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Oscar Food & Wine feels transportive, despite the fact that it’s right next to a Plaid Pantry. Almost because of that, actually. It conjures the communal, al fresco energy of any chic European city or buzzy Dimes Square restaurant.
“We like places that spill out into the street,” says chef-owner Jaime Martinez. “Go anywhere in Paris on a nice day and the sidewalks are full of people hanging out with wine or a beer in their hands.” Stacks of blond wood stools with pastel purple or bright red legs sit in front of the restaurant, ready to be rearranged as groups gather outside for a glass of wine while they wait for a table.
This location was previously a sushi restaurant, Kashiwagi. The ownership team was ready to retire at the end of last year, so Martinez and his crew negotiated their way in. “We were adamant about opening in Southeast,” Martinez says. “We looked at spaces in North Portland and the westside, but ultimately we’re eastsiders. It’s where we feel most comfortable.”
The restaurant itself has a tight, but thoughtful, footprint—not unlike the European spots that inspired it. “We need to use every square foot wisely,” Martinez says. Modular tables and a built-in bench line the far wall, a half dozen counter stools nest under the bar. Sun filters through draping, oatmeal linen curtains as rose-colored bulbs and soft candlelight illuminate the space. Beyond a bouquet of ranunculus at the end of the pass, the décor is intentionally minimal.
“We didn’t want to overstimulate the senses when coming in,” Martinez says. “We will gather relics and pictures as we go along, but we’re OK with taking our time.” The custom bench, however, was an early investment. Built by Joey Alvarez, a carpenter in the Willamette Valley, it’s pure Douglas fir.
“Natural wine, natural wood,” Martinez jokes.
Natural wine is at the core of what Martinez and his team are doing at Oscar. “The wine program is just as important to this concept as the food,” he notes. It serves natural wine and zero zero wine, specifically. “Zero zero” means nothing is added to or taken from the wine.
“There’s an undeniable taste and energy that these wines have,” he says. “They are exciting to open.” Oscar has some high-tier wines, for sure, but its list is intended to be accessible as well as special. Each glass pour is between $13 and $15.
“You can be a nerd or you can be someone new to natural wine, and we’ll be able to find you something to enjoy,” Martinez says.
The menu is similarly democratic.
“We get asked a lot, ‘What kind of food is it?’ because it’s not cuisine-specific,” Martinez says. “We love olive oil as much as soy sauce and chile peppers.”
This philosophy makes every meal ephemeral and really rooted in the season: “Lots of chilled bubbles, white, orange and light red wine to go with the seafood and night shades of summer,” he says. “Then, back to animal fat, hearty vegetables, and richer sauces in the colder months.”
Right now, Oscar is offering a ruby-red tuna crudo that’s sliced paper thin, bathed in very good olive oil and briny capers ($20). It’s an overt wink to the Sicilian sashimi dish at Swan Oyster Depot, the iconic San Francisco seafood joint. Oscar’s menu is decidedly fish-heavy, but the veggies hold their own, too. Spring asparagus ($14) is tempura-fried, served with a slice of lemon and a savory tonnato sauce—you don’t see that on a lot of Portland menus. Beets are spooned over crème fraîche with first-of-the-season strawberries, basil and a miso vinaigrette ($13). The mains thread a similar needle—great ingredients treated with a little flair. Tuna steaks ($35) are seared and served with an au poivre sauce, then topped with teeny, crispy shoestring potatoes. Pillowy gnocchi ($20) is paired with electric green snap peas and deeply braised lamb. Dessert is no less a showstopper, with dishes like crêpes Suzette garnished with shaved orange peel, Grand Marnier and chantilly cream ($12).
To Martinez, Oscar’s most underrated item is maybe its simplest—gambas al ajillo ($13). A classic Spanish dish, Gulf shrimp are sautéed in garlic, olive oil and chiles.
Martinez thinks it primes the palate for wine, too. “People should come in and just get that and a glass of wine and keep the night going. Less is more.”
Thinking through how Oscar fits into Portlanders’ lives is important to Martinez. “We want to be a restaurant that people can come to any day of the week, not just for special occasions,” he says. He’s (humbly) apprehensive to center himself in any narrative about the place, preferring to instead focus on the food, guests and trips that inspired it.
“I’ve been in restaurants all my career, but nothing of great significance,” he says. “I’d travel to NYC or Europe and fall in love with spots that offered cool wine and interesting food. I always wanted something like that back here in Portland.”
EAT: Oscar Food & Wine, 2426 SE 26th Ave., dinewithoscar.com. 5–10 pm Monday–Saturday.
