The Chef at the Recently Shuttered Perlot Will Be Popping Up Weekly at Dame [Updated]

Chef Patrick McKee of the recently shuttered Perlot is already working on his next project: a pop-up dinner series rooted in family cooking, his years at Paley’s Place and Perlot, and travels through Spain and Italy. Estes, named for the chef’s mother, will pop-up weekly at the blue-hued wine bar Dame. Its foundation will be the “middle of the road” style of dining that helped define Perlot, McKee says — not too fancy, but not too lowbrow either. “It’s all rooted in home cooking,” says McKee. “It’s taking that home cooking and redefining and refining it.”

One such night will be Sunday supper, drawn directly from McKee’s childhood when his mother would prep all weekend long for one huge end-of-week dinner. McKee’s version will center around fixed menus served family-style with braised meats, pasta, and vegetable dishes, including some sides originally planned for Perlot. Other potential nights include a pasta night, with dishes like Perlot’s beloved cacio e pepe, as well as spaghetti and meatballs made with McKee’s family marinara sauce. Fans of Perlot’s green-curry-aioli-topped hamburger should see it return as well, possibly with a more casual burger and drinks night; both evenings will be drop-in only with small menus.

The Paley alum is branching out on his own for this, though he’ll bring in help from Perlot’s kitchen.

Update February 28: McKee’s pop-up has found a home at Dame, which is converting to a “chef-in-residency” format, PoMo reports. Estes will take over the kitchen Sundays through Wednesdays.

• Estes PDX [Official]
• Fremont Restaurant Perlot, Home of Iron Chef Winner Patrick McKee, Is Closing [EPDX]
• Dame Shifts to a Pop-Up-in-Residence Model [PoMo]
• All Previous Perlot Coverage [EPDX]
• All Previous Paley’s Place Coverage [EPDX]
• All Previous Dame Coverage [EPDX]