Higgins

Higgins is the epitome of a fine dining experience in Portland. It has the traditional white table cloth setting, but without any particular style overpowering the restaurant. It is classic and comfortable. You realize quickly that Higgins is a staple for a reason – they are strictly focused on cuisine, and could care less about being hip or exclusive. The open space of the dining room is lovely, and walking towards the back of the restaurant provides a view of the hard-working chefs/wait staff.

Let’s get to the cuisine –

Drinks:
To be expected, Higgins has an extensive wine list highlighting NW selections (deep selection of Pinot offerings). Our waiter knew about every wine on the menu, and was not afraid to give suggestions when we asked, which we appreciated. We ended up with two amazing bottles based on his selections, the Carter Pinot Noir and the Soter Pinot Noir. In the end we enjoyed the Carter more, as this was a bit better in combination with our meals.

Starters:
1) Charcuterie Plate with house-made pickles. What a value…this was a huge plate of various meats (salumi’s/pâtés/etc), and the pickles were delicious.

2) Salad of gathered spring greens, toasted hazelnuts and herb vinaigrette. This was also a large portion, and had beautifully fresh ingredients tossed in a light dressing.

Entrees:
The tables are served fresh artisan bread upon arrival, including both white and hearty wheat (bread locally sourced by Grand Central Bakery, Ken’s and Pearl).

1) Halibut Dinner – Horseradish-crusted Alaskan halibut with cheddar polenta, braised greens, asparagus, and an orange beurre blanc. The light breading on this mild fish was beautiful, and did not overpower. The asparagus was tender, and the cheddar polenta tasted like cheesy mashed potatoes.
2) True Cod Special – There were so many ingredients in this dish that I can’t recall them all. What I remember is huge pieces of baked cod served on top of a stew-like bed of deliciousness, including asparagus, mushrooms, with a side of purple mashed potatoes. Hearty yet not too heavy, all of the components of this dish combined to create a taste that I have never experienced before, but will always remember. It was luscious.
3) Salmon Special – This originally came served with French lentils and cauliflower, but the server willingly made the requested substitutions to the sides with no issues. He also included some of the special sides he thought my Uncle must try, which I thought was a nice gesture.

The plating was beautiful on every dish. There was an inherent attention to detail and care put into everything throughout our meal.

Desert:
1) Brownie Special – A massive double dark chocolate brownie with homemade chocolate AND buttermilk ice cream. Could I possibly have loved this more? I think not.
2) Maple Cake – A piece of maple coffee cake covered in icing, served with a side of homemade ice cream (the flavor is escaping me, but is unimportant, this was amazing!).

To make our finale even better, Higgins serves Stumptown coffee, as well as a lavish list of teas (served with an iron cast tea pot to keep your water hot).

Service was superb, one of the best waiters we have experienced in Portland. He was knowledgeable and helpful on everything from starters to wine, and he added an element of luxury to the evening. In addition, making my reservation and changing it on the day of was no problem, the staff was very friendly throughout the restaurant. They even emailed me some details I needed for this review – thanks Higgins!

We chose Higgins as a special place to take my Uncle who was visiting from out of town. We wanted a Portland dining experience that would exude the unparalleled cuisine that Portland has to offer, but would also provide a wonderful atmosphere and great service. Higgins nailed it on all points, and allowed us to have a truly amazing dining experience.

*Jayne