Welcome to Cascadia Wire, a look at restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.
Swank & Swine, Portland. [Photo: Avila/EPDX]
SEATTLE— Walden, a wine pop-up from a sommelier with a serious resume starts tonight in Pioneer Square. Luke Wohlers (The Herbfarm, RN74, Eleven Madison Park) is pouring 25 wines after-hours at a 12-seat bar inside the excellent Thai lunch spot Little Uncle. Walden happens every Friday and Saturday night through the end of September. [ESEA]
PORTLAND— This weekend, the Portland area hosts two of the region's top drinking events: Downtown's Oregon Brewer's Festival and wine country's International Pinot Noir Celebration. In case you've missed the boat on both, Eater PDX collects a half-dozen other booze events occurring between now and Labor Day. And if espresso is your preferred fix, check out the latest installment of Unfiltered for a look inside the charming Either/Or Cafe, named (in Portland style) for both Kierkegaard and Elliot Smith. [EPDX]
SEATTLE— This week, Eater Seattle reported on two restaurants currently under construction. Serving house-ground meat patties, boozy shakes, and greens, Giddy Up Burgers is opening in between Fremont and Ballard in early August. Looking ahead to December, Capitol Hill's Auto Row is the future home of Nue, a street food concept that will seat 30 and serve its full menu (and liquid nitrogen ice cream) from a walk-up window. [ESEA]
PORTLAND— Chef Daniel Mondok (who may know him from his restaurants Sel Gris and Paulee) has a new project in downtown Portland: Swank & Swine, two concepts now open inside the Paramount Hotel. Unsurprisingly, Swank is the fine-dining arm, offering Mondok's signature dishes like sweetbreads and aebleskiver and salt-and-pepper calamari. Swine, meanwhile, is the more casual moonshine and whiskey bar that lives true to its porky name: Expect dishes like pigs in a blanket and a sweet-and-savory bacon cheesecake. Head over to EPDX for a full look inside. [EPDX]