New Urban Eats @ The Georgian

My very first food & wine pairing experience was at a private event in the Petite Georgian Room about 7 years ago. It was amazing...I still remember the perfectly poached lobster, tender and juicy with hint of natural sweetness. One of the best I have tasted to date. And the layered tropical sorbet dessert with each layer divided by paper thin dark chocolate sheets, topped with edible gold foil. Though I hadn't started my appreciation for wine then, I recall enjoyed the wines served. Yes, I was a fan to say the least!

Over the years, The Georgian remains one of my favorites in town, but not my wallet's... So, when it joined one of the 3 for $30 promotions for the first time last year, we jumped right on it. Since then, it has become a ritual for us to visit The Georgian at least once during the 3 for $30 promotion. The main reason attracting us to return is the attention to detail on each plate being served. From my past experiences, margin is quite low on joining these types of promotions. Besides balancing the food & labor costs, there's an upfront fee for marketing & advertizing for joining the promotion, forcing most restaurants to focus on pumping out the volume and pay less attention to detail as they normally would on the regular menu. Somehow, The Georgian plays this balancing act with such a grace, serving each plate beautifully.

Before I begin the food talk here, I want to make a note about the off beat service that night. Normally, the service at The Georgian is not exceptional, but courteous at the very least. Our server clearly did not have any interest in serving us. She did not explain the wine nor the food, were no where to be found most of the time, and didn't serve us bread until we were almost done with our entrees. But I’ll digress…

My dinner menu

Appetizer: Wild Game Bird Terrine

Entree: Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Pairing: Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Dessert: Sugar Pumpkin Soufflé

As usual, I decided on the dishes first, and then ordered my wine. (Be aware that one might be in for a bargain treat on the food, but wine could break your bank here...$15/glass for my Rex Hill Pinot!!)

First comes the amuse bouche...

Duck confit on almond pastry topped with honey and duck fat

A good balance of sweet & savory - opened my palate wanting for more!

Appetizer

Wild game bird terrine with truffle micro green salad on a fried potato chip finished with a streak of quince slaw (what's indicated on the menu, but more jam like)

The texture of the terrine was inconsistent with large chunks of meat in between the terrine. The micro green salad topped with truffle had a great flavor, I want to say that here’s micro cilantro mixed in. Overall flavors of the terrine along with the salad and quince worked very well together. The fragrant of truffle, lightness of the terrine, and the sweet quince jam with a hint of tartness, paired well with the berry flavor and slight acidity of Pinot Noir.

Entrée

Wild mushroom ravioli with caramelized cauliflower and sage

The filling of ravioli was so fluffy…and wait, no cheese!? Mouth full of mushroom joy with caramelized cauliflower won me over wishing I had a good glass of Burgundy. A slight imperfection to this dish would be the overblanched asparagus.

Dessert

Sugar pumpkin soufflé with crushed cranberry anglaise
The soufflé at The Georgian NEVER disappoints! Need I say more?

Still a fan…7 years and counting!