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| Giorgio's Restaurant |
1131 NW Hoyt Street
Portland, OR
503.221.1888 |
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Jim’s boyfriend had a late business dinner that night, leaving Jim free to show me around the sites of Portland and leaving me free to show him around the sites of my hotel room. After enjoying the fine accommodations of the Hotel Vintage Plaza, we decided to kill time before round two with dinner in the neighborhood. Gourmet Magazine just named Giorgio’s Restaurant one of America's best, and the editors’ personal favorite in Portland. So we headed a few blocks north to the trendy Pearl District and sat down at what would have been a great spot if it weren’t three tables away from Jim’s boyfriend.
The boyfriend and his business associate each had a glass of wine and clearly hadn’t eaten yet. Of course by the time we saw them it was too late and we were stuck. Jim introduced me as an old friend from college, which the boyfriend seemed to buy, and we sat at our table to give him room to conduct his business dinner while we stared at our menus in painful, awkward silence.
We fought down the welling, desperate need to flee and ordered appetizers. I couldn’t say no to the special which was foie gras and guinea hen terrine served on a millet pancake with fresh huckleberries. It wasn’t bad; the huckleberries added a pleasant, intriguing lift to the flavor. Between courses we took turns glancing at the boyrfriend’s table, occasionally exchanging glances and friendly smiles with him from our seats.
I ordered a bottle of a local pinot noir which was delicious, and kept me from screaming.
My main course, herb tagliatelle with wild mushroom ragout and aged sherry, was absolutely fantastic. The time I spent eating this was the only part of the meal so engrossing that I managed to stop thinking about the pointlessness of this dinner, now that I wasn’t going to go another round in the hotel room with Jim. In fact, the entrée put me in such good spirits that I decided to check out dessert. And when the waiter suggested the locally-popular special, fennel pistachio tart with cranberry sorbet, I was forced to accept. This was possibly the strangest dessert I’ve encountered, and I’m always one to rise to a challenge. It was pretty good, unlike anything I’ve ever tasted though If I had to compare it to something I’d say the bitter nuttiness was not unlike that of a pecan pie.
Speaking of challenges, I was briefly considering the possibility of trying to walk out of there with Jim, when his boyfriend, having completed his business meal, walked over and sat down with us. In the course of our "How strange that you’re here too" conversation (yes.. ha ha, how drole), Jim’s boyfriend said he’d never eaten at Giorgio’s and only thought of it because of the Gourmet Magazine piece.
And there you have it, a valuable lesson for you fellow cheaters and adulterers out there: 'The less-known the better.' Know your trendy restaurants, be aware of who’s been written up in what. And no matter how good the food is, never ever have dinner in a place that just got a rave review in a national publication. |
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| chumwater |
| September 22, 2003 |
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