Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399
july 2009 / the tasting panel / O T h e G i l t C l u b R E S T A U R A N T Former Chicagoan Jamie Dunn tossed the keys to his res- taurant partners from the Windy City and opened Portland's Gilt Club. "I left all my mistakes behind." The speakeasy-bistro features contempo- rary NW fare, and talented Chef Peter Gadd focuses on the farm- to-table theme. So do the cocktails (more on that below). "We've taken fi ne dining to the casual side," Dunn says. The long operating hours (5 p.m. to 2 a.m.) ensure an industry hang- out for bartenders, waiters and chefs. "Our goal was to fi ll that niche," Dunn attests. D Jamie Dunn, owner of the Gilt Club, with Cynthia Challacombe, NW Sales Manager for Frederick Wildman & Sons. Cynthia is also Dunn's wife. Pan-seared halibut with fresh fava beans and morels in a tar- ragon olive oil "hollandaise" is a perfect union with Domaine Christian Moreau 2007 Chablis "Clos de Hospice" (SRP $110). This monopole (small produc- tion vineyard owned entirely by the winery) carves a steely lime- and-burnt-honey path that soft- ens with a creamy back. Moreau has inherited the largest single domaine holdings in Chablis. For The Gilt Club's Moscow Mule, house-made ginger beer is added to vodka with lime, ginger zest and a spritz of soda, served on the rocks in a traditional copper cup. G i l t E d g e s : F r e s h C o c k t a i l s The Gilt Club is open from 5 p.m. (Happy Hour!!) to 2 a.m. (last call), so you have to have an intriguing cocktail list to keep the seats warm. With fresh ingredients and infused vodkas at every turn, house-made bitters and ginger beer plus delectable savories, Jamie Dunn and his team follow the Golden Rule: cutting-edge drinks. Nino Negri 2004 Sfursat, made from partially-dried Nebbiolo grapes in Lombardy, on Italy's Swiss border, has the opulence of an amarone with the complexity and age-ability of Barolo. SRP $50.