Clyde Common

[sara]

Last week I spent 5 days in Portland with my husband and infant son. We hit Alberta Street Oyster Bar on our first night, which was very good but not as kid-friendly as we'd hoped. But on our 2nd night a friend turned us on to a new spot, just around the corner from the Governor Hotel where we were staying--and this place was a dream. I looked on Egullet--and no mention of it so far--so I decided to give y'all a heads up on Clyde Commons.

This is a beautiful lofty space with communal dining at very large tables. The staff is very friendly--we had the same waiter on both of our visits (last Thursday and Sunday) and he couldn't have been more spot-on with his recommendations and he was superbly kind to my son.

And the food rocks! Seriously excellent innovative, consistently fresh and delicious--the menu changes daily, and there's a lot to choose from, especially considering the size of the kitchen. Plus a lengthy cocktail list of treats. Some of our favorites included terrific frogs legs with a cilantro cream, fennel sausage/octopus/fried potatoes/ink, chicken-fried chicken liver, beef tongue/seared scallop/beets/tomato jam, a meatboard featuring braised pork belly and a chilled shot of vodka, and a whole roasted dorade with english peas. Also good but not at stellar were a carrot gnudi with mint, and an heirloom tomato salad. We also had a side of lovely radishes, served very simply with a pat of butter and sea salt. I tried a fig cocktail the first night, but my anemic mary on the second night took the prize--serrano chili and sundried tomato vodka, celery juice and sour mix. We also tried several roses by the glass--the wines by the glass also varied by night.

I believe our bill for 2 people with 1-2 drinks, no dessert, each was around $60-70. Very very good deal. This place is right next to the Ace hotel on Stark St. A gem--it made our trip-- we could dine with our son in a place that was actually welcoming to him, and eat very very well.

[Chris Amirault]

I'm hearing more good things about this place, including the cocktail menu. Any updates?