My husband and I enjoyed a fun, delicious and interesting dining experience earlier this week when our daughter and son-in-law treated us to dinner at St. Jack on N.W. 23rd in Portland, Ore. We had dined several years ago at the restaurant’s first incarnation on the other side of the river and were eager to enjoy this bouchon-style eatery, patterned on the cafés of Lyon, in this more trendy spot.

Actually, my mouth was watering well before we arrived, for as our Uber driver made her way slowly down a busy 23rd on Monday night, Jenny and Josh kept up a running commentary on many of the restaurants we passed. (This street has a decades-long reputation for fun, funky, eclectic and never-boring boutiques, shops and restaurants.) Here was a great spot for Thai food (especially the yellow curry), that place has great seafood, up ahead is a place with great happy hour deals . . . and on and on.

Situated on a corner, St. Jack features tall, wood-framed windows that, on temperate evenings, swing wide open. This being January, we stepped in to a warm, snug room with no more than 20 tables, separated from a lively bar area at least equal in size to the dining room. Our reserved seats were at the chef’s counter, looking directly into the open kitchen, where four chefs and several assistants provided us with an entertaining floorshow throughout the night.

A note: Even on a Monday night, the place was packed and fairly noisy with conversation. It was difficult to carry on a conversation with our entire party until things quieted down later in the evening. If it’s a quiet, romantic dinner or a good chat with more than two companions you want, consider a table removed from the action. But if you’re into food and like seeing the choreography involved in putting together a wonderful meal, this is your ticket.

We watched as each plate was meticulously put together, down to each swipe of sauce and sprinkling of herbs. We quickly determined which were the popular menu items — both in the bar and in the dining room — based on the number of times we saw them land on the staging table immediately to my right. (The roasted bone marrow, chicken liver mousse and pommes frites were clear favorites.) Here each plate was carefully inspected by at least two staff,  with any stray drips or specks carefully wiped away before being sent out to diners. I made a mental note of items I’d like to try on another visit.

We ordered a starter of goat cheese, fromage blanc, shallot and garlic with baguette while we awaited our entrées.   I also enjoyed starting with the butter lettuce salad, an artfully constructed presentation sprinkled with herbs, croutons, radish shavings and avocado tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette.   Light and fresh, it left me plenty of room for my entrée, a fabulous steelhead (trout) en casserole. Set in a savory wild mushroom broth with chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms, baby potatoes, carrots, fennel and leeks, the fish was tender, moist and flavorful . . . a wonderfully comforting winter meal. 

The rest of our party opted for even heartier wintery entrées: lamb shank confit  , oxtail bourguignon , and duck l’orange  . All were complemented by the bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape we ordered from St. Jack’s wine list of French and Northwest wines by the bottle and glass. Other beverages include liqueurs, beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic options.

We finished off the meal sharing a lovely maple tarte served with a sour cream mousse and a smattering of diced poached apples and salted almond brittle. Along with housemade sorbets and ice creams, baked-to-order madeleines and a few other delectable offerings, St. Jack lists about a dozen different foreign and domestic cheeses (cow, sheep, goat) from which guests can create their own cheese plates.

By the end of the meal the dining room had thinned out and the action in the kitchen had slowed, and we had a chance to compliment the chefs and thank them for a delicious and entertaining evening. I hope to return to St. Jack’s chef’s counter soon and sample some of the dishes I didn’t order this time around.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor