Aviary

1733 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211, USA

Address:	1733 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211, USA
Phone:	+1 503-287-2400
Site:	aviarypdx.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM Closed

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Sonya Li

To start, I was brought two different types of bread accompanied by a rich and delicious butter dipping sauce with anchovy. It went wonderfully well with my crisp house made ginger beer. It was an amazing start and I had hope this was just the foreshadowing of a delicious dinner. I had the cauliflower flan with sea urchin, salmon roe, and sweet potatoes in a dashi broth. It was delicate, light, and it was a good start to a first course. The primary note was sweetness, which may be slightly one dimensional, but I liked that it was somewhat reminisce of a dessert. I did notice that if I had a bite of the dish without any roe, it was lackluster and bland. Next, I had the pork belly with quince, parsnip, pomegranate, endive with a black sesame vinaigrette. The pork with the pomegranate was good, but I didn’t feel like the other elements added anything to the dish, especially the black sesame vinaigrette which just tasted gritty in my mouth. This dish was overwhelming disappointing, but I was hoping to salvage the experience with dessert as the man next to me at the bar proclaimed that every dessert on the menu was good. When his black molten lave cake came, he generously offered me a taste. The cake was warm and moist and the pistachio brittle and quince ice cream that came with it made it amazing. I excitedly ordered the tapioca with shortbread cookies, apricot foam, riesling gel, and grapefruit. I loved the foam and the gel, but it wasn’t enough to add the needed spark to the retirement home grade tapioca. There are a lot of subtle flavors here (I wouldn’t recommend the ginger beer unless you needed a palate cleanse) and while all the ingredients are supposed to be harmonious I just found it monotonous despite the exciting sounding combinations. The butter dipping sauce was crack but dinner was a bust.

Brennan Randel

Their Chef desperately needs to learn how to self edit. The removal of individual items or ingredients from dishes made them more palatable, but certainly not great. Asian ingredients cooked in French preparations just ended up being heavy, overly strongly flavored, and else fishy (and yes every dish whether fish or not was fishy). Theyre also using really expensive ingredients in poor ways and are actually doing the ingredients a disservice. I mourn for the goose that gave its life for the Foie Gras Banh Mi. Their wait staff and service style also leaves much to be desired! I do not generally like to put in my entire meal order at the top of dinner, and if thats how the kitchen prefers to "time" my meal, then they dont understand how most people dine. Conversation while we peruse the menu over drinks and or appetizers is almost requisite. Instead the whole meal felt rushed and more like they were trying to turn the table for the evening (except for the earlier part of the evening we were the only table taken in the restaurant). I know Portland is know for having some exceptionally bad waitstaff, but this was actually worse than going to McMennamins! My water, drink, and wine glasses all emptied and not once did the waitress refill or ask; instead to add to the rushed feel, each glass was taken away as she passed to service other tables and ignore any requests that we tried to make known. When in a restaurant of this price point I expect the waitstaff to acknowledge things like eye contact or head nod gestures to let them know I would like to engage.. I certainly try not to be so obvious as to be seen by a table next to me, but again EYE CONTACT.

Andrew Cha

Great modern chef-driven restaurant with a changing menu that really cares about the food and service they provide. I had the vegetarian tasting menu, slow roasted goose entree and finished with a white chocolate granite dessert. The bread service included a bagna cauda which was surprising to see in a good way. I also had a Ned Flanders cocktail as well as a glass of Domaine Eugene Carrel Mondeuse to go with my goose. All of the dishes I ate were executed professionally and the components of each dish worked well together. Nothing was overly seasoned or under seasoned - there was a nice balance to each dish. The service was very attentive, professional, friendly and welcoming. Water was always kept full and they changed the silverware accordingly. Little things just added up to make the overall dining experience very pleasant. Aviary deserves a lot more recognition than they get, the chef and cooks here work very hard to create high quality dishes and drinks at a price that is accessible to most - my custom 6 course meal was just $64 excluding drinks and tip. With that said, I highly recommend dining here!

Steve Dietz

Six of us spent a bit over 2 hrs. sampling and sharing just about the entire menu (menus if you include dessert) and enjoyed every bit of it. While not trying to sound too Food Networky, the flavor profiles and combinations of taste and texture were great and more than a little interesting. The slow poached egg, crispy pig ear, and kurobuta pork short rib were amazing. Everything including the venison and ny strip steak were cooked perfectly and spiced just right. Take your time to savor a bit of each dish before proceeding to the next so that you can get a load of all the subtle flavors in whatever plate or bowl you are diving into. The service was fantastic and attentive to our needs, no rush, totally knowledgeable in answering questions. Will certainly return soon to try the rest of the menu, had a wonderful time!

Michael Lewis

Amazingly good meal. I think we had six plates in all. First one I recall was a tempura green beans. Perfectly fried and crunchy. Beans were very fresh and delicious and it seemed like they came from the garden right outside. Next came the best pork belly dish Ive ever had. Crisp exterior and warm, fatty interior with an creamy sauce. The biggest standout for me was the pigs ear. Rice accompaniment and pairings made for a complex, varied bite. 6 dish meal without alcohol at us under $100. What a steal.

Christian Borris

One of the most inventive and surprisingly delicious restaurants in NE Portland. The venue is cozy and modern, and the wait staff was wonderful. I had the smoked flat iron steak with marrow pudding. I could not have been more impressed. My girlfriend had the crispy pig ears and enjoyed them as well. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a slightly more upscale dinner without having to go downtown.

Peter Fenczik

Really delicious food! Chefs make intriguing and delightful flavor, texture combinations. The cauliflower flan with salmon roe, uni, sweet potato, seaweed, and dashi was amazing; as was the soft-cooked egg, duck leg, daikon, and dates (the dates adding the perfect note of sweetness); and dont miss the crispy pork belly (endive, black sesame vinaigrette, pickled rhubarb). Go eat there!

Adrienne Childs

My partner and I split the rice cakes, beet and asparagus asparagus salad, and the goat dish. It was all delicious and well spaced. I never felt rush - the stage was so delightful! This feels like a place where you can order anything off the menu and its going to be amazing.

Crystal Gupta

The food was OK, not amazing. Everything was quite salty. The cocktails were very good. Only 3 stars due to the food and service. Our server was not very attentive and kept rushing by us when wed try to ask for more water and other drinks.