Before I begin, I want to point out the slight change in the name of this blog. As you can see, my silent partner (who is rarely silent) has been added to the name above. We eat out together, critique these places together and write these reviews together. So being a "together" kind of day on this day of love, it seemed fitting to change the name!
Valentine's Day! February 14th. "The Day" to show your Love how much they mean to you. ...Not that one shouldn't demonstrate this on a daily basis anyway!
And because we just couldn't get out for dinner, we decided to go have a nice lovers' lunch date instead.
Like the sheer number of the good restaurants in Portland, there are different and equally exciting lunch menus available to the consumer at your favorite dinner destination. So today I chose to take my sweetie to The Salt Exchange to finally try out their luncheon offerings.
As is normal for us, we were seated at the Chef's bar overlooking the kitchen. This vantage point offers so much added value to the overall experience for the serious foodie. We were offered a complimentary dish of the Truffled Potato Chips to snack on as we got going and boy were they a treat! Flavorful, just enough salt to whet the appetite and very crisp but not burned.
We simply had to try the Cheese Sample platter as a starter. With Great Hill Blue, Tallegio and Herbed Goat Cheese how could you go wrong? The plate was served with fresh crostini, truffle-infused honey and balsamic-caramelized figs. Mmmm Mmmm!
For our main course we both had a hard time deciding what to have. The choices ranged from house-made falafel wrap, grilled cheese with bacon, fish tacos (made with Hake today), house smoked chicken salad sandwich, hand-cut turkey club and a cubano (roasted pork loin with ham and Swiss sandwich).
Kate chose the hand-cut Turkey Club with bacon, orange-cranberry jam, lettuce and tomato with a side of ginger-carrot soup (the soup de jour). I chose the House smoked Chicken salad sandwich made with grilled grapes, smoked Gouda cheese, lettuce and onion with a side Caesar salad. In both cases, the bread on our sandwiches was perfectly crisped on the outside and warm inside. Not brown or over-toasted, but what I will refer to here as "al-dente" if I may. You can ask to have your bread done to your own preferred toasted state just so you know.
After drooling over how delicious and satisfying our meals were, we were offered the dessert menus to tempt us further. (It was a good thing we decided not to eat breakfast!) We settled on the house made chocolate cake with lemon curd, raspberries and fresh whipped cream and a glass of Vidal Ice wine.
One of the great things about sitting where we do whenever we dine here, is that you get a full picture of exactly how a kitchen operates, how fresh and original each plate is and how adept the staff is at their craft. I have to give top credit to Chef Adam White. We were witness to a well run, highly communicative and focused line. Kimmo and Courtney work their magic as well, and indulge us by answering all our silly questions! Not only was the kitchen line on their game, so was the wait staff. They were very attentive to each order, special requests from guests and worked as a team to expedite the meals to tables as they were put out.
Kate turned around at one point, looking to the front of the house, and took notice of the decor. "It's not just pretty, it's also well thought out in its simplicity. I like the feel." She also made note of the bar stools being comfortable enough for a leisurely meal, since we always eat at the chef's table (with bar stools.)
To sum it up: We loved our Valentine's Day lunch date, the meal, the service and the overall experience we had at The Salt Exchange once again! ...And on Valentine's Day, isn't it all about the love?
Kate and I give The Salt Exchange 5 stars for their lunch!
Until next time,
~Joe and Kate
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