It's been three years since I last reviewed Andrae's, and the fare just gets better and better, year after year.
Address: 816 W. Bannock St.
Phone: 385-0707
Hours: Dinner: Monday through Saturday 5 p.m. to close (around 10 p.m.). Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A la carte appetizer price range: $5 - $12
A la carte entree price range: $19 - $35
Tasting menu price range: $35 or $60 (four- or six-courses)
Libation situation: Excellent wine list of European and Northwest labels, especially wines from Walla Walla Valley, European bottled beers and Thomas Hammer coffee.
Miscellaneous: All major credit cards and local checks accepted. There's wheelchair accessibility via the building's elevator. Make reservations at www.andraesboise.com.
A restaurant's success can't be measured overnight. It's the daily grind and continued passion by driven individuals that really make a place shine. Without a desire to consistently produce top-notch fare, many new restaurants fall by the wayside within two years.
Diners looking for exceptional food are usually the ones that toll the bell for uninspired restaurants.
Chef Andrae Bopp debuted his namesake restaurant in 2004.
And by the look of the circles under his eyes and the excitement in his voice when he talks about food, it's easy to see why Andrae's has been such a hit, garnering accolades in several national and regional publications. But Bopp doles out much of the credit to his staff - in the front and in the back of the house.
Even though Andrae's is a dinner house at heart, the restaurant recently started a weekend brunch program that has already earned an ardent following.
The subterranean space is tucked away in the basement of the Garro Building, giving diners the feeling that they are in for something special once they walk down the stairs into the jewel box-sized dining room.
Bopp prefers to use a mix of East Coast seafood and Northwest ingredients. Foodstuffs like Maine diver sea scallops; New England monkfish and Strawberry Mountain Angus beef (from John Day, Ore.) are regularly on his seasonal menus.
Andrae's cuisine is modern in the sense that the portions are not large and attention is often paid to the primary ingredient of the dish. In other words, Andrae's is not about gluttony, yet self-indulgence is top priority at this contemporary French restaurant.
On a recent dinner visit, my wife and I received gratis amuse-bouche in the form of delicious salt cod-Yukon gold potato croquettes and tiny crostini topped with housemade venison prosciutto and herbed chevre, which tasted delightful with a flute of chilled French Champagne, also gratis for all diners.
We went two directions with our ordering, meaning that I chose selections from the la carte menu and my wife opted for the four-course prix fixe ($35).
Andrae's superb wine program makes it easy for diners to choose from a large array of Northwest and European appellations, many of which are offered by the glass.
The always-impeccable Joseph Drouhin ($15), a robust French red wine, exploded with flavor once a tube of silky porcini risotto ($15), topped with an even silkier slab of seared Hudson Valley foie gras, was graciously served.
A glass of Seven Hills Viognier ($8) from Walla Walla Valley played well with the set menu's earthy celeriac veloute, with an essence of Meyer lemon and a micro-celery leaf.
Local baby golden beets then came dotted on a plate, brushed with a Minus 8 wine vinegar reduction, next to a dab of tart granny Smith apple-rosemary puree.
I was reluctant to share my delicious stripe of braised pork belly ($19) atop velvety sweet corn risotto, accented by a dollop of musky huitlacoche cream.
And my wife didn't want to give up her delicately seared monkfish served with a confit of local Jerusalem artichokes and briny nicoise olive puree.
We finished with an assortment of cheeses ($15), including stinky Taleggio, Humboldt Fog and lavender-tinged goat cheese from Rollingstone Chevre and a wedge of sumptuous caramelized pear cake with brandy ice cream, the fourth course of the prix fixe.
Diners looking for a European-influenced weekend brunch experience should like Andrae's new daytime menu.
One Sunday morning, we took the chill off with bowls of light-bodied onion soup ($5), redolent of chicken stock and fresh thyme, crowned with a bubbling cheesy crouton.
Also incredible was the golden brown brioche French toast ($8) smothered with syrup made from locally foraged huckleberries.
The house-baked croissant ($8), layered with gooey fontina cheese and salty Tasso ham set off by a smear of Dijon, also was a hit at our table.
I did have a gripe with the side of overly salty and soggy breakfast hash. But one bite of the housemade guanciale ($5/cured Italian-style bacon) made me forget about that minor kitchen snafu.
