PDX: Dinner and Drinks at Scotch Lodge
Daffodil Lament
On the top of my list for my Portland trip was to check out the then newly opened Scotch Lodge.
In all my years of going to PDX, I never met Tommy Klus who is responsible for many of my favorite bars in Portland. He was there the night I stopped in and he was just so nice and welcoming. Sadly I promptly lost the Scotch Lodge sticker he gave me — I should have stuck it on my notebook right away!
We settled into the bar and ordered a number of snacks and a few drinks. I admired the room and loved that the grate on the bar had tiny glencairn-shaped holes instead of the usual round circles!
I was immediately atttracted to the Daffodil Lament as I love chamomile. I was intrigued by the salted demarara which gave this drink a very balanced feel.
Daffodil Lament – chamomile and crown daisy infused-Scotch, salted demarara, egg white, lemon
beef tartare
I can’t resist ordering beef tartare everywhere I go. This one came with the chips on the side but I plated it for the photo. I loved the smoked celeriac. Great fresh take on a traditional beef tartare.
hamachi ceviche
I will eat fish, especially raw fish, anytime. Of course we ordered the hamachi ceviche. And it was delicious. I thought the tepache was interesting and the cucumbers added to the freshness.
Moneypenny
I really, really wanted to love the Moneypenny but felt it wasn’t balanced. It either needed to be more briny or a touch of sweetness to round it out. Instead, it came out a little dry and bitter. I see it isn’t on the menu anymore so perhaps it’s back to the drawing books for this one.
Moneypenny – London dry gin, smokey Scotch, sea bean-infused dry vermouth, saline, lemon oil
fried brie
When the fried brie came out, I was very surprised. It wasn’t like anything I imagined but then I thought about it– why wouldn’t fried cheese be in little logs? The brie is paired with pumpernickle, pistachio and verjus syrup.
grilled octopus
The grilled octopus was gorgeous and super tender! As much as I loved the octopus at Lechon, this may have been the best octopus I had in Portland.
pomme frites
The fries with dill pickle spice is genius. There were three of us and yet it was surprisingly just how quickly this bowl went. I would say we polished it off in 15 minutes. And yes, it comes with sour cream which greatly aided in the demolition of the fries.
No Sleep Til
After I couldn’t drink the Moneypenny, Scotch Lodge was nice enough to replace it with another drink. I chose No Sleep Til which was a lovel mezcal and Scotch stirred drink, just like how I like it–brown, bitter and stirred!
No Sleep Til – mezcal, single malt Scotch, Amer, coriander-infused vermouth
I had a great time and hope to make it back to the Pacific Northwest soon to try the new drinks and food at Scotch Lodge.
215 SE 9th Ave., Ste 102, Portland, OR 97214 — (503) 208-2039
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