In my quest for food and drink (what else?) I stumbled upon a burger sitting in the window of Central, a quaint cocktail bar.  I stopped to get permission to photograph the burger and was approached by the owner, Dustin Knox, and chef, Aaron Crane.  We chatted a bit about my visit to the city and then they invited me inside to have a cocktail and take photos.  They could have stopped at cocktail, but I was thrilled for the opportunity to shoot some photos.

The place was small.  It had an industrial theme with a Portland twist.  The mounted deer head said ‘welcome to the Northwest’.  Industrial filament bulbs filled the space with appropriately dim light.  The bar was a beautiful rough-edged wood slab.  While somewhat masculine, they were clever enough to introduce some subtle softer touches like the gorgeous stemware, brocade wall covering, and vases filled with zinnias.

As I approached the bar, I had no idea what I would order.  I typically stick to my go-to gin and tonic or dirty martini, but based on the backlit bar wall and dapper bartender I knew they had more to offer than standard libations.  I met the bartender, Micah, who asked about my preferences and then he promptly recommended a Martinez.  This is apparently a classic drink that, until that Sunday, I had never tasted or even known.  Thank goodness for adventurous spirit!

Micah prepared my drink expertly and presented it in a most apropos glass.  The drink is smooth and tastes a bit of amaretto, but not in an overbearing almondy way.  I finished it over conversation about Portland.  I didn’t want the conversation (or the drink) to end, so I had another.  The Martinez wasn’t reason enough to move to Portland eventually, but it’s nice to know it’ll be there after a long weekend of unpacking.