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Fenouil
This month I bring you a guest foodie Adam Grossman’s review of Fenouil:
Portland has a lot of fantastic things to do. Some people love the music, some people love the outdoor activities. I love to eat. I’d have to say I love just about everything about eating. I love different tastes, different cultures, themes of different restaurants, and different people to enjoy them with. Lucky for me Portland is a great place to eat. In this article I will be sharing some of my favorite places in Portland with you. Hopefully next time you are looking for something new this will help.
Anniversary? Date? Birthday? Friends or Family in town? Just feel like a top notch dining experience? If you had asked me a year ago I would have said hands down Park Kitchen, but Fenouil has joined it in my top restaurant experiences. Fenouil offers a fantastic French variety of foods in a wonderfully elegant setting. Fenouil is located in the middle of the Pearl district on Jamison Square.
The front door opens into a foyer with 25 foot ceilings, a white spiral staircase that leads to upstairs seating, an expansive bar, lounge area and a two way fireplace that partitions the foyer from the downstairs seating. In the summer, the retractable garage door windows open onto Jamison Park which is usually teaming with children and dogs playing in the fountain. For a space that can accommodate private parties of up to 100, Fenouil accomplishes a modern yet surprisingly warm and inviting feel which is often missing from the contemporary Pearl District. The other subtle benefit of Fenouil is that unlike many new trendy restaurants, the architect has taken the care to design the acoustics of restaurant so that you can actually hear the person across the table from you.
Settings aside, Fenouil has a variety of dishes friendly to all styles of pallets. My personal favorites include the locally caught oven roasted halibut and the steak frites, which mirrors the classic French café entrée of grilled steak and french fries. As expected the food is accompanied by an extensive wine list and a nice assortment of cheeses. Since it can be a difficult dish to find in Portland, it is also worth mentioning that Fenouil specializes in Foie Gras for those of you who are so inclined. And for dessert, well I’ve never really met one that I didn’t like, but Fenouil has mini soufflés and fantastic Profiterole: cream puff filled with ice cream and warm chocolate. There’s also the classic Crème Brulee if you are in a group and they are willing to share.
Reprint Courtesy of Adam Grossman– self professed Food Lover
Fenouil - $$$
900 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 (503) 525-2225
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