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When Fools and Horses opened earlier this year, it was easy to refer to it as “the new bar from the Pink Rabbit guys right next door.” Now, with the opening of Dirty Pretty in the former Bar Dune space across the river, it feels like owner Collin Nicholas and chef Alex Wong have created a brand. Each of their properties has a distinct color palette and theme, but the core feeling and elements of flair—from patterned ice cubes to Hawaiian-inspired snacks—unmistakably unite the three rooms.
Like an eastside variant of Fools and Horses sans the paniolo touches, Dirty Pretty has a sort of spooky 1970s vibe—the tungsten-lit room is decorated with a large framed artwork evoking the poster for Zulawski’s Possession and dark imported wallpaper featuring ghostly images of tendril-y arms reaching for the heavens. All of that seems to indicate it will become a destination bar for fall and winter, but it’s a surprisingly great summer hang, too. The just-opened patio has built-in benches, and cabanas create an entirely different atmosphere (this is where they keep the silly people), while the enormous circular booth by the front door is flanked by windows that let the majority of light into the space, making it an ideal spot for happy hour and Burnside people watching.
Given his Pink Rabbit alumni status, the cocktails by beverage director Ben Purvis are fun and extravagant. Guava Wars ($13) drinks like a tropical smoothie thanks to the use of coconut, banana, and creamy clarified guava, though its name raises the question, “Is this supposed to be a pun and, if so, of what?” The Jungle Juice ($14) with Jamaican rum and pinot noir is a rich maroon color, served over pebble ice (you know, the GOOD ice) and tastes like something that has the potential to make one act very, very sassy. To prove that not everything has to be wild, there’s also the Olive Branch ($13), a pisco martini that’s…a good pisco martini! Beer and wine are also available—on the night we were there, a group of four all drank Kokanee, which is OK too, but back to the fun stuff.
Some of the edible flower-topped cocktails feel concocted with patio season in mind, like Spirited Away ($12), a clear gin and sake soda with subtle notes of lychee, ginger and lemongrass. The Blush ($13)—a not too smoky mezcal and rosé paloma—almost demands to be enjoyed with a sun hat, despite tasting somewhat confusingly like apple rather than the promised grapefruit, aloe and lime.
On the non-alcoholic side, mocktails hold their own, like Dawn Patrol ($8), a bitter, sippable blueberry malt iced tea, served up. The more chuggable option, a kiwi-juniper shrub, incredibly called Setting Boundaries ($8), is fantastically frothy, creamy and vinegar tart.
Chef Alex Wong continues to be at the top of his game, imparting soaring flavors into the dishes we crave when tipsy. The fried saimin ($11), teriyaki noodles served in a giant takeout box that encourages passing between friends—or walking right out of the bar with it—are salty, chewy and deeply flavorful, brightened by fresh scallions and carrots, and emboldened by a Japanese fish cake.
The Charlie burger ($10) is maybe my new favorite smash burger in Portland; the dish’s sometimes exhausting sameness is here brightened by paper-thin fresh onions, green leaf lettuce, and a side of spiced cucumbers. Smash burgers, when done right, are little technical marvels, and it’s these thoughtful touches that add what’s needed to make them work. The patty is lacy and crispy, sauce and cheese rich but not overwrought, and the Franz bun toasted yet squishy. After eating one, I wanted to eat 10 more. All 10 should be ordered alongside the hurricane jojos ($9) covered in green onion and furikake, served atop a generous swipe of pleasantly sweet and spicy mayo. It’s simply a great plate of potatoes.
A couple of dishes felt just shy of living up to their potential, like the dirty edamame ($7) tossed with soy, sesame, Chinese sausage, and fried shallots that would probably work better if the soybeans were freed from their pods. The steamed pork-hash hash ($14), a spicy potato and shishito number, is topped with two incredibly salty, melt-in-your-mouth pork-shrimp shumai. One wishes these were two more focused dishes that could be ordered separately.
One dish, however, is just about the entire reason to come to Dirty Pretty, and a rare case of food requiring a spoiler alert. As it reads on the menu, the pork-stuffed scallion pancake ($11) might suggest you’d get something like a Taiwanese beef roll. When the plate arrives, however, these are not flaky, folded-and-rolled scallion pancakes. Instead, a plate of two fluffy American-style flapjacks loaded with pork sausage and yuzu greens arrives, topped with Szechuan peanuts, honey and watercress. It looks like someone gave the ingredient list to Amelia Bedelia. It tastes unbelievable. Like a maniacal riff on chicken and waffles, chef Wong has brought the post-bar diner breakfast straight into the place where you’re already drinking. Maybe when we think “hip and moody cocktail bar,” it’s time to think “pancakes.”
DRINK: Dirty Pretty, 638 E Burnside St., 503-841-5253, dirtyprettypdx.com. 4 pm-1 am Sunday-Thursday, 4 pm-2 am Friday-Saturday.
