Paul Bocuse, the celebrated French chef passed away in January, 2018. On the day of our visit, The French Laundry paid homage to Chef Bocuse with a story about his apprenticeship under Chef Fernand Point. Chef Point liked to start his day off with a glass of Champagne and it was Chef Bocuse’s duty to fill his mentor’s glass. One morning after pouring a glass for Chef Point, Chef Bocuse decided to pour himself some as well and splashed some into a salad bowl on the shelf. This repeated for a couple of days until Chef Point turned around in time to catch Chef Bocuse in the act. The following morning, when Chef Bocuse dutifully returned the bottle to the ice bucket, Chef Point took it out again, reached up for the bowl, and poured some Champagne into it. This new ritual repeated daily thereafter.

In honor of this story, our Modicum, Extra Brut, “Schramsberg VIneyards,” Blanc de Blancs, North Coast 2013 was served in small bowls.

We started with their famous Fluke Coronet.

and Gougere:

Garden Broccoli “Veloute” with Black Truffle slices:

One of my favorites was next. “Oysters and Pearls”, “Sabayon” of Pearl tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Regiis Ova Caviar.

Hen Egg Custard with a Ragout of Perigord Truffles.

Garden Pea Shoot Salad, Applewood Smoked Sturgeon “Bavarois”, Globe Artichokes, and Toasted “Pain de Champagne”

Slow Cooked Fillet of Mediterranean Turbot, Creamed Arrowleaf Spinach and Black Winter Truffle Emulsion.

Alaskan King Crab “Poelee”, Bantam Hen Egg “presse”, Fork Crushed La Ratte Potatoes, and “Creme de Cresson”

“Bread and Butter”, “Parker House Roll” and Diane St. Clair’s Animal Farm Butter

Salmon Creek Farms Kurobuta Pork Jowl, Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Whole Grain Mustard “Spatzle”, and “Sauce Chasseur”

“Selle de Veau en Croute de Trompettes de la Mort”, Slow Roasted Garden Carrots, Green Garlic “a la Plancha”, Crispy Chickpea “Panisse” and Red Wine Olive Jus.

Andante Dairy “Acapella”, K&J Orchards Persimmons, Pearson Farm Pecans, and Tender Garden Lettuces.

Salted Aptos Farm Kiwi, Yogurt and Green Tea “Panna Cotta” with “Biscuit Cuillere”.

Iced Double Cream, Black Pepper “Meringue” and Crushed Celery Seeds.

“Gateau Marjolaine”, Hazelnut “Dacquoise”, Chocolate Ganache, and Praline Buttercream.

“Coffee and Doughnuts”

Macaron, Matcha Caramel, Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

And, finally, a selection of truffles.

Followed by a tour of the renovated kitchen.

It was a special time with special people.

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Nestled in the Bellagio Hotel with a view of the fountains, the restaurant is simply breathtaking.  I have dined previously at Julian Serrano at the Aria Resort and enjoyed the meal.  This time I was meeting up with longtime friends and suggested we splurge and go to Picasso and have the Menu Degustation.

Our first dish was Maine Lobster Salad with an Apple-Champagne Vinaigrette.

Followed by Pan Seared U-10 Day Boat Scallop with Potato Mousseline and Jus de Veau.

Sauteed Steak of “A” Foie Gras, Slow Poached Black Mission Fig, Cranberry Puree, and Savory Almond Biscotti.

Roasted Tournedo Loin of Colorado Lamb, Pisto, mint Aioli, and Tempura Zucchini Flower.

And, for dessert, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Chocolate Chip Brioche, Hazelnut Praline, Passion Fruit Sauce, Fudge and Buerre Noisette Frangelico Ice Cream.

A wonderful meal in an amazing setting!

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A favorite appetizer is the Conchas a la Parrilla, grilled diver scallops with tamari-brown sugar butter sauce topped with crispy onions.

Our waitress recommended De Pulpo, grilled octopus with chimichuri and a caper majado de papo, and it was amazing.  The octopus was literally fork tender and my knife remained motionless on the table.

For an entree, my wife selected Aroz Con Pato, a gourmet version of an iconic Peruvian dish; confit duck leg paired with cilantro infused rice, a savory/sweet passionfruit sauce, and baby carrots.

I chose the Seco a la Nortena, lamb shank slow cooked in the Northern Peruvian style, in a rich cilantro-black beer sauce, served with a classic guisso de frijoles, garlic rice, and salsa criolla.

For dessert, we shared a refreshing raspberry pomegranate sorbet.

Andina remains on our “must do” list for every visit to Portland!

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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!

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Prominent in the variations is the use of black truffle.  For example, the familiar Siu Mai came topped with a tiny mound of black truffle.  They were piping hot from the steamer and the truffle flavor added a nice earthy flavor to the siu mai.  Certainly a non-traditional pairing, but very good!

We ordered the mushroom and black truffle dumplings that were unlike any dim sum we have had before.  They were also folded in a unique pattern.

The fried shrimp and chive dumplings arrived atop hollowed out slices of cucumber for presentation.

The glutinous rice meat filled dumplings featured an extremely soft texture contrasted by a very crispy outer shell.  The meat filling was nicely flavored and these were among the best of their kind I have ever had.

A longtime favorite of ours are Dan Tats, the ubiquitous custard tarts.  Most places take shortcuts now by using non-layered dough and quick custard mixes.  These were flaky and the custard tasted of fresh eggs.  Among the best I have ever had.

Everything we tasted was as fresh as could be and delicious.  Highly recommended for a mind expanding dim sum experience!

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Besides allowing the fine ingredients to shine, what stood out most to me was the subtle balance of flavor and textures in every dish; each distinctly present but none overpowering the other.

I started with the special Seafood Chowder, a lobster bisque with razor clams, fish, and crab that was stellar.

The Linguine with Steamer Clams combined handmade pasta with an enormous portion of clams in a delightful white wine cream sauce with garlic, pancetta, and shallots.

My wife had the Line Caught Halibut with yukon gold potatoes, mushrooms, peas, and tarragon with a sugar snap pea sauce.

For dessert, we shared a chocolate torte with raspberry sauce.

And, even the cappucino was a work of art!

Our meal at the Harding Trading Company was a fabulous ending to our visit to Cannon Beach.  We will definitely be back!

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I chose the Lamb Shepherds Pie, a combination of ground lamb in a rich red wine sauce topped with colcannon potatoes.  It was piping hot and comforting on a cold evening.

My wife had the daily fish special, delicious Wild King Salmon over a bed of wild rice with a lemon beurre blanc.

Lemon Curd is one of my favorite things in the world.  So, choosing the homemade scones with Devonshire cream, raspberry jam, and lemon curd was a given.

My wife selected the Chocolate Pot, a rich chocolate creme with pistachios and shortbread cookies.

The Irish Table is a great choice for dinner after a long afternoon walk on the beach.

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But, my friend Dustin told me about Blue Star Doughnuts that he said was even better! Well, that was enough to put it on our list for a recent trip to Portland. Is it better than Voodoo?

Blue Star was founded in 2012 and currently has six locations in Portland and two in Southern California.  Whereas Voodoo Doughnuts is an irreverent take on the doughnut, Blue Star is a gourmet interpretation.  Using a brioche base, the dough takes 18 hours to make daily from premium flour, cage-free eggs, hormone-free milk, and European style butter.  Some have called them “doughnuts for grown ups”.

I had the Apple Cider Fritter that was moist with a slightly crispy outside and full of apple and cinnamon flavors.

My wife’s Voodoo favorite is their Bacon Maple Bar.  Blue Star’s version is a more traditional round doughnut with a more subtle maple flavor.

Below are the Blueberry Bourbon Basil and Meyer Lemon and Key Lime Curd.

Chocolate Almond Ganache and Orxata Glazed:

Blue Star has its share of exotic, if less wacky, flavors compared to Voodoo.  If you want a more elevated doughnut experience, be sure to give Blue Star a try.  Their coffee is also excellent!

Click here for a list of their locations.

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Moqueca De Peixe, a Brazilian seafood stew with rockfish, wild prawns, dungeness crab, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms.  It has many similarities to Thai green curries in both flavor and heat.

Dungeness Crab Cakes were huge and tasty!  Served with french fries, tartar sauce, and a fennel slaw.

With more than 1,000 glowing review on Yelp and Trip Advisor, this has become the seafood destination on the Central Oregon Coast!

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Our meal was served “2 by 2” meaning the guys were served one dish and the gals another.  We shared our dishes thereby doubling the number of dishes we could taste.  I cannot imagine a more perfect dining experience!

The Food

Fluke Tartar Coronet

“Ritz Crackers”

Chilled Green Tomato Soup with Brokaw Avocado Mousse.

Chilled Brandywine Tomato Soup with Mint Infused Yogurt

“Oysters and Pearls”, “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

Royal Kaluga Caviar, Maine Lobster, Young Ginger “Bavarois” and Summer Melons

Wild Sea Trout “Terrine”, Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Fines Herbs

San Francisco Bay Whiting, Sarson’s Malt Vinegar and Onion Blossoms

Hen Egg Custard with Ragout of Perigord Truffles

Soft Scrambled Rhode Island Red Hen Egg, Toasted Brioche Soldiers, and Preserved Australian Black Winter Truffle

Sauteed Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras, K&J Orchards Plums, Slow Roasted Garden Beets, and Amaranth.

Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras “Terrine”, K&J Orchard Nectarines, Toasted Pearson Farms Pecans and Kendall Farms Creme Fraiche (missing photo for this dish)

“Rouelle” of Dover Sole, French Green Lentil “Ragout”, Caramelized Onions, Watercress Leaves, and Georgia Candy Roasted Squash “Veloute”

Big Island Abalone “Poelee”, Glazed Nantes Carrots, Young Coconut Puree, and Pea Shoots

“Bread and Butter”,  Geechie Boy Mill Cornbread and Diane St. Clair’s Animal Farm Butter

“Bread and Butter”, Bitter Cocoa Laminated Brioche and Diane St. Clair’s Animal Farm Butter

Wolfe Ranch White Quail “Roti a la Broche”, Toasted Barley, Matsutake Mushroom, Garden Turnips, Sunflower Sprouts, and Mushroom “Jus Gras”

Liberty Farms Pekin Duck, Yukon Gold Potato “Rosti”, Cherry Belle Radishes, Watercress Leaves, and Black Winter Truffle “Vichyssoise”

Charcoal Grilled Snake River Farms “Calotte de Boeuf”, Toasted Oat “Panade”, Compressed Sour Apples, Briased New Crop Potatoes, Arrowleaf Spinach, and Black Walnut Jus

Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb, Marinated Sun Gold Tomatoes, Garden Eggplant, Charred Corn Puree, Wild Arugula, and Red Wine Olive Jus

Andante Dairy “Acapella”, Toasted Piedmont Hazelnuts, Youtville Figs, Fig Leaf “Gelee”, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar

“Gougere” with Andante Dairy “Etude” and Australian Black Winter Truffle “Fondue”

Peaches and Curried Cream, Caramelized Popcorn and Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Strawberry “Tarte”, Sun Gold Tomatoes, Romanoff Cream, and Vanilla Ice Cream.

“Gateau Marjolaine” Presented Tableside

“Gateau Marjolaine”, Hazelnut “Dacquoise”, Chocolate Ganache, Praline Buttercream, Ovaltine Ice Cream

“Gateau Marjolaine”, Hazelnut “Dacquoise”, Chocolate Ganache, Praline Buttercream, Rice Ice Cream

“Coffee and Doughnuts”, Coffee Semifreddo

“Coffee and Doughnuts”, Doughnuts

Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

Dark Chocolate Bars

Macarons

Selection of Chocolates

The Wines

Dom Perignon, Epernay 2006

Emmerich Knoll, Gruner Veltliner, “Kreutles”, Federspiel, Wachau 2015

Billaud-Simon, “Vaillons” Premier Cru, Chablis 2014

Comtes Lafon, “Santenots du Milieu”, Volnay, Premier Cru 2010

The Kitchen

We were fortunate to be given a tour of the new $10M kitchen!

The Wine Cellar

Tyson leads us on a tour of the extensive wine cellar, including the wines recovered from the infamous heist!

The Board Room

The renovation includes a new private dining room.

Chef Keller

Chef Keller with Kent and DJ.

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