My wife and I had been anxiously awaiting the Grand Opening of O'Dear Bar & Grill ever since we noticed the building being renovated for a new tenant. We were hoping that a fresh, adventurous, upscale bar and restaurant experience would be the first step in the (hopeful) revitalization of the Parkrose neighborhood. We've got more than our fair share of dive bars, and we're looking forward to something a little classier and more modern to move into the area.
Thus, on their Grand Opening day, we wasted no time in wandering down the street to check them out, and see what they were all about. Were they everything I'd hoped they'd be? To that, I can wholeheartedly say "O'Dear, yes!"
We arrived around 2pm: if we weren't their first customers, we were definitely among the top 5. We were seated immediately, and glanced over the food and drink menus, settling on a couple of cocktails, and two appetizers to split: the bacon-wrapped, goat-cheese stuffed jalapenos, and the charcuterie board, loaded with savory meats and cheeses, nuts, jams and jellies, my favorite of which being the spicy tomato one: I'll take some of that home in a jar, thank you very much!
The quality of the ingredients, as well as the skill of the preparation, is top notch, and outshines anything served at competing establishments for miles around. I've stayed at high-class hotels whose kitchens would struggle to produce fare of this pedigree...and this in Parkrose? It feels like dining in an upscale restaurant downtown P-Town. Well, the *old* downtown, before it went to hell in a handcart.
Our drinks were similarly both fantastic! At first, I decided to order the topmost cocktail on the menu, my stand-by, the Old Fashioned, but I was talked into trying the Cold Brew Old Fashioned instead, and I doubt I will be ordering anything else in the future. The addition of coffee gives it a pleasant bitter edge that somehow doesn't conflict with the bittersweet potency of the whiskey. It made me an instant fan! My wife ordered a drink called Hemingway's Keys, which tasted exactly as you would expected: Key Lime in a glass. She ended up ordering another, she enjoyed it so much, leaving me to order the Harley Quinn, another drink she'd been eyeballing on the menu, so that she could sample it, and let me finish it off. The best way to describe it would be: GLITTER!
Service was friendly, attentive and efficient. I didn't catch our server's name, sadly, and although she was relatively green, she didn't miss a step anywhere throughout the experience. She was pleasant and punctual during our entire experience. We were also visited at least once by the chef de cuisine, as well as (one of the) owners, Jared, who conversed with us on some of the inspirations behind the menu items (each has their own unique twist on an existing entrée), cocktails, expectations for the bar, the neighborhood, and future events. Jared was obviously passionate and dedicated into transforming his childhood stomping grounds into something more than it has become over the past few decades, and hopes that this venture will be the first of many improvements to a part of the city in sore need of care and attention. From what we've seen so far, they're off to a resounding start!
After our experience today, I can claim with confidence that Parkrose officially has a worthy bar, restaurant and night life *destination*; a place that one chooses to patronize based on its merits, instead of location or convenience. O'Dear's is the first star on the map of a slowly gentrifying corner of the city (and I use that term in its most positive connotation).
O'Dear's is open from noon to 1am daily, and is family friendly up until 8pm every day. After that, drop the little ones off back at home, and get ready to party. Live music will be a weekend feature in the coming weeks, and I'm sure other events will find their way here as well. Looking forward to seeing that O'Dear's has in store! read more