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Construction's underway at the old Alphabet District Craftsman-style home that was once an outpost of Laurelwood Brewing, and was most recently the Huckleberry Pub until it shuttered last fall.
The couple taking ownership of the space, Matthew Freitas and Kimberly Parmon, are restaurant and bartending veterans, and though they've only been living in Portland for three weeks, if all goes according to plan they think they could open the doors to The Peddler & Pen by mid-June.
As far as drinks go, expect a dozen rotating craft beers on tap, and simple, unfussy craft cocktails like barrel-aged Manhattans and signature drinks like the Face Slap (tequila, mezcal, pineapple, lemon and habanero syrup).
In terms of eats, Freitas says he plans to keep things simple, centering the whole menu around a few sandwiches and sides, but mostly sausages and hot dogs, including a bona fide Chicago dog. Freitas tended bar in Chicago for years, including at stint at Bungalow Lounge Bar, before moving with his wife to L.A., where he helped open The One Up, which he describes as a 1980s-themed arcade bar that served "gourmet junk food." He was also the head bartender and general manager of Library Bar.
The literary-themed, two-story business will feature a downstairs bar that will seat about 30, not including the spacious front patio. Upstairs, Freitas plans to open a speakeasy-like lounge, also with a literary theme, with its own menu of craft cocktails and plenty of sofas to drape one's self over while debating the literary merits of irascible and prickly writers like Henry Miller and Gertrude Stein.
That lounge, however, won't be open for at least another four months. But it will have a pair of second-story balconies on which to hang and sip.
Expect dinner hours initially, with lunch soon to follow. And if you're a worker in the restaurant industry, you'll be treated on a daily basis to SINdustry discounts.
The Peddler & Pen Tavern (opening mid-June), 2327 N.W. Kearney St., Portland
