Lincoln

When caterer-turned-celebrity chef/cookbook author Jenn Louis isn't flitting between international food festivals and posting her punim all over Facebook, she runs this thematically elusive establishment with her husband and consummate front of the house pro, David Welch.

Lincoln's menu was once a solid, if unspectacular amalgam of contemporary American and Pacific Northwest dishes. Now, it trots the globe about as widely as Louis.

The summer menu included cornmeal onion rings ($8) from opening day, pork loin salad ($22), because everything in Portland is better with pork, and albacore ($30), a Northwest seasonal delight. But there were also many choices that traced their origins either to the Middle East, such as an unusual carrot hummus with labneh served with turmeric-accented flatbread ($12), or to Italy, including a four-strong pasta section highlighted by spacatelli (like long tubular spaghetti) with smoked tallow, speck and sherry ($18).

Louis also wants to make sure you eat your vegetables, so there is a section of the menu dedicated to the plant-inclined. If it lasts into fall, try the green beans with cashews, ras al hanout (a fragrant North African spice blend) and mint ($11). Finish with a hot fudge sundae ($8) because God bless America.

Photo: Lincoln

Photo: Lincoln

Pro tip: If you actually want to meet Louis in the kitchen and have her sign your copy of her book, Pasta by Hand, call ahead to see if she's around.

GO: 3808 N Williams Ave., No. 127, 288-6200, lincolnpdx.com. 5:30 pm-close nightly. $$$.

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