Ryan Gaul IN as Executive Chef at The Woodsman Tavern

Officially taking over late last year, Ryan Gaul is the new executive chef of The Woodsman Tavern, SE Division’s simultaneously refined and burley restaurant known for oysters, fried chicken, and that Woodsman double cheeseburger. Gaul has plenty of experience with local seafood from his previous job as executive chef at Southpark Seafood, where he’d worked since 2009.

"We have added more vegetable dishes to the menu while keeping Woodsman classics, like fried chicken and the cheeseburger,” Gaul tells Eater. “The classic meatloaf is back, and I am excited to bring new dishes to the raw bar, like blood clam ceviche with trout roe, jalapeno, and cilantro.” Gaul brought Jessica Sandberg from Southpark along with him to serve as sous chef.

Bar whiz Jeff Seymour has also joined The Woodsman team, and he’s known for his balanced craft cocktails at Interurban, where he’d worked since the bar opened in 2011. He and Gaul are collaborating on beer and bourbon pairings, and you’ll find a number of new signature cocktails, like the Cafe Nien, a concoction of olive oil-washed pisco, sherry, Pineau des Charentes, and Cocchi Americano Rosa. Find the complete new cocktail and food menus on the website.

• The Woodsman Tavern [Official]
• All Previous Woodsman Tavern Coverage [EPDX]