Jacqueline is the Bill-Murray-Themed Seafood Restaurant We've Somehow Always Been Waiting For

Like Bill Murray himself, it is all sweetness and tobacco.

What happened to dinner at Broder Nord? You didn't really love it. But we loved it very much, and it's back—sort of—at a cheery, domestic, fish-happy restaurant called Jacqueline in the former St. Jack space.

Related: Clinton Street's Jacqueline Is Like the Best Dinner in Portland You Probably Never Got to Eat

At a new restaurant named after a fictional submarine piloted by secular saint Bill Murray, whose somber visage graces the wall behind the bar, former Nord chef Derek Hanson's Jacqueline feels familiar, especially the whole chicken slow-roasted in tarragon vinegar brine ($21) and served atop toasted bread soaked in drippings. It's impossibly moist, even the white meat. Other dishes, like a subtle smoked sablefish with pickled garlic scapes ($10) and a chanterelle and oyster mushroom frisee dish ($13), smack of Scandinavian restraint.

Jacqueline (Christine Dong)

But Jacqueline also clocks in with a knockout cioppino ($23)—the spicy, tomato-based Italian seafood stew native to the West Coast. The dish has already achieved a note-perfect rendition, stuffed with crab claws, clams, mussels, smoked oysters and beautiful herbal depth.

Elsewhere, the menu looks east, channeling Momofuku and the already-missed Smallwares with charred Brussels sprouts soaked in a mint basil fish sauce ($10), and throws a bacon dashi alongside maitakes onto its seared scallops.

The cocktail menu keeps it simple and classic with old-school gems like a boulevardier and the Corpse Reviver #2 (all $9) while beer, wine and vermouth come in a small but carefully curated assortment, including Priorat vermut that also graces a blackberry sorbet. Like Bill Murray himself, it is all sweetness and tobacco.

2039 SE Clinton St., 503-327-8637, jacquelinepdx.com. 5-10 pm Wednesday-Sunday. $$$.

Eat: Chicken, cioppino, oysters and a pair of appetizers, which have been a parade of bold or subtle delights. At happy hour (5-7 pm), oysters drop to a very happy $1.

Drink: Start with a classic cocktail ($9) and end with a sip of vermouth.

Most popular dish: The excellent mushroom plate with poached egg and bottarga roe.

Noise level: 45/100, which may rise considerably as it's discovered by more than the neighborhood.

Expected wait: Walk right in, at least for now.

Who you'll eat with: Young couples making eyes at each other, a bartender from the neighborhood, and perhaps a checked-shirted man with a Sam Elliott mustache making his wine glass sing using a wet finger.

Year opened: 2016

Restaurant_Guide_Banner

The 2016 Restaurant Guide

Welcome to the 2016 Restaurant Guide

Paiche Is Our 2016 Restaurant of the Year

The 50 Best Restaurants in Portland | How We Ranked Them

Hat Yai Is the 2016 Pop-In of the Year | Mae Is the 2016 Pop-Up of the Year

Poke Mon Is the 2016 Pop-In of the Year Runner-Up | JolieLaide Is the 2016 Pop-Up of the Year Runner-Up

Portland's 10 Best Pop-Ups and Supper Clubs | Our 10 Favorite Counter Service Restaurants

Soup Houses | Seafood Spots | Italian Spots | Best Pizza Pies | Southern Food | Best Steaks, Chops And Charcuterie |Mexican Places | Sushi Spots | Korean Food | Chinese Food | Mediterranean Restaurants | Where to Get Coffee Cocktails After Your Meal

Willamette Week

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.