At its best, Aviary has only two ingredients: simplicity and surprise. Though the constituents in a crisp-skinned Japanese eggplant ($9) at the spare, white-walled Alberta Street restaurant might hop three continents—flavored with a tomato miso, aji amarillo and dill—really it's a play between the deep, savory notes of carefully managed eggplant and the satisfying crunch of miniscule rice pearls.
A slow-roasted goose ($17) with papaya, maitake and chocolate mint had far too many ideas on the plate, but the fried chicken-skin salad is unexpectedly elegant, with tiny cubes of watermelon acting as bright sauce for big bits of crunchy, chewy skin over lightly smoky baba ghanoush.
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Our 2012 Restaurant of the Year's signature dish of crispy pig ear ($18) is at its heart simple herbs and rice, except for the complexity of the mint-coriander-shiso greens and that nutty crunch of pig ear.
Related: Aviary Is Our 2012 Restaurant of the Year
But the most impressive item on chef Sarah Pliner's menu—the ownership has also simplified, from three chefs down to one—is pretty much a combo plate of meat and cheese with a side of broccoli raab, like they do it in Jersey. Originally made for a dinner devoted to wineries owned by members of hair-metal bands, the octopus ($23) is a standout revelation. Pliner brines that thick tentacle for 12 hours, then slow-braises it for six into an almost unheard-of tenderness. The octopus is then flash-fried to crisp up its edges and served on raab in its own curried jus. The cheese, meanwhile, is a gushing ricotta pudding that's like a lava cake made of dairy—bitter and sour and sweet and impossibly creamy. Mix the two kinds of tenderness together and all else stops. You're convinced, somehow, that you've discovered a brand-new combination: meat and cheese.
Related: Aviary's Crispy Pig Ear Is One of the 12 Wonders of Portland Food
Eat: Experiments are always rewarded, but there's nothing quite like that octopus, and nothing quite like the crispy pig ear. Use them as anchors for improvisation.
Drink: At its heart, Aviary loves liquor. Slip into Grandpa's Sweater, a subtly smoky mix of tobacco, Scotch and the caramel notes of Amaro Nonino liqueur.
Most popular dishes: Tempura green beans and charred octopus.
Noise level: 55/100
Expected wait: Aviary is beautifully spacious, with plenty of hidey-holes in the rear bar and a patio that opens out in summer; you can drift into a bustling restaurant and usually score an immediate seat.
Who you'll eat with: Equal parts middle-aged couples and early-30s smart set.
Year opened: Aviary opened in 2011, burned down, then reopened in 2012.
1733 NE Alberta St., 503-287-2400, aviarypdx.com. 5-10 pm Monday-Saturday. $$$.
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