Friday November 04th
Friday night, I had dinner at Laurelhurst Market. It is at 3155 East Burnside. I have longed considered it the best steak house in Portland. Having eaten at Ringside, El Gaucho, and Morton’s, I find the prices and quality of meat make this my favorite steakhouse.
Last night was my first time in over a year. The experience started off well with well made affordable drinks at the bar. Paid $7.50 for a Manhattan which makes it one of the cheapest in the city. We were initially told there was a 40 minute wait but a table was available before we received our drinks.
Once seated around 9pm, we were promptly greeted by our server. She conveyed professionalism but lacked personality. She was short and to the point but never rude. I felt a little rushed, like she was ready to go home.
Our first course was Salted Cod Fritters. This was an interesting appetizer. The cod had been pureed and battered in corn flour, rolled into 10 small balls, then deep-fried and served with an aioli. The dish came out promptly. This was my first time having it and I was not impressed. The cod was purred to the point that it didn’t really have a fish taste. As for it being gluten-free, I did not ask. I was not bothered by it, but would not say that it was gluten-free. The breading was thick for such a small ball and I couldn’t help but think there was some gluten in it. I am not a mayo fan but did dip the fritters into the aioli because it helped the favor.
For dinner I had the Steak Frites for $20. This was a good cut of meat which the waitress explained came from the shoulder. It was very lean but I would not have compared it to a tenderloin, like she did. The portion was smallish to me about 6 to 7 oz but in the end I was glad that it was not monstrous. The steak was cooked just the way I like it, medium rare. The fries were different. It was this hard crispy outside. It reminded me as if they had been cooked in duck fat but lacked the flavor. The sauce was quite good. Overall, it was the best steak frites I have had and one of the cheapest.
JC had the Bavette Steak which is his favorite cut of meat (reminds him of home), a sirloin flap, it was served with creamed chanterelle mushrooms but was really more of a chanterelle cream sauce. He really liked his steak so much that he did not share any of it.
With dinner, we got a side of potato and celery root gratin. The first time, I came to Laurelhurst Market I had a side of potato au gratin. This gratin was not as good, but was still delicious. The taste of celery root was strong but not off-putting. The gratin was layered with alternating potato and celery root.
Desert was unfortunate. I looked at the menu and saw no gluten-free options. I asked what kind of crust the cheese cake had and it was a gram cracker crust. We declined on dessert. When our waitress came back with the bill, I asked about what they do to accommodate gluten-free? This question caught her off guard and she replied that the menu stated what was gluten-free. This was strange because I didn’t see anything that stated if some thing was gluten-free. Looking at the menu online, I have checked the menu and cannot find this information.
As for the dessert the waitress replied that the deserts change often and that sometime they are not able to offer gluten-free. I think this is unfortunate, I know that I am in a minority but many restaurants do cater to gluten-free. There are many gluten-free friendly options and this city is full of bakeries that make excellent desserts.
This was a big disappointment as this was my favorite restaurant. JC really liked it and wants to go back. Being one of my favorites, I will return because I don’t want this bad experience ruin my view of the restaurant.
As a side note, I was very tired Friday night. This may have influenced my opinion which is another reason I should return before writing this restaurant off.
