Jacqueline

I've been wanting to visit Jacqueline in Portland for quite some time.  I mean, I've been out in Portland 6 times in the last 6 years!  I've always envisioned dining their with Jacqueline (@pork_ninjas) just because they share a name (yes, I'm juvenile like that).  However, it just never worked out.  This time around, I got a reservation and boy did that come in handy.  To say the place is busy is an understatement, there was a huge line for happy hour when we arrived.   For those who are familiar, Jacqueline opened in 2016 and relocated to its current location in 2024.  The place is well known for their seasonal menu that focuses on fresh seafood.

Seeing how we arrived in time for Happy Hour, we went straight for the $1.00 oysters.  We ended up with a dozen of the Salazar Puget Sound Oysters, which were mid-sized.  Even thought they appeared to be small like Kushis, they were deeper and hence more plump.  We found them to be rather creamy and intensely briny.  We had several accompaniments including hot sauce, dill vinegar, classic mignonette, ponzu and Fresno chili vinegar.  My favorite was the hot sauce as it paired well with the salty oysters.

Even though they have a good value tasting menu at $90.00 each, we ended up doing a la carte.  The first plate to arrive was the Hamachi Crudo.  This was freakin' delicious with buttery slices of hamachi and charred & pickled pineapple.  To go with the natural sweetness of the fish and the pineapple, we found classic Thai flavors in the mam nem with lime leaf, mint and peanuts.  We had intense brininess from the fermented anchovies as well as balancing sweetness and tang.  Nice hits of herbaceousness from the lime leaves and mint.

Something as simple as bread can often be overlooked on a menu.  Luckily I asked about Emerson's Focaccia and ordered it.  Turns out it was an excellent choice as the fluffy bread was great on its own.  It had a crispy top that also was nicely salted.  However, what really made this dish was the side of toasted kombu oil with aged balsamic.  It was so punchy with umami and tangy sweetness.  Although we had a lot of dishes coming, we couldn't stop eating the bread!

This was followed up by a few smaller dishes including the Grilled Asparagus with marinated Ota tofu.  Normally, we would find some firm tofu in these types of dishes, but the Ota tofu was so delicate and soft.  Each cube almost broke upon contact, which made it so buttery in texture.  The toss in XO sauce ensured that the tofu was fully-seasoned with spice and brininess.  Asparagus was still had a bite despite being cooked through.  Some preserved meyer lemon added some salty brightness.

Another full-flavored dish was the Snap Peas with fish sauce lemongrass vin.  Beyond the crunchy sweet peas (that were split lengthwise), we found toasted rice powder, fava leaf, lime leaves and crispy tiny shrimp.  The mix of all these components ensured we got a bit of everything.  The fish sauce with lemongrass provided salty umaminess and bright hits.  Toasted rice powder not only add a bit of dry texture, we also had some aromatic nuttiness.  Fava leaves and lime leaves gave that background herbaceousness while the shrimp were a bit crunchy and totally briny.

Presented in 4 huge balls, the Smoked Black Cod & Potato Fritters were more like croquettes to me.  Once we got past the firmly crispy exterior, the soft and creamy potato filling was airy and light.  It was totally seasoned by the salty and smoky black cod where it was impactful from the first bite.  In the bowl, we found a green peanut sauce which was "green" tasting with some nuttiness.

We also tried both the Grilled Honey & Turmeric Chicken Skewer and the Grilled Lamb Merquez Sausage Skewer.  Nicely charred and juicy, the chicken skewer was smoky and earthy.  That sauce underneath was creamy and cooled things down.  As for the lamb sausage, it was also tender and moist with a decent amount of charring.  The addition of an anchovy provided another layer of brininess to go with the rich lamb meat.

Served on a house made bao that had been deep-fried, the Lobster Bun was packed full of tender shredded lobster.  There was enough mayo to keep things together and also acidity (from the zucchini pickles) to keep things from being too heavy.  The whole thing exhibited good textural contrast with the crispy bun and the fluffy lobster salad.  This wasn't very big, but super tasty.

The Seared Scallops were hard-seared on one side which created a crust.  They were aggressively seasoned and hence, were salty.  I could still taste the sweetness of the scallop and in fact, the salt only heightened the flavors.  Texturally, they were buttery and soft while cooked all-the-way through.  Underneath, the sauce was earthy and rich.

I thought the Halibut was just a bit over, yet at the same time, most of it was still flaky and moist.  Once again, things were salty for this dish including the hard sear.  The miso maitake mushrooms were far too salty, but the texture was great.  We also found some new potatoes that were robust, yet still tender.  The nettle sauce vert was green-tasting, peppery and bright.

Loved the Fig Leaf Pannacotta as it was creamy and light while topped with sweet strawberries, Marcona almonds and white chocolate.  This was quite refreshing and light with an on point texture.  It was properly set, yet not too firm.  By using fig leaf, the flavor of the pannacotta tasted like aromatic coconut and vanilla.  It would've fooled me if it wasn't in the description.  Strawberries naturally added tangy sweetness and texture while the almost added butteriness and crunch.

We had one scoop each of the Blood Orange Sorbet, Strawberry Rhubarb Gelato and Hochija Gelato.  Things were rather sweet, but naturally refreshing at the same time.  Blood orange was tangy, so it offset the sweetness.  Strawberry rhubarb had enough tang to balance the sugar as well.  For the hochija, that was the sweetest of the bunch, but I enjoyed the toasted and nutty flavor.  Overall, the meal at Jacqueline was mostly great with a few things that were a bit too salty.  Portions were generous and pricing was reasonable.  Service was genuine and friendly, if not a bit inattentive.

The Good:

- Generally tasty

- Generous portions and reasonable prices

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Some things were pretty salty

- Service was nice, but not particularly attentive (water not refilled and plates not changed)