Owned by Tressa and Kate Yellig, Broth Bar will open on August 5 at 115 NE 6th Avenue, a half block from Ristretto Roasters and NE Couch Street. The 525-square-foot space was designed by Jared Fuscaldo of Orange and will have seating for five, with its signature bone broths available to-go. On opening day, you can get free samples from their menu of broths, and the Yelligs have been making their bone broth retail products, which include bison, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, and turkey broths, in Portland since 2009.
The bone broth trend went into overdrive when the New York Times gushed over it in January, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived in Portland. Broth Bar is the city's first café dedicated exclusively to bone broth (although, Jola Café in John's Landing has slung bone broth in the winter months in addition to its regular breakfast and lunch items since January 2015).
With alleged but unconfirmed health benefits, bone broth slurping isn't new, but it has gotten more intense. Bones are roasted and then simmered typically between 12 and 48 hours, and the resulting liquid-umami can either be served with additional ingredients and a spoon or simply drunk.
At Broth Bar, the Yelligs use bones from Pacific Northwest farms and ranches that raise and finish their animals on grass and do not use hormones, antibiotics, or GMOs. After the bones are roasted, they are simmered for three days, which is longer than most restaurants and one of the defining characteristics of a bone broth.
You can order your broth plain or with such adds as chickpea miso, grated turmeric, soft-boiled egg, kelp noodles, beef tongue, hot peppers, house-made gomashio, and more. The Yelligs have paid to have the nutritional value of their broth analyzed, and diners just have to ask to view the results.
Tressa and Katie Yellig previously sold their retail broths at their shop, Salt, Fire and Time, on SE 3rd Avenue. That location is now closed, and Broth Bar will sell Salt, Fire and Time's products as well as serve as an event space for nutritional classes, tastings, and pop-up dinners.
