Grüner

Grüner - a special restaurant serving German infuenced cusine in downtown Portland.  The liptauer is a house made cheese that is very delicate and creamy with paprika, caraway, shallots and herbs.  Great pairing with fresh radishes, celery and pretzel croutons.  Not a lot of flavor, but a nice start for a warm summer eve. 

I visited Gruner with the intent to get a chicken paprikash dish, but given that it is late August, a dish that heavy would be too much to serve in this hot weather.  They did however have another chicken dish, braised chicken alsacienne with fava beans, riesling, creme fraiche, crisp shallots and tarragon.  A side of quark spatzel is served alongside.  The first bite of chicken was pleasantly flavorful. A precise amount of tarragon for that tangy edge, but married well with the saltiness of the chicken broth and crispy shallots. A glass of the Zweigelt Pinot Noir keeps this meal wel rounded with unique flavors. The spatzel are dense and glazed with butter and parsley; the best spatzel I have had thus far on the west coast.