Under the Table with Jen » Dining Alfresco

Bakery Bar

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:44:20 +0000

A visually arresting addition to NE Glisan simply by virtue of its bright burnt orange hue, when Bakery Bar landscaped the large swath of asphalt adjoining the building, it became a neighborhood showstopper. Umbrella-shaded picnic tables neatly line the west wall, and huge aluminum horse troughs converted into urban gardens burst with blossoms, foliage, and even trees. It’s the perfect spot for a summer’s morning scone and cup of Dragonfly Chai, or a lunch date with someone interesting, a sweet-hot mustard slathered Black Forest ham and brie sandwich and a refreshing glass of Tao of Tea on ice.

Nel Centro

admin — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:17:23 +0000

When my friend Beth texted an SOS on the first beautiful Friday of summer, I deciphered it instantly: Start Our Suntan. Five o’clock quittin’ time was looming and we needed a downtown patio on which to roll up the sleeves of our sweater sets and get a dose of much-needed Vitamin D, stat! I racked my brain, trying to think of a nearby destination with a mellow atmosphere, good food, chilled sparkling wine, and requisite aesthetically-gifted patio, when it hit me–-new kid on the downtown block, Nel Centro, had it all. Nel Centro’s beautiful patio is tucked into the center of the fashionably remodeled, U-shaped Hotel Modera on SW 5th Street, ensuring a private and tranquil setting, and is accentuated by striking rectangular metal fire pits filled with rugged chunks of amber-colored granite that blaze brilliantly when turned on at dusk. Sit back and share “Italian Riviera”-influenced cuisine like Warm Hazelnut Crusted Chevre with Piperade & Olive Tapenade and Roasted Halibut with Baby Artichokes and Preserved Lemon. Just so you know, the cocktails look dainty but pack a punch, and might leave you asking about hotel vacancies when the patio closes.

Hedge House

admin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:11:11 +0000

I have a thing for redwood chips. And champagne, and peonies, and shar peis, and Hugh Jackman, as long as we’re discussing what I have a thing for. Lompoc Brewing’s Hedge House happens to have a lot of delicious-smelling redwood chips, namely in the nicely manicured area they’ve set aside for your bike. Thus, you can ride your bike there, easily park it, and then walk it home, because Lompoc makes some good beers and you will probably drink quite a few Fool’s Golden Ales sitting at one of the sturdy picnic tables that line the long, sunny patio along the left side of the quaint little yellow Craftsman-style bungalow that houses this SE Division Street brewpub. If all that bike-riding, patio-sitting, and beer-drinking has awoken your digestive system, pair your beer with a hearty Turkey and Pastrami Cubano sandwich, Spinach Cobb salad, bowl of award-winning chowder, or Garden burger with a side of redwood potato chips.

McMenamins Empire

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:52:13 +0000

The McMenamin brothers have built a one-of-a-kind Oregon empire by rehabilitating old buildings with storied pasts and turning them into casual pubs, theaters, and hotels with bold personalities, good drinks, and no-frills eats. And while there are few things as cozy as a McMenamin’s pub in the winter, the McMenamin brothers haven’t neglected their properties fair weather curb appeal either, cultivating park-like grounds, 12-hole golf courses, multi-level rooftop terraces, and at the very least, in their more fiercely urban establishments, long rows of sidewalk tables. A few standouts include Edgefield–a winery, golf-course, and European-style hotel located in the beautiful wilds of Troutdale, the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro–a former pioneer homestead, complete with pot-bellied stove and barn, turned sprawling pub and garden oasis, and Northeast Portland’s beloved Kennedy School–where classrooms are now meeting rooms, no bell will interrupt your time in the soaking pool, the gymnasium hosts prom-themed birthday-parties, the Detention Room is a bar, and frosty pints are served at patio tables in the schoolyard.

Mint/820 Lounge

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:56:04 +0000

When I visualize North Portland’s Mint/820, I see tea lights flickering in a sophisticated brick-walled speakeasy, a procession of sugar-rimmed martini glasses gliding down the bar, bowls of fresh shiny citrus, sexy sunken lounges for commingling and canoodling, and of course, phenomenal cocktails from Portland’s original Mistress of Mixology, bartender/owner Lucy Brennan. I forget that Mint/820 also has a noteworthy patio, a hidden urban treasure slipped in between the restaurant and neighboring White Eagle Saloon. Softly shaded tables line the narrow wooden deck, sunlight filters down to warm your arms in the soft breeze, and the same delicious conga line of avocado daquiris, O-jitos, and Aniversario Manhattans dances its way to your table, along with contemporary pub grub like cuban lamb burgers with mint chimichurri and crab cakes with ginger caper remoulade, and commingling and canoodling are still encouraged out of doors, but they come with tan lines.

Skyline Tavern

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:27:33 +0000

There are all sorts of interesting urban views in Portland–views of parks filled with dubiously potty-trained toddlers splashing in a four-foot-high stone waterfall, views of your portly neighbor’s uncurtained attempts to be the next Naked Chef (and I don’t mean with reference to ingredients), views of the dog doody on the bottom of your new Keen Charleston Mary Janes. All these urban views can often prompt the sudden urge for a decidedly unurban view, stat. So it’s great to know that a mere 8 miles up NW Skyline Boulevard lies quaintly viewriffic Skyline Tavern, positioned just above Forest Park, where you can sit on a deck amidst the evergreens with an extravagant view of: Mother Nature, a pitcher of ale, a juicy burger, the BBQ, the horseshoes, and the dartboard. It’s far more picturesque than your apartment building’s Naked Chef, I think.

Meriwether’s

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:53:49 +0000

Meriwether’s patio is right out of Sunset Magazine. It’s got everything–the redwood pergola, burbling fountain, luxuriant efflorescent foliage, wrought iron furniture that matches, beautiful mosaic style patio masonry, and yellowjacket catchers. It’s a dreamy spot for brunch with visiting family, a late afternoon glass of wine, or even a wedding reception, if you’re into that sort of thing.

La Calaca Comelona

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:43:35 +0000

La Calaca Comelona’s back patio is something of a local legend. Huge, lush, and winding, this hidden garden stretches on for a half a block between SE 23rd and 24rd just off of quirky SE Belmont, and is accentuated with sculptures, skeleton murals, flourishing foliage, and margarita trees. Or maybe it just seems like there are margarita trees, because just when you finish one margarita, a barely perceptible nod and another one is dropped on your table like a ripe mango. Which makes an afternoon or evening spent in La Calaca Comelona’s beautiful gardens kind of like an evening spent in Mexico, except without the scorpions, jellyfish, and kidnappers. And, they have taco trees and mole waterfalls, so you certainly won’t stagger home hungry.

Departure

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:32:57 +0000

Fifteen stories above downtown Portland, perched atop the luxurious Nines Hotel, sits space-agey Departure Lounge and their incomparable little outdoor terraces too. The distinction of being Portland’s highest open rooftop drinking and dining experience comes with a price–during peak times you’ll have to snarl/elbow/pinch/trip/flat out sprint your way to a table. My advice is to take the afternoon off work, stow away in a service elevator, hide behind the gauzy curtains that line the space shuttle hallway between the restaurant and the back terrace, then pop out at 3:59 pm, one minute before the rabid hordes begin spilling from the three elevators, and leap onto the L-shaped South facing loungers, using your entire body as a human place marker for your hopefully grateful friends. Then order yourself a $5 glass of happy hour bubbly and order me one too–I’m on my way.