Aviary: Restaurant Guide 2014

AVIARY
By DEBORAH KENNEDY

1733 NE Alberta St., 287-2400,, aviarypdx.com

[BIRD'S THE WORD] Named

WW

's Restaurant of the Year in 2012—after rebuilding from a devastating fire only five months into its tenure on Northeast Alberta Street—Aviary is still at the top of the Asian-inflected small plates game. Cocktails impress: One Night in Bangkok—Monopolowa vodka, kaffir leaves, lemongrass and lime—tastes like a sin- and sun-filled Popsicle, whereas Aviary's answer to the Manhattan, McCarthy's Toronto (Bulleit rye, fernet, Angostura bitters and lemon), is a sophisticated twist on a hair-on-your-chest classic. Chefs Sarah Pliner, Jasper Shen and Kat Whitehead have ordered their menu from the smallest plate—Japanese eggplant ($8)—to the most filling, recently a New York strip steak smoked over Douglas fir with potato puree, pickled daikon, and bone-marrow custard ($21). For a pair, between three and five plates will do. The tasty tempura green beans ($9) and slow-poached egg ($10) are wonderful places to begin: The egg dish, with its braised duck leg and daikon flourishes, begins delicious and addictive as a new love affair and then—also like a love affair—turns into a bit of a mushy mess. The spice-crusted venison ($22) is most notable for its sides of fondant potatoes and mouthwatering uni butter, while the kurobuta pork short rib ($20) falls off the bone right into your mouth. At the end of the night, look for the chocolate torte with rhubarb, ginger ice cream and fennel seed brittle. DEBORAH KENNEDY.

Pro tip:

Look on the website for the next Chinese soup dumpling pop-up dinner, when for $35 patrons will have the chance to sample nine different delicacies in a family-style dinner.

5-10 pm Monday-Thursday, 5-11 pm Friday-Saturday. $$$.

WWeek 2015

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