Where to Eat in August: Canard, Kann, Dolly Olive, and More

After almost four years of menu testing, cookbook writing, conceptualization, COVID pop-up navigation, and construction, Kann, from Gregory Gourdet of “Top Chef” fame, is finally open. The blowout space, with a gold-brushed ceiling, quartzite counters, cushy chairs, and — like Gourdet’s bright home — trellised plant accents, is a sort of homecoming for Gourdet, who spent years in kitchens cooking other people’s foods. Kann brings his Haitian heritage, and a fiery hearth, to the forefront.

The first menu glimpses hint at plantain brioche with epis butter; tomato, berry, cherry, and young coconut salad tossed in a coconut vinegar (knowing Gourdet’s team, made in-house); red cabbage pulled from the coals and served with smoked herring and pepper sauce; and a particular favorite, Pekin duck glazed with cane syrup, pineapple, and tamarind.

Kann has proved itself an instant hit. It’s also a tough table, so keep an eye out for September bookings, available later in August. Check their Resy page for availability, and keep an eye out for details soon on exclusive access for Global Dining Access members.

Sunshine Noodles’ Diane Lam recently opened a new modern bistro earlier this summer with Stem Wine Bar owner and somm Wei-En Tan. Alouette, the duo’s new space less than a mile from Lam’s Cambodian spot, leaves the sometimes-starchy tradition and labels of “bistro” behind in favor of foods Lam would make at home. Those dishes look like butter-braised brassicas, asparagus in truffle-soy vinaigrette, and chicken ragout with baguette. Larger dishes include hanger steak in vadouvan butter and Steelhead trout with lemon and lavender beurre monte. Wines will pour heavily from France and Oregon, and will highlight female and non-binary producers.

Call 971-380-8084 for reservations.

It seems like everybody is moving to the (dare we say?) suburbs. And that’s just fine, since it includes Canard, from Le Pigeon’s Gabriel Rucker and Andy Fortgang, which is expanding its greatest hits menu of White Castle-inspired steam burgers, duck-fat pancakes, and inventive small bites to Oregon City’s former Grano Bakery space. New dishes in the larger space include smoked salmon BLTs, hot chicken tenders dipped in togarashi oil and topped with bonito flakes and koji honey, and Salisbury steak frites with mushroom Madeira sauce. Also new, and thanks to the expanded footprint, will be a burger and ice cream window, perfect for getting your hands on the too-good-to-ever-be-bad-for-you steam burgers and the Oregon City location’s expanded ice cream desserts menu. Get in line for a quartet of sundaes, like pine nut buster, tropical banana (complete with pineapple dole whip), and peach cobbler with brown butter and oat streusel.

Alberta’s Bar Cala, a vision of summer bliss in bubble-gum pink and teal, decked out in tropical palm trees, is brand-new and ready to steal the show. The Palm Springs-esque space takes pink and vacation vibes to the max, balancing out the vibe with white stucco, rattan light shades, lots of plants (from local nursery Arium), and a breezy back patio to spend warm summer nights. The menu, from Autentica alum Mauricio Dimas (with input from owners Victor Daniel Cerda Zamorano and Fernando Damas), takes inspiration from Zamorano’s Chilean heritage balanced out with Latin American dishes, including hot-weather staples like aguachile crudo, grilled octopus with burnt habanero marinade, grilled Mexican prawns, and dorados. The bar leans Latin American, too, with pisco sours, mezcal-spiked tepache, and serrano-infused Tequila and watermelon.

Walk-ins only.

Another new spot from a “Top Chef” alum, downtown’s egg-topped sandwich shop Big E brings “Taste the Culture” host Justin Sutherland to Portland’s Moxy Hotel. The nine sandwiches here are named for the chef’s favorite musicians or songs and are big enough to share. Headlining the menu is the “It Was All a Dream,” stacking steak, American cheese, Welch’s grape jelly, and a fried egg on a milk bread bun (from local bakery Oyatsupan). Dance Yrself Clean, a breakfast-leaning creation, is a classic, layering bacon, Tillamook cheddar, aioli, and a sunny side up egg. Elsewhere, the C.R.E.A.M. takes on the lox bagel sandwich, going one-for-one with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, and dill, but with a twist thanks to caper aioli and a hard-boiled egg.

The newest restaurant from the Sesame Collective, the team behind the ever-popular Shalom Y’all and Yalla, sidesteps their Eastern Mediterranean menu in favor of something straight out of the Adriatic. Dolly Olive looks much more Italian in nature, with housemade focaccia studded with garlic and herbs, veggie-forward antipasti, housemade pastas brightened with pine nut gremolata and Manila clams, and hearty mains, including roasted chicken with Calabrian chile tomato sauce, eggplant Parmigiana, and a fennel-crusted rib eye for two with mixed onion agrodolce. The restaurant, which took over the beloved Bistro Agnes space from Ox chefs Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, will feature another creative signature cocktail menu with lots of amaro, along with a housemade non-alcoholic version made with grapefruit pith.

After a tumultuous couple of years, from the pandemic to a restaurant reckoning, Appalachian chef Maya Lovelace was ready to start over. Enter HissyFit, the reimagining and new beginning for former meat-and-three spot Yonder in Northeast Portland. This new restaurant is less sticking-to-the-narrative of Southern Appalachian cooking and more collaborative menu development from the staff and exploring something new. While Appalacian influences on the menu remain — loaded ham and cheese biscuits earn a swipe of fermented garlic chile honey and sorghum-brined pork chops are cut with black garlic and black Chelan cherry relish — the rest feels less buttoned-up. See: tartare tartlets with cured quail egg, little blue corn and chestnut skillet bread, and a pot roast served over stone ground grits. Close out with an Amish butter popcorn sundae or the warm Taiwan milk tea rice pudding, finished with bourbon brown sugar raisins and cheese foam.

After a couple of years of mostly takeout/a la carte dining, the globe-trotting Malka has reopened with a three-course prix-fixe menu for $60, much of it pulling from old menu favorites. Start with a choice of crunchy options, like eggplant and zucchini fries with za’atar, honey, and feta or burrata toast, layered with vadouvan-roasted tomato jam, red curry bacon, and pistachio dukkah on Yukon gold sourdough. Next up are a duo of salads, one a fruity, herbaceous, punchy, crispy jasmine rice salad, the other featuring grilled broccoli and corn tossed with snap peas, herbs, and crunchies. The final course takes rice and noodle bowls to the nth degree, mixing everything from slow-roasted pork shoulder in lemongrass-tamarind fish sauce glaze and braised beef to sambal-glazed tofu and curry Bolognese. Each bowl, like most of the dishes here, combines a seemingly-unfathomable amount of surprising additions, but they work so well together every time.

We were hoping Clyde Common and Pepe le Moko weren’t the last Portland saw of lauded mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Thankfully, he’s back, this time in a different hotel lobby. Taking over the main floor of Scandinavian hotel KEX, Morgenthaler and Benjamin Amberg’s Pacific Standard are taking anytime food and drink to a new level. With Morgenthaler and Amberg at the helm, the menu puts drinks first. Think: lighter, all-day drinks including micheladas on tap, espresso martinis, and a bloody mary that’s not just for brunch. Cocktails are listed by ABV to help diners navigate their night (or day). Food here comes from Ned Ludd’s Jason French, with munch-y favorites like buttermilk ranch corn nuts, Walla Walla French onion dip with Ruffles, and hot sauce deviled eggs. A glimpse of a raw bar appears, too, with Willapa Bay oysters on the half-shell and a jumbo prawn cocktail. And large plates walk the line between pub grub (drive-thru burger and chicken Milanesa sandwich) and bistro (Puget Sound mussels with fennel and cream and steak frites). Don’t miss an order of Morgenthaler’s chocolate chip cookies either, available in orders of three, from the bar.

Find more info here.

The new shokupan-centric bakery from the group behind ramen hotspot Afuri brings together a number of Portland favorites in a one-of-a-kind way. The star of the show, the daily baked fresh milk bread, lends itself to brunch, here served simply with butter and seasonal jam, as a twist on avocado toast with yuzu, scallion, and shiso, and as French toast sticks, with candied pistachio. It’s available to buy, as-is, alongside a case of beautiful Japanese patisserie, like yuzu meringue tarts and Paris-brest. And maybe best of all (though really, this is all pretty great), are katsu sandos, ranging from the more-classic pork and chicken to the piquing beef-and-pork burger with curry sauce, green tomato, and the shareable Franchesina, a riff on the Portuguese classic with bacon, ham, linguica, gravy, fries, and more.

Find more info here.