Neighborhood:
East Burnside Once a gritty, industrial thruway, now a hotbed of consistently rotating boutiques, East Burnside is a stomping ground for wayward hipsters, traveling music-makers and thrift-store junkies. (read more) At the strip’s nucleus is the makeshift-modern Jupiter Hotel and its conjoined indie-rock venue, the Doug Fir Lounge (830 E Burnside St., 231-9663), which Playboy called one of “America’s 10 Best Rock Clubs” in 2007. The Doug Fir’s epicurean equivalent might have to be innovative and unconventional Le Pigeon (738 E Burnside St., 546-8796)—try its namesake bird garnished with cherries, frisée and foie gras. At the nearby and unassuming Rontoms (600 E Burnside St., 236-4536), you’ll find a sizable bar hosting high-quality local acts in a setting not unlike an overgrown suburban ’70s living room. Just across the street, a cluster of shops beckons. For hard-to-find issues of Purple Fashion and Dot Dot Dot, Stand Up Comedy (811 E Burnside St., Suite 119, 233-3382) is the place. Indulge a fetish for saccharine, pricey underthings at Lille Boutique (1007 E Burnside St., 232-0333), and scour the infamous architectural maze that is Hippo Hardware (1040 E Burnside St., 231-1444) for all the knobs, hinges and assorted hardware doohickeys you could ever need. Or drop by Bombshell Vintage (811 E Burnside St., 239-1073), Hattie’s (729 E Burnside St., Suite 101, 238-1938) or Rock n’ Rose (616 E Burnside St., 239-3901) for some of the best-preserved vintage threads in the city. —Elianna Bar-El.
Featured in Restaurant Guide 2008
The restaurant arm of Simpatica Catering is sub rosa dining at its best. Access to its Friday and Saturday sit-down, fixed-menu dinners can only be granted via reservation, and only if you respond in a timely fashion to the weekly emails. They take a more egalitarian approach with the Sunday brunch: Mainstream breakfast standbys such as biscuits and gravy and corned beef hash are on the menu—and they are excellent across the board—but the real draws are the dishes that exemplify Simpatica’s desire to push diners out of their comfort zones. Firm chunks of oil-poached tuna sit embedded in their frittata, balanced by a tangy, salty eggplant caponata and roasted potatoes. A strata (a savory bread pudding) bursting with pork shoulder is offset by a small dish of field greens, remarkable in their minimalist vinaigrette dressing. During busy mornings, the spoils go to the gregarious, as much of the seating is communal. With food this good, even strangers make excellent company.
IDEAL MEAL: Anything with the house bacon, fried chicken, waffles.
Brian Panganiban
