The Buzz: Beaker & Flask

A revealing personal detail: I like lab equipment. Actually, I love it. The clear glass, the odd shapes, the tubes, the beakers (just the word "beaker" sets me off), the flasks. I'd use them for everything if I could only find a good (and cheap) supplier. So when I heard that there was a new bar in town called Beaker & Flask, I was in.

The "Walk, Don't Run"…refreshing and light.

I can't remember when there was that much anticipation around an opening. But then, the opening had been delayed for more than a year from first estimates by the various vagaries of remodeling an older space for a new purpose and the vicissitudes of dealing with the OLCC (all of which are exhaustively detailed in their blog). Owner Kevin Ludwig even did a stint as bar manager for Clyde Common for a bit, as he said, "because a boy and his dog cannot survive on intermittent staff meal(s) and smiles from strangers."

Ah, Blanche, we feel your pain.

But open he did, and the place is an airy yet fairly compact space with a minimalist, monochromatic, mid-century look. A long open bar stretches down one end and curvy round booths curl against the curved west-facing wall (how long has it been since you've seen round tuck-and-roll booths?) and there's a definitely low-key but efficient vibe on the part of the staff.

Squash blossoms with ricotta, peas and tasso ham.

The cocktails are as good, if not better, than many of the city's better bars, with a knowledgeable hands at the shaker. Housemade tonics appear, as do an array of bitters and unusual (though not just for the sake of being different) liqueurs. But the food here was the surprise, at least to me, since Ludwig's cocktails had been all I'd heard about.

On a couple of recent visits, the plates that chef Ben Bettinger, from Paley's Place and the James John Cafe, was throwing down were pretty much outstanding, the Mac & Cheese with blood sausage (top) being a must-have dish.

The smoked trout deviled eggs could have had more punch, but the grilled corn with roasted poblano aioli and grated cheese was to die for. Prices are extremely reasonable for food this good, and from all reports the scene here is already rocking.

Details: Beaker & Flask, 727 SE Washington St. Phone 503-235-8180.

Cutting Edge Cocktails? Right Here, Of Course!

Once again, the Grey Lady has caught on to what we Northwesterners already know. In a story in today's Dining section, titled "Let 100 (O.K., 8) Bartending Philosophies Bloom," out of a list of two dozen cutting edge bars, three are in Oregon and two are in Seattle.

Not that I'm feeling smug or anything, but when the leading newspaper in the U.S. says that more than twenty percent of the coolest bars in the country are right here, well, you gotta wonder what's wrong with the rest of the nation, don't you?

To get specific, it lauds Jeffrey Morgenthaler of the Bel Ami Lounge in Eugene for a gin and tonic made with his own recipe for agave-sweetened quinine syrup. In Portland, Daniel Shoemaker at the Teardrop Lounge, who crafts his own vermouth, falernum, blueberry shrub (a kind of cordial) and 15 bitters (quite the ambitious guy, I'd say) is listed with Kevin Ludwig of Clyde Common, who rebuilt the Negroni around Krogstad aquavit from House Spirits.

In Seattle, the two finalists are Murray Stenson at the Zig Zag Cafe (photo, top), who is apparently infusing tea into his gin, and Jamie Boudreau at Tini Bigs for his iterations on the classic martini.

It should be noted that Portland is also hailed for the nine craft distilleries within its city limits, and that Lee Medoff and Christian Krogstad are called out for their efforts at House Spirits (see Clyde Common, above). And in the Food Stuff column in the same section, Florence Fabricant raves Rogue Spirit's Spruce Gin (photo, left).

Which begs the question: When's the rest of the country going to catch up?

Top photo by Stuart Isett for The New York Times. Spruce gin by Tony Cenicola for The New York Times.