Laurelhurst Market – A Review

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I really like the concept – a restaurant and a butcher shop and why not? There isn’t really any reason why a place that makes it’s own cured meats shouldn’t sell them retail. Laurelhurst Market, it the Laurelhurst section of Portland is such a place. There is a small butcher counter where you can buy any of their house made pates, bacon and sausages as well as select cuts of high quality meat (grass fed and organic) at very reasonable prices compared to your local mega mart. It made me want to get a cooler and ice and bring some home, but I was there for the restaurant, not the butcher shop.

The restaurant space is nice – a big open space with high ceilings and an open kitchen. You would expect a deafening noise level in there, but Laurelhurst Market has done something that I wish more restaurants with high ceilings would do – they covered their ceilings with noise reducing cloth, making it so you could actually hear the conversation with the person next to you. This place is busy too – on a Sunday at 6 PM there were no open tables and by the time I left at about 8, there was a waiting list that was still a few people deep (they don’t take reservations either). What is the draw? Very solid food, relatively inexpensive prices for the quality and quantity of the meal. This is a steak place with quality of a high-end place (think Jak’s in Seattle or Ruth’s Chris) and the prices of Outback Steakhouse. The appetizers range from 5 to 14 dollars and the entrees range from 13 to 32 dollars with the majority of the menu clocking in at under $20. Sides are ala carte, but range from 5 to 7 dollars and are large enough for sharing. Desserts range from 6 to 9 dollars.

We started out meal with a small charcuterie plate – for $6 we got to taste a sampling of the house made meats – Country Pate, Venison Pate, Liverwurst and Mortadella. All were excellent, with the Venison Pate really stealing the show. It had a wonderful flavor without being gamey. Next course involved the sweetbreads and house made mozzarella. The sweetbreads came crispy on a bed of braised bok choy and onions in a savory beef broth. The sweetbreads were perfectly cooked and the broth brought an amazing complexity to the dish. The mozzarella, house made to order, was a generous chunk of cheese, served still warm with strawberries and balsamic vinegar. While fantastic, it seemed to be more appropriate for dessert with the sweetness of the berries and balsamic balancing the creaminess of the cheese. For a main course, steak frites and tri-tip with grilled romaine were on deck. The tri-tip was perfectly grilled just short of medium rare with a side of caramelized onions and a béarnaise sauce. The onions worked extremely well complimenting the meatiness of the stake, and the béarnaise was a nice accompaniment to the dish. The grilled romaine was a smoky, crunchy, salty, sweet delight, very well done. My only real complaint – they sauced the steak rather than having the sauce on the side. The steak frites was a wonderfully smoky flat iron in a brown gravy with some of the best frites I have had in a while – wonderfully crispy on the outside, flaky within. My complaint – where was the aioli? Dessert was their take on a s’mores, deconstructed – a house made marshmallow cube, melted bittersweet chocolate and a rosemary graham cracker – chased by a shot of Maker’s Mark whiskey. A gooey, chocolaty mess, totally worth it and easily filling for 2 people.

Overall, Laurelhurst Market lives up to the rave reviews that people are giving it, just be prepared to wait for a table if you don’t get there early (they do have a bar that will make the wait easier). Now, if we could just get the same type of place in Seattle…