Riffle Nw Opens In Pearl District, Elevating Portland's Seafood Scene

Riffle NW is now open in Portland's Pearl District. The restaurant brings a catch-inspired seafood menu to this iconic neighborhood, along with a terroir-focused wine program, and an ice-inspired cocktail program unlike anything the city has seen before.

Riffle NW is the vision of chef couple Ken Norris and Jennifer Quist Norris, who moved to Portland from New York City in 2011. Ken most recently led the kitchen at Marcus Samuelsson's August restaurant in the West Village, and before that started his career at Daniel Boulud's Restaurant Daniel. Jennifer, who is originally from the West Coast, spent time at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Mercer Kitchen and led catering at Saks Fifth Avenue.

"We're so happy to be in Portland, and we know seafood is the right focus for us," says Ken Norris. "I've been fishing all my life, and Jennifer loves the West Coast, so Portland made so much sense. We approach seafood in the way we approach fresh produce: use the freshest and finest product, treat it with respect and enable it to shine on its own. Nothing fussy - striving for simplicity."

Ken leads the kitchen and Jennifer is the general manager, but the restaurant is truly a collaboration of passionate experts. Riffle's Chef de Cuisine, Joseph Cefalu, moved from New York to Portland to work with the Norris', but others are local, including Beverage Director Dave Shenaut, a luminary in the Portland scene, and opening Wine Consultant Dan Beekley, of CorksCru and Square Deal fame.

"We made a point of taking the time to forge strong relationships with key Portland food people so that we could find team members who share our vision and philosophy," says Jennifer Norris.

THE FOOD
The menu at Riffle NW is inspired by coastal cooking from around the world. Norris and Cefalu's seafood-focused dishes reflect the sense of simplicity and effortless living that you find in beach and coastal regions.

The menu is organized into six sections: "Raw" offers small tastes of raw or lightly cured dishes such as Duck Clam and Hibiscus Granita or Citrus-Cured Fluke. "Bites" includes appetizers including Fried Clams with Bloody Mary Sauce or Manchego and Bacon Grilled Cheese. Small plates that are great for sharing are in the "Plates" section, which features Beet Cured Salmon Carpaccio with Sweet Bacon Aioli and Toasted Filberts, a Tarte Flambee with Littleneck Clams, and Riffle's signature Dockside Chowder. Larger main dishes are under "Supper" and include Fava Seared Salmon with Smoked Beef Tongue, Petrale Sole Off The Bone with Fried Bones, and Veal Skirt Steak with Poppy Seed Spaetzle. "Sides" offers vegetables, potatoes, polenta, or bread with flavored butters, and "Sweets" is a minimal list of homey desserts including seasonal bread pudding. The core menu changes seasonally, with daily fish specials that let the chefs respond to what's best in the market that day.

THE BAR
The cocktail program celebrates un-aged spirits such as vodkas, agaves, and rums, but offers the full range of premium spirits. The bar will always offer both a wine and a cocktail on tap, along with select craft beer and hard cider. Shenaut's cocktail menu was created with dining in mind, organized by sections that correspond to the progression of a dinner, from light and refreshing to fuller and richer.

A world-class ice program is a centerpiece at Riffle NW - Norris bought a Clinebell ice machine - the first of its kind in a Portland restaurant - which produces two 300-pound blocks of pristine crystal clear ice per harvest. Every day, Shenaut and Norris custom-cut perfect ice for each type of cocktail, using hand and power tools (chainsaw and all). The kitchen a