St. Jack

"Decadent French dining served in a beautiful bistro dining room, Aaron Barnett’s St. Jack is an homage to the cafes of Lyon and Paris. Chicken liver mousse, steak frites, and escargot fill the menu, alongside elegant French wines and bold cocktails. Fruits de mer are a highlight here, particularly juicy, plump poached prawns, dotted with cumin seeds and served with a side of vadouvan aioli. With the help of chef de cuisine John Denison, the restaurant has headed into more inventive fare as well, including a dramatic mushroom vol-au-vent with a crown of greens, or scallop crudo with a Pacific Northwestern accompaniment of spruce tips and preserved berries. Meals should finish with a few madeleines for good measure." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Katrina Yentch, Rebecca Roland

"For a celebration dinner, it’s hard to beat the candlelit banquettes at St. Jack, where diners dip chilled prawns in vadouvan aioli, knock back oysters on the half shell, and clink glasses of real-deal Champagne. After a dinner of steak and seafood, a stroll down Northwest 23rd is a lovely finish to date night." - Katrina Yentch, Thom Hilton, Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"We’ll never say no to a trip to St. Jack. The Northwest bistro is the choice for either oysters and an aromatic glass of Sancerre while perched at the bar, or a full-blown celebratory French dinner with copious amounts of foie gras and vintage champagne. The menu is classically French with a familiar emphasis on Northwest farms and purveyors. No, they’re not reinventing the wheel and you wouldn’t want them to when there’s exemplary escargot, steak frites, and local steelhead served with beluga lentils and dilled beurre blanc to be eaten. The barroom is where you’ll find a menu that plays with tradition like the brunchy croque madame/chicken cordon bleu hybrid that feels exceedingly Portland." - Krista Garcia

"When the celebration calls for Champagne, caviar, and pâté en croûte, those in the know book a table at St. Jack, the Northwest Portland restaurant dripping with French eleganza. Start with a few treats off the raw bar, whether it’s a scallop crudo with pickled cippolini onions or plump poached shrimp with vadouvan aioli; follow with classics like a decadent chicken liver mousse or the city’s finest steak frites. For something even more luxe, book the restaurant for a private event." - Michelle Lopez, Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"The French restaurant adapted by offering lower-cost dining options during the storm, such as burgers and 'filet au fish,' which helped attract more diners." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden