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Bit House Saloon

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Bit House Saloon was a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1] Established in 2015, the business operated in the Nathaniel West Buildings in the city's Buckman neighborhood. The high-energy squad "Team Riff-Raff" managed the bar from 2016 to 2021, hosting pop-ups and inviting other chefs to collaborate.

Bit House Saloon
Circular logo for the Bit House Saloon
Photograph of a building's front exterior
2013 photograph of the building which housed Bit House Saloon and Bit House Collective during 2015–2022
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedJuly 31, 2015 (2015-07-31)
Closed2022 (2022)
Chef
  • Ricky Bella
  • Carlo Lamagna
Street address727 Southeast Grand Avenue
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97214
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′03″N 122°39′40″W / 45.5175°N 122.6610°W / 45.5175; -122.6610

Bit House garnered a positive reception and was included in several lists of Portland's best bars. The business was named "Portland's 2015 Bar of the Year" by The Oregonian, and was named among Playboy's fifty "Best New Bars 2016". Bit House Saloon rebranded as Bit House Collective in 2021, staying open and serving meals and drinks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The managing partnership shifted to a new bartender and chef, as well as Pono Brewing, featuring "Filipino drinking food".

In June 2021, that management was replaced by Jewan Manuel's pop-up Plant Based Papi, serving vegan entries. By early 2022, the vegan Cuban pop-up restaurant Miami Nice used the space. Bit House Collective also hosted drag brunches before closing in 2022.

Description edit

Bit House Saloon was housed in an 1896 building constructed by Nathaniel West, part of the National Register of Historic Places-listed Nathaniel West Buildings, in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. Condé Nast Traveler described the bar as "a swanky cocktail lounge, a casual tap house, and a happy-hour destination", with "universal appeal".[2] In Moon Oregon (2020), Judy Jewell and W. C. McRae described the business as a "large and rollicking redbrick bar with a nice patio".[3]

Food menu edit

The food menu included a bologna sandwich, Rocky Mountain oysters,[1][4] and biscuits.[5] It was later changed[6] to include crunchwraps,[7] tacos, and tamales.[8] The restaurant also served chicken wings with jalapeño, serrano, fresno and ancho chilies with onion, garlic, vinegar and butter.[9] Bit House's brunch menu, launched in 2018, included "a melange of breakfast classics with a hint of Latin American flavors", such as horchata French toast, roasted poblano hash, a McMuffin-like breakfast sandwich with chorizo, and a frozen blackberry margarita.[10]

Drinks edit

Cocktails included the Ace of Spades (whiskey) and the Sloe Gin Fizz 3000 (gin, cinnamon, lemon, egg white, and a sodium bicarbonate cube).[5] The Wexter's Playground has been described as a "tiki and comic book-inspired behemoth ... starring a dinosaur, powdered sugar, and single-barrel brandy from Germain Robin". The drink included Orchard Pear liqueur, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, lime, Blackstrap bitters, and salted almond, and was garnished with a toy dinosaur, mint, and apple slices.[11] The Boom Swagger Swagger had Cruzan Black Strap Rum, falernum, Dry Curaçao, and Stumptown cold brew nitro draft.[12]

The K23 had rum, jasmine, mint, lemon, and beet, and the House of Bambooze had sherry, vermouth, and salted almonds.[13] The Breakfast with Paula Deen had coffee, cherry-washed bourbon, pecan milk, and "toffee-rich chantilly French cream liqueur".[14] One version of a boilermaker paired Angel's Envy Rye with Scrimshaw Pilsner, from North Coast Brewing Company.[15] The restaurant also served single-barrel bourbons on tap.[13]

Bit House Collective had a drink called the Padam, Pandan, Pandan O.F. with vodka, bourbon, pandan, blueberry, galangal root and bitters.[16]

History edit

Bit House Saloon edit

 
Bit House Saloon was housed in one of the Nathaniel West Buildings (pictured in 2012), which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Bit House" is a colloquial term for a cheap saloon.[17] The 150-seat Bit House Saloon opened on July 31, 2015,[18] in a space previously occupied for more than three decades by East Bank Saloon.[19][20] Elk Collective oversaw the remodel prior to opening.[18][19] Days after opening, shelves behind the bar displaying "rare, hard-to-find and almost-impossible-to-replace imported and Japanese whiskeys" collapsed.[21]

Bit House Saloon was named among Playboy's fifty "Best New Bars 2016".[22] The review began, "Five of Oregon's best bar managers walk into a bar. And they don't leave! Instead, they form Team Riff Raff, the high-energy squad behind Portland's Bit House Saloon."[22] Team Riff Raff members included Jesse Card, Chris Churilla, Nick Cifuni, Brian Gilbert, and Chauncey Roach.[23] Card left in 2017.[5]

Ricky Bella became chef in 2017. In 2022, Brooke Jackson-Glidden of Eater Portland wrote, "To bring people into the bar on slow nights, Bella began hosting pop-ups, collaborating with chefs and line cooks from around town; people like Top Chef and fellow Imperial alumnus Doug Adams would step into the kitchen at Bit House. He remembers one particular Cinco de Mayo with other Mexican American chefs; they set up a trompo outside the bar, made with a side of pork."[24][25]

Bit House hosted The Cockpit, an event described by Willamette Week as a "recurring deep house club staple", as of 2017.[26] Vektroid unveiled a "video mixtape" at the restaurant in 2018.[27]

Transition to Bit House Collective and closure edit

 
Logo for Bit House Collective

In 2021, Bit House Saloon was rebranded as Bit House Collective, with a changed managing partnership that included bartender Natasha Mesa, chef Carlo Lamagna of the restaurant Magna, and local brewery Pono Brewing.[28] Characterizing it as a "long-term takeover of Bit House", Pono Brewing said that "the island influence" of its beers would pair well with "Magna's food and Natasha's cocktails".[29] Bit House Collective began operating on March 3.[30]

Andrea Damewood of Willamette Week noted how the business was intentional during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants operated via take-out. She recommended the waffle fries and lumpia and said Mesa's cocktails were "clearly designed to complement" Lamagna's "Filipino drinking food, which state law insists you must order along with any cocktail to go".[16]

In June 2021, the Magna team left to open Magna Kusina and was replaced by Jewan Manuel's pop-up Plant Based Papi. For three months, Manuel served vegan tacos, pastas, and other comfort foods five days a week.[31] Plant Based Papi also served birria tacos, jalapeño mac and cheese, fried "chicken" sandwiches, and a birria burrito.[32][33]

The vegan Cuban pop-up restaurant Miami Nice used the space in early 2022.[34] Miami Nice served "Flantastic flan", described as "a light, custard-y dessert soaked in caramel syrup", as well as "a selection of shots, non-alcoholic cocktails, and frozen drinks with a vegan Cubanito, a sandwich featuring slow-roasted jackfruit marinated in a citrus mojo". Elizabeth Delgado and Chandler Petersen included Miami Nice in Eater Portland's 2022 overview of "where to find exceptional Cuban food in Portland and beyond", during the pop-up's tenure at Bit House.[35]

Bit House hosted a Great Gatsby-themed party for the 2021 New Year's Eve.[36] In March 2022, Bit House Collective began hosting Fever Dream, a monthly dance event series prioritizing LGBTQ+ DJs of color.[37] The event had "emcees, turntables, garish lights, and go-go dancers" and was staffed entirely by BIPOC individuals.[38] Bit House also hosted drag brunches in June (Pride Month) in 2021 and 2022.[31][39] In 2022, Bit House Collective closed and Swan Dive took over the space.[40]

Reception edit

The Oregonian named Bit House Saloon "Portland's 2015 Bar of the Year".[41] Playboy's review said that the "old-timey feel is dialed up to 11 at Bit House, where the floors are made from old bourbon barrels, the bar is built from Oregon wine barrel staves and the room is dotted with leather armchairs and brass light fixtures. The cocktail menu has bold cocktails alongside precious ones."[22] In his 2016 review of the bar, Willamette Week contributor Matthew Korfhage wrote:[42]

Bit House is a bit like a circus for bar people ... The crowd, meanwhile, is like a shotgun blasted into a census report—bar service pros, French tourists, old dudes, suburbanites, posh youth, you name it ... I literally never know what to expect in here, but there's always something new, and the eavesdropping at the back fire pit is some of my favorite in town.

Bit House was a runner-up in the Best New Bar category of Willamette Week's annual Best of Portland readers' poll in 2016.[43] The business received the editor's choice award for "Bar of the Year" from Mattie John Bamman of Eater Portland, as part of Eater Awards 2016.[44] In 2017, Bamman wrote, "Bit House Saloon offers perhaps the most comprehensive drink offerings in the city, from its in-house, single-barrel-spirits program, to well-priced, thoughtfully sourced boilermakers. Its creative cocktails even warrant hiring a full-time employee focused exclusively on bar prep."[5]

Thoms Ross of the Portland Mercury wrote in 2017:[45]

The pages-long cocktail menu at Bit House includes classics, blendies, swizzles, toddies, and even draft cocktails, yet what Bit House seems to specialize in is the novelty cocktail. It's not unlikely that you'll see a smoke gun behind the bar, or a sous-vide machine, or a contingent of Campari gummy bears. From an 'umami bomb' black-sesame-orgeat cocktail the color of dried lava, to a michelada with ceviche on top, the cocktail menu always features fun—often actually funny—cocktails, and yet they're preposterously delicious.

Lists edit

Emmie Martin included Bit House in Business Insider's 2015 list of Portland's 16 "coolest new businesses" and said the establishment was "already making waves in the Portland bar scene".[13] The Oregonian's Michael Russell included Bit House in his 2016 list of the city's 21 "essential" bars.[46] That year, Russell also included the business in his lists of Portland's 23 best patios and 25 "coziest restaurant and bar fireplaces".[47][48] He also listed it in a 2017 overview of the city's 37 "best restaurant and bar patios".[49]

Thrillist included the business in their 2016 lists of the city's best cocktail bars and the "best bars in Portland right now".[50][51] The website's "national burger critic" also ranked Bit House eleventh in a 2016 list of the city's best burgers.[52] Eater Portland included Bit House in a 2018 list of 25 happy hours "Portland can't live without" and a 2019 list of the city's 16 "essential" bars.[53][54] In 2018, The Daily Meal ranked Bit House number 49 in a list of the best bars in the U.S.,[55][56] and Condé Nast Traveler included the business in a list of Portland's thirteen best bars.[57]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Korfhage, Matthew (August 11, 2015). "Bit House Saloon, Reviewed". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Frane, Alexander. "Bit House Saloon". Condé Nast Traveler. Condé Nast. ISSN 0893-9683. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Jewell, Judy; McRae, W. C. (June 16, 2020). Moon Oregon. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-873-0. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  4. ^ "Portland's Must-Eat Wild Game Dishes". Thrillist. October 7, 2015. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Bamman, Mattie John (March 6, 2017). "Jesse Card OUT at Bit House Saloon". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Russell, Michael (August 24, 2016). "Portland's next great restaurant? You might find it at a bar". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 2, 2022). "In the Era of 'Meme Food,' Thinking Outside the Bun Reigns Supreme". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Booze, Tunes, and Spices—the Fifth Annual Portland Mercury Chili Jamboree Is All You Ever Wanted Out of Life!". Portland Mercury. November 15, 2017. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "These Six Oregonians Had Their Careers Sideswiped by the Pandemic. Here's What They Did to Stay Afloat". Willamette Week. March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 11, 2018). "Chorizo McMuffins Hit Bit House Saloon's New Brunch Service". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (October 13, 2015). "Drink This: Bit House Saloon's Wexter's Playground". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Pardilla, Caroline (September 8, 2015). "22 Impressive Cold Brew Cocktails and Where to Drink Them". Eater. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Martin, Emmie (October 19, 2015). "The 16 coolest new businesses in Portland". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. OCLC 1076392313. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "Coffee or Booze After Your Meal? Why Not Both". Willamette Week. October 28, 2016. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Emen, Jake (April 26, 2016). "Bars Are Classing Up Your Lowbrow Favorites". Eater. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Drink Mobile: Bit House Collective's Padam, Pandan, Pandan O.F. Is a Smooth Sipper for the Last Weeks of Winter". Willamette Week. March 14, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  17. ^ Slatta, Richard W. (1996). The cowboy encyclopedia. New York: W.W. Norton. p. 41. ISBN 9780393314731. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Bamman, Mattie John (August 26, 2015). "Tour The Decor of Ambitious, Historic Bit House Saloon". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Bakall, Samantha (July 21, 2015). "First look: Bit House Saloon, the ambitious single-barrel spirits bar, in Southeast Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  20. ^ Russell, Michael (March 21, 2015). "Bit House bringing single-barrel spirits to SE Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  21. ^ Walsh, Chad (July 14, 2016). "One Year In: Bit House's Jesse Card On Busted Bottles, Tattoos, And Finding Family At Work". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Sheppard, Alyson (October 24, 2016). "Bit House Saloon, Portland, Playboy Best Bars 2016". Playboy. Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  23. ^ "Portland's Most Influential & Kick-Ass Bartenders of 2016". Thrillist. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (December 16, 2022). "As Chef Ricky Bella Steps Into the Kitchen, a New Era for Palomar Begins". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Russell, Michael (July 7, 2017). "At Portland restaurants, Monday is the new Friday". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "Here Are Our Picks for the Very Best Portland Pride 2017 Events". Willamette Week. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  27. ^ "A Timeline of Vaporwave's Vektroid-Fueled Intersection with Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  28. ^ Frane, Alex (February 23, 2021). "A Deadshot Bartender and Celebrated Filipino Chef Will Take over the Former Bit House Space". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Prewitt, Andi (February 23, 2021). "Bit House Saloon Will be Revived as Bit House Collective with Pono Brewing Beers and Magna Food". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  30. ^ Wong, Janey (January 27, 2021). "A Guide to Portland's Bar, Restaurant, and Food Cart Openings". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  31. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (June 23, 2021). "Starting Next Week, Plant Based Papi Will Take Over the Kitchen at Bit House for Three Months". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  32. ^ Wu, Waz (July 13, 2021). "Plant Based Papi Will Join Fortune When the Nightclub Reopens in the Former Jackknife Space". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  33. ^ Moore, Jenni. "The Food at Plant Based Papi Is Worth Every Bit of the Hype". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  34. ^ "Portland Food News: Sports Bra, Thai Restaurant Yui, and Joy of Cooking Authors at Vivienne". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  35. ^ Delgado, Elizabeth (March 9, 2022). "Where to Find Exceptional Cuban Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  36. ^ "New Year's Eve 2021: Where to Dine, Drink and Dance in Portland". Willamette Week. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  37. ^ "A Comprehensive Guide to Portland's Best LGBTQ+ Nightlife". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  38. ^ "Portland Is Dancing Again". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  39. ^ "Burlesque Dancer Jayla Rose Sullivan Talks About Competing on "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls"". Willamette Week. June 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  40. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (September 19, 2022). "Eclectic Cart Nacheaux Is Moving Into a Southeast Portland Kitchen — for Now". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  41. ^ Powers, Colin (October 14, 2015). "Portland's 2015 Bar of the Year: Bit House Saloon". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  42. ^ Korfhage, Matthew (May 10, 2016). "Bit House Saloon". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  43. ^ "Best of Portland Reader's Poll 2016: The Complete List of Winners". Willamette Week. July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  44. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (November 16, 2016). "Eater Awards 2016: Announcing the Portland Winners". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  45. ^ Ross, Thomas. "A Toast to Your Arrival!". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  46. ^ Russell, Michael (August 26, 2016). "Portland's 21 essential bars". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  47. ^ Russell, Michael (April 1, 2016). "Portland's best patios: 23 restaurants and bars with radiant outdoor dining". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  48. ^ Russell, Michael (November 25, 2016). "Portland's 25 coziest restaurant and bar fireplaces". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  49. ^ Russell, Michael (May 4, 2017). "Portland's 37 best restaurant and bar patios". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  50. ^ Frane, Alex (July 13, 2016). "The Best Cocktail Bars in Portland". Thrillist. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  51. ^ Frane, Alex (December 13, 2017). "The Best Bars in Portland Right Now". Thrillist. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  52. ^ "The 11 Best Burgers in Portland, Ranked by Our National Burger Critic". Thrillist. July 27, 2016. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  53. ^ Frane, Alex (December 22, 2017). "The 25 Happy Hours Portland Can't Live Without". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  54. ^ Frane, Alex (March 23, 2018). "Portland's 16 Essential Bars, Winter 2019". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  55. ^ "The 150 best bars in America". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  56. ^ Butler, Grant (July 20, 2018). "21 more great Portland bars that are still going strong". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  57. ^ Frane, Alexander (December 20, 2018). "13 Best Bars in Portland, OR". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.

External links edit

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