This year, for 2020, I am going to revisit my top recommended restaurants in Portland. I’m kicking off this series with the Chef’s Menu experience at Castagna. One of the top fine dining destinations in PDX, Castagna has been nominated again and again for James Beard Awards. It features Northwest modernist cuisine in two different prix fixe menus – the longform Chef’s Tasting Menu, or the shorter Explorative Menu with 5 courses.
You can see my experience with the Explorative Menu last year with this post – the theme changes every two months. Meanwhile, the Chef’s Tasting Menu may look like it’s about a dozen courses, but don’t be fooled – there are many plates of Snacks that come to the table. Here’s a detailed look.
Snacks
If you opt for the wine pairing, you may be fortunate enough to start with a sparkling rosé to go with the five snack courses that are about to appear. If you select your own beverage, I would definitely recommend a sparkling wine.
The first plate was the signature Beet chip with tartare, accompanied by a Tokyo turnip with tarragon aioli.
Next came an oyster plating with soy milk gel and a crab dashi, with a pearl spoon to help loosen it from the shell. This was then followed by a fried chicken karaage (topped with an optional supplemental cost of Osetra Caviar) on a lettuce cup.
