The food has a ways to go before it can live up to Sorenson’s dream tavern. The Woodsman is still splitting its first logs, and with customers arriving in droves, splinters are expected. So far, the food lacks ax-sharp focus and execution. Barwikowski’s comfort zone is Spain, mastery of the humble root vegetable, and offal. Here, he seems a bit off his game in an American menu heavily influenced by Chicago’s Publican and New York’s Marlow & Sons—new age, rustic eateries popping up across the country. Beyond the shellfish and the ham, the menu dissolves into a hodgepodge of monotone tavern staples. The list roams through “drinking snacks” of bland, cheese-dusted pork rinds, expensive appetizers, and a collection of entrées from simple salads to a meek shellfish stew, finishing with solid but unremarkable desserts.
That’s not to say there aren’t gems. A starter of brussels sprouts comes two ways: deep-fried with crispy, crunchy layers and fresh with bright green leaves, all tossed together. A bowl of octopus is charred to perfection in Barwikowski’s prized indoor charcoal Josper oven, allowing pure smoke to mingle with spicy chorizo and earthy squid ink. From there, you’d best order the trout—one of the few dishes that really screams Woodsman! The understated fish arrives whole, basking in a broth of Calabrian chile–and–herb “crazy water.” It’s the hard-earned reward after a fishing trip, and nothing more.
Right now, brunch provides the most satisfaction; a griddle burger smashed with Tillamook cheese curds, grilled onions, and a little too much mustard feels just right for a Sunday hangover. The trout makes a second appearance on weekends, panfried and slathered with a bright tarragon béarnaise sauce. French toast also lands on the mark, its grilled bits of custard-soaked bread pudding topped with a generous mound of melting maple butter.
The Woodsman’s most reliable performer so far is Zimmerman, who whips up a contender for the city’s best Bloody Mary, aged for a week in a supersecret spice mix and boosted with a hit of sherry. Zimmerman knows how to balance understated flavors, like with the Gold Rush (bourbon, lemon juice, honey), and when to expound on complex liquors, as in the Hunting Vest, made with Campari steeped in ashen cedar, then aged for a week before being blended with rye and vermouth. Whether for brunch or dinner, Zimmerman is reason alone to try the Woodsman.
Perhaps Sorenson’s smartest move is the Woodsman Market, where a bounty of epicurean pleasures awaits. It’s a mix of high- and lowbrow, local and imported, house-made and homegrown. Provincial wagons outside overflow with seasonal flowers and a cornucopia of bright red, purple, and yellow carrots from local farms. Step inside and you’ll find a small meat counter filled with local salumi, Mexican Coca-Cola, fire-engine-red Sriracha, and imported sardines.
With the Pok Pok empire expanding eastward and new restaurants seeming to pop up every day on SE Division Street, Sorenson’s neighborhood hot spot may be the linchpin for Portland’s hottest new food destination. “I’m bonkers about food, and I’m bonkers about hospitality,” Sorenson says, high-fiving another passing server. In the next year, Sorenson hopes to complete his colonization of this block with a lofty, industrial sausage and beer hall (an ode to his father’s roots as a sausage maker) for the denizens of Portland’s new eat street. In Duane’s world—one of powerful culinary brands—the Woodsman is just the next step.
Published: February 2012
The article says the whiskey drinks are the real reason to go there.
Boy, some folks in this town are really adverse to success. “Failed Loser” is not a good thing, ya know. I actually think a lofty, industrial sausage and beer hall sounds nice.
Duane is quite the hipster capitalist! He sells Stumptown and parlays his fortune into the “colonization” of a block on SE Division. When the support of Portland locals brings him more success, will he be selling his block to another investor in NYC to subsidize his next colony?
Duane, if you go to Woodsman (he’s probably there….look for the guy with the best and Puyallap tattooed across knuckles), is about as nice a fella as there is. And he is nothing if not hospitable, unassuming, and a genuinely good guy.
Agree with Tass. What’s wrong if the guy is successful? He holds to his principles too. And Portland is the better for it. As for $7 eggs? So does Pastaworks and Flying Fish. That’s what most folks don’t get. Take the mass produced crap at Safeway and Fred Meyers and their less expensive production and you get cheaper. Local, clean, organic, small farm grown product costs more to produce.
As for the Woodsman, it’s great. Go try it. And the light bulbs rock too. Drinks, good. Food, good. Definite worth throwing in your rotational mix.
I sure hope that his “bonkers about hospitality” attitiude starts to rub off on his staff thru all those high fives. They sure could use an adjustment in that department.
I also have no doubt that his lofty dreams will come true… Especially since the farm fresh eggs at the market are $7.00 a dozen. Go, Duane!
Wow-you guys (I mean commenters to this story) are brutal… It occurs to me that it’s a good thing that Duane a) started Stumptown in our fair city, b) made it a huge success, c) still lives in and loves Portland, and d) is keeping his almighty dollar here in Portland to create even more great businesses in and is investing in our city! Lucky us!!!
Regardless of how “brutal” everyone’s comments are, the fact remains the staff at Woodsman is seriously lacking on many fronts.
I’d never trust a tailor to buy by jewelry.