
Forgot that Foster Burger wasn't open on Wednesdays, so we ended up at Accanto. Casual, midscale bar atmosphere. Tables are only around the wall and windows. There's a long bar and counter looking over the small kitchen. There's a nice little sitting area in the far back with bookshelves and comfy seating.
Menu:
SNACKS
Apple, ricotta salata and rosemary focaccia 5
Antipasti plate-marinated olives, squash and pomegranate agrodolce, walnuts, herb ricotta crostini 6
Winter greens with pickled root vegetables, parmesan and focaccia crouton 7
Seasonal soup of the day (ginger-carrot on this visit) 7
Fritto Misto of seafood, olives and vegetables 9
Terrine of duck and pork with pickled beets, chianti mustard and toasted bread 9
Saffron Arancini, fried rice croquettes filled with Dungeness crab and house made ricotta 10
SALUMI E FROMAGGI
Small (4 selections) 9
Large (6 selections) 12
PANINI
Mozzarella, preserved tomatoes and rapini 7
Bresaola, Robiola and arugula 8
Van de Rose ham, Fontal and pear 8
Braised wild boar, pickled onions and provolone picante 9
PLATES
Winter green and ricotta panzotti tossed in walnut pesto with herbs and parmesan 12
Crostini di Polenta ai Funghi- Crispy polenta topped with a mixed mushroom ragu 13
House made potato gnocchi, rabbit ragout and Pecorino Romano 14
Fennel and chili stuffed chicken leg, creamy polenta and chili garlic oil 16
Pan roasted steelhead with golden raisins, chestnuts, spinach, fingerling potatoes and vincotto 17
DESSERT
$7.00
Tiramisu
Meyer Lemon Tart with Fennel Ice Cream
Chocolate Budino with Burnt Sugar Ice Cream
Ice Creams and Sorbettos of the Day
We ordered the winter greens, crab croquettes, boar sandwich, and stuffed chicken leg, plus the lemon tart for dessert.

Salad was better than expected. The pickled root vegetables were thinly sliced, keeping their flavors from overwhelming any bites. The sourness balanced the bitterness of the greens. Nice large shavings of parmesan added saltiness and nuttiness.

My wife really enjoyed the crab croquettes. They were crisp on the outside, creamy with sweet crab meat on the inside. There was a sweet tomato sauce below and a great addition, a slice of fried lemon, to garnish that brightened whichever bites it touched or was a part of. It was mild enough to be eaten on its own.

Larger plates were more of a letdown, though still decent. The greens that came with the chicken were overly bitter. I think the garlic might have been burnt a little. The polenta had a nice flavor, but a gummy texture. The chicken was well-prepared. The skin was crisp. The meat was juicy. The stuffing was too smooth, imo, but the main problem was that the chicken and sausage was under-seasoned. I also didn't think the fennel flavor was prominent enough. The sausage was flat-tasting, too.

The boar sandwich came with a really pleasant selection of pickled veggies. It also came with what seemed to be house-made potato chips. They were very crisp and light, but had an off-flavor, like they were a little burnt or the oil was. The braised boar in the sandwich was tender and sloppy-wet. The pickled onions did a great job of adding a tangy component of what was primarily meaty and sweet. The boar by itself was rather flat, though. It needed some layering of the flavors.

Tart was on par with the mains. The tart's crust was underbaked and pasty. The tart filling was sharper and sweeter than expected, given that it was a meyer lemon tart. I was hoping for something more subtle and nuanced. And it needed to be because while the fennel ice cream had a nice flavor and texture, it was entirely overwhelmed by the lemon tart.
They only had one server and one cook on, plus a bartender. Things were definitely slow. (It took over a half hour for our mains to come out after our first courses were finished.) Perhaps they normally have more people working and things would be more carefully and quickly prepared.
Accanto
2838 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97214
503.235.4900
http://www.accantopdx.com