Bar Avignon

You may have read the Oregonian piece about Bar Avignon's new chef Jeremy Eckel and the expanding menu at this cozy dining room on 22nd and SE Division. Owners Nancy Hunt and Randy Goodman have finally found the perfect person to take a spot that always provided great cocktails and an extremely well priced and varied wine list and ramp it up into what I now feel might be one of Portland's best spots to grab dinner.

Nancy was telling us what she loved about Eckel was his love of all things seasonal in the chef’s bounty that is Portland. She said his eyes just light up when she brings in her latest farmer's market finds, and we saw that same dreamy look in his eyes when he was explaining to us what he going to do with a batch of fresh sardines he was salting. You can tell when someone is into it, and this guy has it bad!

We went last Friday, dug our forks into some of Eckel's creations, and came away dying to return. We started with Wild Boar Ribs with a spicy-sweet peach barbeque sauce that are perhaps the ultimate bar snack. A Chilled Sweet Corn Soup topped with a sprinkle of smoked sea salt was so richly flavored, yet light, made with a vegetable stock. We followed that promising start with Fideus, which are short Portuguese-style noodles (think broken spaghetti) in a sauce of summer squash and chard with a soft baked egg attractively situated right in the middle. Something you have to have if it still on the menu is his roasted Chicken with baby artichokes, pacha beans, and aioli. I don't order chicken out very often, but Eckel's chicken was fabulous. A half chicken that is bursting with juicy flavor, and the whole plate just screams of the summer season.

This food is seriously good, the vibe at Bar Avignon is incredibly comfortable, and the prices are ridiculously cheap, with everything above ranging from $7 to $14. Add on to that some bargain priced wines and you have the ultimate cheap date that will satisfy your wallet and leave your palate breathless, which is pretty much what we're all looking for, isn't it?

You can also buy most of the wines off the wine list to go for 25% off, and be sure to check out Randy's Saturday afternoon free wine tastings at the back table!

This article was written by Quick Bites In Portland