Thirst

I had a mani/pedi at Pink & White down on the west waterfront, so we decided to check out Thirst Wine Bar because it’s right next door.

Side note: That area is insanely hard to find. I’m never going back to Pink & White just to avoid driving down there.

And it sure wouldn’t be worth it to go for Thirst, either. I’d heard good things about it, but they were all exaggerations. They’ve got prime tourist location – directly on the waterfront with a lovely bridge view – and they’re completely resting on those laurels. My cocktail, the “Daisy Duke,” was tasty but not terribly creative. Drink list definitely more on the frou-frou side than the clever side.

The food was so-so. Nothing terrible, but nothing very good, and the prices were very, very high. The glass prices for wine were also exceptionally high.

Basically, it’s an expensive tourist trap masquerading as a hip Portland wine bar. Fail.

Spint’s Alehouse

Time for bar/restaurant review catch-up time too! Starting with Spint’s Alehouse, a hip new spot on NE 28th & Flanders. And by hip I mean it just opened last November and everybody’s raving about it – the atmosphere is actually very mellow Portland.

I went for happy hour and had a great cocktail… Sadly, I can’t remember the name of it and nothing on their online cocktail list looks familiar. Suffice it to say, their mixology is clever and leans more toward the complex than the foofy/sweet. The happy hour red wine was good too, and their wine list wasn’t huge but was still fairly impressive.

The happy hour menu was delicious. They lean toward hearty peasant fare – we had a cheese plate, a charcuterie plate, and an incredible lamb-stuffed pastry, the name of which also escapes me and I can’t find on their online menu. (I really, really need to do these updates sooner.)

Their main menu is definitely in the $$$ range, but from what I tried at happy hour, it’s worth it. I’m especially looking forward to summer when they can put tables outside.