Nodoguro is blissfully and officially back! As a long time supporter and diner of many Nodoguro dinners, I attended their pop-ups their summer with the Izakaya in the Canaries as I covered previously, and although I did not do a blog post I did put together an Instagram reel of the Nodoguro Lil Nashi brunch pop up also. Both of these events were at a borrowed space, but as reported by the Oregonian, Nodoguro has found a new permanent location. I was fortunate to be able to snag a reservation for myself at a November seating, and here’s a look at the new space and a re-visitation of the Nodoguro 3.0 dining experience. The menu may change quarterly or possibly monthly, depending on what Chef Ryan Roadhouse decides to do. For this visit the theme was Nurturing Your Kokoro.
The seating is one per night on mostly weekend dates, and limited to just a little more then a dozen people for approximately 2.5 hours of a dinner tasting menu that features snacks and composed courses made from the best of local northwest and Japanese ingredients and Nodoguro preparation that combines creativity and traditional techniques, plus a line up of omakase sushi bites and miso soup, dessert and tea. The space on NE 23rd is a little hidden, you have to walk down a lantern-lit pathway to the restaurant door.
Upon entering you find yourself at an initial welcome area, and a lounge to socialize with the other dining parties of the evening while possibly enjoying a welcome drink – here a Tamagawa Heart of Oak sake from Kyoto with nutty, toasty characteristics that was really well balanced – I could drink this endlessly and kept sipping it slowly to make it last. You can select from a pairing that included both wines and sakes, or beverages by the glass or a bottle. One of the updates Nodoguro has made that I really enjoyed and I think made it the best pairings from the dinners I’ve had so far is that the selection is all Oregon wines if it is wine, and they endeavored to select wines and sakes that are unique and not ones you can find normally on store shelves or on other restaurant beverage lists.
Doors open 30 minutes before the dinner service, and dinner service is at a shared countertop, though every course is plated and served to you individually. For this theme of Nurturing Your Kokoro, each seating came with an oracle card, and several us read aloud our cards, unique to each setting, to the table. Mine read “Flowers even bloom on grass that has been trampled.(Japanese proverb)”. I would prefer not to be trampled but good to know I will persevered and still blossom.
Snacks
Umami juice. Vegetables roasted then fermented with soft vinegar, this small starter cleansed the palate and was a bit reminiscent to me of a kombucha. The beverage pairing for the snacks is this crisp Mellen Meyer Brut Nature – Willamette Valley AVA. This Oregon sparkling wine producer was new to me and I’m glad for the introduction
Duck, squash, and cranberry. Nodoguro serving up a a little Thanksgiving”, with the squash poached in sake and the beautiful perfect slices of duck. I wish Thanksgiving could really be duck instead of turkey like this. One of my favorite creative courses of the evening.
