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Kate took me to Sel Gris for my birhtday dinner last night.  Sadly, this grainy picture from her phone is the only image I can share with you.  I don’t normally review my meals, because I hate reviewers, but our dinner was amazing, and deserves some recognition.  The standout for me was the Foie Gras Two Ways, form of seared lobe and salt-cured torchon.  The seared was good, kinda small, while the torchon might have been the best thing I have eaten in my life to date.  A truly historical dish in my life, it will be hard to top it.  For my entree I had the Pork and Beans, which is  “all-day braised” pork cheeks with french beans.  As you well know, I love pork cheeks.  They are hands down my favorite pork product (of course next to bacon!)  Three cheeks, which means two pigs had to die,  met and exceeded my expectations.  I like Chef’s beans better, but these were good, too.  Kate had the endive salad, which came with Humboldt Fog-an amazing blue cheese, poached pear, and wlanuts.  She loved it.  Her Salmon with foie melted leeks were sooooo good.  I ate some, too.  As full as we were, and as tipsy off the champagne, we had to get dessert.  Pastry Chef Steven Smith was the worked at Carlyle before I did.  Small frickin’ pond out here, man.  Anyway his Raspberry Choclolate Mousse cake was divine, even if raspberries aren’t in season and if it was little heavy on the gelatine.  The cocoa nib cookie was a nice bitter/crunchy tone with the other sweet flavors.  Steve’s breads were also good.  To make a long story short, Sel Gris deserves all the great press that they get.  Service was efficient and smooth in a tiny packed dining room, and the food was the best I’ve had in Portland so far.  Dinner there glazed the grayness of aging with rosy hues.  It almost made me forget that I’m twenty-nine now, and next year I’ll officially be old.