Dinner Drinkers

[May 21st, 2008]

OK, so maybe bars aren’t your thing. Who can blame you? The smoke, the noise, the frat boys—it can all be too much for drinkers of a retiring temperament. Fortunately for the introverts of Portland, the last decade has seen cocktail lists proliferate like so much Canada thistle through the city’s restaurants. These day’s it’s hard to find so much as a burrito joint without a dozen bastardized martinis on offer, and most of the city’s best bartenders work in restaurants. Trouble is, with every two-bit diner hawking cocktails it can be tough to sort out the good bartenders from the hacks. Here are a few of our favorites.

If you’ve got cash in your pocket, it’s hard to find a nicer place for a drink than Bluehour (250 NW 13th Ave., 226-3394). It’s a jaw-droppingly gorgeous space, and the bar menu can’t be beat. A few blocks away at Ten-01 (1001 NW Couch St., 226-3463), Kelley Swenson serves classic cocktails amid etched glass and warm light. In Old Town, Gilt Club (306 NW Broadway, 222-4458) offers lovely concoctions of fresh fruit juices and sweet spices to food-industry workers who know a good thing when they taste it. Looking for something a bit more casual? Saucebox (214 SW Broadway, 241-3393) still offers the wild cocktail list (and neon monkeys) we fell in love with back in the ’90s.

Drinking at restaurants needn’t be expensive. 23Hoyt (529 NW 23rd Ave., 445-7400) offers $1-$5 food specials and $5 drinks at happy hour. Same goes for Andina (1314 NW Glisan St., 228-9535), where the city’s best caipirinha is just $5.50 from 4-6 pm. The best deal around has got to be Clyde Common (1014 SW Stark St., 228-3333), where Charlie Hodge’s whiskey gingers go for $4 from 3-6 pm.

Is wine more your scene? You can’t go wrong with the dirt-cheap flights at Noble Rot (2724 SE Ankeny St., 233-1999), where $12-$16 will get you two-ounce pours of, say, three tempranillos from 2005, 2003 and 2000. If you’re having trouble picking, the staff is always able to find a bottle you’ll love. Don’t like the minimalist aesthetic? Head down the street to the warm embrace of Wine Down (126 NE 28th Ave., 236-9463), where the fireplace and extensive port menu will have your head spinning in no time.