Nel Centro: Gaeta Olives, Heirloom Navel Oranges, and Lamb Burger
December 28th, 2009
Juicy and full-flavored heirloom navel oranges at your service
In addition to moving on to the final stages of my book (after final edits comes proofing and I really wish that just meant letting some dough rise) I’m working at Hawthorne Books and that means I’m downtown a lot. I love it. I like riding the MAX and bookending my work days with commute reading, I like getting takeout from yummy places, I like walking through the Portland Art Museum courtyard every day, AND I now like food and drinks at Nel Centro after work. Well, I’ve only been once but I’ll be back.
My boyfriend Tyler tattoos Nel Centro chef de cuisine Paul Hyman and so he called and made sure he was working (he was), and let him know we were coming in for a late dinner a couple weeks ago.
We grabbed a tall table at the bar, ordered drinks and then ordered a lamb burger and whatever entree the chef recommended. We said “entree” but Chef Hyman sent out so many dishes we had to move to a four top. It was crazy and it was delicious.
My favorites:
The lamb burger ($12). Must have been about a half pound of moist, well seasoned meat on an aioli slathered housemade brioche bun topped with a whipped blend of housemade ricotta and feta, and a trio of thinly sliced sauteed red peppers. I think I’ve said it all right there. Oh and it came with my favorite type of french fry — fresh cut, super thin, golden and generously salted and peppered with a housemade harissa and ketchup sauce.
Frisee and thinly sliced, poached lamb tongue salad ($13) with sauteeed golden chanterelles topped with a poached egg and dressed with olive oil and salsa verde.
The duck confit ($12) with braised red cabbage and apples.
As we were eating from six — yes six — full plates of food Chef Hyman came out and he and Tyler talked about the next tattoo he wants — an old French charcuterie ad. It’s a great image but I don’t remember too much about it because I was infatuated with the lamb burger, the pork rillettes, the mussels in vermouth, the salt cod croquettes and more.
After dinner he took us on a tour of his kitchen which was immaculate despite being at the tail end of a brisk dinner service. In his walk-in there was house bresaola soaking in brine pre-air-curing, small portions of duck prosciutto hanging and drying in cheesecloth, and all sorts of gorgeous wild mushrooms. He opened a tub of gaeta olives for us to try and they were buttery delicious. And then he gave us two heirloom navel oranges above to take home. What a man.
Nel Centro
1408 SW 6th Ave
Portland, OR
503.484.1099
www.nelcentro.com
Dinner nightly, lunch Monday-Friday, breakfast Monday-Saturday and brunch Sunday.