Saturday night, Alex, Bruno and I went to see "Swan Lake" at Keller Auditorium. We were hoping to go out to eat beforehand, but Alex had been helping me move all day (see Brain Transplant Journal), so we ran out of time. After the ballet, we hoped that nearby Carafe would still be open, and it was!Carafe is a French bistro a block from the auditorium. It's in the bottom of a skyscraper, which seems like sort of a weird atmosphere for a bistro. But up close, it actually felt rather Parisian (yes, I will someday post photos from Paris on my other blog, I swear), and was furnished the same way as the ubiquitous bistros I saw all over Paris.
Now for the important part: the food.
Overall, it was really good, and pretty simple, the way it ought to be. I ordered the bifsteak frites, which was delicious: chunks of steak charred on the outside and pink on the inside--perfectly cooked. This was accompanied by very good (but not perfect) frites: wonderfully salty and herby, but a little on the soft side. I thought they ought to be a little bit crispier on the outside. Still really good though. Also on the plate was a little dish of bearnaise sauce, probably intended to be used with the steak, but I dipped the fries in it instead. Mmm. Finally, there was also a little bit of lightly dressed frisee'.
Bruno had the Marseille Sandwich: stuffed inside with merguez sausage and frites. Unexpected, but very good.
Alex ordered mussels in a light herb-cream sauce. They were fine too, but didn't thrill me.
Alex and I also ordered cocktails. I had the "Cider-Car" a variation on the sidecar, using apple cider. I really enjoyed it. Alex imbibed a classic gin martini. He seemed quite pleased with it, and said that the olives they used were very good.
Finally, dessert. We opted for the apple tart. It came topped with a caramelly-pecan ice cream. It was gone in a minute, if that gives you any indication of our review.
Our server was kind of unfriendly, though. We wanted to order wine, and he never really gave us opportunity. It was late, and maybe he was having an off night. Who knows.
All in all, I really enjoyed Carafe, and am looking forward to going back.
Carafe Parisian Bistro
200 Market Street
Portland, OR 97201
503.248.0004
