{"id":11246,"date":"2015-12-31T12:50:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T17:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=11246"},"modified":"2015-12-31T12:50:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T17:50:37","slug":"roustabout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/roustabout\/","title":{"rendered":"Roustabout"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2016 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

La Dolce<\/em> Bayside<\/span><\/h3>\n

Refined Italian classics return to the revitalized downtown end of Washington Avenue.<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Restaurant-WG16\"Roustabout, in the heart of Portland\u2019s burgeoning East End gentrification, is pretty much at capacity on our arrival on a weeknight at 7 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seated, we marvel at the huge former Nissen Bakery\u2013now a modern mix of silver and gold, with soaring white and gray walls, supported by proudly exposed steel I-beams, surmounted by all the things that used to be hidden: air ducts, plumbing, and electrical fixtures.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s loud and joyful here. We order an Old Fashioned, Frisco Style ($10)\u2013rye, benedictine, and barrel bitters\u2013selected from a cocktail list that runs from the classic Negroni ($9) to the East Bayside cocktail (vodka, fresh herbs, bubbles, $11).<\/span><\/p>\n

The menu at first seems like a time warp: Caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese, chicken fra diavolo, minestrone, garlic bread. Our server explains that Roustabout\u2019s gnocchi is Roman and therefore not what we may be expecting. Sure enough, a pair of four-inch squares of baked semolina (not<\/em> little potato pillows) arrives, crisped and brushed with marinara and topped with fresh parsley, the culinary find of the night. And at $8, it will be a repeat performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fritto Misto ($13), billed as an appetizer, is a heaping plate full of goodness. Octopus, calamari, mussels, and veggies are fried to golden brown in a light batter and accompanied by smoked-pepper aioli with just the right kick.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re drawn to Smoked Baby Backs ($20). Falling off the bones, the flavorful meat is infused with a smoky richness that carries over into the accompanying rigatoni.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll return for the tiramisu ($10) made with \u201ccold brew and Allen\u2019s.\u201d Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. (and 10 to midnight) with $3 beers, $5 cocktails, wines, and endearing surprises such as chicken liver mousse ($4) and house ricotta ($4).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Roustabout, 59 Washington Ave., Portland Open Tues.-Fri., 11:30 p.m.-12 a.m., Sat.-Sun., 5 p.m.-12 a.m. with brunch 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 536-4008 or http:\/\/Roustabout.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2016
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