I didn’t mean to take two months to celebrate Michael’s new job. But the whole holidays-are-filling-my-schedule thing happened and we kept putting it off. I wanted to do it before the end of the year so I made a reservation and then did everything I could NOT to cancel it (like we’d done twice before). I had a Groupon deal for Portland Prime, a nice steakhouse in downtown Portland that neither of us have been to before.
The best steak house I’ve ever been to in my entire life, is of course Craft in Vegas. It’s my favorite restaurant on the planet (so far) and I’ve yet to have a steak that compares. Sadly, I can’t say that Portland has ever given me a fantastic steak (yet) better than Craft.
Michael and I had an early dinner after work one night after Christmas. I ignored the feeling that we were entering early bird special territory, and just went with it. Sometimes it’s nice having an earlier dinner, missing the crowds, avoiding traffic, and then going home at a reasonable hour (sheesh, when did I get so old?).
The restaurant itself was beautiful and classy. The service was fast, friendly and attentive. Michael was dying to get onion rings and I caved, after all it was his night! The onion rings were just as huge as they look in the picture. They were fried in Ninkasi beer batter and were crunchy and tasty. I ate three of the smallest ones there. I’m not a huge onion ring fan simply because it’s fried, but these were good!
A small chopped salad came with the entrees. The salad was by far my favorite part of the meal. It was crisp and healthy, slightly sweet with a raspberry vinaigrette and topped with all my favorite things: tomatoes, pickled red onions, sunflower seeds and chickpeas.
There was also some focaccia bread with the salad course. It was soft and spongy, a little on the greasy side with the olive oil, but rich in garlic and salt flavors. After that, they gave us a small bowl of lemon sorbet to cleanse our palate (so fancy!).
The sorbet was great. I loved how strong the lemon flavor was. Finally, the entrees arrived. Michael got the New York Strip steak which was covered in peppercorns and some glaze. He loved it.
My flat iron steak was sweet–sweeter than I’m used to–and I think it was balsamic. The sweetness was balanced with the melted blue cheese on top and the roasted beets underneath the cheese.
It came with a risotto cake, which was made with squash and greens. I liked the risotto cake for most of it, but by the end of the cake it tasted a little grainy and I was too stuffed to finish it.
The green beans were overdone. I happen to like my green beans a little on the soft side so I didn’t mind, but I imagine a food critic slamming them for that. I had one glass of Malbec with my steak. It was earthy and rich and balanced the flavors of the sweet steak.
We rolled ourselves to the car, completely full. I definitely ate too much and could have skipped the onion rings and probably have been better off.
On the way to the car, we passed by the above sign. 🙂 Awesome. I’d planned on going to Ben and Jerry’s for dessert (had another Groupon) but we had zero room for dessert. So I used the groupon to buy two cartons of ice cream for later.
We got home at 7 and while I was tempted to immediately go to bed (red wine and red meat tend to do that to me), I decided to stay up a bit and start packing up the Christmas decorations. I hate that! I wish they could stay up just a little bit longer…and Maya is definitely unhappy that we are removing her hiding place (under the tree).
I also finished the book I was reading. I really recommend it if you’re looking for a good read. It’s called “The Hangman’s Daughter” by Oliver Potzsch. I really liked the book because it was an easy and interesting read. I think the title is misleading, because the main characters were not the daughter. Other than that, it’s worth a read!
QUESTION: Do you have anything to celebrate?
Marc
My step son spent two years in Portland for his masters. He likes fine dining and steak so I’ll have to ask him if he ever tried Portland Prime while he lived there.
Lisa Eirene
I would love to hear where he went and liked!
Hannahviolin
My husband went to Craft Steakhouse in Vegas the other year and he swears it was the best meal he ever had…
Lisa Eirene
Oh yes, Craft is pretty much the best meal of my life.
Roz@weightingfor50
Big belated congratulations to Michael!!! Have a good Friday Lisa.
Lisa Eirene
It’s a great job! He’s super happy, which makes me happy.
Lori
Not celebrating anything currently.
I am glad to hear about the Hangman’s Daughter. I got a sample of that on my Kindle and was trying to decide if I want to borrow that book for next month’s lender’s library book. I think I will.
Lisa Eirene
I really liked the book a lot. I think you will too.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate
Looks like a great meal!
Lisa Eirene
It was! Note the best steak I’ve ever had (that would be Craft) but it was good.