Special & Splurgey
The rich and famous aren’t the only ones with champagne wishes and caviar dreams–you’ve got some too, damn it. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion, impressing a big client, or just spoiling yourself for no better reason than it’s Wednesday, drum up a little gastronomical bling by flashing your cash at one of these pillars of the Portland fine dining scene.
Andina
Andina is a beautiful restaurant, the expansive dining room as brightly colored as a jungle bird, with rich wood floors, photographs of Peruvian natives, terracotta walls and archways, and industrial elements like exposed ductwork that lend it a touch of Pearl swank–the perfect setting for a splurge spree. Order up a couple of mojitos, a nice bottle of wine from their phenomenal wine list and a bevy of Peruvian small plates like crab salad-stuffed avocado halves and tender bay scallops baked with parmesan and lime butter, and tell the server not to plan on turning your merry cushy window booth over any time soon.
- Location: 1314 NW Glisan St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.228.9535
- Hours: Sun-Thu 11:30am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-12am
Beast
Beast is a unique Portland dining experience that’s fitting for all sort of special occasions, like birthdays, supper clubs, parental visits, the purchase of your first Range Rover, and so on. It’s somehow intimate, despite the dining room being comprised of two communal tables that seat you close enough to your neighbor to accidentally drink their glass of Crémant d’Alsace, and the fact that executive chef Naomi Pomeroy is plating Cattail Creek lamb loin chops mere inches from your forehead, which in my opinion just ads to the specialness of it all. The five or six-course meal is lovingly prepared, beautifully presented, and always has a happy ending, be it a plate of Steve’s Cheese or a Nectarine & Huckleberry Tarte Tatin.
Bluehour
A perennially hip and swanky Pearl District mainstay, see-and-be-seen hotspot Bluehour is the perfect place to get your sleek on and celebrate an “-ieth” birthday, anniversary, promotion, the sale of your Internet company, or big lottery win.
- Location: 250 NW 13th Ave. Portland, OR Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.226.3394
- Hours: Sun-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10:30pm
DOC
This beautiful, intimate gem of a North Portland dining room was made for celebrating, whether you’re commemorating something big or just honoring the bliss of a warm summer evening. The kitchen turns out simple, delicious Italian dishes, and since it’s a special (or specially unspecial) occasion, don’t hesitate to order a bottle of something lovely from the well-sourced Italian wine list.
Fenouil
Even a casual Tuesday night wine and cheesefest feels like a celebration at the Pearl District’s beautiful Fenouil, so imagine how festive you’ll feel celebrating your first child/condo purchase/nose job there? Fenouil is an aesthetic wonder–all creamy limestone and marble tiles–and the classically French fare and excellent wine list aren’t bad either.
Giorgio’s
Graceful Giorgio’s quietly occupies the tree-lined brick corner of NW 12th and NW Hoyt in the Pearl District, its polished yet homey little dining room and bar offering a peaceful culinary getaway for those feeling special, splurgey, or just desirous of beautifully prepared upscale Italian fare like homemade pappardelle with wild boar ragu or slow-roasted guinea hen with grilled eggplant in a placidly cultured setting.
Le Pigeon
It’s fitting to celebrate your special occasion in one of Portland’s most celebrated restaurants, SE Burnside’s intimate and popular contemporary French bistro Le Pigeon, but keep in mind you’ll be sharing your celebration and possibly a bite of your Beef Bourguignon with your communal tablemates. If you’re a “the more the merrier” type, you’ll have the time of your life.
- Location: 738 E. Burnside, Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.546.8796
- Hours: Mon-Sat 5-10pm, Sun 5-9pm
Metrovino
Metrovino Executive Chef Gregory Denton makes the best seafood chowder in the universe. No really, he does. And using soup as a barometer of culinary excellence, you’ll not be surprised that Chef Denton’s beautiful chowder is just the beginning of a menu where nearly every dish is on the A-list. Add in the quietly opulent Pearl District setting, the gracious service, and the sure-to-impress wine list, which includes more than 80 wines by the glass, and you’ve got a surefire destination for any special occasion, whether you’re celebrating a milestone anniversary or your mother-in-law’s move to Greenland.
- Location: 1139 NW 11th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.517.7778
- Hours: Dinner Mon-Sat 5:30–10pm; Happy hour Mon-Fri 4–6pm
Paley’s Place
Set in a beautiful, elegantly appointed old Victorian on the quiet end of NW 21st Avenue, highly esteemed Paley’s Place embodies special and splurgey, from the gracious welcome you’ll get from Kimberley Paley to the luxurious dishes you’ll order from Chef Vitaly Paley’s kitchen–Escargot à la Bordelaise, Dungeness Crab & Corn Risotto, and 40-Day Dry-Aged Highland Oak Ribeye. Toast your special occasion, or just life in general, with a bottle of Domaine du Château de Chorey Burgundy from Paley’s excellent wine list, or a celebratory snifter of Clear Creek Pear Brandy.
Park Kitchen
Park Kitchen never fails to impress with its elegantly rustic dining room and uncompromisingly ingredient-driven menus. If you’re feeling particularly splurgey, get the Chef’s Tasting Menu–you’ll leave thinking your next occasion to celebrate can’t come soon enough.
- Location: 422 NW 8th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.223.7275
- Hours: Lunch Mon - Fri 11:30am-2pm; Dinner Mon - Sat 5-9pm
Sel Gris
With its monochromatic color palette and gleaming bar, chic and polished Sel Gris wouldn’t feel out of place in New York or San Francisco, and has the en vogue cuisine to match–if you’re celebrating Trump-style, don’t miss the veal sweetbreads and “Foie Gras of the moment”.
- Location: 1852 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.517.7770
- Hours: Mon-Sat, 5:30pm-close
Ten 01
A restaurant that’s almost as pretty as you, stylish Ten 01 anchors one of the Pearl District’s most prestigious condominium buildings and has the en vogue decor and sophisticated fare to match. Cocktails are among the best in the city, and after one or two The Long Goodbyes (tequila, Campari, Dolin Dry, scotch), you’ll have mustered the liquid courage to say hello–to that potential sugar daddy sitting at the table to your right.
- Location: 1001 NW Couch St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.226.3463
- Hours: Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am-3pm, Dinner Mon-Sat 5pm-close * Happy Hour Mon-Sat 3-6pm
Wildwood
Venerable, landmark, legend—these words are thrown around a lot when people describe one of Portland’s most legendary venerable landmark restaurants, Northwest Portland’s wise and elegant Wildwood. The kitchen subscribes to the holy Portland trinity of Sustainable, Local, and Organic, turning out delicious dishes like olive-oil poached Oregon albacore, Dungeness crab and wax bean salad, and confit of Cattail Creek lamb shoulder. Desserts are positively divine, the wine list is one of Portland’s best, and the bar shakes and stirs up a storm of cocktails both classic and contemporary for your pre, during, and post-dinner enjoyment.
- Location: 1221 NW 21st Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.248.9663
- Hours: Mon–Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9pm; Fri – Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10pm; Sun 5:30pm-8:30pm
