Croix with tequila, lemon, apple cider vinegar, ginger beer, cayenne-sugar rim.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Light and Breezy section: Study Retreat with cucumber vodka, blood orange, byrrh, peychaud’s bitters, port, salt. Acadia Restaurant Portland, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Big, Rich and Boozy section: Commander La Croix with tequila, lemon, apple cider vinegar, ginger beer, cayenne-sugar rim.
  • Big, Rich and Boozy section: Portland Caprese with white rum, clarified tomato, fresh basil, cane vinegar, honey, lemon, salt and pepper. My favorite of the evening! I really like savory drinks though, and I appreciated the balance with acidity from the tomato and cane vinegar but it was not sour. Also, cheese helps everything.
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Big, Rich and Boozy section: Portland Caprese with white rum, clarified tomato, fresh basil, cane vinegar, honey, lemon, salt and pepper. My favorite of the evening! Acadia Restaurant Portland, cocktails courtesy of Bar Director Beau Burtnick. Big, Rich and Boozy section: Portland Caprese with white rum, clarified tomato, fresh basil, cane vinegar, honey, lemon, salt and pepper. My favorite of the evening!

Finally, desert. I was in love with all of them, but vowed to return for that bread pudding alone. But, I also want the Pecan Pie with praline-bacon ice cream, which we did not try…
Acadia Restaurant dessert of Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding with white-chocolate brandy ganache, thickened sweet cream poured dramatically tableside

  • Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding with white-chocolate brandy ganache, thickened sweet cream poured dramatically tableside (as captured by fellow blogger Jenni Bost, blogger/writer/designer/stylist of blog A Well Crafted Party here) and toasted pecans
  • Tropic Thunder dessert of Banana cake with maraschino drizzle, coconut frosting, passion fruit cheesecake, and Golden Graham macadamia crust
    Acadia Restaurant dessert of Tropic Thunder dessert of Banana cake with maraschino drizzle, coconut frosting, passion fruit cheesecake, and Golden Graham macadamia crust
  • Chocolate Espresso Layer cake with burnt marshmallow, fudge icing, and white chocolate crumb. We were all so excited to dig into this cake that I missed getting a photo, so I’m referring to this lovely collage of all 3 by lilslimlady who writes the blog Salt. Water. Coffee.

Acadia is located at 1303 NE Fremont St., Portland. They are open for Dinner Monday through Saturday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm, for Lunch only on Wedsnedays 11:30 am – 2:30 pm.

On Mondays is their special Cheap Eats nights with half a dozen entree options for $10 or less. Their menus change seasonally, and they offer several gluten-free options- you can check out some sample menus here.

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Recaps from other bloggers for more pictures and perspectives:

 

 

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