EAT BEAT

Here Comes the Sun

Jenn Louis’ long-awaited neighborhood bar, Sunshine Tavern, opened its doors on Southeast Division and we’ve got the inside (soft-serve) scoop.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Apr 20, 2011 at 11:15AM 5 Comments

Jenn Louis and David Welch (the husband and wife team behind North Portland’s Lincoln and Culinary Artistry catering) have just launched the neighborhood restaurant that will define Summer 2011 in Portland. I know that’s a pretty big assertion, but think about it: locally-made soft-serve ice cream, shuffleboard, free old-school video games (yes, unlimited Ms. Pac Man and Donkey Kong), frozen margaritas, 8 beers on tap, and kid-friendly bar food that feels like a mash-up of Louis’ gourmet northwestern cuisine and the deep-fried-everything booth at the state fair. Add the brilliant use of the Southeast Division space: tall windows, sliding walls, reclaimed wood from bowling alleys and barns, and an open kitchen that allows the staff to be a part of all the fun. And if you ask me, that’s brighter than sunshine.

Sunshine Tavern – 3111 S.E. Division St – 5 to 10 pm weekdays, 5 to 11 pm weekends. Overwhelmingly kid friendly, all hours.

Chef Jenn Louis really knows how to command a kitchen. Simultaneously calling out orders, rolling pizza dough, crunching pork cracklings, and chatting up kids about their favorite Dr. Seuss books… Louis makes it all look easy.

Pork cracklings with pimenton and sea salt ($5) were a popular first-night order, paying homage to classic bar snacks without all those pesky peanut shells to sweep up. These smoky, salty crunchies would pair perfectly with Sunshine’s frozen margaritas, house-made orange soda, or a pint from the rotating tap of Welch’s favorite brews.

Throughout the restaurant, creative design details push Sunshine into true artisan territory. Here, Louis and Welch re-imagined traditional bar lighting in favor of a dozen different shapes of classic Edison bulbs in contrasting fittings.

The chopped salad of lettuces, piri piri peppers, rustico cheese, french fries and salami ($8) manages to feel light and decadent at the same time. If you think about it, french fries aren’t that different than the potatoes on a Niçoise salad. Besides, you can burn off those extra calories playing an intense shuffleboard match. It’s all in the rationalization.

The Monte Cristo with fried egg, powdered sugar and marionberry preserves ($12) is basically a deep-fried double-decker ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top. The key here is the preserves, an added sweetness that adds balance to the decadent dish. Hungry for more? You can swap the fries for pork-sausage gravy cheese fries, because, you know, why not.

The colorful, friendly portraits on the rear wall of the restaurant were painted by former Decemberists drummer (and Louis’ current drum teacher) Rachel Blumberg. The paintings are great, but the real shock here is that Louis has time to take drum classes while running two restaurants and a catering company. Has anyone checked to see if she has a twin?

My favorite bite of the night was the soft-serve honey ice cream (from Fifty Licks) with home-made “magical shell” topping – made of 70 percent cacao, salt, and olive oil ($5.50). This will be the perfect dessert when it comes in a cone, so I can eat it one-handed while playing video games long after the sun goes down.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Portland Chefs, Southeast Dining, Bar Openings, Opening Night

Good Eats at Grain & Gristle

Parking on NE Prescott is about to get a little dicier, thanks to great beer and step-above grub at Grain & Gristle.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 05, 2011 at 08:00AM 3 Comments

Mon-Fri, noon-midnight
Sat & Sun, 5pm-midnight
Weekend brunch begins January 8th, 9am-3pm

Glancing around Grain & Gristle’s warm and woody interior (a U-shaped maple bar, exposed beams, wood table tops and chairs, wooden salt and pepper shakers), I have the distinct impression that I could be an extra in an episode of a modern version of Thirtysomething. I’m nearly 34 and the peeps that pack the tables look to be my kind of crowd—casually dressed and mildly tired thirty-somethings who want great food and drink without the pomp or high prices.

Of course, there are also a few groups of perfectly happy older folks and a couple pairs of younger lovers nervously trying to impress each other (I bet they drove home talking about how they both love Williamsburg), but I relish the feeling—false though it may be—that this gastropub was made for me.

Ben Meyer—who co-owns the joint with Marcus Hoover and Alex Ganum, owner of Upright Brewing —told me that having lived in the neighborhood (G&G’s location is 1473 NE Prescott) for years, he always wished there was a comfortable place where he could go alone after work and grab a bite and a pint, but also take his girlfriend for a full meal.

Well, he built it and local livers seem only too happy to come—my husband and I, who live about five blocks away, made our first foray on a recent Sunday around 6:30pm and had to wait 10 minutes for a table. Seating is done free-for-all style, but the cheery servers actually keep watch and help direct traffic.

My first move upon sitting was to scan the drink menu: three wines, a carefully curated selection of booze, and a handful of alcohol-free options like the extra-fizzy bottomless house mineral water for $1. But the real standout libation is the beer. The board above the bar catalogs bottled options and eight rotating brews on tap, including a refreshingly bitter Beer Valley Leafer Madness and a palette-pleasing Block 15 Pappy’s Dark, aged in bourbon barrels. Most beers are available in 8oz, 12oz, and pint pours.

The food menu—broken up into Salt, Vegetables, Protein, Cheese, 2-fers (a couple-friendly special entrée, two sides, and two beers), and Sweet—showcases local farmers, ranchers, and craft producers, but many of the dishes are reminiscent of countries like Germany and Belgium. In other words, countries that are known for their beer.

Salt ($3-$5) is mostly snacks like pork rinds, house pickles, and a Fressen pretzel. Vegetables ($4-$7) include three simple salads, two sides, and house-made “Freedom Fries” and onion rings. I loved the piquant kick and char on the Mustardy Brussels, although they were a couple leaves too soft for my taste. But I could have happily eaten a soup tureen full of the crisp romaine salad with sweet pickled onion, snipped herbs, and a silky coating of maytag bleu dressing.

As for Protein ($8-$10), salt cod fritters and Belgian-style mussel frites share the billing with classics like braised pork, a pastrami reuben, and Portland’s ever-present burger. On the lighter side, a spicy pork link gets a touch of cooling sour sweetness with cabbage, apples, and a drizzle of sour cream. For now, it appears vegetarians will have to make do with Steven’s three-cheese board ($10). It wasn’t particularly exciting the night I was there, but the portions were more than fair.

I also liked the look of the Sweets (think apple pie with a cheddar crust and custard for $6) because they sounded like comfort food and art at the same time. But we had over-burdened gastrointestinal systems from spending Christmas in Paris, so we decided to save dessert for our second visit.

Which will surely be soon. The space is great, the beer is boffo, and the food is well on its way. To quote the table of straightforward thirtysomethings sitting next to me, This is a really great addition to the neighborhood!”

Add a Comment »

Tags: Beer, Restaurant Openings, Cheap Date, Bar Openings, Northeast Dining, First Impressions

Central Sizzles (Softly)

Dustin Knox’s downtown den slings crêpes and old-fashioned cocktails in a space that makes it worth hunting for parking.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 10, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Tucked away in the Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-like alley otherwise known as SW Ankeny, next to Valentine’s (a lower downtown bar that doesn’t suck) in a space last known as a hair salon, is a new lower downtown bar that doesn’t suck. That is, of course, my opinion, as I would much rather sip on medicinal-flavored throw-back cocktails with a heap of hipsters than do body shots with a flock of frat boys.

Central certainly qualifies as stomping grounds for hipsters, those “wacky” creatures that make up about 75-percent of the population in most cities these days.

First, the bar-portion of Perierra Crêperie owner Dustin Knox’s three-shot operation (there’s a new PC crêpe window that opens onto the street and Central will double as a brunch spot called Periodic come January) is supposedly “speakeasy-style,” although I think they’re pushing it with that definition because anyone can push through the mysterious black curtains and order up a drink with ingredients they’ve likely never heard of, such as the smoky Penicillin (Famous Grouse, Laphroig 10yr) or the lounge-y Work in Progress (Bols Genever, St. Germain, Fernet). Apparently that title has more to do with the fact that this joint has been jumpin’, 5pm to 2:30am, daily, for about seven weeks now, despite zero advertising, signage, or online presence of their own. (EaterPDX has made mention and the Oregonian ignited another charming culture-war with their review.)

Second, the space can only be defined as “industrial rustic,” a divine hodge-podge of elements like exposed beams, stripped concrete floors, walls of ragged brick or Victorian-era fabric, gorgeous high-tops made from heavily lacquered chunks of trees, and long metal share tables dotted with adjustable oil lamps in jam jars and surrounded by stools that might have come from a middle school science lab. A vintage windmill wheel slowly spins on the ceiling and a massive elk head watches over all.

I love it. And my first foray into Central’s dark, warm, glow-y depths was all the better thanks to the dishes prepared by house crêpe-man Neal Barnard. Preceded by a side salad of lemony-garlicky greens tossed with addictive salty-sweet pralines, the hefty savory versions come packaged in thin, al dente crêpes that manage to maintain their integrity despite their fillings and toppings—a real plus.

A perfect combination is the one stuffed with nutty gruyère and spicy “cock sauce” (aka Sriracha), served over wilted spinach, and crowned with soppressata, sautéed mushrooms, and two exquisite baked eggs. The butternut squash, bacon, mascarpone, onion, and kale option is also delicious, but quite rich, and with the sweetness of the squash, it could double as a dessert.

Speaking of dessert, I was plenty full after my dinner, but I just had to finish up with a treat. The sweet offerings are relatively simple, just as they should be, allowing the minimal ingredients to shine rather than overpower. The buttery and slightly-crispy cinnamon & sugar version, for example, is really all you could ask for—nothing beats a sexier slice of cinnamon toast on a rainy winter night.

With an outpost of the hot Seattle pizzeria Via Tribunali scheduled to open sometime next year in the same building, there’s talk that the Ankeny alley might be closed to traffic and become a real European-style pedestrian (or, I’d argue, pirate) paradise.

That would make this 33-year-old hipster sitting at her computer in old sweatpants and glasses simply love it all the more.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Bar Openings, Downtown Bars, Downtown Dining, Breakfast

Couture Tacos on Northeast Alberta

The new-ish Cruzroom’s Taco Lab contributes to the local art of late-night nibbles.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Oct 29, 2010 at 09:50AM 0 Comments

Top Plate (left to right): One Owner and two Green Meanies.

Bottom Plate (clockwise, starting at top left): Po Po, Not Your Taco, Not Your Taco, Broken Bean.

Last night I left work at 10:30 p.m. and I was exhausted and starving and just this side of drunk off of one beer; but instead of heading home to eat a bowl of carrots and pickle relish (pretty much the entirety of my current food stores), I decided to pop over to the latest barfé (bar and café; seemed prettier than barfeteria) to land in my Alberta Arts ‘hood: the Cruzroom and their Taco Lab.

Located at 2338 NE Alberta, in the chic’d up diner space that use to house Francis (props to the peeps at Eater PDX for chronicling that former brunch heavyweight’s masterful implosion), the Cruzroom offers a satisfyingly simple menu:

1) Creative cocktails crafted with local, state, regional, and American spirits—in that order.

2) Beer—the cheap kind, the good kind, and the cheap and good kind.

3) Tacos—10 unique options that are explicitly directed at carnivores or herbivores.

As for my actual experience of the food… The corn tortillas—available in their traditional form as well as a thick, crispy cup—are spot on. But while the actual flavors of the fillings in the flesh versions are solid, an overabundance of the good stuff causes the taco as a whole to miss the mark. The ideal taco consists of little more than a small handmade corn tortilla and a dab of succulent meat, with maybe a pinch of tangy slaw for texture and a drizzle of a basic salsa for heat. The Lab’s Green Meanie with its slow roasted chili verde pork or the Owner with its chocolate mole chicken may sound simple enough; but, in reality, a wealth of fancy sauces and toppings sort of overwhelm the main event.

In truth, the real highlight here is the veggie versions. With a homemade smoked cheese sauce and deep-fried onion strings, the Not-Your-Taco (Nacho Taco) is a salty/sweet delight. And the chunk of crispy haulomi cheese in the Broken Bean is an awesome alternative to overplayed tofu or tempeh.

Regardless, it’s all hearty and affordable fare that hits the late-night spot, and my humble verdict is that it’s definitely worth checking out—they’re open until midnight or 2:30 a.m. every night.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Northeast, Bar Openings, Northeast Dining, Mexican Cuisine

Q&A: Tim Davey

The manager of the Rose Quarter’s newest sports bar, Spirit of ’77, gives A’s to PP’s Q’s

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Oct 22, 2010 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

The manager of Spirit of ’77, Tim Davey aka Lil’ Shamrock

Photo Credit: OMFGCO

Like the notion of the Blazers winning the national championship (or Greg Oden not getting injured again), the idea of watching Roy and Fernandez shoot hoops while you sip fine wine in a sports bar that doesn’t suck may seem like an impossible dream.

Until now. Last week, Spirit of ’77 opened to much fanfare at 500 NE MLK Blvd, across from the Convention Center. They’ve got the obligatory flat-screens, of course, but also hipster games like Buzzer Beater, an indoor bike parking area, tongue-in-cheek sports décor, and a blue-collar inspired menu made with white and green-collar ingredients. The result of a partnership between Jack Barron (co-owner of the Ace Hotel) and Nate Tilden (mastermind behind Olympic Provisions and Clyde Common), this rookie might just be this season’s MVP.

Here, the manager Tim Davey (formerly of Beaker & Flask, Castagna, etc.) is nice enough to give us a mid-game interview.

1) First off, what’s with the name?

There are certain moments in sports history—such as the Blazers’ run to winning the 1977 NBA championship—that come to represent way more than just athletic achievement. In the words of (the Blazers’ legendary play-by-play announcer who coined the term “Rip City”) Bill “The Schonz” Schonely, “From the 5,000 fans who waited hours at Portland International Airport to welcome the team home from Philadelphia, to the 250,000 strong who thronged the streets of Portland in a spontaneous outburst of Blazer mania, hardly a heart remained unmoved as the place became unanimously the object of affection for an entire state.”

That magical kind of joy that people experience when their team achieves the ultimate goal is golden.

2) So, what should we be drinking at Spirit of ’77?

Despite my past work, there is no “signature” cocktail list at Spirit of ’77; just a growing list of classics like the Negroni or White Russian made with a “house” twist. A simple technique or thoughtful choice of an ingredient makes all the difference. We also offer three choices of sparkling, white, and red wines by the glass or bottle, and the standouts right now are the Nebbiolo and the Pinot Blanc. I drink white wine with style like it’s going out of style.

3) How’s about the food menu—what should we be eating while we watch the Blazers kick ass?

Paired with a Scrimshaw pilsner, the chicken thighs in Calabrian chile sauce are pre-game bliss. Or order the hush puppies with jalapeño jam and the shrimp boil with a glass of Nebbiolo. But, personally, I can’t get tired of the fried fish sandwich with romaine and tartar sauce on a sesame seed bun.

4) What are you guys bringing to the sports bar scene that other local establishments have missed?

I wouldn’t say that we’re adding or subtracting anything, per se. It’s a more meditative ride. We simply distilled for ourselves what it meant to be a sports bar, kept that, and addressed the rest of it with intelligent design and imagination. I think our space is something I would build in my garage if my wife let me.

5) If you could have any athlete in the world belly up to your bar, who would it be and why?

Truthfully, I’d have to say Ric Flair. I grew up a big professional wrestling fanatic, taking great pride in predicting the in-ring antics while also finding great humor in the archetypes and having a great fascination with the durability of certain personalities. Nobody did it like “The Nature Boy”—Whoo! By the way, this is the same answer I’d give if you asked “What athlete would you most like to play in a game of chess?” or “…start a forest fire with?”

Add a Comment »

Tags: Northeast, Bar Openings, Sports, Northeast Dining, five questions

Chef Q & A: Ben Meyer

The former helm of Ned Ludd jaws about getting a brew and a bite to eat at Grain & Gristle, opening soon on NE Prescott.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Oct 08, 2010 at 12:00PM 1 Comments

My husband and I are always arguing about where to eat. I love creative, expertly-prepared food, but most of the places where you can get it are far too fancy for my beer-loving husband’s taste.

All I can say is thank god for Ben Meyer, Alex Ganum (owner/head brewer of Upright Brewing Company), and Marcus Hoover, who has designed some of Portland’s premier kitchens, including Toro Bravo, Nostrana, and the new Pinot American Brasserie. Their latest endeavor, Grain & Gristle, scheduled to open December 1st at 1473 Northeast Prescott, will actually make both me and my husband happy. It will be a casually cool space with an extensive beer list and a menu, showcasing local farmers, ranchers, and craft producers, that is both awesome and affordable. Even better, they will be open noon to midnight Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. (yay, brunch!) to midnight on the weekends.

Here, Meyer is kind enough to answer a few questions about an establishment where my husband and I will likely go at least once a week, so that we can fight about things other than where to eat.

1) It sounds like this joint will have a serious focus on beer—what are a few of the labels you’re likely to feature?

Alex is curating the beer list, so I can’t guarantee anything, but you can bet on Walking Man being represented, as well as Double Mountain. Upright will have a stable tap, but we will rotate through their four year-round beers and some of their more unusual seasonal creations, such as Late Harvest, a Pinot Noir barrel-aged farmhouse brown ale brewed with spices.

2) I’ve heard word that your menu will aim to “heighten and support the flavors on the beer list”—do tell?

At Ned Ludd there were a lot of beers that I could never have on tap because they were too hoppy or too sour. It’s a food place and the beer is a supporting player. Grain & Gristle will be a beer place, and we’ll cook foods that we think showcase the beers’ flavors. For instance, the Upright Four and Belgian mussel frites with onion, fennel, and cream is amazing, especially when you include the beer in the preparation. The sour wheaty-ness balances the briny dankness of the mussels, and the bubbles in the beer want fat so the fries become an amazing vessel to bring it all together! People often think that wine is the natural food-pairing beverage, but beer actually works better most of the time.

3) Can you give us a head’s up about what the menu will look like?

I kept the sections vague enough that we could play around within them, but made sure to cover the basics: Salt, such as spiced pork rinds with a mustardy dipper, because salty things taste good with beer and make you want to drink more; Vegetables, treated as simply as possible to make them shine; Protein, such as a pastrami reuben or braised pork shoulder with creamy beans and kale; Cheese, by Steve’s Cheese, because it’s the most natural beer-pairing in the universe; and Sweets, such as apple buckle or caramel panna cotta, which can also really heighten a lot of beers. We’ll do a big shift of the menu once a month, but little things will change all the time, and we’ll have specials as well as a $20 “two-fer”—a hearty dinner with two glasses of beer, meant to be shared by a couple. The two-fer will change daily but will look something like “grilled half chicken, mashers, greens.”

4) What made you decide that Northeast Prescott was the place to plop down?

I’ve lived in the neighborhood for years and always wished there was a comfortable place close-by where I could both go alone after work and grab a bite and a pint, or take my girlfriend for a full meal and spend some time. This space came up and Alex, Marcus, and I thought it would be perfect. I love Podnah’s Pit Barbeque, and was excited to be located next to Rodney Muirhead, the chef/owner. I was bummed, of course, when I found out he was moving his restaurant to Northeast Killingsworth, but then Andy Ricker started looking at that space (for Pok Pok Noi, or Little Pok Pok) and I knew it would still be magical. I love complete neighborhood pods. We have an amazing coffee shop (Extracto), a great lounge (TiGA), a barber shop, and the drum shop. The neighborhood can come to our little strip to get a lot of things they need every day.

5) If you could have any two people in the world—one alive and one dead—belly up to your u-shaped maple bar, who would it be?

Sheesh. Um, living… Ian Mackaye from Minor Threat and Fugazi—I would just love to have a beer with the guy who coined the concept of straight-edge. And dead… Edward Abbey. That cantankerous coot would be the best drinking buddy to ever stand up for his convictions.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Northeast, Restaurant Openings, Bar Openings, Northeast Dining, five questions

Chef-ish Q & A: Matt Jacobson

Tasty tidbits from the co-owner of Sizzle Pie and the Quality Bar, opening soon on East Burnside.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Sep 29, 2010 at 11:30AM 7 Comments

Sizzle Pie and the Quality Bar will soon be feeding hungry Eastside office workers and late-night party goers.

Folks who frequently stumble out of Rontoms wishing they had consumed a few less beers and a lot less cigarettes will soon have a place to sop up the alcohol and their shame: in preparation for a “sometime before Halloween” opening, Sizzle Pie and the Quality Bar has been steadily cleaning up the act at 624 East Burnside, with a dazzling sign and the same exterior burgundy-and-black paint job that graces about 101-percent of the hipster havens in Los Angeles. Scheduled to be open Lunch to Late Night, including serving up slices until at least 3:30 a.m. on the weekends, this all-new pizza pub is the brainchild of Mikey McKennedy, co-owner of the popular vegan dive bar, Tube, at 18 Northwest 3rd Avenue in Old Town, and Matt Jacobson, founder/owner of the 20-year-old indie music label, Relapse Records.

“We’re both passionate about pizza and wanted to bring it together with other things we love—art, music, good beer, and Portland,” says Jacobson.

Here’s what else he had to say:

1) Can you give us a sneak-peek at the stats on Sizzle so that we can brag to our friends that we’re in the know?

We will offer what I would characterize as an East Coast-influenced thin-crust pizza, with a focus on farm-direct ingredients. We’ll have all the classic topping combinations, as well as a nice selection of veggie/vegan pies and our own recipes, like a super-spicy pizza featuring Secret Aardvark hot sauce as the base with hot peppers on top! In addition to pizza-by-the-pie or by-the-slice, the plan is for the menu to also include Stromboli, grinders, and ice cream from our new neighbor, Fifty Licks—we expect to have the full range of flavors, but we will absolutely have Stumptown Coffee, Maple with Bacon, and Slabtown Whiskey. And we’ll have a full bar showcasing local spirits, wine, and Oregon beers like HUB, Ninkasi, and Amnesia.

2) How do you personally like your pizza?

Thin and a bit crispy with a mug of local IPA.

3) With so many pizzazz-y pizzerias in town, what will make Sizzle stand out?

First off, we will have pizza by the slice and be open late—two things that many pizza shops in town don’t do. Also, I think our location and vibe will set us apart. The space used to be a hair salon, most recently, and we basically gutted it and put in all new systems. We had to remove much of the wonderful fir floor, but we were able to salvage the wood and use it, along with some reclaimed church pews, to build our booths. We will have a great jukebox filled with a range of indie/rock/metal music like the Pixies and lots of local bands like Red Fang, plus ever-changing art on display and a back patio!!!

4) What made you decide that lower East Burnside was THE place to plop down?

So much is happening on East Burnside and in the surrounding area in terms of art, music, nightlife, creative businesses, the skatepark, and so on… it’s one of the most vibrant parts of town. It’s also just across the river from downtown and a major gateway to the Eastside. I feel like we will be creating a unique place in a unique area of one of the coolest cities in the country.

5) If you could have any band in the world play at your opening, who would it be?

That is a really, really tough question. Maybe Metallica during the Master of Puppets era, Slayer on the “South of Heaven” tour, or the Melvins, just because they rule.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant Openings, Bar Openings, five questions, Pizza, Eastside Dining

Bunk Bar Construction Underway

Restaurant and bar project by cool kid trifecta Nick Wood, Matt Brown, and Tommy Habetz will open this summer. Neighborhood takes shape.

Posted by: Eat Beat Team on May 26, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Bunk Bar: Coming soon to this building.

It has been nearly six months since the project was first reported, but permits have been filed and Bunk Bar is officially under construction as of this week, says Jonathan Malsin of Beam Development, whom I ran into on Friday.

The night time outpost for Portland’s favorite sandwich shop is slated to open by mid-summer. In restaurant build-out time, I’m going to put my money on an August or September opening. One learns after several years of restaurant reporting that projects never open on time. Either way, Bunk’s entry into the Central Eastside Industrial District is a milestone for a neighborhood that has been trying to find an identity for years. An industrial sanctuary, the Central Eastside has more recently become a magnet for creative services firms looking for office space. Portland is a city comprised of many small firms, and Beam is one of the city’s only large developers that understands this and builds accordingly. And while the rest of the office leasing market has essentially been in the toilet since late 2008, the Central Eastside (along with Old Town) continues to blossom.

So what’s this have to do with food?

Once only home to establishments like the Produce Row Cafe and Le Bistro Montage, both magnets for late-night denizens, the neighborhood has more recently attracted more sophisticated businesses like the charcutuerie restaurant Olympic Provisions, the forthcoming Water Avenue Coffee Roasters, and Red Slate Wine. Meanwhile, the decision to bring back lunch to Clarklewis has been well received, and late night hangouts on the fringes of the neighborhood including Slow Bar, Beaker and Flask, and Ron Toms have become some of the most popular watering holes in town. The city has done its part by adding the Eastside loop of the Portland Streetcar and the Burnside Couplet, as local developers are beginning to take the neighborhood very seriously. Bunk Bar crowns neighborhood with another late night destination for food. Bunk is by far the most popular sandwich shop in Portland. Next door, Water Avenue Coffee will debut it’s gorgeous new digs by the end of next month. What’s more, the previously mentioned Produce Row Cafe is also undergoing major renovations and will reopen this summer.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Southeast Dining, Restaurant Openings, Bar Openings