default-output-block.skip-main3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 477-5266, bardobre.com.
[POLE POSITION] With its deep-toned wood panels, framed mirrors and cast-iron chandelier, the homey Bar Dobre is the front room of your alcoholic grandma's house. And she's serving unfiltered Belvedere vodka and whiskey with Krupnik honey liqueur that's like a toddy without the tea. Oh, and pierogi garnished with horseradish sour cream and perhaps the best kielbasa plate I've had this side of Chicago with spicy house-stuffed sausage, seared kale ensconced in plentiful bacon, an airy potato pancake and warmly brined sauerkraut. Chef and co-owner Stan Pratnicki—the heart of Polish America singing from his name's clacking consonants—makes everything in-house according to family traditions. He recently expanded the kielbasa menu to four decadent offerings, from the classic smoky-spicy wiejska or wedzona kielbasa to a seriously savory, approachable, coriander-rich rendition of mysliwska blood sausage. The fried deviled eggs are worth ordering just for the aching familiarity of Polish sweet-spicy ketchup, and the hunter's stew will both warm your cockles and stretch you past satiety into coma. Luckily, the bar is a cozy place to slowly digest, and rich in aperitifs.
Order this: Kielbasa plate ($12) and pierogi to split between two, paired with a Boleslaw (vodka, ice, cucumber, lemon).
Best deal: The new 5-6 pm happy hour offers a pared-down, $3 kielbasa and kraut plate, with potato pancakes or deviled eggs for $3 more.
Pro tip: Here's how much we like Bar Dobre: It's the first establishment to ever make it into Willamette Week's Bar Guide, Cheap Eats guide and Restaurant Guide in the same year. Na zdrowia!
5-11 pm Tuesday-Saturday, brunch 10 am-3 pm Sunday. $.
WWeek 2015