Out of TownMother’s Bistro & Bar
[rating:4]
Portland’s Mother’s Bistro & Bar is like a shrine to comfort food — a tribute to those dishes cooked by Mom: cooked slowly and with heart. In addition to their regular selection of heart warming meals, they offer a rotating M.O.M. (mother of the month) menu with recipes from selected Moms.
(Clockwise: 1. Two sugary treats accompanied our bill. 2. Atmosphere. 3. Homemade buns.)
Stepping into Mother’s bistro is like stepping into a gigantic estate home draped with white curtains, crystal chandeliers, and ivory walls with crown moulding. Case and I were seated with an evening view of Downtown Portland — car lights dashing back and forth.
Mother’s serves up classic comfort food like meatloaf, pot roast, and roast chicken. I selected one of Mother’s signature dishes — the chicken & dumplings. Slow-stewed pieces of white meat chicken wading in a thick, heart warming stew accompanied by herbed infused dumplings.
(Above: Chicken Dumpling Soup. It’s like a blanket in a bowl.)
Case selected Mother’s Macaroni and Cheese Du Jour. Today, it was Fettucini tossed with brie and fragrant chantrelle mushrooms with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese. This is pure comfort food, as the buttery sauce soaks into the beautifully cooked pasta and is punctuated with the occasional sharpness of brie.
(Above: Mother’s own mac and cheese: fettucini tossed with brie and chantrelle mushrooms.)
By the end of our meals, Case and I were perfectly satiated, unable to partake in their enviable dessert menu. Still, when our bill arrived, it was accompanied with two bit-size pastries that gave us a hint of what we missed.
Our meal came to $37 including tips, which makes this one of our pricier Portland meals — which is to say, still an excellent value. The staff are friendly and polite (as anyone working in Mom’s house should be), and the atmosphere intimate and laid back — an oasis of comfort.
Perfect for: losing yourself in a blanket of comforting food.
The Details
212 Southwest Stark Street, Portland
503.464.1122
mothersbistro.com
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