The Whale Wins

The Whale Wins is the newest concept from award winning Chef Renee Erickson and her partners Jeremy Price and Chad Dale.  This is the same group behind the highly acclaimed The Walrus and The Carpenter.  (Renee names her restaurants after old sea-faring poems).  The space and the menu draw inspiration from Southern Europe and England according to their website although I felt the cottage style décor and menu scream French countryside.  The interior is a clean, white space with a large wood-fired hearth and partially exposed kitchen.  The restaurant is cozy and small, only seating approximately 40 or so in a rehabbed building which houses Joule, another great restaurant, and a clothing store.

The menu is vegetable focused and probably some of the most interesting and unique vegetable plates I've ever tried.  The food is sourced as locally as possible and the menu follows a seasonal trend in most respects.  As is becoming a trend, the bread is listed as an appetizer but I'd say it was worth the $4.  Brought in from a neighborhood bakery, Columbia City, the sourdough bread and salted butter was a great accompaniment to the house-made assorted pickles (be warned of the spicy pickles!).

The plates are a nice sized portion but the menu is still designed to share.  As a group of 9 we shared the following...the "Carrots" was a beautiful display of roasted heirloom carrots on a bed of fennel salad with harissa and yogurt.  The "Cauliflower" was also roasted and was tossed with toasted coconut, mustard seeds, pickled cucumber, and a light vinaigrette.  The "Squash" was also roasted and sliced into a tall stack with fresh herbs and a variety of bell peppers.  This was tossed with a goat cheese, walnuts, and an olive oil and herb dressing.  The Hama Hama "Clams" were a group favorite, served hot in a large bowl with Serrano ham, fennel, dill, brown butter, and cream.  The other group favorite was the "Marrow", so good in fact we ordered another round.  Served piping hot in the traditional style with grilled toast, sea salt and fresh parsley; the marrow was creamy and flavorful and melted in your mouth.  Lastly, the Fermin Jamon was sliced thin and served with more delicious buttered toast.

The bar offers a variety of wines by the glass, house specialty cocktails, and an assortment of local micro-brewed beers.  Overall a wonderful dining experience!