- Ten 01 Food
- Print Arts Northwest Visual Arts
Featured in Restaurant Guide 2009
Greeted with contempt upon its 2007 opening and compensatory raves soon after, the Pearl District’s monument to gilded elegance has settled into a comfortable—and maybe slightly complacent—routine under new chef Benjamin Parks. The menu is still filled with treasures, including a seared slab of halibut resting on a bed of wild rice (decadently buttered in beurre blanc), and a bowl of steamed clams and mussels ingeniously accented with lentils. A meal in the balcony seating—with its white upholstery and dune grasses, it looks like a spread from Sunset magazine circa 1977—remains as classy as this town gets. But in these penurious times, your best bet is to grab a seat at the bar and let Kelley Swenson pour you a couple of flawless cocktails. For whatever ails you (except, of course, alcoholism), I strongly urge a double feature of the Cryptic Memo and the Mystic Wood.
Order this: Did I mention how much beurre blanc is under the halibut? A lot of beurre blanc.
Best deal: Sure, lots of places have a happy-hour mac ’n’ cheese for $5—but how many throw in Cattail Creek lamb?
I’ll pass: The pork loin? Pedestrian.
