Portland: Carafe

Carafe's setting, across from the downtown Keller Auditorium, is strip mall nondescript; but blink your eyes as you cross the threshold and you are transported to Paris. This wonderful Parisian bistro in the heart of Portland is the closest thing to the French capital on the west coast, and from my experience, some of the bistros in Paris should take note [and a lesson] from the well prepared and thoughtful food and service here. Although a little out of the way, Carafe is well worth the effort and always pleases with its food and atmosphere. Its the perfect place on a cold rainy evening for a fortifying onion soup and red wine or in the summer for a long evening on the patio watching the world go by sipping something cold and nibbling on cheese fries [I know, but they're really good and not like the diner things you're thinking of . . .pommes frites with melted gouda are a whole different plate of deep fried goodness].

In typical bistro fashion there is a wonderful salad frisse aux lardons topped with a poached egg and the perfect vinaigrette. The assiette de cochon is a collection of housemade pork "goodies" that is a great plate for the table to share. Moving on to the main events, the cassoulet is exactly as it should be and an antidote to that winter chill . . . don't have this at lunch or you'll be asleep at your desk in the early afternoon. The bifsteak frites is another dish that is so evocative of a Paris bistro that it can become trite, but here its perfectly prepared and lends credence to what you already know is a well versed kitchen. My favorite thing on the menu, if I had to choose, is the gnocchi gratineed with ham and Gruyere . . . one of those things that I want to roll in but control myself as I want to be invited back.

The pastry chef does equally good work here with an excellent bittersweet chocolate cake, crisp profiteroles with chocolate sauce and a very nice apple napoleon. All well prepared and presented in an unfussy style that is refreshing considering the excesses of spun sugar, sauce designs and other affectations that sometimes overpower the actual dessert on the plate.

I like this place, recommend it and want to eat here often. The staff is great, the food wonderful and the service good, if occasionally slower than I would expect . . . ah, Paris. One other note, if you are attending an event at the Keller make a reservation for dinner and use Carafe's valet service for parking . . . your vehicle will be waiting for you after the performance and a nite cap. And if you're not attending a performance, have dinner at 8:00 just after the theater crowd has departed, the restaurant has sighed a bit in relief, and is ready for more relaxed entertaining. Its worth it on all counts.

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