Portland - BlueHour

Portland, Oregon for a while now has been a weekend get-a-way for West Coast foodies. With less than an hour travel time to some of the best Pinot Noir wines in the world and home to a growing number of well known chefs and restaurants, Portland is a foodie mecca in the Pacific Northwest.
So, it comes as no surprise when a opportunity to travel to Portland came up, I planned to squeeze in time to visit a few places that have been creating buzz.
One in particular, Blue Hour. A modern styled restaurant in the Pearl District of Portland, it has received complimentary reviews from magazines such as Gourmet, for their simple yet flavorful Mediterranean styled dishes. The review from our hotel concierge was not as flattering, but I still wanted to give it ago.
The atmosphere was contemporary posh. The restaurant is in a large open warehouse with flowing black curtains separating tables, low light, candles, white leather and stainless steel chairs.
While the service was professional and impeccable, I wish what we had ordered was equally as nice. It was disappointing that there was only one Pinot Noir (by-the-glass) on the menu. My colleague Caroline, opted for the "special" cocktail - special of the house that evening - which was mediocre at best.
I was excited knowing that the BlueHour menu is a daily menu, thinking fresh, fresh, fresh. There are of course a few favorites which are standard.
I ordered the seared foie gras with roasted fig as my first course. It was among the best I've had. Tender, creamy and rich with flavor balanced by the sweet smokey flavors of the roasted fig. But, my risotto however was another story.
The next course was the Mushroom risotto. Foraging in the Pacific Northwest is a popular past-time, and the mushrooms are plentiful and robust. My disappointment was that I had little mushrooms, if any, and the flavor was pure Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, but to have my risotto taste like good old fashioned poultry seasoning was something I could have done without.
Caroline's soup and pasta dish were also equally as disappointing. Luckily, there was the cheese cart. As I mentioned, the waitstaff is incredible. The cheese selections were beautifully categorized and presented on white marble. Our cheese steward knew every cheese and how to describe it in detail, making our mouths water. We asked for a selection of soft cheeses which would compliment one another in a flavor progression, and the steward did not disappoint us.

While a few things were good, overall, I thought while the prices reflected the publicity, neither reflected the expectations of quality. Perhaps it was an off night for the restaurant? That's the only thing I could think of...except that maybe our concierge was correct after all.