Aviary Portland

My friend and I were pleasantly blown-away by their execution of the Portland's dining month menu. They were attentive to every detail of the dishes from the presentation to the combinations of textures and flavors. With two of us, we got to sampled all the dishes offered on thr menu. Even before the actual meal started, we're amazed by the decadantness of the butter emulsion that was served as part of their "bread basket". For starters, they offer the Kabocha Squash and the Brasied Hoisin Lamb Ribs. Both were stellar! The squash was prepared in multiple ways: pureed, roasted, and grilled. It was somewhat like a warm salad but soso delicious. The lamb ribs were tender as heck and soso juicy. For entreés, we had the Salmon and the Sakura Pork Ribs. The salmon was easily the best cooked piece of salmon that I've ever had. The skin was perfectly crisp while the meat was medium well and flaky. The sabayon sauce was also super flavorful; we honestly scraped all the plates dry. The pork ribs, again, was very tender. I love the hint of peppercorn in the sauce. For desserts, there was the Chocolate Brownie and the Lemon Chiffon Cake. The brownie was a tad bit too sweet and dense for me. Although the passion fruit cream and cherry sorbet cerainly helped to cut through the chocolate. The chiffon cake was super super light but the taste of lemon was there. The blood orange creme was my favorite part of the dessert; it was light yet creamy at the same time. I felt like a detective, trying to figure out all the different components within all the dishes, because so much effort and attention were put into creating their immaculate dishes. The service was also spotless and efficient. Thank you for such a great time, Aviary!

March is becoming one of my favorite times of year because of Portland Dining Month, a chance to explore some of the finer resturants in town and Aviary lives up to one is the best. I don't know much about French food so their set menu makes it easy to choose. The wife and I ended up ordering one of each selection. She had the salad and thought having squash on a salad was something she would never have thought of yet it was really well done. I had the lamb ribs for my first course and the hoisin sauce was an amazing contrasting flavor. The turnip cake was really tasty, nothing I would have selected on its own and glad they made the choice for me. The wife went for the salmon. While she elected to leave the roe on the side(baby steps), she thought the flavors, textures and veggies were a great combination. I had the pork short ribs and the bite of a garnish was surprising and really tasty. The brownie with cherry sorbet for me and lemon chiffon cake for here were very tasty. We thought for a moment about putting the empty plates on another table, trying to ask our server where was our dessert? We didn't think we could get away with it. Amazing food of course is only the start. Service was equally stellar. With each dish the server explained all the elements so we knew what was in front of us. The place is nicely appointed, "Portland Casual". We aren't as experienced with French cuisine as Thai, Mexican, BBQ however places like Aviary really encourage us to try more.

We loved this restaurant. We got there during Happy Hour. We especially loved Duck Liver Toasts --eat them while they are hot!!! Yumyum. Sugar Snap Peas and Cantaloupe-- wonderful combination of flavors. My mouth was trying to figure out what each unique herb and spice was in this dish. It all harmonized so well. Our main entree was Braised Venison Shank for Two. I should have taken a picture of this mouth watering dish. One plate had most of a leg of venison that was cooked so well that you could use a spoon to gently tease the meat off the bone. The other plate had a huge mound of butter lettuce (for making lettuce rolls). The were mounds of fresh ginger, mung bean sprouts, and other yummy condiments.

Wow! Truly one of the best meals we've eaten in a long, long time. What made it more incredible was how the staff made us feel special, as we celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary at Aviary. This was our first time to the restaurant, and from the moment we walked in, my wife and I were treated wonderfully. Our host (who was also our waiter and I didn't catch his name), seated us and brought two glasses of champagne to our table. We knew then we were in for a treat and they didn't disappoint. We started with a fois gras hum bao appetizer with hoisin caramel sauce that was so tasty. They also served us bread and bagna cauda, which were individual slices of bread accompanied with a buttery sauce with a hint of anchovy. So delicious, and we were just getting warmed up. We then split a bowl of chestnut soup with roasted Brussel sprout leaves, crème fraîche, maple brown butter, and salted duck egg. We had never tasted a soup so rich, creamy and flavorful. For dinner, my wife had pan fried trout, one her favorite fishes. This was cooked perfectly, light and flakey, with absolutely no bones. I had flat iron steak with a medley of flavors that leave a pleasant aftertaste. Even though we were both pretty full, we just couldn't skip dessert. We shared a chocolate miso torte straddled by coffee ice cream --homemade coffee ice cream. It was creamy and the my wife said it was the best she's had. That's her favorite flavor, and it makes other notable ice creams pale by comparison. All throughout the meal, our waiter checked with us frequently, and the chef came out a few times to introduce various dishes. I noticed that kitchen staff is calm, not hurried, and you can see the level of attention and detail they put into every dish. It shows! Two hours later, it was time for us to go. On our way out, I went over to the chef and told her what an awesome night we had. Aviary is one of the top restaurants in Portland, and now I know why. We'll be back again soon to enjoy another memorable meal. Thank you!

Before I start this review, just have to say that the chestnut soup is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Came here for the restaurant week menu with my sister on a Saturday night. We had a reservation and were lucky to be seated right away. The waitress came out with complimentary bread & a tasty butter/garlic/lemon/anchovy dipping sauce - really good! The set price of $33 included a starter, an entree, and dessert. We started off with the chestnut soup - so creamy & flavorful, loved the texture that the fried brussels added. I opted for the beef brisket entree, which came with a macaroni salad croquette (super creative, I wish it was a bit more cheesy/less dry on the inside). The meat was perfectly cooked, great portion size. For dessert I had the chocolate miso torte with coffee ice cream. Not sure where the miso came in, but it was a good way to round out the meal. Not overly sweet, pretty dense. The rice crispies on top were easily the right part. Overall cool experience, though service was a bit slow. Nothing big to complain about, just wasn't blown away. Probably would opt for an a la carte menu order instead of the pre-set menu if I went back. Definitely check this place out if you're in the area!