David’s Opus 10

Chef David Turin has been in the Portland dining scene for many years and Opus 10 is his tenth restaurant and his self-proclaimed "dream restaurant".  Set in the back of David's Restaurant, Opus 10 is a small, intimate dining room with seating for approximately 25 with a small, open kitchen that turns out the small plates and chef's tasting menu.  The menu is designed to be taken as a Chef's tasting with unique suggested wine pairings but they invite you to dine a la carte and even allow you to make substitutions to the Chef's tasting.

This concept prides itself on offering high end wines and boutique wines by the glass along with a great cocktail menu.  I began with The Observatory; cucumber gin, St. Germaine, and fresh lime shaken and served straight up.  Kevin started with the Rhubarb Tea; Bulleit Rye, Rhubarb tea, agave nectar, iced tea, and fresh lemon served in a Collins glass on the rocks.  Our server was excellent and had great wine knowledge.  She expertly walked us through the offered pairings that evening and encouraged us to try some of their lesser known offerings which proved to be wonderful.

We all decided to partake in the Chef's tasting menu.  The second course we unanimously agreed was our favorite,  the Mushroom Cream Shooter with Truffle Foam and Grilled Mushrooms.  The layers of flavor in the soup and the overall presentation of the dish was excellent, see photo.  We all agreed the intermezzo of house made Blueberry Lemon Thyme sorbet was a triumph and I could've stopped with that as dessert.  They finish it with a pour of ice cold Lemoncello over the top.  Our server happily swapped out the pork entrée for me and the Chef prepared a beautiful roasted cauliflower dish with an herb pesto.

As you can see from the menu that evening, the restaurant does not stick to one style of cuisine but the menu seemed to flow nicely from course to course.  The overall meal was superb and again the service was outstanding; the timing of the courses was also perfect, we never felt rushed or as if we were waiting.  The atmosphere was cozy and relaxing, perfect for settling in for a big meal.