Southern Hospitality!

And what could possibly be more hospitable to me than good food? Especially when I'm not cooking it? Okay, maybe free food, but for what we had the other night, I was more than happy to fork over the required tariff.

Saturday night w and I headed to north Portland (and don't give your needy, wannabe NoPo acronym. Leave that to needy, wannabe New Yorkers) to meet our friends Jeff and Kathyrn to pay a visit to Roux. I've been there a few times before, and I have to admit the last time didn't knock me out. There's a new chef in the kitchen, though, and based on what we consumed, the whole place seems reinvigorated. This was a seriously good meal, withy just one slip that they happily corrected. We had a pretty fair share of the menu, and there was the constant sound of "oh" and "wow" heard at our table. Here's the quick rundown.....

Jeff, w, and I started with their perfectly refreshing French 75 cocktail, a gin concoction that they do better than any other I've tried. After slurping down a dozen oysters on the half shell, our starters of the "Croque Monsieur" salad (spinach, smoked ham hock, gruyere, & a creole mustard vinaigrette) and a creamy, decadent crawfish pie (think chicken pot pie-ish, only really sexy!) were outstanding. We moved on, and happily through, our entrees which were a crab crusted roast trout; pan roasted rabbit; red jambalaya; and a grilled flat iron steak for me with three sides of collard greens, mashers, and beets & turnips (my steak came out medium-well instead of the ordered medium-rare, and they immediately brought out a new one without any fuss..very nice. Plus, because of the wait for the new steak, they even brought out a new plate of sides!). Again, it was all excellent, with that southern comfort food thing enveloping us in happiness. We managed to make our way through three desserts, and they even sent out a fourth on the house! Stuffed as we were, how could we refuse?! Not to be redundant, but big smiles were going around as these were also fabulous. More detail? Okay: Beignets, Rhubarb Crostata, Almond Cake, and the Shortbread Cookie Plate. My stomach is stretching out just thinking about it!

Great job by the kitchen jocks at Roux, and it seems that now is a great time to be checking it out, as the kitchen is rocking the food!