Lincoln

Another great restaurant located in the N. Williams area, Lincoln serves high-quality NW cuisine in high-style fashion. The restaurant is impressive as soon as you enter, with exposed wooden loft ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and a sophisticated design. A deep red wall color is combined with dramatic light fixtures and understated fabrics/décor. The theme is consistently kept across the interior, creating the illusion of an even larger, unified space. Lincoln offers booth and table seating options throughout the main dining room, and there is a beautifully crafted full bar with plenty of seating to the right of the entrance (they also have adorable 2-seater tables lining the window in the bar area). Lincoln also has one of my favorite restaurant design features of an open kitchen, and offers minimal counter seating where you can dine and watch the chefs hard at work.

The menu is small and focused, with just a handful of options under each section of Starters/Salads/Entrees/Sides.

Starters – We chose the Thyme flatbread with pork cretons, chicken liver pate and dried plum conserva. This was the most spectacular dish of the evening, with the pork cretons stealing the show. Mixed with the sweet plum sauce and all spread on the warm, semi-salty rosemary flatbread bread…this was decadence.

Salads – We chose the Arugula with dates, blue cheese, celery and blood orange. A light, almost summery appeal, and for someone who doesn’t care for blue cheese, this salad more than satisfied my need for greens.

Entrees –
Armando chose the Hanger steak with blue cheese butter and onion rings. The meat was tender and cooked well, however, the portion was on the small size. The plate was mostly filled with a mound of onion rings. In this instance, less of the fried and more of the meat would have been ideal.

I chose the Petrale sole with speck, braised fennel and leeks. I did not expect this to be breaded (I should have asked, this was not their fault), but it did come covered in a light mixture of sorts. It was beautifully served on top of tender leeks, though I can’t say that I remember much of a fennel taste from this dish. The speck was an interesting accompaniment to the fish, and overall I enjoyed the quality of this dish.

Sides –
We ordered none. There was no need after our Starter and Salad, plus you are served a side with most Entrée selections. I should note that the Side options were impressive, so you may want to plan your ordering to include one (if you can skip the first two courses, good luck)!

Drinks – They offer nice selection of wine, and we chose the 2007 Elk Cove Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. I am never disappointed with a local Pinot, and this bottle complimented our meal nicely.

At this price point in Portland, competition is fierce. I struggled with my decision to give Lincoln three or four stars (this is when ½ stars are in need, but I like the challenge of the decision!). As an overall package, I decided that I have to give Lincoln four stars. Though it is not the best of everything, it does have some stellar elements to be admired: undeniably fresh and locally sourced NW ingredients (morphed into some fantastic menu items), an up-and-coming location, great ambiance, good overall customer service, and pricing that is in line with the Portland foodie ring.

As it claims, Lincoln walks the fine line between casual vs. upscale, comfortable vs. stuffy, and modern vs. old charm…this is indeed my kind of place.

*Jayne