Portland's Beast Tames Refined Palates

The second course consisted of a heirloom lettuce salad served with cured meats, a foie gras bonbon and steak tartare toast with quail egg. The dish inspired "oohs" and "ahhs" from my table.

Pastry-wrapped beef tenderloin served as our main course, along with thick asparagus spears and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. The beef was perfect cooked, ever-so pink in a soft shell that was sweet. We had a choice of dessert or cheese as a fifth course, which I declined.

While guests are seated together, servers treat them as if they're seated alone, offering them wine by the glass or paired with each course. Naturally, diners end up talking to each other even if they didn't arrive together, adding to the restaurant's homey vibe. As diners settled their bills and left, they bid farewell to their former tablemates.