Is the Fifth Time the Charm for the Waiting Room?

When we walked to the Nob Hill side-street oyster and fried-chicken bar The Waiting Room (2327 NW Kearney St., 503-477-4380), there were three dudes parked on their keisters out front, slushies in hand, so sun-baked they looked as if they'd been there for days. "What the hell is that place?" one asked, pointing to the neon pelican sign. "Isn't that the sixth place in that spot in like four years?" Well, no. It's actually only the fifth place in six years—after Northwest Public House, Huckleberry Pub, and the Peddler and Pen all quickly closed in the wake of Laurelwood at the out-of-the-way location.

And the Waiting Room has already had to change its name. The former pop-up, staffed by two former chefs at downtown's Red Star Tavern, was Pelican's Waiting Room until Pelican Brewing sued for trademark infringement on its grand-opening day. The Waiting Room has painted every corner bright, upgraded the stools and tables to Victorian-luxe, and thrown down handmade pottery for plates, eliminating the odd dreariness of Peddler.

It's now a sunny-day nook featuring fried chicken and oysters and high-end cocktails, not to mention a pleasant $4 charred cauliflower appetizer. The oysters aren't listed by type, just by preparation—$3 apiece for half-shell, barbecue or "Northwest style" with smoked salmon and wasabi. The grilled oyster comes in a much larger shell than it was born in, swimming in acidic sauce that comes across stewy. There's a decent selection of sparkling wine by the glass, with an effervescent, dry Italian for $8. The cocktails are all double digits, with a Buffalo Trace and Miller High Life pony boilermaker hiked inexplicably to $10, while a refreshing grapefruit-Aperol-Tanqueray Pelican's Pick-Me-Up justified the same price—a sunny-afternoon drink suitable for the domestic spot's patio. But not quite hungry enough for the whole fried chicken ($25), we didn't linger long at the Waiting Room.

Willamette Week