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The Thrifty Gourmet: Happy hour in Portland

January 29, 2010

By Simone Wren

If you are looking for high quality, cheap eats then happy hour in Portland is just the thing for you.  You should know going in that, in our fair city, happy hour is not necessarily booze-centric.

At a Portland happy hour you can just as easily unwind with some truffle oil french fries as you can with a martini or beer.  Almost every restaurant, bar and cafe has some sort of early evening special on small bites with big flavor.  I have here just 3 of thousands, but this should be enough to get you hooked.

Three blocks down Broadway from the RAZ stop is Saucebox. “Sexy, delicious, swanky, saucebox.”  For me, this pan-asian restaurant is the king of the happy hour.  They have an extensive menu ranging from $1-$5 which includes delights such as taro chips ($1), sweet potato spring rolls ($3), and the bah mi Vietnamese sandwich with braised pork ($4).  Don’t leave without trying one of their $4 burgers, which are inventive, filling and delicious.  Their bartender did some ass kicking in bartender school and the cocktail list is immense with lots of infused liquors.  Happy hour is Monday-Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and Saturday 5-6:30 p.m.

Just up the street on Morrison on the 8th floor of the Nines Hotel is Urban Farmer.  Be prepared to enter this steakhouse, which takes chic to a whole new level of strange.  It’s something you have to see for yourself.  During dinner hours Urban Farmer is normally extremely pricey, but from 3-6 p.m. they serve a very affordable array of treats.  Their $2 oyster shooters go down smooth and their lemon pimenton seasoned farm fries are crunchy and zingy.  For dessert they have $3 mini milkshakes with cookies, frozen lemon meringue pie with lemon sorbet and buttery shortbread or, my personal favorite, mud pie−a four-layered decadence of rocky road ice cream, heavy whipped cream, chocolate mousse and hot fudge topped with two chewy chocolate crackle cookies. 

By the time I had made my way through the food I was crossed-eyed with pleasure and didn’t even consider a drink (although I did notice they offer house made moonshine and absinthe served in the traditional fountain method or bohemian Czech style). 

Last but not least, Blue Hour, the sister to Saucebox, is located on NW 13th near Everett.  At happy hour there you can really get into the fine dining feel without paying fine dining prices. They have killer ambiance with fresh flower arrangements, dimly lit chandeliers, and gauzy black curtains hanging from high ceilings above white leather couches. 

The waiters were extremely attentive and offered us the highest quality service.  I ordered crispy chickpeas in smoked paprika oil, which were like nothing else I have ever tasted; crunchy, salty and so good we ordered seconds (not a problem at only $1 a bowl).  I also tried the grilled vegetable slider with yellow squash, zucchini, sweet peppers and pesto ($2), and the herbed goat cheese fonduta ($2) which turned out to be a refreshing mix of creamy goat cheese with freshly made tomato sauce. 

When someone at the table ordered the artisanal cheese plate, our waiter served her out of a glass case filled with perfectly melted, creamy cheeses. 

The only stain on an otherwise perfect evening was buying a delicious $20 bottle of wine that we later found for $10 at Fred Meyer.  Live and learn.