Behold Raven & Rose, Open in the Ladd Carriage House

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[Avila, 1/4/13]

It's time to feast your eyes on the hotly anticipated Raven & Rose. The high-profile project, spearheaded by owner Lisa Mygrant, effectively restored the city's 130-year-old Ladd Carriage House, an "English stick"-style structure on the National Register of Historic Places. As previously reported, the Victorian-inspired design separates the building's two floors into distinct dining areas. Downstairs, a 70-seat fine dining room surrounds the open kitchen, which houses a wood-fired oven (featuring bricks from the building's original chimney) and rotisserie; the center bar seats an additional 10, with room for four more at an oven-facing chef's counter. Upstairs, the former hayloft space houses the Rookery Bar — a more casual drinking den that features leather couches, a four-foot-wide fireplace, library nook, and pool table.

Park Kitchen alum David Padberg goes the simple and rustic route with the Raven & Rose menu, with an opening week bill of fare featuring five veggie-highlighting starters (beetroot salad with walnuts and endive; celery root soup), two "wood-fired" options (flatbread with bacon, cheddar, and mushroom; mussels with fennel sausage), and five main courses (beef short ribs with root vegetables and Yorkshire pudding; grilled sturgeon and clams).

Downstairs, the cocktail program by bar manager Dave Shenaut (Beaker & Flask, Riffle NW) is designed specifically to pair with food. In the upstairs Rookery Bar, cocktails aim for "historical accuracy" in terms of technique and ingredients. R&R's take on the Saratoga cocktail (which comes from the same era as the Carriage House) uses locally made Clear Creek apple brandy; a traditional Blood and Sand features Auchentoshan Three Wood scotch.

Raven & Rose is open now. Hours of operation: Tuesday to Saturday, 5p.m. to 10p.m. (dining room); Tuesday to Saturday, 5p.m. to midnight (the Rookery Bar).
· Raven & Rose [Official site]
· All Previous Raven & Rose Coverage [Eater PDX]