Votum: Fine Dining In Hood River

Votum is now open in Hood River, a seafood forward restaurant here in Hood River and offers an elegant and fine dining experience.  Located at 210 2nd St here in Hood River they are newly opened and are open 3pm to 9pm Thursday through Monday.

Custard, Crab and Dulce at Votum
Savory Custard, Dungeness Crab & Oregon Dulse

Questions and Answers

What does seafood forward mean?  

Seafood forward means our menu features many varied fresh fish and shellfish. Not all dishes are ‘seafood forward,’ but the menu, when taken as a whole, is our attempt to bring the ocean to Hood River.

Why did you choose seafood as your main focus on this restaurant?

Seafood offers a broad backdrop for the chef to explore, while maintaining a focus -the ocean- to create a coherent gesture. A restaurant like this must have a ‘something’ that it is about. At this time, Votum is about the best fresh seafood from the region and the world, expertly prepared.

 

 

Seafood plays to our strengths and to our menu format. We use fresh seafood flown in from around the world. Doing so requires logistical skills that the chef has acquired over ten years in seafood forward kitchens. The tasting / multi-course menu format and wine pairing also lends itself to seafood forward cuisine in that ‘seafood’ is a lean, high quality protein.   Guests enjoy many bites of a seafood forward menu and leave sated, but not overly full.   It also pairs well with a lot of fun wines.

 I see on your website that you take great care about the ingredients, what steps do you take there at the restaurant to make sure only the highest quality ingredients are used?  

 To get the highest quality ingredients one must know what to buy, when to buy it, how much to pay for it, and from whom. In this way, we take great care of our ingredients by taking care of our relationships with our purveyors and suppliers.

Extreme attention is paid in the handling of the fresh fish and shellfish. This is a logistics issue that requires proper planning in terms of buying, shipping, receiving, handling, storing, and preparing the product. We deal directly with many shellfish farmers and fishermen who ship their products overnight by FedEx from around the world. Fish is shipped on ice from the seafood auctions in Honnolulu and Tokyo, as well as from docks and farms on the Oregon coast.

Haute cuisine is mentioned, what is haute cuisine?

Haute is a French word meaning ‘high.’ Haute Cuisine is a French term used to distinguish ‘high’ cuisine from everyday food’ food that contains an aspect of ‘art,’ a meal out that is a ‘dining experience,’ an attention to detail beyond what is necessary.

 Here is a phrase from the website: “The offerings are purposeful, each course a coherent gesture in the proper place and time.”   May I ask what exactly does this mean with proper place and time?

The menu at Votum is like a story. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. There is a proper order, one that builds from delicate flavors, through bitter flavors, to peak with the strongest flavors. In our menu the strongest flavor is the final ‘savory’ dish, either a meaty piece of fish, or a steak. After this taste climax, the menu shifts to a cheese course and dessert. Each course plays an important part and the sequence of the events is as important as the courses themselves. The meal would be nonsense if eaten backwards.

Contrast this with eating pizza. Eating pizza is more like looking at a painting. Each bite may give a different aspect or experience of the pizza, but it is always the same thing you are experiencing -the same pizza.

I see you use the words “Vow, Prayer, and Desire” on the frontpage of your website, what do these words mean and why are they so important?

These are what Votum means in Latin. Maybe I should be more clear on the website.

 

Check out also:

Website: https://www.votumrestaurant.com/

Menu: https://www.votumrestaurant.com/menu

For Reservations at Votum: Reservations