Veritable Quandary
June 27, 2007
Location: West side of the river, downtown
Price to fill up two people (minus booze): $80-$90
Once again–what is it with European restaurants and priciness?–this is NOT budget fare, but I have to mention this place. I was driving a colleague from work back to her hotel one stormy evening. Unwisely, she depended on my sense of navigation to find the place, but I can get lost circling my own block. After 30 or 40 minutes of fruitless hunting, frustrated, soggy and hungry, we saw a warm glow from a distant restaurant, Veritable Quandary. We decided to slosh on inside for a fortifying burger.
Surprise–if there’s a burger in this joint somebody smothered it in truffles and served it with a nice mid-century French cognac. In fact, Veritable Quandary is a topflight continental restaurant with an imaginative (and tasty) menu and pupil-dilating prices. So much for the burger, but the food was delicious.
What I liked best, though, was the service–quiet, graceful and above all friendly to underdressed, soaking wet plebes like us. The restaurant itself wasn’t your usual overprecious ain’t-we-so-classy expensive restaurant decor, but more Portland-meets-Monmartre and settles in for a beignet. We’d stumbled onto serious cuisine that didn’t take itself seriously, and that was probably the most delicious dish of all.
Since writing this, I’ve been told that VQ actually DOES have a burger. It’s not smothered in truffles, but apparently it does offer aoli instead of mayo…I’ll bet it’s pretty tasty.
Gustav’s Bier Stube
February 27, 2007
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Location: All over Portland/Vancouver
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Price to fill up two people (minus booze): $25
There are several Gustav’s around, but I prefer the original, ‘way up on Sandy Blvd. on the NE side of town, if you can get in (it’s crowded, but the line moves pretty fast).
This is NOT the place to go if you’re on a diet or vegetarian, and I have a tendency to put on a deerstalker and warble “a-huntin’ we will go” when I see the decor (early Bavarian hunting lodge). But Gustav’s is a great place for hofbrau fare (i.e., roasted and grilled meat of just about any description). It’s also got one of the most affordable happy hour menus in town.
Me, I go there for the red cabbage, which is delicious. Never tried their desserts, but from the looks of them they’ll clog whatever open artery you have left. And, for a change, this European restaurant won’t break your wallet.