Opened in May 2007 by Nate Tilden and Matt Piacentini, Clyde Common is a European style tavern serving comfort grub and top notch drinks in a casual, breezy space. Located on the main floor of Portland’s Ace Hotel Chef Carlo Lamagna’s menu offers a regional take on classic dining. New menus are prepared on the daily to emphasize meats butchered and cured in house, along with locally farmed vegetables and Pacific Northwest seafood bounty. A semi-finalist for The James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bar Program, Clyde’s bar specializes in American whiskeys and is renowned for its craft cocktails – pioneering the world’s first barrel-aged cocktails.
I’m seated on the 2nd floor, a perfect spot to people watch a la birds eye view. I spend the duration of my two hour meal peaking down at the scene below: couples cuddling at the bar while clenching the stems of their wine glasses, a rowdy group of friends sitting at a large communal table and a wildly attractive tattooed hipster brigade of both cooks and servers (which are practically indistinguishable).
I stick to a simple Dark and Stormy as the weather that evening was memorably moist. Over the course of the evening I polished off a parade of plates featuring sweet beet, noble gnocchi, smokey duck topped grilled cabbage and chocolate tart cuddled in tart cherry curd.
The Feast:
Dark and Stormy
gosling’s dark rum, house-brewed ginger beer, lime
Beets
quesa de oveja, oat crumble, blackberry aigre-doux
Gnocchi
basil pesto, squash, cashew, lemon, aged gouda
Smoked Duck
grilled cabbage, peanut aillade, cherry mostarda
Chocolate Tart
candied walnuts, cherry curd, vanilla ice cream
