March is Portland Dining Month and we kicked it off with a bang at St. Jack! The french cafe St. Jack opened on NW 23rd ten years ago. Ben Morris, the talented Chef de Cuisine at St. Jack, has been with the team since November of 2017. Not only is he gifted when it comes to creating food, he’s also excellent at executing his responsibilities at the cafe. St. Jack has had the same team for a long time so naturally the camaraderie at St. Jack is great, which is key for a successful restaurant!

We started off with a beautiful Chicory Caesar Salad with smoked scallop, crouton, parmesan, and fresh herbs. The smoked scallop was an unexpected addition to the salad that worked so well! The tasty shaved parmesan really added to all the flavors. The presentation of this colorful salad was perfect. I love restaurants that go the extra mile in the presentation of their plates.

The Lyonnaise Onion Tarte was easily one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had! The unique combination of melted onion & leek, chevre, and sauteed kale literally melted in my mouth. The poached egg on top was the perfect finishing touch to this delicious plate. I could easily eat this dish on the regular. It was that good!

Our last course was the Clams Nantua with tomato, cream, caramelized fennel, and pork belly served in a beautiful white bowl. The pork belly was absolutely delicious! I found myself scooping up all the pork belly first and then enjoying the clams. The flavorful cream was perfect for dunking the bread.

St. Jack has a very special wine program run by Christopher Sky Westmoreland. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to the wine list which is inspired by French wine. The Willamette Valley of Oregon actually shares the same climate as the Lyon area of France, so all of the wine on Christopher’s list exhibits qualities of the wine you’d find in France. Every bottle is beautifully made with quality over price in mind. Both of the delicious wines we had paired fantastically with our dishes!

St. Jack has four super talented bartenders who have all been bar managers. Needless to say the bar program at St. Jack is pretty special. The bar changes the drinks on their full cocktail menu every two months. Each of the bartenders are responsible for bringing new ideas to the table. The whole team at St. Jack sits down to try the drinks and talk about how they can be improved and perfected, which I think is so cool! St. Jack has a close partnership with the local New Seasons. They use the fruit scraps from New Seasons for drink shrubs. What a great way to be resourceful!

St. Jack has been a huge contributor to Surfrider PDX for the movement of eliminating plastic straws in Portland #ditchthestrawpdx. The restaurant no longer uses plastic straws and offers metal straws upon request. St. Jack is partnering with local restaurants Aviary, Coquine, and Costania for a dinner series with proceeds going to Surfrider PDX. I am so impressed with everything St. Jack has been doing to give back to the environment!

We really enjoyed the amazing food and awesome environment at St. Jack. We are so lucky to have amazing restaurants in Portland! St. Jack is a must stop for not only Portland Dining Month but year-round.

xoxo