scourging the pacific northwest for some deep south. during our year and a half in portland we have slowly worked our way through what are considered to be, by the more vocal locals; the finest southern/soul restaurants that the city has to offer. as we ate our way through this short list we began to wonder if the folks that hold these various spots in such high esteem, have ever been east of the rocky mountains. because with each meal came a bewilderment that was only tempered by a slight amount of disgust, in regard to the poor excuse for authentic southern cuisine that was repeatedly put before us. le bistro montage, tapalaya, screen door, delta cafe; these establishments all failed epically in their reach to complicate a type of cuisine that is at its best when kept close to its roots. this is simple food, keep it that way.
it was with a faint glimmer of hope left in our eyes that we entered acadia for the first time on a dreary wednesday afternoon. we had called ahead and made reservations, and im glad we did. as there were a couple of large groups that had taken over most of both sides of the restaurant. happily however, we were seated rather quickly and water and menus came soon after. there was no doubt, to start things off, that it was to be the bbq shrimp. as that was the dish that received the most raves in the reviews i had read. while we waited we were brought some french bread and butter, but the shrimp arrived soon thereafter. there are, on rare occasion, those divine moments in dining that are beyond description, and overall, our entire meal here was one of them. but it started with the shrimp, and so i'll go from there. when the tails just fall away and the heads pull away easily, you know things are on the right path. yet it was the roux, the dark and delicious, peppery and seductive, id-drink you-through-a-straw-if-i-could, roux that blew our minds. obviously our waitress has seen all this before and kept our bread basket full, so that not an ounce of this delicious stuff was lost. the shrimp, as you might have surmised, were cooked to absolute perfection. there was sadness in our hearts when the last of them were gone. but weep not. just as one plate was pulled away, two more appeared. dear wife beamed over her catfish while i went cross-eyed over my combo plate; cups of jambalaya, red beans and rice and, gumbo. thank you acadia, for bringing jambalaya that didnt taste like it has been reheated for the sixth time. the use of popcorn rice is brilliant while still keeping the rest of the recipe to tradition. im not sure i had jambalaya in n.o. that was as good as this. the red beans and rice; the best compliment i could pay them (and my wife) is that they tasted like hers; a bowl of tender and creamy perfection. and lastly, the gumbo. id rate our overall dining experience as a 99.9%. that .1 detractor would be that the gumbo was slightly thin. i personally prefer a little more thickness to the roux. but the flavors were spot on and the rabbit was ridiculously tender. on the other side of our table there were equally wonderful things taking place. the catfish, just like the shrimp, was cooked to perfection. yes, im using the word perfection a lot in this review. because there is no other word that describes the food more accurately. you had to be there. the corn aioli and celeriac remoulade were a perfect companion to the fish. flawless. our cocktails (a sazerac and hurricane) were no less dynamic than the cuisine. i cant think of anything else to say. this is as close to a perfect meal as we have ever had, anywhere. it also reaffirms that i was not being overly critical or asking for something that wasnt possible to achieve in a portland southern inspired restaurant, when i balked at the meals we had in the places i mentioned above. i know this now because i did find exactly what i was searching for, and so much more, thanks to the folks over at acadia. gentlemen, and ladies, my hat is off to you.
grade: a++ (flawless)