Beast Restaurant

I love food and I'm always up for trying new foods and new restaurants. Friday night, my friend Anna and I went to dinner at Beast. It was an amazing culinary experience. Beast is one of the best restaurants in Portland. The chef was actually on an episode of Iron Chef recently. I was really looking forward to trying her food.

Beast does things a little differently than most restaurants. They serve a 6 course prix fixe meal, no substitutions. The menu changes weekly and what they're serving is what you're going to get. The only exception would be if it's something they could easily take out, otherwise, you eat what they serve you.

The restaurant is very small, seats maybe 30 people. You do communal dining, there are just 2 tables, so you're sitting with people you don't know. Anna and I were looking at it as an adventure, a very special once in a lifetime culinary experience.

The menu for our meal went like this:

Course one - Carrot Creme Fraiche soup with parsely root chips and blood orange oil

The soup was the perfect temperature. It was nice and creamy, the parsely chips gave it a little texture. Great way to start the meal.

Course two - Foie-gras bonbon with sauternes gelee on a sweet cracker, steak tartare and quail egg on toast, chicken liver mousse and pickled shallot on a homemade cracker, salami, pork rillette, a pickled beet and carrots, stone ground mustard with a tiny little pickle and a pickeled fennel salad

I was really scared of this course, I've never been a fan of liver or eating things raw. I started with the pickled beet and carrots, they were very tasty with just the right amount of vinegar. Then I went to the chicken liver mousse, it was a little smoky and a little sweet, I really liked it. Then I tried the pork rillette, it was some pork liver and pork mixed together. It had an interesting texture and was really good with the mustard. The steak tartare and quail egg, though raw were seasoned really well, had nice texture and tasted really good. I saved the foie gras bonbon for last, because the server recommended to eat it that way so it could come to room temperature. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about eating the foie gras, more liver, but with the sweet cracker and gelee, it was amazing. It melted in my mouth. I could have eaten 10 of them!

Before the 3rd course there was a palate cleanser. A berry sorbet, very refreshing.

Third course - Petite New York Steak with slow cooked broccoli and a tomato confiture.

Perfectly cooked steak. I'm not a broccoli fan, but I ate it, I think the slow cooking really brought out some good flavor.

Fourth course - Escarole heart salad with anchovy, parmesan and lemon baguette croutons.

It was almost like a deconstructed caesar salad. It was good.

Fifth course - MY FAVORITE - 3 cheeses, champagne poached apricot, armagnac poached prune, fried marcona almonds, honey and cracked black pepper and fleur de sel shortbread.

The cheeses were so delicious. Eating them with the fruit and honey, just brought out their flavor even more. One of them was soooo creamy and buttery, like a brie, combined with the apricot, it was perfect, it was heaven in my mouth.

Sixth course - Heirloom French Apple and brown butter spice cake with apple cider gastrique and cardamom ice cream.

Not the best dessert I've ever had, but it was good. I think it was a nice way to end the meal. I definitely felt like I was eating a fall harvest meal and the apple spice cake was a good way to finish up.

For someone like me, who enjoys food as much as I do, who appreciates a good meal, whether it comes from a chain restaurant or a small whole in the wall dive or a 5 star rated fine dining establishment, this was one of the best meals of my life and I will never forget it. Anna and I had a wonderful time, 2 and a half hours of talking and enjoying an amazing meal.

http://www.beastpdx.com/

If you love food and want to have the meal of a lifetime, this is where I'd go!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. She is in Las Vegas with 2 of my aunts and another friend. Last year, I made a special dinner for her at home, she wasn't up for doing anything and this year, she's partying it up in Vegas.

My mom has come a long way since leaving my dad. Last year, at this time, she was in a deep depression and very unhappy. This year, she's like a whole new person. She's lost a ton of weight, she's dating and VERY happy!

I'm so proud of my mom. I know it was hard for her to leave my dad, but it was the best thing she could have ever done for herself.

Happy birthday mom, you are the best!!! I love you and I'm so proud of you!!!