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Art is subjective. Like beauty, art is in the eye of the beholder. It’s also on the beholder’s tongue, too.
Cocktail lounge Dirty Pretty already turns booze into art with its featured drinks, like the gin- and vermouth-based Vibe Check ($15) and its unforgettable pho wash along with basil extraction, coconut and lime. The East Burnside bar—the youngest and possibly most famous in the trio of Northwest Portland sister bars that also includes Pink Rabbit and Fools & Horses, which feels plucked from the Bravoverse with its colorful cocktails, moody interior and finished timber back patio—has teamed up with Beyond Exhibitions to promote the touring Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet shows. The exhibitions, which reimagine the painters’ most well-known works as interactive 3D projections, opened Oct. 29 at the Oregon Convention Center and will run through Feb. 2. The Portland Art Museum’s Waterlilies opens to the public in March, but it isn’t part of the promo deal.
The Lily Pad and Starry Night ($14 each) are masterpieces in their own right and, sadly, appear on the menu only until the end of the year. Sip them while you can. No disrespect to van Gogh, but Monet’s Lily Pad is the clear winner of the two drinks. That’s not to say the Starry Night doesn’t have its merits, especially as the more experimental of the two, but anyone with a sweet tooth will want to dive into the pond.
Should you try both, go with the Starry Night first. It’s the strongest tasting of the two, juniper-based with gin and genever. IPA beer and spruce tip cordial appear with pineapple juice, cardamom, acids and a pea flower falernum poured over a thick zigzag-cut ice cube and a lemon peel garnish. Beer fans should appreciate it, as should anyone whose palate trends more savory than sweet.
Meanwhile, the Lily Pad’s natural sugars are best sipped slow. Topped with a nasturtium leaf and adorable rose gel dew drops, the Lily Pad’s fire comes from muscadet and the French apple-pear brandy calvados. Muskmelon, aloe, celery root and kombu tea add an aqueous taste sweetened with apple and citrus-milk punch. The garnish on this one is far more photogenic, though the temptation to drain the swamp in a few quick gulps is strong. In that sense the Starry Night edges ahead, unless you happen to pound beer.
Both drinks pair well with most of Dirty Pretty’s recently revamped kitchen menu. For instance, the Ode to Caesar ($14) is tossed “OG Tijuana style” honoring the now century-old salad’s Mexican heritage with delectable thin-cut tortilla chips, an angelic snowfall of Parmesan and verdant lettuce so crisp it tastes like the leaves are hydrating as they go down.
The house fries ($9) are medium cut, crunchy and soft, not too salty or greasy, and come with four dipping sauces (add pork or beef for $5). The queso stays creamy for a reasonable amount of time, the ranch is light enough to act like a palate cleanser, and though one might think the chipotle aioli would be the spiciest condiment, the smoky marionberry barbecue sauce packs a stealthy wallop. The taco menu ($5.50 each, or same-kind trio for $15) no longer lists rabbit meat, but still offers plenty of carnivorous options like tri tip, ahi tuna and fried chicken.
The Monet and van Gogh cocktails also come with a discount code, LIGHTS, good for 15% off on single-show tickets.
DRINK: Dirty Pretty, 638 E Burnside St., 503-841-5253, dirtyprettypdx.com. 4–11 pm Monday–Wednesday, 4 pm–midnight Thursday, 2 pm–1 am Friday–Saturday, 2–11 pm Sunday.