H50 for Portland Dining Month

June 7, 2013 by 5 Comments

H50 Bistro Bar, located the waterfront hotel of Hotel 50, was the first restaurant I’ve taken advantage of for the Portland Dining Month special of a 3 course dinner for $29. I haven’t been back for a couple years, and since then the executive chef (Nicholas Yanes) left and now a new executive chef Ron Baker is at the helms. I do like the location and hip modern atmosphere, so I gave it a try as my first Portland Dining month dinner.

If you happen to drive here, H50 and Hotel 50 generously offer FREE valet covered parking in the Hotel Fifty lot for up to two hours for H50 diners.

H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Here, the options for the meals for Dining Month included

First course

  • chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint OR
  • green salad served with basil, mint, shallots, balsamic vinaigrette and a ricotta crostini

Second course

  • braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes OR
  • fire brick-roasted half chicken served with moroccan spices, saffron hummus, grilled rapini and olive tapenade

Third course

  • frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup

So I picked this out especially for the first and third course. And, here’s what I got…

I started out with the Cinnamon Blood  Orange Margarita, with H5O cinnamon anise tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice, blood orange puree

cocktail, Cinnamon Blood Orange Margarita, with H5O cinnamon anise tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice, blood orange pureeH50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

And then, the Portland Dining Month menu dinner. This was quite a meal, including the amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, and even a sweet goodbye bite with the check.

H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant amuse bouche of Salt Cod Fritters with pickled pepper aioli, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

The first course was even better than I had hoped, with the chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint being such intense strawberry puree.
chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant chilled strawberry soup served with champagne ice, pistachios and mint, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

I was blown away by the second course of the braised brisket crepenette, all that richness of the beef topped with pork belly and roasted cauliflower and tellagio cheese balanced by the slight bitterness of the greens and pickled radishes. It was much more than the menu description had promised. Usually you might expect a crepenette to be the size of a burger patty, or come as multiple meatballs, but this was serious – steak sized!
braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant braised brisket crepenette served with seasonal smoked vegetables, tellagio cheese and pickled breakfast radishes, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Meanwhile that frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, and bonus! also chocolate wafer, pistachio crumbles definitely had a strong current of whiskey flavor, but I appreciated all the various textures on the plate to play along with.
frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant frozen whiskey mousse served with caramelized banana mousse, banana chip and orange syrup, chocolate tulle, pistachio crumbles, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant extra sweet bite with the check, H50 Bistro Bar, Hotel 50 restaurant, Portland, waterfront restaurant

Make your Portland Dining Month reservations via OpenTable so that Downtown Portland will also make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank!

Check out my other Portland Dining Month escapades: I ate at Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli, H50 out of my initial list!

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Portland Dining Month 2013

June 1, 2013 by 4 Comments

Welcome to June, and the start of Dining Month, where you can go to 90 various restaurants in Portland and enjoy 3 courses for $29. You can check out the official Downtown Portland Dining Month website here to see those restaurants and sort by location, cuisine, or view the details of the 3 courses that will be offered. They will always have their regular menu as well, so not everyone at the table has to eat the $29 prix fixe.

Also keep in mind that if you make reservations using the online restaurant reservation system OpenTable (click the link to see the 68  participating restaurants that are also on OpenTable), not only can you earn points that you can eventually use to get restaurant gift certificates (good for any OpenTable participating restaurants), but a donation will also be made to the Oregon Food Bank so you can feed yourself and others.

I usually will pick restaurants based on food options in their 3 courses that sound good, and then look at their regular menu to see if it is a good deal. It never ends up being less than $29 to order them a la carte if available, but some dishes are special for Dining Month, or you are getting a tremendous value on the price. Some particular ones that stood out to me as a value and/or had offerings for my taste that I will see if I can visit (remember that the menus are subject to change by the restaurant at any time):

  • Clyde Common (downtown), whose main Second course is braised pork shoulder with farro, pearl onions, mushrooms. Usually their dinner entrees are already priced around $20 range so this is looking like a good deal, though beware that most of their seating is at communal tables if you are thinking of an intimate date night
  • Country Cat (SE Portland) has a Second course of Molasses- and hickory-smoked duck leg with toasted pecan and bacon spoonbread. Enough said. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Fratelli (Pearl), who starts with a First course that includes a board of chicken liver mousse and a main Second course of Smoked Mt. Shadow pork loin (which as a regular dish here usually runs $22 just by itself). Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Genoa (SE Portland), with generous offerings of Guinea hen conserva, Cappellini with pancetta and broken egg, and third course of Braised elk shin! Another bargain since usually they have a 5 course prix fixe at $65 and you are getting more than half the courses at less than half the price. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Parish (Pearl) is tempting with their Second course of Creole duck gumbo followed up by either a Third course of strawberry red velvet cake layered with brown-butter frosting or Pecan pie, and ordering those two items along off their regular menu would probably already be at $25. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Departure (downtown), offering a duo of choices for each course: First course of Beet and mizuna salad with soy-cured egg, sesame vinaigrette, crispy seed cracker OR Chili spice shrimp with asparagus, black garlic, ginger miso, a Second Course of Steamed cod with ginger, scallion, chili, lime OR Marinated flank steak and avocado, red onion, pea shoot, mint, and a Third Dessert course of Rhubarb pâte de fruit and kalamansi sorbet with white chocolate puffed rice, raspberry OR Coconut milk chocolate bar with mocha ice cream, crystallized ginger, spiced popcorn. Don’t they ALL sound good, and the atmosphere here is very trendy cool. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Gracie’s Restaurant (downtown) has a lot of choices, with 10 options for the First course appetizer, 8 options for Second course main, and 5 options to choose from for Third course dessert. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Similarly, Tabla (NE Portland) also is offering quite the bevy of choices, with 5 options for each course, with the Second choice options including their beautiful homemade pastas, either tajarin or ravioli, among others. Not surprised to see them participating because they always offer a make your own 3 courses for $30 option as part of their menu. I covet their homemade pasta so I’m listing them anyway. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • H50 (Waterfront) has an intriguing selection for their 3, including a choice for Chilled strawberry soup with Champagne ice, pistachios and mint for their First Course, two choices also for their main Second course (Braised brisket crepenette or Fire brick-roasted half chicken),  and a Third course dessert of Frozen whiskey mousse. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Lincoln Restaurant (North Portland) has a First course that includes Watercress with pickled sultanas, crispy pig ears and bacon, and a Second course of Hanger steak with blue-cheese butter. Since their entrees are normally $20 and up, this is a great value to dine here with this $29 prix fixe. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Wildwood (Northwest Portland) combines classic with modern twist- their Second course main includes an option for Green curry lamb ribs. I love Wildwood- I often will direct visitors to Portland here as one of their stops to really experience Northwest cuisine.
  • If you haven’t been to Imperial (downtown) yet to try Vitaly Paley’s latest place, go now and enjoy a well priced 3 courses that boasts Carlton Farms smoked pork loin for the Second main course. Or, hit up Paley’s Place (NW Portland) where the main is a Grilled pork loin.  Based on their regular menu prices, another great value to visit here. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Relative newcomer Quartet (Waterfront) is also participating, so you can treat yourself to the views as well as four choices for the Second main dish that covers all the categories- vegetarian, chicken, fish, or beef. Usually an entree along is going to be more than the $29 3 courses you can get for June, so come get your fancy fine dining at an affordable price while it lasts! Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • For something really different, visit Urban Fondue and have a cheese fondue, broth fondue with meat/seafood options, and a chocolate dessert fondue. Reservations available on OpenTable.

Yeah, I only picked 15 restaurants, that’s all! Other options include hot restaurants like Aviary, Biwa, Oven and Shaker, Riffle NW, Smallwares, St Jack, and classics like Ruth’s Chris, Ringside, and Salty’s. Check it out and enjoy June!

Check out my other Portland Dining Month escapades: I ate at Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli, H50 out of my initial list!

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Highlights of Portland Dining Month (June 2012), upcoming Zoo Brew

May 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The month of June is dining month, where multiple restaurants around Portland offer a sampler of their menu via a prix fixe 3 course meal for $25. Some of the restaurants whose offerings as listed on the Portland Dining Month website particularly stood out for me include

  • 23 Hoyt– offering a First Course of Spring greens salad with Portland Creamery chevre, Oregon hazelnuts and currants, Second Course of House-made fettuccine with braised duck ragu and pecorino Toscano, and Third Course of Strawberry shortcake with black pepper biscuit and balsamic syrup. I'm a sucker for duck.
  • Acadia Bistro– offering First Course of rhubarb salad with spiced oat granola, fromage blanc, mango, endive and arugula with a “put up” strawberry vinaigrette (sounds so delicious with that mix of flavors and healthy!), Second Course of Chicken Clemenceau (mm rich and meaty) with Brabant sweet potatoes, foraged mushrooms and English peas, and Third Course of Vanilla bean bread pudding with white chocolate-Frangelico sauce and pecans
  • Biwa– whatever homestyle Japanese dishes they are serving in the Omakase is ok with me, I've always wanted to try this restaurant
  • Clark Lewis- offering First Course of Bruschetta with fresh ricotta, arugula and shaved porcini, Second Course of Housemade Tagliatelle with SuDan Farm Lamb ragu, rosemary and pecorino toscano, and Third Course of Buttermilk panna cotta with Oregon strawberries and shortbread cookies. Yeah, I'm a sucker for lamb too.
  • Clyde Common– First Course of Late spring greens, pickled grapes, smoked almonds Second Course of Clyde Common porchetta, roasted fingerling potatoes, pickle relish Third Course of Lemon-buttermilk pudding cake, walnut-thyme crust, rhubarb preserves, cream. Did you read that… porchetta. Mmm.
  • Olympic Provisions NW– because I already love their charcuterie, having a meal there can only be just as awesome, whatever they are offering… Leave the vegetarian at home.
  • Oven and Shaker– on my wishlist since they opened yet I'm still waiting to enjoy the drinks and pizza here. Their offerings include choice of 3 salads, choice between 5 different pizzas, and a dessert of their housemade gelato and sorbetto
  • Country Cat– First Course of Salad of Snow Peas, Cast-Iron Cornbread, Goat Cheese, & Wildflower Honey, a Second Course of Two Pieces of Cast-Iron Skillet Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy of Third Course Manhattan Chocolate Cake. Meow you had me at fried chicken…
  • Wildwood- any and every time I have gone, they have been delightful.

Also, if you make you reservation through OpenTable (which I love and have been using for years to see availability of restaurants and make reservations. Sometimes when travelling I will use this on my phone to find restaurants nearby and make a reservation right there in the car- pulled over or before I start driving of course), OpenTable will also make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank as long as you use this link.

Anyone up for dinner this month?

Also to mark the beginning of June is the upcoming Zoo Brew this coming Friday June 1. It is an event where the zoo is open from 5-10pm exclusively for adults, along with adult beverages courtesy of 30 local breweries and 7 cideries that use the regular token system to buy tastings (or 4 tokens for a full filling of the glass I think), so you can enjoy animals, workshops, and carnival games while voting for favorites for beer themed prizes. Proceeds from Zoo Brew benefit the Oregon Zoo's animal welfare, conservation, education and environmental sustainability programs and activities.

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