|
BY JIM DIXON
Chameleon
Restaurant & Bar Picks: shrimp satay, seared scallops, spring rolls, tum yum soup, fettucine with salmon, rack of lamb
A good neighborhood restaurant engenders mixed feelings. Residents are happy to have a place nearby where they can drop in for a meal without a reservation, but they're also fearful that it might draw crowds, that too much popularity will end their casual visits or that their own little patch of Portland will become the next trendy destination. Folks living in the Hollywood neighborhood are having these internal debates about Chameleon Restaurant. While the area has plenty of eateries, this is the first that offers mussels on the half-shell; a spinach salad with hazelnuts, blue cheese and pears; or cilantro-marinated grilled salmon. Only time will tell if gentrification is on its way, but for now, you might as well eat. Housed in a former fish-and-chips emporium, Chameleon fights hard to overcome its unmistakable architectural parentage. From the street the corporate cookie-cutter layout is clear, but inside, flowing drapes, white linens and plush banquettes help cover it up. You won't see this interior in Architectural Digest, but it's a pleasant, comfortable place for dinner. I've never seen Chameleon really crowded; if it were, the laid-back staff might be strained. The service is earnest and friendly, however, which can usually make up for the occasional lapse or delay. If you feel neglected, mosey over to the bar for a cocktail or check out the wine list, which covers a range of domestic and imported vintages and includes some nice selections by the glass. The menu, like the shade-shifting lizard namesake, morphs back and forth between culinary colors. What we've come to call northwest cuisine--regional, seasonal products in creative but mostly continental preparations--shares the bill with dishes usually found in Southeast Asian restaurants. This is authentic ethnic food, not fusion. The salad rolls, satay, spring rolls and tum yum (a soup of chicken, coconut milk, curry and lemongrass) come from chef Pat Jeung's Thai background. More traditional appetizers include mussels served with a cilantro-flavored lime dressing and bruschetta topped with goat cheese and cured salmon. Seared scallops in peppercorn-rosemary butter are perfectly cooked, a bit spendy but with a melting sweetness that banishes any thoughts of the bill. Grilled skewered shrimp with a classic Indonesian peanut sauce and Vietnamese salad rolls of rice noodle, cilantro and shrimp provide a more cross-cultural beginning. Spring rolls are ubiquitous, and Chameleon's hold their own with any: The rice-paper wrappers are crisp and hot, with an ample filling of pork, mushroom and cellophane noodles. The sweetness of finely diced pears and balsamic vinaigrette balances the strong flavors of blue cheese and hazelnuts in the spinach salad. Mixed greens tossed with cherry tomatoes, avocado, marinated red onion, chilled crawfish tails and warm hard-boiled egg make for an unusual salad, but the addition of the freshwater shellfish didn't seem worth the nearly $12 price tag. The tum yum (at a modest $3.95), on the other hand, would've been a bargain at twice the price. Served in every Thai restaurant, it can be overly sweet and cloyingly thick if prepared with too much coconut milk; Chameleon's version is refreshingly thin, still showing the trademark flavors of coconut and lemongrass but enlivened with fresh tomato and mushrooms. Those looking for a traditional entree can stop with the rack of the lamb. Fragrant with fresh rosemary and thyme, the meaty chops are drizzled with a merlot sauce; the center of each is perfectly pink, and the long rib bones are crusty with herbs (if you don't pick these up and gnaw, you're missing one of the best parts). The accompanying garlicky red potatoes also appear with a pan-seared beef tenderloin. Either of these carnivore's delights can be found at other restaurants, but here they're priced more like a pasta special. Chameleon has its share of pasta as well. Vermicelli comes with a spicy peanut sauce, a particularly nice version sprinkled with chopped nuts. Smoked salmon in a light cream sauce topped with bright red salmon roe is paired with fettucine. Santa Fe chicken brings southwestern flavors to penne by combining grilled breast meat with tomato, green pepper and cilantro. Nightly specials can be intriguing. On one visit, cold rice noodles, a staple of Southeast Asian cooking, were tossed with fresh green papaya, chopped cabbage and cooked, chilled and diced long beans. This salad-like mix was topped with a hot, spicy coconut-milk curry sauce and chunks of salmon, catfish and crabmeat. The result was a catalog of contrasts: cold and hot, crisp and soft, sweet and spicy. Desserts change frequently, but you can look at the evening's selections in the case by the door. A torte-like tiramisu was an interesting variation on the unavoidable, and a strawberry tart had a nice hazelnut crust. You can also skip the sweets and finish with a glass of port. Whether or not Chameleon signals a change in the commercial makeup of the traditionally populist Hollywood neighborhood remains to be seen. For now the residents seem happy to have an alternative to chicken in a bucket, and those living beyond the borders have a reason for visiting: a restaurant serving an unusual menu of well-prepared food at below-average prices.
originally published September 2, 1998 |
