Clarklewis: Restaurant Guide 2010

Lunch 11:30 am-2 pm Monday-Friday; dinner 4:30-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 4:30-10 pm Friday-Saturday. $$$ Expensive.
[EARNEST LOCAVORE FARE] "The cheese plate really has my heart," our server says, upon a request for appetizer recommendations. Chipper, helpful and sporting an excellent haircut, she breezes through several options in a manner both substantive and spunky—a combination, come to think of it, that could describe Clarklewis itself. The restaurant's industrial chic may be a little overplayed these days (what is it about rich white people that makes them love to eat in converted warehouses?), but when the summer sun blazes through the sliding garage doors and you're staring into the deep reds of a braised-lamb ragu, who cares about the decor? The menu here is deceptive: A spring scallop ceviche sounds simple enough; only when it arrives do you understand its intricacies—the buttery scallops nestled between bright leafy basil leaves and eddies of zingy lime juice. The beet salad is a trick, too, listed as an appetizer but so rich it belongs on the dessert menu. Speaking of, the list of desserts reads like an inventory of a Sauvie Island farm, so replete is it with local berries. Those berries, along with the cheese and the rest of Clarklewis' offerings, will have your heart too. JONANNA WIDNER.
Ideal meal: Housemade tagliatelle with braised lamb ragu.
Best deal: The $4 arancine risotto balls with pork sausage and lemon aioli on the happy-hour menu (4:30-6:30 pm Monday-Saturday) will sate your savory urges.
Chef's choice: "Cattail Creek lamb—whether it's our lamb ragu with housemade tagliatelle or grilled lamb leg off the open fire, it never seems to disappoint." (Dolan Lane)

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