O'Dear Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Portland

My wife and I had been anxiously awaiting the Grand Opening of O'Dear Bar & Grill ever since we noticed the building being renovated for a new tenant. We were hoping that a fresh, adventurous, upscale bar and restaurant experience would be the first step in the (hopeful) revitalization of the Parkrose neighborhood. We've got more than our fair share of dive bars, and we're looking forward to something a little classier and more modern to move into the area.

Thus, on their Grand Opening day, we wasted no time in wandering down the street to check them out, and see what they were all about. Were they everything I'd hoped they'd be? To that, I can wholeheartedly say "O'Dear, yes!"

We arrived around 2pm: if we weren't their first customers, we were definitely among the top 5. We were seated immediately, and glanced over the food and drink menus, settling on a couple of cocktails, and two appetizers to split: the bacon-wrapped, goat-cheese stuffed jalapenos, and the charcuterie board, loaded with savory meats and cheeses, nuts, jams and jellies, my favorite of which being the spicy tomato one: I'll take some of that home in a jar, thank you very much!

The quality of the ingredients, as well as the skill of the preparation, is top notch, and outshines anything served at competing establishments for miles around. I've stayed at high-class hotels whose kitchens would struggle to produce fare of this pedigree...and this in Parkrose? It feels like dining in an upscale restaurant downtown P-Town. Well, the old downtown, before it went to hell in a handcart.

Our drinks were similarly both fantastic! At first, I decided to order the topmost cocktail on the menu, my stand-by, the Old Fashioned, but I was talked into trying the Cold Brew Old Fashioned instead, and I doubt I will be ordering anything else in the future. The addition of coffee gives it a pleasant bitter edge that somehow doesn't conflict with the bittersweet potency of the whiskey. It made me an instant fan! My wife ordered a drink called Hemingway's Keys, which tasted exactly as you would expected: Key Lime in a glass. She ended up ordering another, she enjoyed it so much, leaving me to order the Harley Quinn, another drink she'd been eyeballing on the menu, so that she could sample it, and let me finish it off. The best way to describe it would be: GLITTER!

Service was friendly, attentive and efficient. I didn't catch our server's name, sadly, and although she was relatively green, she didn't miss a step anywhere throughout the experience. She was pleasant and punctual during our entire experience. We were also visited at least once by the chef de cuisine, as well as (one of the) owners, Jared, who conversed with us on some of the inspirations behind the menu items (each has their own unique twist on an existing entrée), cocktails, expectations for the bar, the neighborhood, and future events. Jared was obviously passionate and dedicated into transforming his childhood stomping grounds into something more than it has become over the past few decades, and hopes that this venture will be the first of many improvements to a part of the city in sore need of care and attention. From what we've seen so far, they're off to a resounding start!

After our experience today, I can claim with confidence that Parkrose officially has a worthy bar, restaurant and night life destination; a place that one chooses to patronize based on its merits, instead of location or convenience. O'Dear's is the first star on the map of a slowly gentrifying corner of the city (and I use that term in its most positive connotation).

O'Dear's is open from noon to 1am daily, and is family friendly up until 8pm every day. After that, drop the little ones off back at home, and get ready to party. Live music will be a weekend feature in the coming weeks, and I'm sure other events will find their way here as well. Looking forward to seeing that O'Dear's...

Second time coming to this place. Came here a couple weeks ago while here on a quick work trip and I got the O’Dear burger. It was really good but I am not going to give my full review of it, as I was on keto and got it Togo and couldn’t have fries or their bun (swapped with a keto one), so I don’t think it would be a fair review… but it was still very good.

This trip, I decided to come back because their menu intrigued me very much. They have so many great options that have different geographical culinary elements incorporated. A lot of Asian, European, Rustic American flavors and ingredients all fused together to create some exquisite tastes.

For this round, I got a Bacon-Habanero Jam burger with fries, accompanied by two different IPAs. The beers… I mean they were good beers, not going into too much detail on them as they weren’t brewed by them, but good picks for sure. I regret not trying one of their old fashion variations.. the Fall Fashion sounded AMAZING! The burger was.. wow. So good! I do wish that it had more heat though, as I am a big spice person and didn’t really get a bite of heat from this. That being said, I’m weird like that and can’t hold that against places. The combination of the creaminess from the goat cheese and the sweetness from the jam was a perfect combo. Then add the freshness of the spring mix and their soft bun all complimented one another perfectly. The pickle spear that they serve with it was good, but not the flavor I was hoping for when I bit into it. Kinda a tangy and slightly sweet pickle, not super green like those cheap pickles you find at other places . Believe it or not, the fries almost stood out to me the most though. Normally you see shoestring, regular, waffle, steak or other types of fries. These were like a mashup between a wedge and a spiral that was made into bite sized pieces but with the wedge thickness. Very different, very unique, very delicious! They load them up with seasoning as well, LOTS OF SALT! But the saltiness was not too salty, I think maybe garlic powder was used too, which balanced them out and just gave a flavor punch. And they have a fry sauce as well, which is like some sort of aioli, which also was a great compliment to the fries. Having a bite of the burger then a fry with that seasoning salty kick… such a blast of flavor and umami. The bartender was very knowledgeable and friendly. Since it was a slow time, got to chat it up a little with him and he was on top of his stuff at the same time. Parking was fine, I parked on the street with no issues, but like I said, it was a slow time. So not sure how it is normally. They have a great full bar selection and I believe 3 pool tables and some virtual slots or something in the back (seems like that’s a common thing in Portland). Oh! And their happy hour specials were great deals… and happy hour doesn’t mean smaller portions like most places. You just get the full size for a low price. WIN! Totally...

We went to see what this new bar in our neighborhood was going to be like and my other half had heard that the food was good. So we went to see for ourselves and maybe have a new favorite joint to hang out at. The bartender was super nice and very professional. She was attentive to any need we may have. Drinks were good and on the stronger side, which was nice. The menu was different on choices to pick from. For example, an entree choice was nachos and could add either brisket meat or pulled pork to it. The price to add meat was only a buck or two more. Prices are ridiculous. We ended up sharing an entree and got it to go. The nachos were, I think, if I can remember, somewhere around 14 or 15 dollars. The cheeseburgers are priced at 17 dollars, which I thought was way too over priced. The menu is sort of gourmet style and I noticed jalapenos was in many of the choices to pick from. Too spicy for me. The nachos were very good but the size could've been much bigger for the price. No poker machines yet, while we are all waiting for them to arrive. It'll be nice to have more places to play at. Especially when it gets later in the night. We all end up waiting for a machine at Be Vans bar on the other corner and may not even get to play cuz the line will be too long or people staying on their machines. Frustrating. So to have another place that's close to home will lighten up the demand. I think the machines will come in about another month or two. Almost here. There are 3 new pool tables with blue felt lining, instead of traditional green. I like the blue. Most of the patrons were there playing pool and drinking. We were the only ones eating at that time. It's nice to know that their kitchen is open till 15 minutes before closing. Other bats serve fried foods only after 10. I'm not a big fan of that. Minors are allowed until 8 p.m. . So, children can come if there's a birthday party or some celebration to attend which is a nice thing to know. The bar/restaurant is very spacious and set up well. Separate area for pool tables. The dining area is off to the other side and there's a sitting area upstairs that's really cozy. There's a fire place and a couple foose ball tables. 75 cents for 8 balls. I lost my game. Typical. Anyways, I would recommend this establishment to my family and friends. Not sure how late they stay open. I hope it's till 2:30 when the machines come. Two...