"Globally inspired. Locally sourced."

My husband, Jared, and I enjoyed a long overdue night out last week in celebration of his bonus check from work. (In all seriousness, I cannot remember the last meal we ate out together.) I had scored a $50 gift card for West Linn’s five-0-three restaurant for just $25 thanks to Fox 12 Oregon (it was there restaurant of the week a few weeks back), so we decided to venture out and try something new. I didn’t know anything about it prior to dining there, other than it’s location (right next to my favorite grocery store, Market of Choice) and what I’d seen on Fox’s segment.

I was delighted to find a menu that listed meat exclusively from local sources (with good reputations), Draper Valley chicken and Carlton Farms pork, as well as fresh Pacific salmon and house made fresh ice cream and sorbets. Their menu changes frequently to take advantage of local seasonal offerings.

They offer a full bar of premium liquors which we found to be reasonable in price for an upscale restaurant ($6 for a Tanqueray gin and tonic), though the specialty drink menu may have been a bit overpriced. The wine selection was good, though I wished for more by the glass choices and better prices (some selections were $11 a glass). My husband is not a wine drinker so ordering a bottle isn’t very practical.

We started with the fried oysters, Jared’s choice. I can’t do oysters, not their fault, I just can’t. He really enjoyed them, said they weren’t greasy like others he’s had. They were served with house made French fries, which were perfect, and a “Cajun remoulade,” a.k.a. tartar sauce. The basket lined with newpaper made for a whimsical presentation, reminiscent of street food. I found it charming that Southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy was listed on the same menu as lobster and rock shrimp risotto.

I ordered their seafood special, Pacific salmon with green beans and potatoes in a buerre blanc. The one critique I have is that their buerre blanc wasn’t very “sauce”-like or flavorful, it almost seemed as if my meal had just been drizzled in melted butter and nothing else. The salmon was perfectly cooked, however, and the green beans were very fresh and cooked to just crisp-tender. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his andouille sausage jumbalaya, seasoning was just right, not too spicy or too mild, and the portion was generous.

We decided we had to order dessert, too many temptations to say no to. I opted for the lemon panna cotta, Jared tried the raspberry sorbet. The panna cotta was creamy with a wonderful lemon flavor, but not too tart. His sorbet was so good, and a very generous portion for the price.

Aside from one misstep, for which they comp’ed my dessert, we had a very enjoyable meal and I won’t hesitate to return. I’m excited to see more and more restaurants take advantage of the wonderful diversity of local foods our region offers. Check out five-0-three or one of the Portland area's other wonderful restaurants offering sustainable, local, or vegetarian menus this Earth Day.

Happy Earth Day!