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After a one-week delay, Americano is now open at 2605 E. Burnside St. The bar and restaurant is headed by Blair Reynolds (Hale Pele) and Ian Christopher (Coco Donuts) and once in full swing, Americano will serve house-roasted coffee and craft cocktails, from morning to night, and food by celebrated New Orleans chef, Chris DeBarr (Green Goddess).
When we spoke with DeBarr back in December, he described a menu of "bitter circus" cuisine, and as it turns out, he wasn't joking. Shrimp Wearing a Grass Skirt and Turkey Mole over a blue-corn waffle are both on the menu—the latter inspired by a James Beard experiment: What would happen if you applied Oaxaca's mole to Oregon turkey?
Beyond the playful names, you'll find one of the most diverse uses of a waffle iron around. DeBarr makes waffles of hash browns and waffles of dosa batter (the batter used to make South India's fermented crepes). Waffles come topped with Oregon beef and redeye gravy for a twist on a New Orleans brunch classic (see full dinner menu, including Oyster & Absinth Chowder, below).
From the experienced hands of bartender Kate Bolton (Eater San Francisco Bartender of the Year 2012) come cocktails seen through the prisms of coffee, vermouth, and amaro. The Apertif Press Pot is a cocktail for two-to-four people served in a French press, and for anyone familiar with the volcano bowl and Hale Pele, you might say this is the Americano version. Other cocktails use house-made coffee bitters as a backbone, with full-on warm and cold coffee cocktails on offer, too, and the wine list delivers lesser-known grape varietals from around the world (see full cocktail and wine menus below).
When Americano's full offerings appear April 3, you'll also find cocktails kicking off at 7 a.m. and a daily brunch that runs well into the afternoon (the brunch menu is still under wraps). For today and tomorrow, Americano will serve coffee and pastries in the morning, and coffee, cocktails, and dinner at night. From April 3 on, Americano will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily.
