21st Avenue

Another great night out in Portland! This time we headed out in my neighborhood, Northwest Portland, for some serious eating and drinking adventures.



First Stop: Tanuki
Just to be clear, Tanuki is a Japanese BAR that just happens to serve amazing food, it is not a restaurant. If you are looking for a typical Japanese restaurant, look elsewhere. Tanuki is extremely small and intimate, with minimal tables, some seating at the bar, and 6 stools at a counter in the front window. Low-key Japanese decorations (hanging lanterns, real (gasp!) chopsticks) in Asian pottery complete the laid-back, warm atmosphere.

We arrived at 7pm on a Saturday night, and I was afraid we were going to meet a huge crowd. To my delight, we were seated in the window stools immediately (which were my preference anyway). The concept here is great - everything centers around drinking. You order food to accent the drinks – so perfect! We decided to start with some hot house Sake (very smooth) and some Asahi beer (a full Liter for $7!). Now for food…oh the menu! I guess it changes all the time, but it is quite a long list of superb Japanese delights. It is organized into different sections, including Saki, Drinking Snacks, Stuff on Sticks, and Plates.
We tried as much as possible, and here is the rundown:

Drinking Snacks:
Oshinko ~ Japanese & Korean pickles. Fresh blend of 5 different types of pickles, all described by the waitress as they were delivered. Perfect with the Asahi!
Myulchi bokke ~ wokked sweet&spicy dried anchovies. These were simply just not good, not in taste or texture. Skip them.
Ojingohchae bokke ~ wokked spicy seasoned dried squid. These went oh so well with our Sake! An amazing drinking snack indeed.
Lap cheong ~ griddled cured Chinese sausage w/housemade HOT fermented mustard. This dish had loads of potential, and the sausage was quite interesting. The sauce, however, was not HOT as stated, and really did nothing to compliment the meat.

Plates:
Wakame-su ~ mixed seaweed salad w/cucumber, lotus & special vinegar sauce. A light and refreshing option in between the wonderful meat dishes we ordered.
Oysters ~ 4 Kusshi oysters on the half w/kimchi shave ice. What else could possibly go better with beer and sake?
Niku dango ~ wild boar meatballs simmered in sweet shoyu bbq sauce. Seriously, we got done eating this and said it was the best $6 we had ever spent in our lives – MUST order.
On top of providing a wonderful atmosphere, food and drinks, Tanuki is reasonable priced – woo hoo! They also have a MEAN Happy Hour from what I was reading, as well as Daily Specials (some you can see on their website).
This was a great night out. Inventive, well-crafted Japanese food served with flare and with PLENTY of drinks. I absolutely loved this place, and I can’t wait to go back for more!

Next Up: M Bar
So if you do dinner and drinks at Tanuki, you really must stop in next door at M Bar. This has to be Portland’s smallest bar, and that is exactly why I have been wanting to check it out. It has maybe 4 tables and some window seats, an extremely small bar with one bartender (I would assume the Owner as well), and one bathroom (which oddly enough is ½ the size of the bar, lol). The place was full but not packed when we got there around 9pm on a Saturday night, and we grabbed a small high-top table. Enjoyed a pint of local HUB Lager and people watched for a bit. This is a good place to grab a beer with a friend, chat without needing to scream, and just have a nice time. I am hoping they throw some seats outside when the Summer comes around…

And Finally: Bar Mingo
What a great concept, design and execution of delicious food and drinks in the perfect upscale location of Nob Hill. Not surprising coming from the Owner of the renowned Café Mingo next door, but still to be noted. We stopped in during an adventure down 21st, and it was the perfect ending to our night. We scored a great corner lounge table on a comfy couch, so I was happy right away! The place was full with an energetic, eclectic blend of patrons: first dates, long-time married couples, young single groups, families – it was great to see.

Bar Mingo has a great cocktail list (go figure, right?). After studying it over, I have NO idea why, but I decided on the Caprese Cocktail (house infused sun-dried tomato and basil gin, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, shaken and served up with a salt and pepper rim. As featured in Portland Monthly). Now, while I fully appreciate the originality of this drink, I did not care for the taste of it at all. I felt like I should be eating it, not drinking it (I should note that that my waitress took it off the bill without me even making so much as a face about it, she noticed I only took a couple sips and then ordered something else. I thought that was a very nice gesture, and we tipped her accordingly). Anyway, next time I am going for the Gin Blossom cocktail.

For an Antipasti, we did the “Cheese,” which was assorted cheeses with wildflower honey and fig salami. Yep, fig salami! Heaven is what this plate was, sweet salami smothered with creamy, salty cheese and all topped on fresh Italian bread. Just thinking of it makes me crave it again.

Now for the most important part of any meal…Dolce! We had the Prolifiteroles filled with gelato and drizzled with warm chocolate sauce. One of the best deserts I have experienced in Portland, and perfectly portioned (two small prolifiteroles/order). I enjoyed every last bite of the warm and cold mixtures and highly recommend this desert to anyone!
Bar Mingo is a relaxed environment to have drinks, Happy Hour or desert without the standard wait at the other near-by restaurants like Café Mingo, Serrato and Lucy’s. So glad this place is in my neighborhood!

Life is good, indeed.

*Jayne