Mucca Osteria (Portland, OR)

Mucca Osteria
1022 SW Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97205
Dining date: 10/25/21

During a quick trip to Portland, we had one free evening to try one of the city’s many restaurants. After browsing options, I chose this Italian restaurant in downtown Portland. Reviews were very favorable across all platforms, especially touting the house-made pastas, which was enough to sell me on this spot.

A six-course tasting menu was available for $95, but we opted to order a la carte. The kitchen was nice enough to split the portions and essentially craft a custom tasting menu for us. 

Capesante Seared sea scallops, Parmiggiano fondue, shallot relish, saffron gel

Tagliatelle al Cervo House-made tagliatelle, slow braised venison ragù

Gnocchi al Fagiano Slow braised pheasant ragù, Porcini mushrooms, Reggiano cheese

Petto d’Anatra Muscovy Duck Hen Breast, Umbrian lentils, Marsala sauce

Tiramisu Espresso soaked Savoiardi biscuit, mascarpone, cocoa powder, dark chocolate

The meal at Mucca was good albeit unmemorable – there weren’t any highs or lows. Scallops were seared nicely with a complementary parmesan cream and sweet shallot relish, while duck breast was also cooked well and paired with earthy lentils. The two pastas had similar rich ragus, but I preferred the tender gnocchi for its textural contrast. Having said that, I couldn’t really tell that the pastas were made in-house. The meal at Mucca overall did not live up to expectations, but maybe mine were too high.