You won’t find Roost on Open Table, but they do still exist. A small restaurant at the corner of 14th and Belmont, it has clean and modern lines with a sitting bar and open kitchen. I like Open Table and generally use it for finding restaurants, but there are many establishments that do not participate in Open Table, so one must be on the look out for quality places in other reviews, word of mouth, best of lists, etc. Roost has been on my radar for years. We have enjoyed plays at Theatre Theatre on Belmont for years and drove by many times, but it never really just worked out to stop.
The stars were properly aligned however on Friday night, January 24, 2014. We were slated to see End of Sex at Theatre Vertigo, now moved from Theatre Theatre to the Shoebox Theatre on 10th Street, closer in to downtown. Work has been pressing since I got back from vacation so we did not have a lot of time, and I was unable to make any arrangement. My mind immediately thought that perhaps for the 6pm hour we could do a drop in at Roost. If that did not work, then Burgerville it would be. Traffic was light coming up from Salem and we arrived right at 6pm, found princess parking right in front and marched in to see if we could be seated. Staff was very gracious about our non-reservation arrival and seated us at a nice table. The place was not busy at the hour, but by 6:30 it was packed.
The menu is short and to the point. A half dozen starters, the same amount of entrees and three or four desserts to choose from. The wine and beer lists were much longer and indicated this was a neighborhood hot spot for socializing as well as dining.
We love onion rings. Veggie deep fat fried and slathered with ranch dressing or an aioli or something similar. Doesn’t get much better than that. Roost’s version is called the Onion Leaf, and is a wonderful take on the old standby. The onion is not cut, but each leaf is peeled, and then battered and very lightly fried. The batter is flavorful but still allows the onion to be predominate. The sauce was a sharp cheddar cheese concoction. Not an aioli really, but very close in texture and consistency. The flavor was mild but a beautiful addition to the battered onion leaf. A touch of fresh horseradish added a little kick. Janet and I looked at each other after the first bite and smiled simultaneously. Maybe there was a little giggle too. Me, not her. We were feeling pretty good right about then. We had made it to Portland with little traffic on a Friday night. Found princess parking. Got seated at a spot we had longed to go to, and did it without a reservation. And now the food was turning out to absolutely terrific.
For our dinner, I had the grilled pepper hanger steak with a port reduction, wilted spinach and gratin potatoes. Janet had the vegetarian potato and smoked Gouda dumpling with a spinach sauce and crisp mushroom topping. The dishes appeared in short order and were wonderfully presented. Not tweezer food, but very pleasing to the eye. Bright color pops, especially with Janet’s bright green spinach sauce that filled the plate over the dumpling.
The hanger steak was a nice proportion, and perfectly cooked to medium rare. It was pre-cut into four pieces and laid out on the plate. The port sauce was under the meat, which was separated from the potatoes by the spinach. While all three components needed salt, I attribute that more to my palate than the chef’s preparation. Staff gladly brought me a salt urn when asked, and added to suit my taste. The meat was juicy, and the port sauce was a perfect complement to the fattiness of the meat. The spinach was wonderful with a hint of vinegar, which sent my mind headed back 50+ years to home when Mom would open a can of spinach, boil it to death and serve it in a side bowl saturated in salt and vinegar. The gratin was very mild in flavor. The potatoes were stacked high and cut thin, and were the perfect texture. Not crisp as in not done, and not mushy as in over done. The cheese sauce covered the potatoes but was not dripping or oozing. It was a nice compliment to the acid in the spinach and the fat in the meat.
Janet’s dumplings were a marvelous take on gnocchi. Pillowing soft and melt in your mouth, with the flavor of the angels. The dumplings sat in the aforementioned bright green spinach sauce that was a very nice vehicle for the dumpling. The crisp mushroom on top added crunch to the otherwise soft dish. While this dish was truly a standout, the star of the night was the hanger steak.
We had progressed through our dinner at a nice pace, so felt like we had time for coffee and a shared dessert. The only glitch of the night was that we waited about 10 minutes between being ready to order dessert and actually getting to do so. Once we ordered, the coffee did not come, and did not come. Soon the dessert arrived, and still no coffee. We pointed that out to the server who immediately brought the coffee. It was a small glitch in an otherwise perfect experience, but it did make us rush through dessert and coffee in order to make our show on time.
We opted for the banana bread pudding and Stumptown coffee. The bread pudding was made from brioche, which was a great touch. A mild custard hung the brioche together, and it was cooked to the point of being done but still moist and tender. The nice big slice of pudding was then placed in a large serving bowl and drenched in a banana sauce that matched perfectly with the brioche and custard pudding. Each spoonful of pudding would be drenched through the banana sauce filling up the spoon and covering the pudding. Together with the Stumptown, it was a very nice ending to the meal.
If you want good comfort food at an affordable price, give Roost a try. We most definitely will be back again. For more information on Roost see: http://www.roostpdx.com
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