The Oregonian - May 25, 2007

Wildwood Evolution

Wildwood, named after a trail, is in the process of setting out on a new one.

Earlier this year, founder Cory Schreiber turned over the executive chef's hat to his young deputy, Dustin Clark, and now sommelier Randy Goodman is about to give up the keys to the impressive wine cellar. Both have been in control since Wildwood opened 13 years ago, which in the restaurant world is an endurance of Cal Ripken proportions.

Still, the new trail retains lots of familiar guideposts. The crisp, lightly charred pizzas -- from the huge oven that dominates the open kitchen -- persist, and the faintly smoky, oven-roasted mussels and clams still ornament the menu.

More to the point, the restaurant still holds to Schreiber's theme, "cooking from the source," a reliance on the Northwest from a time before local greens came with their own biography. Now, virtually every meat and vegetable on the menu bears its own local ID.

Working off that theme, Clark can do some impressive things, holding to the region's produce but with a frequently European inspiration -- dishes likely to keep Wildwood among the most vivid restaurants in town. Some dishes show him still feeling his way, reverent and restrained before his ingredients, especially fish. When Clark lets his imagination run loose, he can take diners to extraordinary places; but sometimes he can leave them pretty much where they started.

Clark's pan-fried halibut brandade shows where he can go, with crispy mouthfuls of a puree that play on the Provencal dip made with salt cod. This version gains a certain sweetness from fresh local halibut, and the crust provides a texture contrast that brandade typically lacks. And while everyone does pork belly, Clark's version is elevated, lightly crunchy bacony bites that also offer a little resistance on the outside and richness within. A setting of bitter rapini greens in a manila clam vinaigrette is sharp enough to cut through even the unctuousness of pork belly.

Several entrees matched the inspiration of these appetizers. Notably, clay oven-roasted chicken boasts both a lively moistness and a deep smoky flavor, bolstered by a chunky hash of roasted pancetta chunks and oyster mushrooms.

If a number of Clark's best ideas seem to involve bacon, there's a lot to be said for his approach.

The cooking falls down when it's just too direct.

One evening's cream of asparagus soup was surprisingly flat, more a puree than a potage. This hands-off impact was reflected in several entrees, too. A grilled halibut and two treatments of salmon lacked a strong sense of enhancement; a brown butter hollandaise is nice, but not particularly striking. Still, bacon-wrapped spring onions accompanying one salmon dish provided a creative, pungent accompaniment. Pan-fried quail with scallion cakes and a blue cheese dressing seemed somewhat muddled in its surroundings. And horseradish creme frache seemed an oddly light-textured setting for tri-tip steak, a flavorful but inevitably chewy cut, even when sliced thin.

Desserts can be dazzling. Wildwood's version of devil's food cake manages to be both moist and intense, even if the ideal flavor for the accompanying ice cream might not be Earl Grey tea. Creme brulee, in changing flavors, is silkily textured, and with three Dagoba chocolate truffles, dessert can be very direct. But the top rank goes to a sugary-flaky turnover of huckleberries and candied hazelnuts, with caramel sauce and a different flavor at each corner of your mouth.

Dessert also can be transcended with a deft presentation of West Coast cheeses.

Wildwood is expensive, with most entrees between $20 and $30, and dinners for two likely to run well over $100. The wine list Goodman has assembled -- a continuing demonstration that a list can be impressive without being massive -- matches the creativity of the menu, and a section of bottles under $40 is encouraging. Its regional emphasis matches the themes of the kitchen.

Wildwood has always been an impressive showcase of the bottomless bounty of the region -- from offshore seafood to Oregon baby greens and hazelnuts to Rogue Creamery smoky blue cheese -- and what a bold kitchen can do with it. The new leadership can reach that level, and is moving toward settling there.

Menus, as well as marionberries, ripen.

© 2007 The Oregonian