Five Spice Seafood + Wine Bar

What do May showers bring?

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:20:39 -0400

I suppose we will find out as April is just about over and it looks
like February outside. The month is ending well though, in honor of my
birthday today Prince William is getting married, I am happy to say
that we will not be airing it at Five Spice, but we will however be
broadcasting the NBA playoff games on our new, larger, HD televisions.
Sports packages are on the way so come in for wine and stay for the
game, the happy hour menu is out of control.

The nice thing about May, even when it doesn’t feel like spring,
Halibut come back in season. Chef Paul and Jena have been playing
around with fresh Alaskan Halibut and are sure to have an awesome meal
planned for you featuring this catch of the day. Also awesome, the
lake is filling, it looks more and more like it should…at night you
can’t even tell. But on those glimpse of summer days the patio will be
open and still be the perfect spot for a snack, a cocktail or a
romantic evening out.

Awesome spring cocktails, perfect to pair pours, and an extended food
menu all await you, so rise above the puddles on come on up.

Sprung on the new menu

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 19:22:41 -0400

This spring has a lot in store for us, the lake is slowly filling, baseball is off to a ferocious start and Five Spice has expanded and perfected the happy hour menu! Fantastic new food selection including coconut shrimp, crispy spring rolls and chicken satay, being added to the classic Dungeness crab and beet salad, and trio of tartars. What better reason to leave work early?

The dinner menu also hosts a handsome handful of new items, and we are featuring a “catch of the day” special. Tonight it is Alaskan Halibut with green curried vegetables.

The wine list is as stellar as ever, a few new labels here as well including Willakenzie Pierre Leon Pinot Noir, a Pahlmayer chardonnay, and a flirty french rose that’s perfect on those sunny spring days on the patio.

The boys in the bar clearly spent the better part of their winter drinking and playing around with new liquor recipes and our specialty cocktail list is at its pique just in time to give those sunny days a proper welcome.

See you in a minute

I've got my love to keep me warm...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:47:39 -0500

Escaped the snow storm and finally back from the big apple, just in time for this wonderfully “warm” holiday!

Chef has cooked up a number of specials to help make your romantic evening all the better—all the way until Monday we will be featuring a beautiful filet mignon from Thundering Hooves farm, on top of creamy mashed potatoes, with green beans and a hint of a truffle sauce. Secondly a plate of sauteed jumbo prawns with a classic risotto, asparagus and a bright citrus butter.

Feel free to stop in just for a special dessert or glass of champagne and enjoy the fireside.

The lake is still gone, but we will all just be gazing into the eyes of our beloved, or at very least at a delicous meal.

There’s no snow on the mountain, football season is over, march madness a good ways off, come on now guys…make her happy and fill your belly. See you this weekend!

The Chef is Celebrating!

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:00:23 -0500

Not sure if everyone has noticed but it’s cold and dismal outside, a lot of people are catching up on their favorite shows, seeing the new Harry Potter (one too many times), or just wishing there was a way to escape the looming threat of winter. Chef Paul on the other hand is at play—crafting culinary comforts that are out of this world.

Now we know that the holidays are approaching and we decided to let a little gift out early. Chef wants to reveal some of his new items in a full flavored but financially frugal manner—a “3 for 30” menu!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings starting November 29^th 2010 Five Spice will feature a pre-fixed menu of an appetizer, Entrée and Dessert for only $30, add a sommelier’s choice pour of wine or only 5 bucks more!

This week the appetizer choices are French Onion Soup or a Grilled Pear Salad, a main of either Shrimp Scampi or “Coq au Vin”, and a dessert option of chocolate cake or peppermint candy ice cream!

This—along with the fact that Blake nearly broke his wrist and neck (true story) shaking up all the new cocktails he and Johan have come up with—makes it impossible to not have a fantastic November evening.

Hope to see you soon, and as a sneak peek of things to come in future “3 for 30” items….

Butternut squash soup, seafood chowder, roasted beet and goat cheese salad, Alaskan Coho salmon, and roasted leg of lamb. mmmmmm.

"Focused, Imaginative, Successful…intriguing house cocktails"

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:30:00 -0500

“Focused, Imaginative, Successful…intriguing house cocktails”

- David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

Getting ready for winter, but never hibernating!

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:25:00 -0500

As much as we all may want to pretend, it is time to put away the shorts and accept that we are nearing the end of fall, winter awaits us and we plan to meet it head on, with a fantastic new additions to our already incredible wine list.

Coming in one week you will see some new labels, from all around the Northwest, California and the EU. A glass of Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir in the lounge by the fire, or the Tabula Rasa from Andrew Rich paired with chef’s roasted rack of lamb will make the woes of winter disappear—just like the lake.

Our boys of the bar have also unveiled a few of their new cocktails, warm and delicious to accompany or replace one of the fantastic new desserts from pastry chef Ruth Ann Murdock. The “Five Spiced Cider” and the pumpkin crème brulée have been warming hearts and tummies all week long!

New cocktails shall appear on Friday just in time to start a slightly early celebration of the holiday season, ‘nough said—see you soon!

A weekend that starts with good spirits…

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:21:08 -0400

As a special treat to scare off the looming threat of rain the lovely Lindsay of Great Northern beverage will be joining us this Friday October 22^nd to educate the public, and sample some of the fine new spirits on the market today. We are proudly featuring Belvedere Pink Grapefruit Vodka—you may recognize it as the key ingredient in our famous Moulin Rouge—Ketel 1 Oranje Vodka, and Bulleit Bourbon. Johan and Blake (if his Carpal Tunnel allows for it) will also feature Smirnoff Pomegranate Vodka in a sampling of the Persephone one of their more popular cocktails of this season’s menu.

So we will hope to see you from 4pm to 7pm—or whenever the wells run dry—in our spirited start to the weekend.

Salut!

Good enough reason to start wine-ing

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:40:12 -0400

We know all of you careful planners have started putting cash away for the rapidly approaching holiday season so in honor of this—and to help you keep your sanity—we have rolled out all new happy hour wines! “Untamed Red” from Toasted Head in California blends Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with a commanding backbone, uninhibited, unruly, spicy and just a touch fruity (not too unlike the bartenders who will pour it for you). Powers Merlot out of Washington, a classic pour and, to save you the trouble of watching the movie Sideways, this is the wine that wins in the end. Eola Hills produced a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, full bodied, smoky, and surprisingly nice—the Mrs. Robinson of wine. The two whites, that come in equally ample pours and make one just as happy, consist of Concannon Winery’s Californian Chardonnay and Oregon’s Montinore Estate’s blend of Pinot Gris, Gewürtztraminer and Reisling—the taste of our last summery days.

Speaking of last summer days the fisherman are still having luck and Chef Paul has brought in a Halibut special for the weekend. Perfectly roasted and partnered with yellow Heirloom Tomatoes, a taste of this—and a glass of the Rochioli chardonnay from the Russian River Valley—and the holidays have started already.

Back out of the saddle

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:17:21 -0400

It’s been a good stretch, “Cycle Oregon” has kept me working hard away from work, and even worse away from wine. As beautiful as the ride was in left me in dire need of a fantastic pour, thus inspiring our weekend wine from southern Oregon—Spangler vineyard’s 2008 Malbec. It possesses dark and enticing aromas of lavender and sweet lilac and a palate that finishes smooth like a fall evening in the Umpqua Valley.

As welcoming as the recent harvest moon is Chef Paul’s new autumn menu, he will unveil in this Saturday but between us you won’t want to miss the Thundering Hooves Beef Cheek Pasta, or new French twists to our St. Helen’s Ribeye.

Whether it’s wine-ing or dining that brings you are way, come relax and welcome the fall with us.

Goodbye Caryn, it's been nice!

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:08:03 -0400

The rumors are true—our bodacious Bordeaux babe is bouncing out. Three years and eleven(ish) renditions to the wine list later Caryn has decided to move forward as a wine educator. So as we thank her for her devotion, dedication, determination and damn hard work she has put in we invite you to join us in a drink, or three, to send her off in style. Saturday is her last day—not to mention there is a revamped beverage list to chose from and sure to be something special from the chef—so come say your goodbyes and cheers to Caryn!

Cloudy with a chance of perfect evening.

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:14:05 -0400

A cloudy morning can’t darken our spirits as we are proud to unveil one of Chef Paul’s more exotic specials to the menu tonight, Hawaiian Swordfish. This tantalizing tropical treat rests atop basmati rice, orange braised endives and finished with a mango salsa. Swimming in the same school is a King Salmon special served with a classic warm artichoke heart salad alongside crispy fingerling potatoes. These dishes offer a ray of sunshine despite any thing Mother Nature throws our way.

After a muggy day in the yard or at the park there are few things that can refresh like the Sokol Blosser “North Valley” Rose of Pinot Noir. This wine satisfies so serenely we see it flying off the shelves and soon to disappear forever—don’t let your palate go without partaking!

So after the ball game with your buddies, for a chance to gossip with your girls, or before a romantic moonlit stroll through the city, we look forward to seeing you. Happy weekend!

Getting Playful

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:03:39 -0400

Those who know our up and coming sommelier Caryn also know in addition to liking “Old World” wines her secret is that she also likes some things a little fruity. She has selected a wine that one can approach like a friend we know just how to flirt with, the 2005 Hecht and Bannier Cotes du Roussillon Villages. The fruit is right up front with a nose of dark cherry and plum, followed is mouth filling—dare say creamy—yet finishes clean. If this wine wasn’t in your inner circle before, it will be after tonight. $35 for the bottle that would pair perfectly with the braised beef short ribs in Korean barbeque sauce.

Chef Paul also felt like getting a little playful with this weekend’s specials with a wild-caught White Sea Bass, sautéed and served with creamy polenta, fennel salad and finished with a star anise jus for $32. Back by popular demand, this weekend will again feature a pan roasted King Salmon, now served atop grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes and finished with a horseradish cream. The only thing this dish needs is the gentle breeze coming off the lake and up on to the patio.

The bow-tied boys behind the bar have been letting loose and adding to their repertoire of recipes, some sweet, some bubbly, all secret but available for those who ask. There are also two new scotches—the perfect summertime dessert—including Ardbeg, voted the best Scotch Whiskey in 2009.

It’s Friday night, don’t you think we all should be getting playful? See you soon…

Just hot enough to chill.

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:40:10 -0400

Finally. As we slowly slide into the summer we know here in Oregon everything—not just the weather—is beginning to hit the beautiful stride. Baseballs are being thrown, surfboards are loaded up, lawns are getting mowed (finally) and on the culinary side of the spectrum Salmon are in season and a chilled white wine has never been so alluring.

So after a day in the sun we invite you out on to the patio or up in to the bar to enjoy Chef Paul’s Sautéed Sockeye Salmon, accompanied by crisp asparagus salad, jasmine rice and sesame vinaigrette.

Peter Michael winery, one of our long time favorites, produced a testament to the traditional Burgundian techniques, coupled with the fantastic terroir of Sonoma County as they present “Ma Belle-Fille”. This 2007 vintage of the single-vineyard chardonnay puts forth a nose of sun-ripened stone fruits and lemon, while the palate offers the rich and concentrated flavors of baked apple, honey and almond. In short, this wine salutes summer time. It also creates a perfect companion for our succulent seared sea scallops, with piquillo peppers and shellfish vinaigrette, or Chef’s well known duet of Draper Valley chicken.

It’s warm out, you’ve earned it. Come chill.

GET UP HERE!

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:14:42 -0400

It’s friday—finally. In celebration of the amalgamation of sunshine, Portland, and a weekend Chef Paul has decided to run two outstanding specials. Hot weather deserves a tropical dish; sauteed Hawaiian Blue Prawns, served with coconut rice, a watercress salad and finished with sesame emulsion. Freshly caught King Salmon will be roasted and served with grilled asparagus, mashed potatotes and a spicy XO sauce also found its way on to the weekend board. These specials are sure to go fast so GET UP HERE!

The boys—Johan and Blake—are behind the bar lining up libations to refresh and unwind after a long, hot week. The wine is cold, the patio is breezy and so we sign off with gusto saying:

GET UP HERE!

The weekend is here!

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:04:26 -0400

Weekend Special

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:26:39 -0400

Fresh Vancouver Island King Salmon with fork mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus with a spicy XO sauce. Also Strawberry cream puffs with Chocolate sauce, YUM! MAN ITS HOT!

Wine of the week

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:57:40 -0400

2008 Chateau de Sancerre

Hello white wine weather! If you are like us, this sunshine makes us think of one thing and one thing only: sitting on the deck and enjoying a bottle of crisp, refreshing white wine. One of our favorite new editions to the list is the 2008 Chateau de Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc. Although Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley of France are typically much more austere and lean, the 2008 vintage shows more generous fruit, with notes of lemon and grapefruit and a hint of tropical fruit on the nose, while the palate retains the bright acidity, dry finish and hint of minerality for which the region is so well known. Enjoy this wine with our crab and beet salad as well as our roasted Alaskan halibut.

July 4th at Five Spice

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:33:14 -0400

Come celebrate July 4th with us at Five Spice! We have some delicious specials for the holiday weekend, which include fresh Yukon River King Salmon marinated in a sesame emulsion and served with grilled asparagus and potato puree. Top that off with our dessert special of Strawberry Creme Puffs in chocolate sauce. There will also be fourth of July festivities to enjoy all day in the new fountain park right outside our restaurant. We hope to see you this weekend. Happy Independence Day!

Wines of the week

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:10:22 -0400

2008 Simi Sonoma County Charnonnay

Now that the sun is finally our we are enjoying more and more white wines. If you are planning to come in and dine at a table on our deck make sure to ask your server about our July white wine special, the 2008 Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay. The fruit is sourced from top sites in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Carneros growing regions. The nose is dominated by bright citrus fruit and apples, with just a touch of toast and minerality. The palate is bright, with food friendly acidity and a hint of creaminess on teh finish. This wine pairs well with any of our staters or with out Alaskan Halibut. $35.

2008 Tablas Creek “Cote de Tables” Rouge, Paso Robles

In early 2008, when we finally decided to add a few Californian wines to our list, Tablas Creek Vineyard was the winery that sparked our interest and palates. This vineyard, based out of Paso Robles, was founded by the Perrin Family or Chateau de Beaucastel fame. In fact, all the vines on the estate-which happen to be farmed organically-come directly from the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. We have unfortunately sold out of the 2006 “Esprit de Beaucastel”, but we recently recieved the 2008 Cote de Tablas Rouge. It is a lovely, fruit-forward belend of Grenache, Syrah, Counoise and Mourvedre. The Grenache provides bright fruit and spice, while the Syrah adds structure and elegance. A certain briary fuit core is provided by the Counoise and Mourvedre. Enjoy with our braised short ribs of duet of free range chicken. $45.

New Seasonal Ale

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:46:03 -0400

Our deceptively drinkable golden summer seasonal is a crisp, clean-tasting, cold lagered ale. This frosty thirst quencher is the perfect accompaniment to summer adventures. Best paired with seafood and grilled meats.