Neighborhood:
Alberta In the past dozen years, the Alberta-Concordia neighborhood has transformed from one of inner Portland’s last black neighborhoods, first into a refuge for fringe artists and finally into a less hippie, more hipster version of its Southeast Portland relative, the Hawthorne District. (read more) Alberta is still diverse, but gone is the heyday of the Clown House (a communal, bike-strewn freak-out home that once stood on Alberta), and the street’s gift shops and eateries seem increasingly targeted at a less colorful, more moneyed crowd. That’s not to say Alberta is a big co-opted bore à la the Pearl. Food is the top draw here—from the gigantic, Southern-fried breakfasts at Francis (2338 NE Alberta St., 288-8299) to the golden-brown, slightly spendy fish and chips at Halibut’s (2525 NE Alberta St., 808-9600). Alberta also has some of the city’s best taquerias, like neighboring La Sirenita (2817 NE Alberta St., 335-8283) and La Bonita (2839 NE Alberta St., 281-3662). There’s also more Thai food than you can shake a stick at, from bomb-ass red curry at Thai Noon (2635 NE Alberta St., 282-2021) to banana-roasted pork at upscale Siam Society (2703 NE Alberta St., 922-3675). For the full and the dieting, Alberta offers quaint gift shops galore, flush with silkscreened tees and crafty knickknacks. It also has one of Portland’s best new and used music stores, Trade Up Music (1834 NE Alberta St., 335-8800), and the very cool Community Cycling Center (1700 NE Alberta St., 288-8864), where you can cop a refurbed ’80s road bike on the cheap. If there’s a complaint to be made about Alberta, it’s that the entire street all but shuts down at 11 pm (unless it happens to be Last Thursday (artonalberta.org), when leftover revelers from Alberta’s monthly Art Walk often stick around well into the night). Even Alberta’s trendy bars generally close their doors early, making packed houses out of two cool, down-and-dirty watering holes, The Know (2206 NE Alberta St., 473-8729) and The Nest (1801 NE Alberta St., 282-0230). —Casey Jarman.
Featured in Restaurant Guide 2006
Year-old Siam Society has paid its neighborhood dues after blood-sweat-and-tears renovating the handsomely graying power substation that loomed vacant on the Alberta strip for years. Executive chef Adrienne Inskeep's captivating Thai menu includes apps such as fragrant riesling-braised pork spring rolls with vanilla bean and hazelnuts among other to-be-expected items such as salad rolls and chicken satay. Sexy Beef often steals the curry-and-noodle show with strips of flank steak saut�ed in a spicy coconut sauce with oyster mushrooms and roasted garlic. If you're looking for a knock-your-socks-off cocktail, try the jalape�o margarita�the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, sour and salty. Although the industrial space has been criticized for its sterility, the food and drink menus hold enough heat to keep you warm and satiated. (LC)
Liz Crain
