Restaurant Guide 2009

The New Orleans-inspired menu of this North Williams Avenue taproom is racked with fried, stewed and spiced Cajun fare like shrimp étouffée, surf or turf po’ boys and fried pickles. The real deal, however, is farm-direct raw oysters. Owners Tobias Hogan and Ethan Powell don’t mess around with middlemen. They’ve got oyster deliveries throughout the week from Oregon Oyster Farms, Hama Hama Oysters, Taylor Shellfish Farms, Chelsea Farms and others. And that makes Eat’s briny bites as fresh as it gets in Portland. Step inside and check out the chalkboard by the bar for the day’s raw selection. The space is mainly concrete, warmed by a mahogany back bar stocked with a prime selection of bourbon, whiskey and absinthe. Beer is poured in 10-ounce frosty mugs from old-school kegerators behind the bar. Furniture is tastefully mismatched and tables are topped with bagged saltines and hot sauces, from Louisiana and Crystal to a housemade, chile-infused vinegar.
Order this: The catfish po’ boy, layered with breaded catfish, dill-pickle chips, tomato and shredded cabbage on a mustardy-mayo-slathered hoagie bun, is worth a trip on its own.
Best deal: Oysters for a buck apiece all night on Tuesdays.
I’ll pass: The roux could be darker and punchier. It’s a little tame for N’awlins fare.