Bluehour
Trendy, spendy and effortlessly stylish, this Pearl District classic is the popular kid you hated to love in high school, and your beautiful meal comes with a side of rubbing elbows with painstakingly coiffed and lacquered Pearlites and oh-so hip Wieden + Kennedy-ites in their vagrant-chic best (W+K’s global headquarters perches atop the restaurant). Bluehour is the best place in town to take a) a really hot date you’ve got on the seduction fast track, b) colleagues from the LA office, c) your parents because they’re paying.
Bluehour is the best place in town to take a) a really hot date you’ve got on the seduction fast track, b) colleagues from the LA office, c) your parents because they’re paying.
Executive Chef Kenny Giambalvo pulls from his Italian heritage, classic French training, New York roots and Oregon bounty to create a contemporary and seasonally-influenced menu. Start with the Yellowfoot chanterelle consomme and then reluctantly play rock paper scissors between the Columbia River Sturgeon on a bed of tiny French lentils and baby Japanese turnips in a cabernet reduction, or the Briar Farms pork with porchetta and shoulder confit, wild mushrooms and rosemary cider jus. The wine list is ample and the happy hour is one of my favorites.
Beware the swarms of well-oiled wannabe Don Juans lurking at the bar, wearing identical white button down shirts, blazers and leather loafers and wielding AmEx black cards instead of roofies. Repeat after me: No, I do not want to see the view from your penthouse.
Details
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Executive Chef: Kenny Giambalvo
Pastry Chef: James Blake
Atmosphere: Swanky, high ceilings, billowing curtains, huge windows, modern aesthetics, filled with drunken pseudo-socialites and some real ones too. If Kim Kardashian came to PDX, she’d be there. So would the cast of The Hills. But then, so would George Clooney, and who’s to complain about that?
Outdoor seating: Bluehour boasts a very lovely row of umbrella-covered patio tables facing NW 13th, ideal for those sunny afternoons when you can slip out of work early.
Best Seat: A table in the window, or one of the patio tables.
Noise Level: Energetic in the dining room, Boisterous in the bar
Dress Code: If you’ve been dying for an excuse to wear your new Manolos, this is the place to do it. Patrons’ garb generally ranges from dazzlingly overdone to Portland casual and everything in between
Bring the Kids: No
Bathrooms: Go through the bar towards the back of the restaurant and down the hallway on the far right side of the restaurant. Lovely floor to ceiling length mirrors allow you a good look at yourself taking a wee, there’s nice music playing, very thick paper towels.
Parking: Valet is available for $6 for evening diners, pull up at the intersection of NW 13th and NW Everett. Parking is metered on surrounding streets from 8am-7pm daily.
Beer: small but well-rounded beer selection ($5-$11), both tap and bottle, full bar and signature cocktails ($9-$13)—try the Diva: house-infused citrus vodka, blood orange and lime
Corkage: $15 per 750 mL
Ideal Meal: The prix-fixe three course dinner menu,
whatever it may be—a steal at $25
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Vegan Friendly: There will be a mighty fine salad you can eat, but you’ll probably get pretty drunk just eating greens and drinking Diva’s, so pack some soy nuts in your handbag
Good for the following occasions: Romantic Date, Impress the Client, Out With Friends, Homesick for Southern California.
Group/Private Party Details: Bluehour has a beautiful L’Heure Bleue private room that seats 50 and can accommodate up to 100 standing and includes complimentary valet parking. Contact Maya von Geldern at maya@brucecareyrestaurants.com for more info. Tables for up to 14 can be reserved in the main dining room.
Reservations: Yes, call or reserve online at Open Table
Deals: $25 nightly prix fixe dinner menu