{"id":10310,"date":"2014-12-31T11:43:31","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T16:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=10310"},"modified":"2014-12-31T11:43:31","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T16:43:31","slug":"portland-after-dark-tables-for-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/portland-after-dark-tables-for-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland After Dark: Tables for Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2015 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Discover special Valentine spots hidden in plain sight.<\/h3>\n

By Olivia Gunn<\/p>\n

\"WG15-After-Dark\"<\/a>We walk into Salvage with no idea how large the barbecue joint actually is. We were hoping to catch some live music, drink a few beers, and pick at some ribs, but not tonight. There are far too many people here\u2013the entire bar is lined with folks sitting shoulder to shoulder. I\u2019m not about to fight my way through, so we head next door to the tiny Thai house where Christmas lights hang year-round.<\/p>\n

Saeng Thai House<\/strong> is cozy and perfect for two-person parties. With maybe 10 small tables, you\u2019ll probably never find a family or reunion of friends there, which makes it all the more special to me. It\u2019s intimate because of the size but feels more like grandma\u2019s kitchen than other spots like Mi Sen that can feel a little too sterile.<\/p>\n

Saeng Thai doesn\u2019t serve alcohol but has a BYOB policy. We consider a quick beer run but settle on a hot Thai tea. No drinks tonight. Our Basil Pad Thai arrives still steaming, and soon, along with the rest of the patrons, we\u2019re in silence, devouring.<\/p>\n

The matriarch appears from the back of the kitchen, scans the faces for satisfaction, and gives her orders. A moment later she\u2019s disappeared in a billow of smoke, back into the kitchen. I can\u2019t help picture my own grandmother standing over the table, making sure my cousin gets enough gravy or my sister gets sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n

Though there are hipper spots and fancier menus with cocktails we can\u2019t pronounce, Saeng Thai feels like home. And on a February night in Portland, sometimes that\u2019s what you need.<\/p>\n

Hideout on Congress Street<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the basement of the old Roma Cafe, the new Bramhall<\/strong> is an unexpected refuge on Congress Street. We walk from Monument Square trying without luck to avoid the Friday Art Walk crowds as we begin our trek back toward State. I\u2019d overheard at a holiday party that there was a new \u201csecret\u201d bar on Congress. Hoping to find it before the other 30 people who overheard this secret, we agree tonight seems as good a night as any.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s past the Rite Aid but before Salvage. At least that\u2019s what she said.\u201d [In another life, Portlanders used to base their directions on the legendary Roma Cafe, which held court above the rathskeller we\u2019re heading for.]<\/p>\n

We baby-step along the sheet of ice that\u2019s claimed the sidewalk and are about to give up after a minor slip when we spot a group of friends heading into the basement of 767. We decide to follow them, casually nodding our hello.<\/p>\n

We hang our coats in the foyer and pull open the door, anxious to know just where we\u2019ve ended up. It swings open, and we\u2019re blown in by a gust of cold. Some patrons glare at the shocking chill.<\/p>\n

Bramhall is dimly lit with stone walls and small tables. The bar is full, so we take a spot in the center of the room. Behind a giant stone pillar is another area cut off from the rest. Perfect for couples wanting more privacy, but we\u2019re happy enough to have found seats.<\/p>\n

It seems to be the spot for pairs and pairs of pairs. Couples and double dates surround us, all engaged in private conversations. It\u2019s nice to see people looking at one another, no alien iPhone glows illuminating their faces.<\/p>\n

Bramhall isn\u2019t really a secret, or at least it won\u2019t be for long, but I imagine the crowd it draws will always be those looking to escape the hustle. Couples who can sit and discuss the day without checking emails, the nine-to-fivers who needs a little quiet time before heading home, and every now and then the curious travelers looking for a warm burrow and strong drink.<\/p>\n

Jazzy Lady<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bearded Lady\u2019s Jewel Box<\/strong> is my new favorite bar. It\u2019s where I\u2019ll bring friends, family, even enemies just to spend more time there.<\/p>\n

Located at 644 Congress Street, you might miss it if you\u2019re not careful. Searching for it myself, I peer into darkened windows until my companion and I are finally pointed in the right direction. We enter a surprisingly large space with a loft hovering above the bar, tall ceilings, and a funky Regency-style mural on the wall. It looks empty for being the talk of everyone in town. I start to wonder if anyone really does<\/em> know where it is.<\/p>\n

Either way, we\u2019re happy. The less the merrier in our book. Our bartender is friendly and offers us antique-framed menus. \u201cHow many of these have broken?\u201d I ask, careful not to shatter it myself. \u201cA few. Everything is pretty old and fragile in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

We browse over the week\u2019s cocktails that go for $10. I end up choosing a glass of \u2018red.\u2019 Another bartender brings a tiny sample to taste, but I admit I can normally drink whatever Trader Joe\u2019s has in a box. Both bartenders laugh and step aside to reveal exactly that. They\u2019ve just run out of bottled wine and have Trader\u2019s on reserve. It\u2019s a perfect moment to introduce ourselves, and we discover we\u2019re meeting Nathaniel Meiklejohn, the Bearded Lady himself, owner of the bar.<\/p>\n

We chat a while, he about starting his own spot after working at Local 188 and we about moving to Portland not so long ago. As evening settles, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone keep a calming soulful vibe rolling throughout the bar.<\/p>\n

After our first round, we try a beer brewed specifically for the Jewel Box by In\u2019finiti, on the house. We chat among ourselves and between bartenders and eventually promise to be back for their next dance party.<\/p>\n

The Jewel Box isn\u2019t trying to be the new hot spot in Portland but rather a peaceful haven for locals. For that reason alone, it may soon find itself busy every night.<\/p>\n

A Friendly Brew<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a day of work, sometimes it\u2019s best to ditch the frills and head to Sebago<\/strong> for soft pretzels and beers. With 5 p.m. behind us, coworkers, friends, and couples join for happy hour on the corner of Fore Street at Franklin Arterial. The Brewpub is one of the larger restaurants in the Old Port so there\u2019s always room. We take a booth near the back, each of us facing TVs. Not the most romantic, but there are nights when all you need is the company and can omit any conversation. We\u2019re apparently not the only couple with that idea, because the majority of people are watching ESPN as 1990s pop\/rock plays around us. Our $5 pretzels arrive piping hot, providing another reason for silence. Nothing wrong with taking a break and simply being. We\u2019ll soon be home with chores to do and dinner to make, but for now we can sit in a bar and pretend we\u2019ve got nowhere else to be.<\/p>\n

Out & About in\u00a0Darkest Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re gallery hounds. This evening, we\u2019re at a Photo A Go-Go<\/strong> event at The Bakery Photo Collective in a giant gallery that\u2019s part of the Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook. Photo A Go-Go is an opportunity for local photographers to get together, network, and enjoy an evening of celebrating their work. Local artists donate photographs to be auctioned off, and the money raised goes back to the Collective. We arrive to a packed gallery of photographers and their families, friends, and fans. Everyone looks great, and it\u2019s refreshing to see people out and about in the dark of winter. A live band plays as we move through the gallery, deciding which photography we\u2019ll bid on. Fil\u2019s work is gathering a small crowd, and we can\u2019t help but watch for their reactions.<\/p>\n

Beers, snacks, and the exhibit jump-start our Friday night. We\u2019re energized by the huge photography community and pumped to get back into our own creative work.<\/p>\n

Around 7 p.m., we head back to Portland to celebrate with dinner in the West End. We\u2019d been to Caiola\u2019s<\/strong> ages ago for a wedding reception and were happy to find that it\u2019s now only a few blocks from where we ended up living. The restaurant looks much smaller than it really is, but the coziness of the front dining area draws us in, even without a warm welcome from anyone. When we arrive we\u2019re told we can either wait for a half an hour for a table or take two seats at the bar. We choose the bar and sit next to a group of women who appear to have been going at some dirty martinis for a while who either don\u2019t notice us or have decided to ignore us. Either way, we make ourselves comfortable. I order a glass of wine and Fil a beer to accompany our chicken marsala and lamb chop with roasted Brussels sprouts.<\/p>\n

Caiola\u2019s is a great restaurant for a small family dinner or double date. We wonder if it would be welcoming to a lone diner as we enjoy our dinner and drinks. We don\u2019t stay for a nightcap and head to Ruski\u2019s instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2015
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