We got into it: an energy healing session that morning, the current astrology, dating when you are low bandwidth, dating when is it low bandwidth and when is it I’m not that into her, work stuff, kids stuff, and we each asked our own hard to ask things: I asked about her children and their genetic connection to her, she asked my lesbian history.
What we ate: - Tomato toast with anchovy
- Crispy Squid with fennel and guindilla peppers
- Late summer melon with jamon and serranos
- Little gems with anchovy dressing and fried capers
- Oregon albacore crudo with sauce ravigote and green peppercorns - 16oz t-bone with roquefort butter - Grilled Little T bread with seaweed butter - Salted cremaux with olive oil and whip
What stood out:
Being on that block off Killingsworth felt special, former home to Dame, Dame Collective, Expatriate, and Beast. I had been thinking recently of Naomi Pomeroy and Beast (where I had my 32nd birthday!) and it felt right to be in a new space on a block with powerful culinary energy. The restaurant space itself wasn’t fussy, and the staff was both attentive and laid back in the most Portland way. Maree chef Jarrott Moonitz, draws focus from the Basque Country, France, and Spain, concentrating on the freshest local ingredients - from seafood to produce. We really felt that focus in the standout dish of the night - Late summer melon with jamon and serranos - with the most flawless melon I’d ever bitten into, paired with just enough heat from the serranos, and melty tender jamón. I also loved the simple Little T bread with seaweed butter, where the umami creaminess paired beautifully with the grilled char of the bread. Ethically, I hadn’t ordered squid in nearly a decade, but if I was going to cross that line, their Crispy Squid with fennel and guindilla peppers was breaded and seasoned to perfection with a squeeze of lemon.
We were split in our opinion of their much talked about tomato toast with anchovy: she loved it, I found it too rich, despite my deep love of anchovy. The 16oz t-bone with roquefort butter tasted superbly rich, but the steak itself was a bit gristle heavy, and their dessert of salted cremaux with olive oil and whip was cute, but not noteworthy in flavor.
All in all, Marée felt charmingly familiar on our first visit—a beautiful continuation of the block’s layered history, proving that this corner of Killingsworth hasn't lost its magic.
