Willow is a unique dining experience located in Portland’s Central Eastside. Located in a converted house, Chef/Hosts John and Doug present local ingredients in an eclectic mashup of Asian and European influences reflective of their training and experiences.
There are two seatings per night (6pm and 8:30pm) with 10 seats at a counter that allows great interaction with the chefs.
First up was Shishito peppers with ajo blanco, lemon zest, sesame cider vinegar, and black garlic.
Squash cooked sous vide 45 minutes in butter and berbere, compressed asian and bartlett pear, yuzu marinade, Ethiopian spices, cojito cheese, and pistachio.
Shelling beans, corn, charred onion, roasted pepper, edamame, in a corn cobb dashi.
Gnocchi dumplings, aged gouda, maiyatake mushroom in a hazelnut brown butter sauce.
Western Idaho pork brined for 24 hours then cooked sous vide for 24 hours at 60c in duck fat, kale puree, shallots, and brown cherries.
Dessert was a black and white cookie, vanilla and swiss chocolate meringue, toasted coconut, and hazelnut.
We had a fantastic meal and enjoyed talking about the food with John throughout the meal. Highly recommended!
