I loved VQ; it was a very elegant restaurant we found one evening as we were looking at the map of downtown Portland. Near the waterfront, VQ provides a wonderful opportunity to stroll along the river after dinner. 
As we wandered through the downtown full of tall buildings and concrete, we made our way from the hotel to the dot on the map. We rounded a corner to find a squat building of brick surrounded by trees and landscaping lighting that made it seem like a magical garden. Their patio was still in use--surprising this late in October; people we're drinking wine and supping despite the chilly autumn weather.
We entered to find a packed bar. We proceeded through to the restaurant.
Assuming wrongly that we'd be seated without reservations, we turned back to the bar to find a full menu; hungry we quickly took a booth as it was opening.The bar menu offered many choices. I ordered the cheese plate for the table along with an African pumpkin soup for my meal. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with anything reminiscent of West African cuisine and this soup was it. Chopped peanuts provided texture to this otherwise smooth but robust soup. The cheese plate offering was delectable, as expected. What was surprising is the French Stilton was a texture and flavor that was similar to butter which we used to spread on rustic brown bread. The cheese plate included fruit and candied nuts offing a sweet contrast to the salty flavors of the different cheeses. My companions ordered the mushroom gnocchi and a beautiful salad. I stole a bite of each. I now know what real gnocchi is suppose to taste like. As you may remember, I made gnocchi recently, and unfortunately, it was not a success. VQ served theirs with a variety of wild mushrooms in a delicate sauce that was more chicken stock then cream. Little chunks of fried mozzarella gave the dish some depth, but surprisingly these bites didn't overpower. Our new Legal Aid friend, ordered the prawns and a salad. Karen's salad was beautiful and really more than an appetizer. The prawns were also beautifully presented. All of it was incredibly tasty and just beautiful to the eye. I of course was people watching and learned that their signature dessert was a chocolate souffle. Unfortunately, we we're all too full for dessert, so we decided to walk off dinner in the hopes that by the time we reached our destination, Voodoo doughnuts, we'd be hungry. Alas, we walked and walked but by the time we reached Voodoo Doughnuts even the delectable treats there could only offer themselves up as eye candy. It was a great evening of great food and great conversation.
