Hotels

[October 17th, 2007] At Southwest Stark Street’s Ace Hotel , every detail is calculated cool. The photo booth in the lobby allows tourists to capture the euphoric moment they first stumble out of the adjoining Stumptown, and amenities like Mac laptops enable guests to brag via email about spinning rare vinyl in their vintage-furnished rooms. And yet it’s the adjacent restaurant, Clyde Common (1022 SW Stark St., 228-2277) , that cements the hotel’s credibility, by appealing to Portlanders with its gimmick-free, beautifully executed menu that isn’t afraid to take chances with Northwestern flavors. Any restaurant in any Hilton in the nation will probably offer a passable meal and a soft bed. But it won’t attract an eclectic crowd of Southeast bike messengers, French fashion designers, West End Londoners or Southern businessmen, all of whom converge at Clyde Common’s communal tables, gushing over the grilled sardines plated with pickled cucumbers and a shot of locally distilled (vodkalike) Krogstad Aquavit.

Appealing to locals and tourists alike is also the objective of Southwest Broadway’s Hotel Lucia . Its Bo Restobar (400 SW Broadway, 222-2688), part of the Typhoon! chain of eateries, is a black-lit lounge surrounded by monstrous Buddha heads and hints of ’80s-inspired neon (think Las Vegas meets Bangkok temple). Local and visiting suits mingle over pan-Asian appetizers like Peking-duck spring rolls and goat-cheese-stuffed “Koreadillas,” sealing deals professional and otherwise. What Lucia overdoes, Southwest 15th Avenue’s Hotel deLuxe subdues with sophistication. Owned by the same corporation as Lucia (Provenance Hotels), deLuxe opened last year with the Hollywood classique restaurant Gracie’s (729 SW 15th Ave., 222-2171) as its chandeliered showpiece. While many curious foodies stop in for the $22 burger, regular working folks will appreciate the reasonably priced, Benedict-heavy brunch or the late-night happy hour at the neighboring bar, the Driftwood Room.

The Portland Steak and Chophouse (121 SW 3rd Ave., 223-6200), located in Old Town’s Embassy Suites , is a meat-lover’s staple offering braised pot roast, apple-cured pork chops and beef filets served Oscar-style or rubbed with peppercorns. The mahogany-paneled steakhouse has courted fine-dining traditionalists for more than a decade, but twentysomethings now roll in for the $3 blue-cheese bacon burger during happy hour, and pedestrian tourists wander in based on the authoritative-sounding name.

Speaking of pounds of flesh, you can’t scrimp at the Benson Hotel ’s very Bruce Wayne Manor-ish London Grill (309 SW Broadway, 295-4110) . The 18-ounce Châteaubriand for two, carved tableside, is over $100. The meat is just perfect, the surrounding veggies delicious rather than decorative. The giant Caesar salad for two is also prepared tableside, with real eggs and anchovies. Make sure to finish the meal off with an Oregon brandy—your room’s just an elevator ride away, right?