PDX Eating at Tasty N Alder

by Nadia LeeMay 19, 2014

There’s gotta be a happy hour around here somewhere?
Calm down, we’re almost there.

Tasty N Alder tl;dr

Three words: Seared foie gras! If I had to sum up what I remember the most about our experience at Tasty n Alder I’d say it would be the everything about the seared foie gras entree dish.

Just a heads up if you’re planning on going here, I’d make a reservation as the restaurant itself is not very big and it definitely seems very popular with locals. We headed over here after some pre-drinks at Clyde Common and after putting our name down we were told our wait would be around 1.5-2 hrs.

First Happy Hour of the Trip

Luckily our hotel was close by and we were able to hang out back at the hotel and have a couple more drinks before getting a call saying our table was ready.

The Tasty n Alder menu consists of what’s available seasonally so what we got may or may not have be available when you go or may be slightly different. For dinner we got:

Tasty and Alder's Grilled Spanish Octopus

Grilled Spanish Octopus: Such an amazing yet simple dish. It was perfectly grilled and had a nice charred flavor. You should definitely order this
Hudson Valley Foie Gras: We each got our own portion of foie here and it was seriously some of the best seared foie I’ve had. It came with a pineapple chutney which cut the richness of the foie and was just divine
Duck Duck Potatoes: I believe this was just potatoes fried in duck fat. Nothing spectacular and I’d probably pass on these in favor of other more interesting dishes on the menu. Not my choice
Saigon Brussel Sprouts: This dish was such a nice surprise. From what I could tell it just seemed like the brussel sprouts were cooked with fish sauce. I would never have put those two combinations together but it was great! Tasty and unique.

For drinks they have quite the assortment of cocktails (I had the moscow mule) and great “grown ass milkshakes” which I’m sure you can guess, milkshakes with alcohol!

Despite witnessing drama and being surrounded by what seemed like craziness, when you put all that aside and simply reflect on the food and fantastic service at Tasty n Alder, I’d highly recommend a visit here.