'the thai airways flight attendant'

(mid/late may. number three)

the menu

• summer rolls

rice paper, thai basil, bean sprouts, mint, wheat noodles

served with peanut sauce

• bean noodle soup

bean noodles, shallots, green onion, garlic whistles, shitake mushrooms, and maitake mushrooms in broth and over jasmine rice.

• green curry

ginger, onion, shitake mushrooms, thai eggplant, thai basil, garlic whistles, and coconut cream. topped with crushed cashews.

• large shrimp

broiled with sesame oil, lemon and chamomile, sea salt, and black pepper

• jasmine rice

with lime zest and tossed lightly with sweetened condensed milk

• papaya salad

traditional street food. a fresh slaw of unripe green papaya and mango incorporating the four classic taste of thailand: sour, salty, spicy, and sweet.

• sea bean salad

sea bean (a salty, juicy, curious vegetable), dandelion greens, purple lettuce, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, chili peppers, lime juice, rice vinegar

• thai iced tea

assam black tea with loads of orange zest, a touch of natural sugar, and sweetened condensed milk

• coconut cassava cake

coconut pandan pudding and cassava/coconut cake flavored with pandan leaf between two meringues, made with cashew and hazelnut meal, coconut, and crystalized ginger. served with coconut cream, mangosteen segments, and more crystalized ginger.

the beverages:

NV Sokol Blosser, "Evolution, Lucky Edition" White Blend, USA

Complex but fun, and eminently drinkable, Evolution has become the house white wine of Secret Restaurant. It was the obvious choice, as the fruity and aromatic mix of nine varietals is light enough to let more delicate ingredients shine but with that touch of residual sugar that tames the heat of Thai bird's-eye chilies. Oh, did I mention it's really, really drinkable? At the end of the night, the rule is pretty much "glasses optional."

The Thai Airways Flight Attendant

A flirty mix of house-infused lychee vodka and muddled Thai basil with palm sugar. Topped off with soda and just a splash of Saké One Moonstone plum saké. A little sweet, a little herbaceous, a little bubbly.

'the real northwest'

(early may. number two)

the menu

• asparagus and cream soup

topped with a long slice of dill havarti and deep fried asparagus heads.

• wild coho salmon

flash fried then broiled, speckled with wild rice and drizzled with a maple/mustard/wine/herb reduction sauce.

• wild rice

with butter, sea salt, and cracked pepper

• tartlets

fresh rosemary and almond pie crust. stuffed with fresh fennel and spring onion, garlic, shitake mushrooms, bok choi, and a local semihard goat cheese

• pecan chocolate cake

layered with a pecan/brown sugar/butter goo in the middle, dressed in whipped cream, nuts, and pungently delicious cinnamon.

beverages

2007 Sokol Blosser, "Dundee Hills," Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills AVA Oregon

A return to a very classic Oregon style, this was a must for any dinner featuring salmon. 90% estate farmed certified-Organic Pinot Noir, and all of it grown on the volcanic Jory soil of the AVA that lends the distinctive dusty, earthy character to the wine. Elegant red fruit and floral notes into funky forest-floor and truffle.

2006 St. Innocent Winery, "White Rose Vineyard", Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills AVA Oregon

Grenadine and dried rose petals lead to juicy, fresh cherries and raspberries, mixed in with warm soil and pink peppercorns. Mark Vlossak contracts the fruit from White Rose Vineyard, a high-elevation planting with 25-year-old own-rooted Pommard vines-- a rare treat.

Loweyn's camera was not in attendance at Secret Restaurant Portland #2, so we leave you with these two mysterious film noir-ish images.

'rustic euro'

(mid april 2010. number one)

the menu

• dark walnut baguette/sourdough baguette/rustic potato round

served with :

roasted garlic, melted cambozola cheese, and sautéed morel mushrooms

braised dino kale and northwest smoked salmon

oil and vinegar

• russian sorrel soup

slow-roasted vegetable broth with sorrel, spring turnips, purple carrots and gold potatoes

• fresh egg pasta

baked (in butter and fresh sage) then flaked rainbow trout, topped with lavender/arugula pesto

side of marinated grilled eggplant

• ukranian almond poppy seed cake

topped with fresh vanilla bean/ lavender water ice cream, tossed with lavender flowers and topped with a slice of spring turnip

beverages:

2004 Giuliano Tiberi Azienda Agricola, "Le Vespe", Sangiovese, Toscana IGT

Coming from just outside of the designated Chianti zone, and with 20% other indigenous blending grapes, the Le Vespe was a easy choice. Ruby red in color, the wine was full of classic Sangiovese flavors like red currant and sour cherries, with a little hint of coffee bean from it's French oak treatment.

2008 La Grange Tiphaine, "Les Cassiers," Gamay, Touraine-Amboise

Made as they would in Beaujolais, this Gamay from the Loire was given the carbonic maceration treatment with all stainless steel aging. Lots of juicy red fruit tempered by the mineral earthiness imparted from 50 year old vines grown in chalk and Silex soils.