Trifecta: Restaurant Guide 2014

Trifecta

726 SE 6th Ave., 841-6675, trifectapdx.com

[BEST BREAD] Everyone's found a little something to love about Trifecta, master baker Ken Forkish's year-old tavern in the former Spike's Auto Upholstery. I'd go just for the bread—Ken's the man, man. Local beer geeks have honed in on the opulent pimento double cheeseburger ($15 with fries) and decadent piccalilli-topped grilled marrow bones ($16 and very impressive on a recent visit) plus a pint of Upright's Dark Rye. Certainly, plenty of people are crossing the river from the Pearl for oysters ($4 for one pan-fried on a bun, $10 for two shucked and served with ham and rolls, $16 for a half-dozen on the half shell) and a bottle of French or Italian wine from a list where either country has more to offer than the entire American West Coast. Chef Rich Meyer came from Higgins, and the influence shows in top-shelf bar snacks like Old Bay-seasoned potato chips ($2) and hearty classics such as housemade sausages ($12 with beans) and cider-grilled chicken with fried onions ($22). Whatever you do, get the bread—which is free—and ultra-fresh butter, which is $3. MARTIN CIZMAR.

Pro tip:

A sleeper pick for the best upscale happy hour in town, Trifecta serves that double cheeseburger for $10 and $16 steak frites from 4-6 pm on weekdays and until 5 pm on Saturday.

4 pm-close daily. $$-$$$.

WWeek 2015

Martin Cizmar

Culture editor Martin Cizmar writes about food, beer, jam bands, country music, gangsta rap, bikes, cannabis and the outdoors. He’s originally from a smallish city in the part of Ohio that was once part of Connecticut and has worked as a reporter at dailies in Michigan, Virginia and Arizona and as music editor at the alt-weekly in Phoenix. He’s a passionate advocate for unfettered access to public lands, the repatriation of Oregon wolves, increased urban density and good machaca burritos. He is unwelcome in the cities of Salem and Lake Oswego.

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