Something about the waif-thin tuna carpaccio at Merrow reminded me of New York.
As a person who recently “boomeranged” back here from Brooklyn, I still feel in tune with that frequency. Merrow, the monthly seafood popup at Heavenly Creatures, seemed like Portland’s answer to Cervo’s, a Lower East Side Spanish seafood restaurant—and favorite of mine.
Turns out, my instincts weren’t half bad. Merrow’s co-owner/chef Olivia Starkie confirmed that both she and Alec Hess (her partner in business and life) spent time cooking in New York, and Starkie had, in fact, learned under a long-time chef from Cervo’s.
“Working in New York instilled in me an attention to detail and appreciation for truly interesting, beautiful, and nuanced food,” Starkie says. “I like everything involved with my cooking, from the ingredients to the plating, to tell a story or evoke a feeling.”
I caught Merrow during one of their monthly pop-ups at Heavenly Creatures in March. It was a rare 75 degree day, the kind where people pull their shorts out of storage and find any excuse to squint up at the unexpected sunshine. In New York, my friends and I would call this “opening day” and meet at, you guessed it, Cervo’s, for a fried skate wing and 50/50 martinis al fresco. Whether here or there, I always crave the same things when it’s warm out—fresh fish, crisp vegetables, something fried and salty, and a tart sweet to finish. Merrow’s menu ticked every box.
Starkie and Hess draw inspiration from their experiences in New York, but also, to use Starkie’s term, “the sexy way chefs in Italy prepare vegetables.” That means treating them simply—letting the produce shine and positively drowning it in really good olive oil. The same goes for fish, too.
The aforementioned albacore carpaccio was plated on a hearty slathering of tonnato, ponzu, and horseradish, then topped with fried capers, mustard greens, and a ton of nice olive oil. Caesar salad came with rau ram, chicories, chervil, and tiny fried anchovies for crunch and umami. Merrow’s self-described “perfect fish and chips” consisted of tempura pieces of sablefish, a golden potato pavé, and cabbage slaw served with au poivre sauce. Dessert was just as deliberate and delightful. Starkie served a jasmine tea and citrus mousse with candied sesame, orange caramel, and kumquats. Each dish was refined, but also relaxed.
“It’s seasonal, seafood-focused, heavy herbs—things that feel light but satisfying,” she says. “A focus on vegetables is critical. We don’t want our menus to be dominated by heavy proteins. Balance and simplicity, with some surprising elements.”
Before Merrow came to be, Starkie and Hess had their own pop-ups around Portland. Starkie’s was called “Last Supper,” while Hess’ was “Pulp.” The duo began cooking together at Pulp, with Hess taking on more savory plates and Starkie managing desserts.
“We were friends who started dating and we liked the food we made together,” Starkie says. “The concept of Merrow was a conversation we’d been having for a while.”
Hess suggested the name Merrow, based on a friendly merperson from Gaelic folklore. “The melding of land and sea ties in with different elements of our individual cooking backgrounds and gustatory preferences,” Starkie says.
Once Merrow was official, they popped up at friends’ businesses like Duality Brewing, and did a short-term residency at Cafe Olli before eventually landing at Heavenly Creatures.
“Mark from Heavenly was one of our guests, so the idea naturally came to life from there,” Starkie says.
Portland has no shortage of popups, but few go on to build traditional brick and mortars. It feels rote to blame “the economy” these days, but there’s a financial reality for Merrow and many other creatives hoping to create spaces of their own. If money were no object, both Starkie and Hess have ideas about what they’d want their spot to look—and more importantly feel—like.
“A neighborhood place. Warm wood, tiles with fish on them, art made by our friends. Lots of Oregon-grown fresh flowers, candles and probably tchotchkes because we are both tchotchke-collecting people,” Starkie laughs. “Above all, we would want a restaurant to feel like having dinner at our house—romantic, nourishing, and fun. When we have friends over, we often invite them into our kitchen to snack and talk while dinner is cooking. We want that to translate in a restaurant context.”
A maybe unexpected thing Merrow is doing to bolster their business is selling chili crisp at the Hollywood and Montavilla farmers markets. They add it to salads and roast vegetable dishes at the popup, too. Hess’ recipe consists of chiles, lemon peel, hazelnuts, garlic, and shallots.
“Chili crisp is often associated with Chinese regional cuisine, which we love,” says Hess. “This is definitely not trying to be that.”
Whether it’s the chili crisp, their pop-ups, or the dishes themselves, Hess and Starkie approach all things with thoughtfulness and precision.
“We care deeply and nerdily, about the food we cook, the people who grew it, and the places it comes from,” Starkie says. “We want to share those stories and that love with our guests.”
Merrow’s next pop up takes place June 7-8 from 5 pm-10 pm at Heavenly Creatures, 2218 NE Broadway, merrowpdx.com, @merrowpdx