Our first stop in Portland was here due to the vicinity of the train station which by the way looks really nice.

  • Bridgeport Hop Czar Beer – A very hop beer, very heavy and bitter.
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  • New Wheat and Cherry Soup, with Braised Lamb – The soup was great. Even though the temperature outside was hot, the soup hit the spot. The sweet cherries permeate the soup and went really well with the wheat grains. The lamb was so soft and the flavor went well with the sweet cherries.
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  • Roasted Peach and Green Bean Salad with Hazelnuts – The salad dressing was light and the roasted peaches with the crunchy hazelnuts was very nice. The green beans add some texture to the salad as well.
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  • Duck Leg Confit, Fingerling Potatoes and Gooseberry Conserva – Not a fan, the gooseberry mixture was a bit too sweet and in my opinion didn’t go well with the duck. The tartness of the berries and the mushy potato were not a good mixture. The duck was overcooked a bit as well, giving it a dried out feel.
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  • House-made Hot Dog with our Ketchup and Chips – As the wife denotes, this should really be a sausage sandwich. The homemade ketchup was a nice sweet blend of tomatoes. The hot dog was a bit dry and tasted more like a sausage blend. The chips were thin and crisp.
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  • Cherry Pie, Almond Mascarpone Cream – The tart itself was a bit dry again, the cherries had a biting sourness to it which went well with the mild almond taste. The mascarpone tied everything nicely together.
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Decor: A very small place, nice view for the window to look at the park outside. The servers were friendly. Like the brick wall and the long bar in the front with most of the restaurant tables in the back.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 4/10) – As one could tell from the reviews, we felt most of the food was a dry. Don’t know if this was done on purpose. The entrees was ok though not very earth shattering. We did like the soups and the salad, perhaps we should have ordered more of that and less of the actual entrees. Teh soup was really amazing even if it was near the end of summer.

Website: http://www.parkkitchen.com/
Location: 422 NW 8th, 97209
Reservation: 503.223.PARK (7275)
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Mon – Fri; 1130 – 1400, Sat; 1700 – 2100