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It's fitting that the city's best German bar is also the best German restaurant—after all, the separation between such establishments is very much a relic of our nation's unfortunate English Puritan influence. Here, you can sit with a child and drink a liter stein of a Weiss imported to this country specifically at the request of owner Dan Hart while at the table next over, a fräulein celebrating Oktoberfest in a dirndl may be breastfeeding her newborn in the booth. But, for all its Oktoberfests and beery events, this is a serious dining destination.
The simple, cheap currywurst plate ($6) is pretty much perfect, with a sausage made from blended pork and veal and a lick-it-off-the-paper-boat curry ketchup. But larger, pricier plates like Riesling-braised trout with roast squash, caramelized fennel and blistered cherry tomatoes ($15) justify the added cost.
Pro tip: Ask your bartender what's rare on the tap list—get lucky and you just might be the first customer on this continent to try one of the German beers imported specifically for Stammtisch.
GO: 401 NE 28th Ave., 206-7983, stammtischpdx.com. 3 pm-2:30 am nightlyly. Under 21 permitted until 10 pm. $$.
Willamette Week