Beast

Amazing! Its been a year and I STILL think our dinner at Beast was one of the best we have ever had. Kind of hard to find at first, and maybe a special occasion sort of dinner, but once we got there it was SO worth the drive, and the extra money... We will be back again.  View Less … View More

Middle of the Road. Just finished dining at Beast this evening and unfortunately my wife and I are fairly disappointed with the experience. Perhaps it was just an off night given the many great things we have heard from friends who have been to Beast.

The menu was middle of the road with Cornish game hen as the main followed by Spring Dandelion Aux Lardon with a poached duck egg which, disturbingly,was fairly undercooked (not a good thing when egg whites run clear on a dish).

The balance of the dishes were middle of the road as well as the wine pairing.

A couple of high notes are the atmosphere is wonderful and the service is impeccable.

So the big question, will we return for another meal? Honestly, after spending $250 (including gratuity), I would say doubtful.

As I said earlier, perhaps it was an off night as well Chef Naomi being absent, but our expectations were definitely not met.  View Less … View More

Beast is a great foodie experience. Seeing that chef Naomi Pomeroy was to appear on Iron Chef America, I immediately booked a reservation for my next available evening. I was a solo diner, and it sounded wonderful to enjoy food at a communal table with others who appreciate fine food.

The Beast web site clearly states the policy about no substitutions, communal seating, cancellation fee, etc. I was game for all of that, just praying I didn't catch a head cold a day before dinner.

I was seated at the smaller of the 2 tables, with 6 companions (3 couples) who hailed from Hawaii, SF, and locals. The Iron Chef appearance had spurred all of them to book dinner at Beast. As I hoped, it was a lovely evening of conversation as well as food. As others have said, the chairs are very uncomfortable.

I had the wine pairing and thought it was very well done.

The first course was spinach soup with white truffle cream and shaved black truffle. The soup was only lukewarm (Chef Pomeroy had tried to keep it warmer by pre-heating the soup bowls), and I think the truffle would have been more pronounced if the soup were hotter. But it was very pleasant. The bread was the best bread I have ever eaten.

Second course was the wonderful charcuterie plate with nibbles of shredded pork, local sausage, steak tartare and quail egg, and the foie gras bon-bon. All delightful.

The third course made the whole dinner. It was a duck leg confit on a bed of summer succotash. The duck wasn't oily. The meat was moist and very flavorful, a joy with each bite, and the skin also very tasty. It was masterful.

The fourth course - the radicchio salad was a little too bitter for me, but it went very well with the wine pairing.

Cheese course was delicious.

The dessert was a perfect tartlette of honey sweetened mascarpone topped with a fig brulee. Lovely, just sweet enough. French press coffee was optional for $3.

Altogether, the evening was well worth the price. As my companions said, it is very rare to see an Iron Chef contender actually in the kitchen. Chef Pomeroy was there cooking throughout the meal. The service was very good, we never lacked for more water, wine or bread. I look forward to returning for brunch and for future dinners.  View Less … View More

Some of the best food in Portland. Chef Pomeroy and her staff know how to cook. Bottom line the food is great. The beef tenderloin in puff pastry was like butter. Don't get me started on how good the Foie-Gras Bon-Bon with the Sauternes Gelee was, it was a bite of heaven.  View Less … View More