I RECENTLY SAW this Portland post in my feed: “Is there anyone who isn’t doing fried chicken?”
It’s true, there seems to be a glut of deep-fried poultry winging its way through new restaurant openings as of late. The Waiting Room, located in a historic house with a fantastic patio just off NW 23rd, is no exception.
The restaurant promises three things, all of which seem to be experiencing a heyday on menus across the city: fried chicken, oysters on the half shell, and sparkling wines and champagne. The Waiting Room does them well.
Should you wish to make a meal of these three items, you will leave satisfied and without sticker shock. They’re all you need, really. Yet it’s still a disappointment that the rest of the menu is muddied with Pacific Northwest-inspired small plates that almost uniformly stray to over-sweet sauces and textural imbalances. The Waiting Room’s ambitions are a work in progress.
Let’s start with the good.
