Where to Eat in April: Firehouse, Chelo, Jacqueline, and More

Now that the clocks have jumped forward, the flowers are blooming and we’ve crossed the 60-degree-day threshold, it can only mean one thing: patio season is near. Get a jump-start on the best time of the year with cool spring nights at one of Northeast Portland’s most beloved wood-fired spots. Meals are a simple luxury here, with effortlessly lovely plates like coal-roasted carrots tossed in garlic, chile, and honey over ricotta; fried cauliflower with crispy garlic and lemon crema; radicchio salad with pops of citrus and candied walnuts; rigatoni carbonara with crushed peas; basil-kissed margherita pizza, and whole, roasted trout with charred lemon and salsa verde. Drinks and cocktails take the easy-breezy route, too, with updated classics and riffs on Italian mainstays, wines by the glass, and an ever-rotating draft list of local suds.

Three days a week, as part of the newly created Dame Collective, chef Luna Contreras serves a short menu of mostly gluten-free Mexican-inspired dishes inspired by her Jaliscan grandmother. Contreras’ pop-up — currently a way-station while she works on opening a snack bar and bakery later this year — is a popular one, with seats that often sell out. The short menu balances vegan and not-vegan options well, kicking off with a brassica, beet, and blood orange salad tossed in a citrus-miso vinaigrette before diving into short rib and sweet potato tamalitos, and vegan mushroom and kale gorditas. Larger dishes like roasted branzino with rapini and gigande beans and confit duck leg in mole negro with housemade tortillas make for great sharing. As part of the Dame Collective (which includes last month’s Clandestino from former Republica chef Lauro Romero), Contreras shares in the load of running a restaurant, with each restaurant keeping all of their food sales while Dame keeps beverage profits. So far, several of our favorite concepts in town have called Dame home (not to mention their bottle list!) so we’re always looking for a reason to come back.

Find more info here and book upcoming Chelo events on Dame’s Resy page.

This Clinton neighborhood oyster favorite is one of the city’s few seafood-centric spots and it’s easy to see why with their $1 oyster happy hour (harvested and delivered the same day!) and seasonal menu. Said menu kicks off with oysters and small plates, focusing on simple but creative preparations of high-quality fish before diving into seasonal salads and larger format dishes. A Belgian endive and cara cara orange salad celebrates the impending end to citrus season, while charred Savoy cabbage with butternut squash pays homage to the root vegetables that supported us through the winter months. Elsewhere, global-inspired favorites like Dungeness crab toast with Calabrian chiles, seared wild prawns with fresh turmeric curry, and whole, cedar-planked McFarland trout remind us what’s irresistible all year round. Can’t decide what to order? For $90/person (with whole table participation required), the restaurant will choose for you.

Amid the growing number of fun places to drink wine in Portland, none can match OK Omens’ tasting notes and menu pairings. How could you compete with a “savory, grippy Oregon orange wine that tastes like a bergamot iced tea steeped with salty orange peels and spice cabinet” This never-too-serious little sister to fine-dining restaurant Castagna pairs its casual-yet-deeply-descriptive tasting notes with tasty snacks and plates that bring out the best of both. Chug — their recommendation, not ours — an Oregon natural sparkling that “tastes like you carbonated a floral, citrusy smoothie” with the Dungeness crab rice, dotted with pickled peppers and chile aioli. An “insanely refreshing German riesling”  that “tastes like freshly washed laundry and mineral paste” brings out the best of the marinated ahi wrapped in shiso leaves. We could go on, or you can just go and order for yourself.

Snowy Village, an international bingsu and taiyaki cafe with a cult f0llowing, has just arrived in Portland. Known for its mile-high, feathery Korean “snow cream” — the shaved ice recipe blends both milk and condensed milk for a perfectly sweet, downy bite —  Snowy Village tops their airy desserts with fresh fruit, red beans, rice cakes, matcha, and more. It’s the newest “it” dessert place in town and it’s not hard to see why, with only a handful of other bingsu spots across the entire Metro region. Elsewhere on the popular menu, Snowy Village also brings a new twist to taiyaki, typically a doughy, fish-shaped pastry with fillings like red bean and Nutella. Here, batter is switched for a layered croissant dough, giving the taiyaki a flaky crunch for both sweet and savory fillings, like custard and pizza.

Find more info here.

A new ramen shop brings owner Isaac Ocejo’s favorite (’90s) things to life. Toyshop Ramen, located across the street from Killingsworth Avenue’s Dame, is chock-a-block with vinyl figurines, kitschy cocktail creations, arcade games and pinball machines, and ramen recipes honed at Wafu and the pandemic-era Noodle Gang.

The restaurant — opened with help from David Sigal and Blake Foster (of across-the-street Gabbiano’s fame) — features near-fever dream-level creations. Find snacks like cabbage sprinkled with chicken bullion powder (you know the reference), katsu korn dogs, and popcorn shaken with furikake and nutritional yeast. Bowls of ramen run the gamut of styles — from a shio broth with chicken meatballs and burnt leek powder to spicy miso with ground pork and pork belly. The cocktail menu channels ’90s nostalgia too, with drinks named for one very specific era (and whose references say a lot about the age of this author), like the There’s a Snake in My Boot, I’m a Llama Again, and Moon Shoes. Relive the golden years Wednesday to Sundays.

Walk-ins only. Find more info here.

An oldie-but-goodie on Portland’s breakfast scene, Tin Shed has been serving up family- and dog-friendly brunches for more than 20 years. You’ll find breakfast classics, like two eggs any style, vegetable- and pesto-laced scrambled eggs, and a trio of variations on eggs Benedict. But other offerings include breakfast plates stacking what seems like every breakfast food there is on one dish; scrambles stacked atop potato cakes or cheesy grits; and a short menu of sugary starts like French toast and biscuits with jam. If you’re bringing your pup to breakfast, there’s food for them here, too (and it doesn’t need to come from your plate), like chicken thighs and sweet potatoes or a lil peanut butter and banana smoothie to make sure your best friend is well-fed, too.

A brand-new vegan cocktail bar from Farm Spirit’s Aaron Adams brings vegan bar snacks with a Cuban influence, cocktails, and meticulously crafted zero-proof drinks. Notably not a reboot of the 12-course vegan tasting menu that put Adams on the map, Workshop fills a culinary void that we haven’t seen in town yet: Cuban tapas, with a menu of dishes inspired by the ones Adams grew up eating with his aunt.

Keep it small and snacky with tiny peppers with cultured cashew queso blanco, or make it special with Workshop’s one-of-a-kind caviar service, featuring housemade vegan caviar paired with MSG biscuits, chives, and cashew kefir cream. If you’re going with a group, order a handful of platitos (we’re partial to the koji vegetable “charcuterie” plate). The zero-proof cocktail menu impresses here as well, with all housemade bitters, syrups, tinctures, and more.

Find more info here.

This Division Avenue spot has been a favorite for years, especially for its outdoor patio and margaritas. Start with fried cauliflower in jalapeno pipian or the queso fundido before diving into larger dishes like the pollo in mole de xico of Yucatan pork and black beans. “On the fly” dishes offer a more casual take, with things like taco plates, burritos, and bowls to larger entrees like rotisserie chicken and Yucatan smoked pork. Frozen meals, too, are still available for takeout or safe-keeping for a rainy day (as well as those same margaritas, simply in adult Capri Sun pouch form) and you’ll now be able to find their tortilla chips on the shelves at New Seasons and Market of Choice.

Northwest Portland’s newest restaurant, Zula, brings a taste of Tel Aviv to Portland. From couple Elizabeth Stull and Tal Dubitski, who moved from Israel last year, Zula showcases the diversity of cuisines in their hometown, with dishes that incorporate Moroccan, Greek, Lebanese, and Iranian influences. Most of the shared-is-best menu lives in the small plates section, with crunchy bites like filo and feta, served hot with local honey and sesame seeds, and fried cauliflower with yogurt and berbere, paired with spreads best swiped with Zula’s housemade pita dotted with fresh herbs, like hummus topped with stewed chickpeas and a soft boiled egg, and housemade labneh. The rest of the menu is dedicated to a quartet of skewers — salmon, chicken, mushroom, and lamb — dusted in spices and served either as a plate or a la carte.

Find more info here.