Put it in your mouth
Pix Patisserie, at 3402 S.E. Division, is the cutest place in this rainy city to indulge your sweet cravings.
With its dim light, yellow walls, 10 or so tables and neatly packed pastry case that’s filled with the most beautifully crafted deserts in Portland, Pix provides an ambiance that is certain to inspire visions of Paris, romance and decadence.
While gazing into the glowing case containing countless divine confections, I became baffled by the many choices, which all seemed to contain there own irresistible magnetic pull. Confused, I sat at the bar and began to thumb through the leather-bound menu.
Pix specialties include such offerings as the Amelie, a orange vanilla cr퀌�me brul퀌�e that sits atop a glazed chocolate mousse with caramelized hazelnuts, praline crisp and Cointreau genoise; The Royale, a chocolate mousse that blankets a crisp hazelnut-praline filling and dacquoise base surrounded by a mosaic of nougatine; and the Aphrodite, a crisp chocolate shell that hides a cherry mousse, chocolate mousse, drunken cherries and moscato-soaked chocolate biscuit. Yeah.
And then, I looked at the tarts. There’s the Pear Rosemary with cashew cream and roasted pears baked into a pate sucr퀌�e and covered with milk chocolate/rosemary ganache, and the Tart M퀌�nage a Trois, an almond cream, chocolate ganache, and orange vanilla bean cr퀌�me brul퀌�e all piled into a buttery tart shell. Or how about Le Cha Cha, which contains cha-cha-cherries, cha-cha-chocolate, and salted Spanish almonds in caramel. Are you starting to get the idea?
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This is just the beginning; the list goes on into cakes and tortes as well. The Marggie Lane’s Potluck Pleaser, an almond/hazelnut meringue with praline buttercream and chocolate ganache. Or the Big Cheryl’s “Ghetto” Cake, a dense moist cake with a touch of orange and rum, and filled with pastry cream and mixed berries. There are a just a couple of the cakes, but Pix also has a number of Petit Fours (or little ovens in French) that can be eaten in a couple of bites, as well as some delicious chocolates. The best of the chocolates (if there is such a thing) are the Chocolate Drenched Drunken Cherries. They are really unbelievable.
After perusing the list, I remained in a state of mystification, so I asked the waitress for some guidance. She suggested that I try her favorite, the Dobos Torte. It was fantastic. This thin layer of cake lathered in hazelnut buttercream and a bit of chocolate ganache, draped with marzipan and drenched in a milk chocolate hazelnut concoction was perfect. After one bite, I was swimming in decadent delight and I knew that Pix had me under its spell. Then, a bit wearily (because I wasn’t sure how much sweet I could take in one sitting), I ordered the Pixie. This little guy, comprised of pistachios, almond paste and raspberry jam, was delightful.
Pix also has an extensive selection of wine, beer, dessert wine and port. They carry Chimay Red, Blue and White, as well as the hard to find Orval. They also have a number of Lambics like the Boon Gueuze and Kriek and, my favorite, the Lindeman’s Framboise. That night I ordered a glass of the Muscat Beaumes de Venise dessert wine just to make things entirely sweet.
I must mention that Pix also offers a beer float served with chocolate stout and Pix’s mocha ice cream. It’s fantastic. If you have never had a beer float, I recommend you try it at Pix; it won’t be as sweet as a regular float, but it is quite possibly the best dessert concept ever. Beer and ice cream, I mean really, what more could you ask for? And Pix’s mocha ice cream is truly incredible. So it seems needless to say that anything Pix provides I would gladly put in my mouth. This wonderful little patisserie holds a dear spot in my heart, and if ever you should venture to taste these delicacies, you’ll surely feel the same.
Pix Patisserie
3402 S.E. Division St.
503-232-4407
http://www.pixpatisserie.com
Tues.: 5 p.m.-midnight
Wed.-Thurs.: 10 a.m.-midnight
Fri-Sat. 10 a.m.-2 a.m.
Sun.: 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
