this Valentines, Jason and I celebrated at one of my favorite places, Blossoming Lotus. they had a special Valentines menu, with two options for each course. as we normally do, we each chose one and shared.
we had a cheers with cocktails. mine:
White October – vanilla infused vodka, Averna, Cafe Lolita, coconut milk, ginger sugar, maple syrup – served up
this was amazing. mildly sweet, strong coffee and maple flavors. deliciously warming.
I had two.
Wintry Mix Manhattan – Bulleit rye, cinnamon-ginger infused Vya vermouth, orange bitters, barrel-aged bitters
Jason loved his Manhattan - enough that he talked about recreating his own version at home. sounds like someone I know…
the amuse:
Seasonal marinated and pickled vegetables
we each had our favorites with this plate – I loved the cauliflower, radish and the chili seasoned carrots! Jason liked the green beans and the beets.
the salad course:
wild arugula salad with preserved Meyer lemon and za’atar vinaigrette, roasted red and gold beets, pear
the arugula was deliciously nutty and spicy, and the pear was an inventive addition. we both loved this.
winter citrus salad with shaved fennel and basil, pomegranate, white balsamic
you know I love my vibrant colors in food – visually, this was my favorite of the evening. the bright flavors and the basil earned a place as my favorites in taste as well.
marinated king trumpet mushroom nigiri with parsnip rice, collard green maki roll with cucumber and avocado, salad of kale and wakame, burdock-carrot kinpira, pickled ginger
almost every visit to Blossoming Lotus includes me enjoying their collard rolls, or taking an order to go. I was very happy to see they made a roll for one of the choices – Jason and I both loved this course. I could eat these every day.
cornmeal and herb encrusted portobello, garlic chive mashed potatoes, braised chard, red wine demi glace
straight up comfort food.
I’m not even hungry right now and thinking of this plate just made my stomach growl and my mouth water… I could so eat this right now (yeah, it’s 4:38 in the morning…)
the portobello was perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. a bite of portobello with a pouf of mashed potato blanketed in chard and dunked into the glorious demi glace…
I think that would satisfy any omnivore. completely.
raw chocolate torte with cashew crust and banana sorbet
okay. I almost didn’t include this photo – this was where the people next to us started talking about us and gave an eye roll for taking photos. so I made it quick. oh and also?
I was on time to the seating, not 40 minutes late. ahem.
anyway! this was gorgeously smooth and perfect. the banana sorbet (with shreds of mango!) was a wonderful light pairing to the rich chocolate.
deliriously decadent.
Meyer lemon polenta cake, cara cara orange curd, almond lace cookie
as much as I loved the chocolate, I loved this one just as much if not more. I love a polenta cake that is very mildly sweet, and the orange curd was bright and beautiful,
tart and sweet.
I loved sharing both of these desserts with my Valentine.
…and if that was not enough, there were surprise truffles at the end. three flavors, two of each, one eaten with a perfect cup of coffee, two enjoyed on the way home.
we were both happy with our Valentines choice of Blossoming Lotus. After an uncharacteristic and slightly weird start (the door was locked until seating time, when we were asked to enter single file for our seating assignments), my favorite Portland gem quickly recovered and we were delighted by course after delectable course. We had some great conversation with the very talented and informed mixologist, talking cocktails, coffee and bitters (we will return in the spring for the rhubarb bitters!).
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