Neighborhood Notes

Friendly, forthright and obviously talented Bruce Carey, the owner of 23 Hoyt and several other well known Portland restaurants, hosted a dinner introducing Chef Aaron Barnett and their fresh and "Portland" cutting edge cuisine.

Our autumn dinner began with a sweet corn soup delicately flavored with cilantro, cumin and jalapeno with lime offering a slight snap to the smooth consistency of the soups body. Chef Aaron credits his mother for this creation. Being raised with this influence, it is no wonder that the next courses were equally spectacular.

Our next course presented was a foie gras, a rich and flavorful pate served with a delicious accompanying citrus port sauce over poached prunes that were soft and succulent. Following the pate, a seared sea scallops was offered placed atop a cauliflower "risotto.' The cauliflower was chopped very fine and mixed with capers and sultanas, a white seedless grape of Middle Eastern origin, then sprinkled with a homemade chorizo that was flavorful, but not too spicy where it would have overpowered the subtleness of the scallop.

Each course was matched with a wine selection. Bruce indicated that 23 Hoyt's wine selection is broad and extensive.

After a brief respite, the main course was presented. The roasted rib-eye was prepared to a medium rare and was accompanied with braised escargot, shitake mushrooms, local sweet corn and smoked bacon. The meat was tender and could be sliced with a butter knife. Salt or pepper were not available on the table nor were they needed. The accompanying Pinot Noir from Methven Family Vineyards was a perfect match for the richness of the cut.

As the dinner wound down, we assumed the best had just been served. We were wrong. Dessert was presented and not a morsel remained on anyone's plate when I gazed about the room. This homerun was a "Napoleon", a crispy filo layered pastry dough filled with roasted figs and sweet cold caramel custard to die for! The pastry was topped with tangy pomegranate seeds and a balsamic reduction sauce and vanilla ice-cream. Jen Daniels, the pastry chef, was certainly one of the night's stars.

This Autumn Dinner experience once again demonstrates that Bruce Carey with Barnett and Daniels as his chef and pastry chef have revitalized 23 Hoyt and deserve a second, a third, a fourth look...! We enjoyed the ambiance, the service and mostly the original and passionate food and dessert preparation.