Winterborne

3520 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 503-249-8486

Loyal devotees of this uncompromising little jewell of a restaurant actually look forward to winter. The gray rains of December that send top-heavy boats into the Pacific signal the return of Crab Juniper, and for Winterborne’s regulars, that more than makes up for the Oregon drizzle. For the uninitiated, Crab Juniper layers sweet Dungeness with slices of perfumy Comice pear atop rice and a filet of sole or lingcod, with a bit of cream for a rich undercurrent. When the leaves lay in sodden heaps on the streets of Irvington, chef Gilbert Henry starts getting the calls, “Is it on the menu yet?” Alsation-born Henry, who inherited Crab Juniper when he took over Winterborne eight years ago, knows better than to mess with a good thing. But he’s put his own indelibly French stamp on the short, all-seafood menu. He sautees oysters quickly in hot clarified butter to give them a fleeting bit of exterior crunch while keeping them tender within, then serves the briny bivalves with an astringent horseradish mayonnaise. A bowlful of mussels mariniere—plump, pale shellfish simply steamed in white wine with garlic and parsley—can make you believe you’re in the Latin Quarter instead of northeast Portland. Seafood cassoulet spins the classic bean stew of southwestern France with assorted seafood, most recently lingcod, scallops, and crawfish tails, replacing the traditional duck, ham, and sausage. Every entree comes with soup before and green salad after, the structural elements of a proper meal as defined by Escoffier to prepare the palate and aid in digestion, and diners are never hurried, even though there are only a handful of tables in the elegantly spare dining room. Gourmet magazine recognized Winterborne as a Top Table in 1996, and it’s only gotten better since.