A Chat With Chef Sarah Pliner Of Aviary In Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon is known for its inventive restaurants and inspiring chefs, so the fact that Aviary is brilliant in so many ways may not be a surprise to some. But no matter how immersed you are in all things culinary, what the Aviary has to offer is still likely to surprise you, especially in its innocuous seeming Alberta Street location.

The menu is like a treasure chest filled with the most-clever concoctions each brought to the table almost too picturesque to eat. Pork belly katsu, prawn salad, charred octopus. You just never know what you might find. But you can be sure you will be delighted.

In 2011, chef Sarah Pliner opened Aviary with co-owners and co-chefs, Jasper Shen and Kat Whitehead. They have since left the restaurant and she now runs the kitchen solo and is the chef/owner. We caught up with chef Pliner to find out what makes her and her food take flight.

The Daily Meal: How would you describe Aviary?
Chef Sarah Pliner: Eclectic modern food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Where did the name Aviary come from?
Originally the restaurant was going to be called Little Bird, after the little bird on the one bamboo tile in Mahjong, and our LLC name was Aviary, because we thought someday there might be more little birds. Then Gabe Rucker opened Little Bird downtown, and we had to think fast, so we just went with Aviary.

What was the inspiration for creating Aviary?
Jasper and Kat and I were all working in restaurants in New York City, and each for our own reasons, had had enough of it. I was thinking of moving back to Portland, though I wasn't sure where I would work or what I would do; Jasper and Kat were working at another restaurant, with a friend of mine who had also lived and worked in Portland, and the three of them were all talking about moving to Portland and trying to start something.

Jasper happened to call me one afternoon when I was having a particularly hard time at work, and asked what I was thinking about, and I said, I'm moving back to Portland and I'm going to start my own thing. He said, "Hey! Kat and I have been talking about the same thing. " So we agreed to do it together.

How would you characterize the menu? Does it rotate?
It changes seasonally, and also if I happen to get a good idea for a new dish. S o there's about four major shifts a year, and then a few smaller changes in between.

What would you say is your food philosophy?
I think eating out should be a treat.

Most people don't get to eat out every day of the week, and when they do, it should be special in some way. For me the most exciting thing is trying something new, either an unfamiliar ingredient or a technique I haven't encountered, so I try to have each dish at the restaurant offer something surprising or interesting to our guests. I also think it's easy for a chef to get carried away by their own ideas and maybe forget a little bit about the pleasure principle (that everything has to taste good), so I work hard to remind myself that in addition to having something interesting about each dish, there has to be something, some flavor combination or ingredient in each dish that is really delicious.

What is the feel you are hoping to create at Aviary?
Relaxed and inviting, and really enthusiastic about food.

What is exciting you the most about food right now? Certain ingredients? Recipes? A new discovery?
I've been thinking a lot lately about how foods evoke emotions. I think it's a little strange that foods should make us feel emotion, but they do — for example, I think the taste of yuzu is melancholy and wistful, and that's weird, but if I can use it in such a way that a diner also feels that, like in a late summer dish that has some early fall flavors in it, then that is really incredible to me, and brings another dimension to the experience of eating.

What are some of the menu favorites of diners at Aviary?
It's hard, because the menu changes so much. people seem to really like the crispy pig ear, Japanese eggplant, tempura green beans, and shigoku oysters with tomato granité, so I pretty much never change those. Sometimes people get attached to a dish and don't want me to change it, but I have to or we'd eventually be stuck with one menu that never changes. It's tough to figure out.

What's your personal favorite dish on the menu currently at Aviary?
We just started last week with bigeye tuna tartare with watermelon, jicama, avocado and pickled duck tongues. The jicama and watermelon are dressed with a toasted cumin vinaigrette, which has an earthy flavor that I think is an interesting contrast to the fruit, the tuna itself is just really nice tuna dressed with a light ponzu, which is both my favorite way to eat tuna and neutral enough to pair well with something really assertive, like the watermelon salad. A nd pickled duck tongues are fun for everyone. It 's also a really pretty dish, that my cooks like making because it's fun and new for them.

Can you explain what makes the bar program at Aviary special?
Our bar manager, Kaysie Condron , is a very talented mixologist, but she's also passionate and knowledgeable about wine and beer. I think she brings Aviary a complete bar program, where one can always find something interesting to drink. 

What is the one thing that you think surprises people about Aviary?
I've heard from a number of customers, that the food is pretty healthy. I guess it's not uncommon in Portland for restaurants to serve food that's kind of heavy, and even though we do serve some very rich proteins, there's always a fresh vegetable, herb or fruit component that balances out. I think with all the attention the pig ear has gotten, some people might expect Aviary to be a gut bomb, and it's really more the opposite.