So Fraîche and so clean

I had the pleasure of snoggling down some delicious food this past week in Portland that I've been dying to write about, although I've held out until this new section of the blog was up and running.

On a very rainy Friday night on 23rd St. I found myself at 23 Hoyt (formerly Balvo). The food was pretty much fantastic, the service was subtle and not too pushy and the indoor ambiance kept giving me the eerie (but pleasant) impression that I was outside on a patio of a chic cafe.

The food was still the real star. I had a hard time deciding between the duck and the rabbit (I know, shades of Looney Tunes) but Jess and I eventually worked out a split: She got the former and I the latter. Here's the gory details:

Spätzle with braised rabbit, chanterelles, leeks, creme fraîcheand dill ($15.00):
My dish, very fresh flavor from the dill and creme fraîche. Filling, but not too heavy and the rabbit was well-cooked.and deliciously gamey.

Roast duck breast and braised leg with spiced red cabbage, roasted apples, and yukon gold potato-parsnip puree ($22.00):
Jess had this, and I had a few bites. The duck was flavorful and not overcooked, which is a usual suspect, but I was disappointed with the soggy skin. In my mind duck skin should crack like a thick potato chip, this was more like softened butter.