Hungry Eye 68 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine from top left to right: courtesy woodford f+B (2); flickr.com/julian; Carol Borchardt mized,” says Shambaugh. “It’s the best take on a ham and cheese sandwich you’ve ev- er had.” It’s hard to argue, considering the excellent smoked ham, impeccable Swiss cheese, rustic bread, and flawless béchamel. Then there’s the ambience–deep, plushy booths, a long bar, plate-glass windows overlooking the great white way of Forest Avenue traffic–and the background mu- sic. “We believe in vinyl,” says Shambaugh. Spinning old albums on a turntable “is the right soundtrack for what we do here.” Here is where you rediscover the for- gotten pleasures of Oysters Rockefeller, a grilled steak and fries, and Scallops Grati- nee. “We do the old things we like,” says Loreg. “The gratinee is basically scallop casserole.” Don’t pigeonhole these dishes as straight-up retro, though. The cheese fon- due is made with Great Hill Blue. The Kale, Frisee, and Radicchio with Poached Egg appetizer is “a hybrid of classic Caesar and Lyonnaise salads.” The dressing is bright and lemony, spiked with pecorino, and the croutons and pork lardons have been swapped out for crisp, golden coins of fried fingerling potato. ALL THE RIGHT MOVES We go in search of more reimagined clas- sics, and we find some at Scales on Com- mercial Street. The big, airy seafood restau- rant has windows for days overlooking the commercial waterfront and ferry traffic. Co-owner Dana Street admitted from the outset that he was giving a nod to the old Durgin Park in Boston, but we sense even more of bygone Anthony’s Pier 4 elegance. S ince this is a Street-and-partners es- tablishment–as are Fore Street and Street & Company–there’s the sig- nature poured-concrete bar, complete with narrow trench for crushed ice to accommo- date your raw-bar selections. There’s mel- low, repurposed wood, flattering lighting, and lazily rotating ceiling fans. Like the other two spots, Scales looks terrific and the service is professional. There’s Boston brown bread with baked beans and bacon, if you must, and wonder- ful old staples such as grilled skirt steak, short-rib pot roast, and pan-roasted duck breast. More thrilling, on a recent visit the evening’s specials are Monkfish Au Poivre, and Skate Schnitzel with an egg on top served with spätzle. How’s that for shaking up the classics? A couple of old salts next to us at the bar pick their way through a pile of Jonah crab claws heaped on ice in front of them. On our other side, a young woman and her date are sharing an appetizer of smoked bluefish on julienned, roasted beets over a swirl of lemony yogurt, all of it crowned with a tangle of brilliant green dill. (Beets are still very much in style.) Our bartender, Morgan, actually asks us if we’d “like that martini shaken or stirred.” We urge her to use her judgment. We give a start when we discover there are no Parker House rolls on the menu. When Scales opened last year, it received much fanfare for its distinctive version. “They change the menu constantly,” says Morgan. “The Parker House rolls will prob- ably be back at some point, but right now they’ve switched it up to cloverleaf rolls with chive butter.” Later, we track down Parker House rolls baked fresh daily at Grant’s Bak- “Parker House rolls are as much of a tradition in the United States as any bread.They were created,so the story goes,by the Parker House in Boston,which was one of our great nineteenth- century hostelries.Parker House rolls should be delicate, soft,and rather sweet,typical of American rolls in the nineteenth century,and they consume butter by the tons.” –James Beard [Clockwise from top left]With its funky mid-century architecture and preference for vinyl it’s no surpriseWoodford Food & Beverage is championing the return of retro menu items; keep an eye out for deviled eggs on bar menus across town,including LFKand Hot Suppa; classic Steak au Poivre makes a welcome return to Portland courtesy of Timber Steakhouse; and the ultra-hip bone marrow trend shows no sign of waning in Portland. “Ever heard of bone broth? At least as a term, bone broth is relatively new, popu- larized–even hipsterized–by the rise of the paleo diet, which focuses on the consump- tion of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, or the kinds of foods that may have formed our di- et during the Paleolithic era. The broth, usu- ally homemade but increasingly available at shops and through special order, boasts a thick texture with a pronounced flavor, and it’s the latest darling of the health food world, with cookbooks, websites, and even a Southern California restaurant devoted to the stuff.”–The Virginian Pilot Here in Portland, LB Kitchen took a chance on the trend. You can buy a warming 12oz. cup of ‘Liquid Gold’ to sip while you eat at the petite bistro on the East End. “It took some convincing before [chef and owner Lee Farrington] agreed to serve it,” says life and business partner Bryna Gootkind with a complicit smile. Made from chicken bone broth, turmeric, and coconut chili oil, the ‘drink’ has a salty kick that Gootkind says is “packed with good fats.” ‘Same Stock,’ Different Name