At Navarre, variety is their specialty. This intimate neighborhood restaurant serves Italian, French, and Spanish inspired small plates featuring seasonal, farm-to-table produce. You won’t find a menu on their website as it changes frequently, depending on what ingredients are available to the chef that week. The space is perfect for family style meals with large groups, and during the daytime, the natural light floods and fills the restaurant.
Before I visited with #pdxbrunchgirls, I contacted Navarre and was happy to learn that they always have vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Our server was helpful in identifying the vegan options for me. It’s BYOB (build your own brunch), and your table receives one order sheet to place your order. I suppose that process can be fun for some, but a pain for others, especially if you’re indecisive. Our group of four ordered eight dishes, and a couple of us even went home with leftovers.
Starting a meal with Ken’s Artisan bread and homemade jam is always a good idea. When we glanced around, we noticed that the bread was at every table, and every order comes with a different flavor of jam. Ours was huckleberry. The other vegan dishes I tried included a farro salad with chopped mint, a leafy green salad, roasted broccolini, and marinated mushrooms. The broccolini was a bit tough. The other dishes had fresh, simple flavors. If you’re a fan of overhead food shots, you’ll love styling the table with small plates, cloth napkins, and distinctive servingware.
Overall, everything was enjoyable, but the consensus at the table was that some dishes could use more seasoning. When everything looks so beautiful, you expect there to be more of a wow factor when it comes to flavor. Perhaps dinner at Navarre is a different experience as it’s always packed when I walk by in the evenings.
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