It was sad news in the foodie-sphere of Portland when the news came out that Lucy's Table, a restaurant for fine dining in Portland for 13 years, was sold and will be closing on Tuesday August 9. I had passed by it several times but never dined there, so I hurried and made a reservation tonight in order to finally give it a try before the news packed the restaurant with people who procrastinated like I did or wanted to bid the restaurant a fond farewell. From their Yelp reviews, it seemed like many might want to bid the goat cheese ravioli farewell, and hey I hadn't met yet…
We started with an amuse bouche of a crunchy crispy flatbread cracker topped with squash puree on a starting line of shredded lettuce. Bread and olive oil with a shared bottle of Chimay was enjoyed as we waited for our first course of two small plates. The Roasted Beet Salad with Spinach, Cilantro, Feta & Cider Vinaigrette was the Best Dish of the night, although the Caramelized Brussels Sprouts in Pomegranate & Port Reduction… also very good, if brussel sprouts were served like this all the time it wouldn't a vegetable joke. There was no bitterness at all, just fresh, light, roasty crunch of bunches of leafs with a bit of savory sweetness from the sauce. These two dishes were well worth it.
For my entree, I had two additional choices from their small plates section. In the really too rich and decadant category was the Goat Cheese Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce with Pecorino Romano Cheese, Crispy Shallots & House Made Pancetta. The pasta was great, just too heavy handed with butter in this case. Better were the Pomegranate Glazed Baby Back Ribs where the meat was just falling off the bone so that I could remove it with a butter knife, and the ribs were paired with Glazed Carrots & Garlic Bread.
The other entree (only dish we had from the Large Plate section) was the Vegetarian Meatloaf with Romano Crust & Tzatziki Sauce with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables (which turned out to be brussel sprouts again). If it wasn't for the entree, you could dine on the list of small plates we had all in the bar off the wine bar menu, and they would be priced more cheaply then on the dinner menu. Sadly, the final note of dessert of Bread Pudding with cinnamon ice cream and salted caramel sauce was too thick and eggy for our tastes and barely warm, so we mostly just ate the ice cream. The Small Plates were the standouts- if you make it here before they shutter try a tapas-style meal.
Lucy's Table restaurant space will be occupied by a Dick's Kitchen, new concept by the owners of the Laughing Planet local chain. Although the menu at DK seems interesting, I doubt it will have the same relaxing serene atmosphere that allows for intimate conversation with a lil candlelight and a bit of sparkle from a chandelier and mirrors and white tablecloths. Goodbye Lucy's Table, romantic but unpretentious date night destination, and a restaurant with an atmosphere of charm and warmth instead of the casual clean modernist lines of wood and metal that is seemingly preferred here. It was nice meeting you.
