Well all know how much I LOVE Portland restaurants. I’ve been fortunate enough to sample dishes at many of the local eateries. I love that I get to post reviews of restaurants– discuss what restaurants do well and such things. Daily I get emails from my favorite restaurants sharing their specials and promoting new menu items. My inbox has been especially full with the upcoming holiday of love, decadence, and dining out– Valentine’s Day. I’ve gathered a list of some of the specials that I thought would interest local readers. Check them out this weekend if you don’t have plans yet! These specials are for Valentine’s Day 2014… the restaurants are good all year long!
Acadia
Sidestep the downtown crowds and sneak away to your favorite neighborhood New Orleans Bistro for a candle-lit, soul-satisfying Valentine’s meal prepared by chef/owner Adam Higgs. He will prepare a wonderful five-course feast with plenty of options from which to choose. Select the prix fixe option for $75 per person, or order a la carte off the same menu. Reserve now – this menu will be available on Valentine’s Day only!
Andina
Join Andina for Dia de los Enamorados this Valentine’s Day for a Peruvian celebration of food, music, and wine! From 5-10:30 pm on February 14th, indulge in a sumptuous 3-course prix fixe menu that includes a half bottle of premium Champagne, sparkling or red wine. Live musical entertainment will be provided by Portland musicians Danny Romero and the Toshi Onizuka Trio throughout the evening. Reservations for Andina’s prix fixe 3-course dinner start at $90. For reservations please call 503-228-9535.
Aviary
Enjoy a romantic Valentine’s at Aviary this year. Combining classic French technique with exotic Eastern flavors, the special four-course menu designed by Aviary’s trio of chefs will feature delicious specialties such as Tasmanian sea trout with blood orange, roast lamb leg served with zucchini tart and spiced apricots, and more. For dessert, Aviary will offer a rich chocolate torte with quince sorbet alongside crème fraîche cheesecake with blood oranges and matcha shortbread. Reservations for the romantic four-course dinner are $65 per person with optional $25 wine pairings. Call Aviary at 503-287-2400 for reservations. (Check out my review of Aviary)
The Bent Brick
The Northwest restaurant will be serving the full menu as well as a special couple’s four course pre-fixe menu at $80 for two that will run Thursday, February 13th through Sunday, February 16th. The menu features seasonal dishes such as Oregon black truffle, Carolina rice grits, Oregon black cod, and chocolate pudding cake with Salt & Straw malted buttermilk ice cream for dessert. Please visit The Bent Brick online or call 503-688-1655 for reservations and more information. (Check out my review of The Bent Brick)
Besaw’s
Enjoy a cozy, romantic dinner in one of Portland’s classic restaurants this Valentine’s Day. Besaw’s will be serving the daily dinner menu as well as a number of mouth-watering specials, including fresh oysters on the half shell with a blood orange gastrique, and dungeness crab cannelloni. The restaurant has a wonderful selection of Willamette Valley wines, local brews and a couple of signature Valentine’s Day cocktails. For reservations call 503-228-2619. (Check out this great review of Besaw’s from my pal The Spicy Bee)
Block’s
Start off February 14th with a fresh breakfast, brunch or lunch with special Valentine’s Day drinks and treats. Specialty cocktails including strawberry hibiscus mimosas are available all weekend long. On February 13th and 14th stop in to pick up Valentine’s Day sweets in festive packaging for those you cherish at home, school or the office, such as chocolate covered honeycombs, bags of mini-cookies or Block’s signature chocolate pudding for two. For more information call 503-234-5689.
Cocotte
A meal that will pay you back! Cocotte wants to make sure your Valentines Day will be an amorous one. So chef/owner Kat LeSueur will be creating a sumptuous, 6-course meal around the best aphrodisiacs the culinary world has to offer: Mussels, oysters, lamb, chocolate, chilies and avocado will all make appearances on the 6-course tasting menu. Join us: Friday, February 14th or Saturday, February 15th–Six courses $75 Reservations: (503) 227-2669
Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery
Join Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery on Valentine’s Day evening for a For or Against Valentine’s Prix Fixe Menu! The menu is three courses and has choices for each course– great for couples that want to try (and share) different items! Three courses for $30/person (does not include beverages or gratuity). Wine pairings available for an additional $15/person. Reservations Encouraged! 503-206-7862 or info@cyrilspdx.com (Check out my review of Cyril’s Restaurant)
Departure
Take in one of the best views of Portland from sky-high Departure this Valentine’s Day. Chef Gregory Gourdet has prepared a five-course meal with a selection of Departure classics and eight dishes created just for this special night, including a decadent and sweet dessert duo. The Valentine’s Day menu at Departure is $69 a person and will be served alongside the bar menu available all night. For reservations please call 503-802-5370.
Imperial
Celebrate February 14th in style with Imperial’s specially designed Valentine’s Day menu. Specials include grilled foie gras and pineapple in a brown sugar and rum glaze, and lamb tartare dressed in crispy sunchokes and mint. For dessert, indulge in a tasting of chocolate confections including: salty caramel ice cream bon bons, red velvet sweetheart cake, bourbon soaked cherries and more. Treat your date to Imperial’s new cocktail, St. Valentine’s Sbagliato- a honeyed chamomile Plymouth gin concoction designed by bar manager Brandon Wise. For reservations please call 503-228-7222.
Kerns Kitchen
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this Valentine’s Day, Kerns Kitchen will be serving simple and fresh, full flavored Italian dishes. As a special valentine to their customers, the restaurant has partnered with neighbors Missionary Chocolates and Happy Cup Roasters to treat guests to a gift bag containing specialty truffles and 1/4 lb specialty roast coffee beans. Reservations are suggested for Valentine’s Day at Kerns Kitchen. Please call 503-477-7779.
Levant
Enjoy the rich flavors of French-Arabesque twists on modern Middle Eastern fare this Valentine’s Day at Levant. Open from 5-10pm, Levant will serve the full, à la carte menu in addition to a special four-course prix fixe dinner for $55 a person or with an optional wine pairing for an additional $25 a person. Please call 503-954-2322 for reservations.
Life of Pie
Make your night memorable with a delicious meal at Life of Pie. On Valentine’s Day, Life of Pie pizzeria will serve a special menu for two with personalized arancini and kale salads, two wood-fired Margherita pizzas and your choice of either a bottle of sparkling wine or sparkling cider for $30 a couple. Please call 503-719-7321 for more information.
Little Bird
Treat your date to a special night out with a elegant flair at Little Bird. The French bistro inspired restaurant will be serving the inventive yet comforting dishes Little Bird is known for and will feature a Valentine’s Day Pink Champagne Cocktail ($14), a sparkling rosé with a Peychaud bitters-soaked sugar cube and grapefruit peel garnish. Little Bird is open this Valentine’s Day from 11:30am – 12am. Call 503-688-5952 for more information and reservations.
Ned Ludd
Ned Ludd provides a one-of-a-kind rustic dining experience for you and your loved one this Valentine’s day. With care and a culinary focus on the bounty of Oregon and the greater Northwest region, Ned Ludd will fire the wood fired oven for an aphrodisiac inspired à la carte menu or a prix fixe Valentine’s menu with an optional wine pairing. Reservations for two are $110 for dinner only and $160 for dinner and wine. Please call the restaurant at 503-288-6900 for reservations.
Oso Market + Bar
For an intimate night out, Oso Market + Bar is teaming up with Chef Abby Fammartino of Abby’s Table to serve a romantic dinner with menu items including Kumamoto oysters on the half shell with remolde, peppercorn crusted Painted Hill beef tenderloin with wild mushroom reduction, and coconut crème bruleé. The dinner menu is also available 100% gluten, soy, and dairy free. Reservations for the dinner will be pre-sold only for $48 plus gratuity and with a wine pairing for $65 plus gratuity. To purchase and RSVP please visit the Oso Market Shop.
Project Grace
New Italian pop-up, Project Grace, will be serving a five-course menu at Trinket both Thursday, February 13th and Friday, February 14th. Italian dishes will be featured such as Pesce Crudo with local albacore, citrus, fennel and Capezzana olive oil, grilled lettuce hearts, black pepper cavatelli with Manila clams, pork belly and pangattato, “Terra e Mare” with pan seared strip steak, dungeness crab zabaglione, and spinach crushed fingerlings, and Woodblock chocolate polenta cake with blood orange, and caramelized white chocolate. Seatings for Project Grace’s five-course dinner are from 6-10pm and are $45 a person. Please call 503-805-1345 or email projectgracepdx@gmail.com to reserve.
Remedy Wine Bar
Stop by Remedy Wine Bar for a comfortable and intimate night out on February 14th. Remedy will be serving the full menu in addition to Coq au Vin for Valentine’s Plat du Jour. Special dishes include oysters on the half shell with Champagne mignonette and chocolate pain perdue with banana mousse and caramel with recommended wine pairings. Call 503-222-1449 for more information. (Check out this great review of Remedy Wine Bar from my pal at Urban Bliss Life)
Salt & Straw
Taste the decadent, chocolate themed flavors of Valentine’s Day with a Salt & Straw twist this February. Salt & Straw has collaborated with many of Portland’s small-batch chocolatiers including Sahagun Chocolates, Xocolatl de David, Missionary Chocolates, Alma Chocolate and Woodblock Chocolate, to showcase each artisan’s unique style and flavor. On Valentine’s Day, stop by any location for a scoop of ice cream or flight of all five flavors and visit the Salt & Straw photo booth to take pictures and support Oregon United for Marriage. Throughout the entire month of February, Salt & Straw will donate a portion of sales from the Valentine’s Day flavors to Oregon United for Marriage to support same-sex marriage rights in Oregon. For more information please call 503-208-3867.
SE Wine Collective
SE Wine Collective offers multiple opportunities to celebrate the holiday of love. Those in an amorous frame of mind can cozy up in the Collective’s Tasting Bar for a classic Valentine’s special of wine and food for two whenever the mood strikes them Wednesday, February 12th through Sunday, February 16th. Wine options include Champ Divin Crémant de Jura – Sparkling Brut Rosé NV and 2011 Chateau Peybonhomme-Les Tour – Côtes de Blays, Cru Bourgeois. Special food items are a Baked Camembert with a spiced hazelnut crust and Pinot poached Oregon cranberries, served with Little T baguette and fresh apple slices along with a flourless chocolate fudge cake a la mode with Salt & Straw’s Black Walnuts and Bow and Arrow (SEWC Alumni) Gamay Jam ice cream. Celebrate Valentine’s an evening early during SE Wine Collective’s new collaborative Supper Social featuring The Cheese Bar with Steve Jones on February 13th at 6:30pm. The event will showcase an Old World, New World Menu where guests can choose between a French Classic Raclette and pairings of French wines and beer, or Swiss “Nachos,” paired with local Portland wines and beer. Reservations for Supper Social with the Cheese Bar are required and tickets are available online for $30 a person. In addition, on February 14th SE Wine Collective will host Whiskers, Wags and Wine – a fundraiser for Animal Rescue and Care Fund. Starting at 5 pm, the fundraiser will be a fun evening of raffles, local wines, small bites and chocolates all in support of Animal Rescue and Care Fund (ARCF). Admission is free and proceeds from the evening will go to ARCF. Please call 503-402-8692 for more information.
Smallwares
The stylish, “inauthentic Asian” eatery will serve eclectic, yet refined dishes for a prix fixe four-course at $50 per person with an optional beverage pairing for an additional $30 per person. In addition to the prix fixe menu, an abbreviated menu of Smallwares favorites will be offered. For reservations please call 971-229-0995.
St Honoré
Head to St. Honore’s SE Division location this Valentine’s Day for dinner, romantic dessert offerings, and two glasses of Jean Louis Denois Cremant de Loire for $19.95 in addition to live music on February 13th and February 14th. The dessert special is available February 12-16th from 4 to 10 pm. Musicians from Hot Club of Hawthorne will play French-style gypsy jazz from 6 to 9 pm on February 13th and Nancy Curtin’s duo will play Brazilian jazz and bossa nova, accompanied by Emmy-award winning composer Vince Frates on piano on February 14th from 6-9pm. Those looking to pick up sweets and treats will find a wide selection of popular love themed pastries, each available in festive wrapping. For ordering information and store locations visit please visit www.sainthonorebakery.com.
Urban Farmer
For Valentine’s Day 2014 Urban Farmer will be offering their full dinner menu in addition to specials for two such as oysters with Champagne mignonette and steamed butterfish for $30. A five-course tasting “Farmerdisiac” menu will also be offered at $70 per person from Friday the 14th through Saturday the 15th. The “Farmerdisiac” offers decadent, seasonal dishes such 21 day dry aged New York steak with foraged mushroom risotto. Please call Urban Farmer at 503-222-4900 for more information and reservations. (Check out my review of Urban Farmer)
Wildwood
Join Wildwood for a romantic and elegant meal featuring dishes such as gnocchi with smoked trout, Meyer lemon and hazelnuts and pomegranate marinated lamb with green curry collard greens and pickled fresno. Open for lunch from 11:30-2pm and dinner 5-10pm, Reservations are required for Valentine’s Day at Wildwood, please contact the restaurant via email at wildwood@wildwoodpdx.com or by calling 503-248-9663.
