What's Cooking America - Restaurant Reviews
Portland, Oregon Metro Restaurant Reviews

  Home  |  Recipes  |  Diet Recipes  |  Dinner Party Menus  |  Food History  |  Culinary Dictionary  |  Diet, Health & Beauty
 


Overall Ratings:  ****

Overall Review:  Outstanding! I highly recommend this restaurant. One of my favorite restaurant to dine.

Review Date:  September 14, 2006

Cuisine: Northwest Cuisine

Alcohol:  Full service bar; beer & wine. They feature a wonderful assortment of Oregon wines.

Corkage:  ?

Attire:  Dressy casual

Location: Willamette Valley Wine Area - Southwest suburb of Portland in Dayton.

Open Hours:
Open for dinner Tuesday - Saturday
5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Parking:  Yes

Price Range:
Appetizers - $8.00 to $16.00
Entrees - $13.00 to $24.00

Reservations: Recommended


 Rating Key Explanations:
* Bad (will never go back)

** Fair (below average - will not go back)

*** Good (would consider dining there again)

**** Very Good (will definitely go back)

***** Extraordinary (will be back as soon as possible)

I make every attempt to remain anonymous while reviewing each restaurant.  All meals are paid for by myself.  This way, I can report the most honest and trustworthy restaurant reviews possible. Other recognizable critics frequently get special food and service. I forgo any perks so that my restaurant experience will be similar to yours.

If you would like to add a review of this restaurant, email Linda Stradley. Also feel free to send me suggestions of restaurants for review.

Disclaimer:  None of the restaurants reviewed on this site have given any sort of financial incentive to Linda Stradley or her website, What's Cooking America. The restaurants had no foreknowledge that a review was going to be written.
 

 

Joel Palmer House


 600 Ferry St.
Dayton, OR 97114

Map & Directions

Web page: http://www.joelpalmerhouse.com

Telephone: 503-864-2995

 

 


Awards: Willamette Week's 1998 Restaurant of the Region, James Beard Foundation 1987 Top 16 chefs in the United States.

Restaurant is located in the lovely restored historic Joel Palmer House. If you love mushrooms, you'll be in mushroom heaven here! This is the mushroom restaurant capital of Oregon. Owners Jack and Wanda Czarnecki gather wild mushrooms themselves for the dishes they make. Jack is considered as America's foremost authority on cooking mushrooms. 

The Joel Palmer House is one of our favorite restaurants to "dine." Every time we go there, the food and service is outstanding.

Starters:

Jack's "faux Gras" with White Truffles, Black Chanterelles, and Fresh Grape Sauce ($10.50) -  This was a pate made with the wonderful Oregon white truffles and Oregon black chanterelle mushrooms. It was outstanding! I could have made a meal of the "faux gras."

Heidi's Three Mushroom Tart ($12.50) - A Palmer House specialty, this tart is the essence of what wild mushrooms are all about. This fantastic mushroom tart which sits two inches high atop a buttery crust - alone worth the drive.

Main Course:

Filet Mignon with Porcini Sauce and Potato-Caramelized Onion Tart ($35.00) - My husband enjoyed this filet mignon with pinot noir porcini sauce and more Oregon truffles. As my husband is a steak lover, he was in "steak heaven" with this filet mignon.

Risotto with Oregon Truffles - I order an outstanding risotto with more Oregon truffles. This wasn't on the menu, but when I said that I would like some risotto for my main course, they made it for me. It was delightful! Cooked just the way I like risotto.

Dessert:
(We like to share dessert)

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Raspberry Sauce ($8.00) -  This is definitely a chocolate lovers choice! I was not disappointed.
 

Review from other diners:

My wife planned a birthday trip to Washington and Oregon last spring.  Sort of built around the independent wine festival in Portland, OR. We went to Joel Palmer House restaurant. 

We had their famous mushroom soup which was rich and dark and had a mushroom drawn on it.  The wild mushroom tart was more like a deep dish pie and was very good.  Chunks of delicious elk had just the right amount of gaminess; it was served on a bed of cabbage with a berry sauce. It was excellent.  A mushroom creme brulee was tasty, but not of mushroom. 

An Oregon chardonnay was typical (disappointing), but the house pinot noir was excellent.  I remember the decor as being a bit old fashioned.

Joe Gazdak (10/07/07)