Fire and Stone Wood-Fired Restaurant and Bakery Opening in NE Portland This Month

The metamorphosis is almost complete.

The old Wilshire Market & Deli, a mini-mart on NE Fremont in the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood, is currently swathed in plastic, soon to emerge as Fire and Stone wood-fired restaurant and bakery in the next few weeks.

Journeyman baker Jeff Smalley is in the throes of finishing the renovation on the antique building, and he's fixing to open the doors to his 3,000-­square-foot, 80-­seat, restaurant before Thanksgiving.

Smalley, who's put in time in the kitchens of Grand Central Bakery, Baker & Spice, Portland French, and New Seasons, will lead the bakery, making an assortment of breads and rolls to be used in dishes on the menu or served at the table. Customers will even be able to buy loaves to take home.

He's hired Ken's Artisan Pizza alum Joey Alvarez to oversee the kitchen. Running the front of the house is Alvarez's partner, Juliana Santos, formerly the General Manager at Little Bird Bistro.

Eater got an early glimpse of the menu, which features starters like salt cod croquettes, calamari bruschetta with pancetta soffrito, and mussels with white wine and calabrian chile aioli. Pizzas are built on a sourdough crust developed by Smalley, and range from traditional margherita to pies topped with rapini, garlic, chiles, and smoked mozzarella. Sandwiches are hearty affairs, including meatball and provolone; fried cod with shaved fennel, arugula, and salsa verde; and a vegetarian option stuffed with wood-oven-roasted vegetables and white bean puree. For dinner, a tight selection of entrees includes roast chicken with chanterelles and gravy, and salmon with an assortment of seasonal root vegetables.

Fire and Stone will have a full bar serving classic cocktails, as well as six taps for draft beer, and another two for wines. In the beginning it'll be open for lunch and dinner only, but by year's end Smalley plans to add early-morning counter service for commuters looking to fuel up on savory and sweet pastries and Ristretto Roasters coffee.

The building is getting a full update, but with an eye toward restoring the character of the original market and pharmacy it housed decades ago. The door has moved back to its fetching corner spot, and a wall of transom windows will finally see the sunlight again.

Inside, expect to see plenty of rehabbed woods, including Prairie-­style furniture made from planks that kept an old barn upright for about 100 years.

Smalley's estimated opening date is November 20th the week before Christmas, give or take a few days. And he'd know. He's his own general contractor, having picked up his license just to see this project through.

Fire and Stone, 3707 N.E. Fremont St., 503-719-7195