Red Star Tavern
Last Friday the Sokol Blosser management team headed up to Portland from the (rainy) vineyards and experienced a truly wonderful, friendly, knowledgeable, professional, relaxed and delicious lunch (whew!) at Red Star Tavern in downtown Portland. They tout themselves as "a celebration of American cuisine" - and after our fabulous meal, I know they're right on.
We were greeted with platters of gourmet cheeses and artisanal breads, and we toasted our hosts with a bottle (or two) of sparkling from J Vineyards (Sonoma, CA), where several of us had visited last June. Floor to ceiling windows with red curtains and dark wood made the atmosphere warm and relaxed, and the state of the art exhibition kitchen with a large wood-fired brick oven really were an impressive focal point.
To start, I tried the House Cured Trout. I was pleasantly surprised at the artful presentation - the trout was balanced on on top of a chickpea cake and a hardcooked egg yolk, and a light dollop of creme fraiche and a trail of mustard oil really made the plate. It was just as pretty as it was delicious (although, I did have to share, darn it!).
Although I was tempted by a second course of organic butter lettuce with baked fig vinaigrette with toasted almonds and powdered goat cheese, I moved straight on the a main course of something that is, in my mind, truly an American classic. But what a tasty spin Red Star put on it! A huge plate of wood oven baked macaroni and Oregon cheddar cheese with house-made andouille sausage graced my presence and I fell in love. The house-made sausage really made the plate - I would definitely recommend other dishes that include it.
As I'd overdone it a bit on the best mac n' cheese I've had in a long time, I didn't have room for the butternut squash bread pudding as dessert, but I'll definitely be back for that as bread pudding is one of my favorites and I can't wait to try the Red Star spin on it. So, I settled for a cup of French press coffee (with a splash of cream and 2 sugars) to round off the extended lunch. Wonderful!
Executive Chef Thomas Dunklin uses local, sustainable and organic products whenever possible, and the quality of their food is really something you should experience. While you're there, complement your meal with a bottle of our 2005 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, 2006 Dundee Hills Cuvée Pinot Gris or Meditrina, IV. Cheers!