IF YOU WERE FORTUNATE enough to spend time in Caleb Mcbee’s old bar, Apotheke, before it shuttered, you might—from the street anyway—be surprised by his new digs. Where Apotheke sweated Scandinavian chic from every pore (monochromatic fiberglass, modern furniture, ambient electronica), Skin and Bones feels right at home in its cinderblock cube in East Portland—which seems to be the point.
After Apotheke closed up shop, Mcbee was accepted into a program at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, a program in Northern Italy started by Carlo Petrini (founder of the Slow Food Movement). There, he studied the inextricable link between a culture and its food. The anthropology-heavy coursework, as well as his own wanderings through the bistros of various European cities, gave him an appreciation for regional culinary pride, and reminded him of the way we think about food in this part of the country.
Skin and Bones, then, is meant to be something of a celebration of the Pacific Northwest. When he was starting the build-out, he said various neighbors would pop their heads in and ask what the restaurant was going to serve—was it a pizza place? A burger place? He could only answer that he’d be playing with all the local ingredients and recipes that he could.
The menu, designed around what’s in season, changes significantly every month or so, and is tweaked even more regularly based on particularly exciting batches of produce or meats. But certain patterns and trends are certainly maintained.
Each menu I’ve seen has featured a single house-made pasta dish; a couple weeks ago it was served with sage butter and lamb bacon, but on my recent visit, we had a pastured egg yolk pasta topped with raw quail egg and shaved grana cheese ($16). The pasta itself was thin and dense, and considering how unadorned it appeared, it was surprisingly rich. They always have a “chef’s toast” ($15), which looks something like an open-faced sandwich with elaborate toppings. Depending on what’s growing, they feature a variety of vegetable-based small plates. The flamed Padrón peppers we ordered were good (albeit a bit small for $9), but I’m crossing my fingers that the simple heirloom tomato salad I spotted across the restaurant is still on the menu for my next visit.
Mcbee seems to really excel when it comes to pâtés, terrines, galantines, and the like. The best dish I’ve tried might be the potted rabbit ($16). It came out in a small mason jar under a thick layer of clarified butter, and was served alongside a generous pile of strawberry balsamic chutney and toasted brioche. The appetizer could easily be shared by a group of four, but my companion and I made quick work of it. When we exhausted the bread supply, our server brought us a plate of house-made cardamom crackers, which rivaled the bread as a vehicle for that soft, rich rabbit.
A close second would be the smoked bison brisket served over a bed of porcini grits ($19). The meat was much more tender than I’d anticipated—I had no need for a knife—and its outsides seemed almost caramelized for a slightly sweet finish. The grits were tremendous; they also carried a sweetness to them, but took on that meaty flavor of the mushrooms. This too was a large portion, and I’m glad we decided to share.
The entrées lean heavily on the meat-eater side—pan-fried sardines over quinoa, smoked jowl, duck confit with savory bread pudding—but if you don’t mind ordering tapas style, vegetarians could probably piece together a meal from Mcbee’s vegetable plates, grains, and breads (though you might want to check the current menu before heading out).
It’s not cheap by any means—two entrées, two appetizers, and a couple drinks set me back $75 before tip—but I’ve yet to be disappointed by a dish. The space makes for a cozy neighborhood bistro—the open kitchen is flanked by two family-style tables and two four-tops—but it doubles as one of the better second-date spots in town. It’s got class, but it’s understated; it’s intimate, but even more so it’s warm and friendly.
Right now, Skin and Bones is only serving dinner, but keep an eye out for expanded hours in the future. Considering their excellent baked goods and my own affinity for morning forcemeat, I have a feeling that when they get around to doing brunch, they’ll blow it out of the water. Right now, they’re only licensed to sell beer and wine (they carry a small but well-designed list of each), but a full liquor license will be on the agenda down the line. And if you remember how far ahead of its time Apotheke’s list of whiskeys and herbals was, you might become pretty familiar with those 50s blocks of East Burnside.
Great job Tony! another taint licking review of another pretentious Portland restaurant.
#: He went to a newly opened restaurant in Portland. Hmm.. what was Tony supposed to do? See what new industrial food service entrees are available at your favorite Applebee’s in Gresham?
@MrFabulous. Have you read Tony’s work? I deeply love many locally owned Portland restaurants, and there’s so much to praise. But, again, have you read much Last Supper since TP took over?
@# You used taint, pretentious, and Portland in the same sentence. You lose. Get an original critique, asshole.
@Microfoam. Maybe you don’t understand. I’ll I want *is* an original critique. From someone being paid to do just that.
@# Perhaps TP’s critique is entirely favorable because Skin and Bones deserves it? I don’t strongly identify with people who want to hear shit talked about any new thang they don’t quite get or don’t want to like. I share your desire for original critiques, but how much can we expect from a weekly, small-town rag? I bet if TP was being paid better, his writing would follow suit. Good content is never cheap.
lets eat at nasty places so we can be nasty people and want everything to be nasty! yaaaaaaaa……uuy.
Are you completely naive and THAT willing to prove it publically, Microfoam? Caleb is the single most authentic, geniune, last-of-a-dying-breed “real” person out there. His heart is on his sleeve for all to share, and his love for life and people and natural food is unrivaled among people (not just “foodies”)
You should meet people before you sit at home like a shit fuck behind your computer at 3 am alone and sad and pathetic, eating funyuns (sp?) and drinking diet shasta cola. Get a life…
Oops, … .”publicly” I meant. 🙂
Also it strikes me AFTER writing this… you’re (microfoam) a 23 year old vegan, aren’t you?
I forget when reading comments from posters on the Merc site that this colors many user comments, regardless of actual content. You probably just don’t like the fact that he serves veggies AND meat. Sad…
And last mobile post of the night, since mobile phones are clearly not the way to try to post anything. I apologize, Microfoam, for mixing you up (and your excellent commentary) with the post(s) from the ass hat who wrote that Skin and Bones is “pretentious”.
I shall bow out now.
only dinner? i though they did coffees and amazing-looking pastries in the mornings on the weekend. i dunno, aint been there since opening week. too pricey for my blood, but they are bangin with customers every night. it’s impressive cos coffee shop after coffee shop move in and fail about once a year in a spot right across the street, so theyre doing something right. food was good, and price is right for the mt tabor crowd, but i rent, so it’s not really in my ken.
if someone was smart, they’d take this as a cue to rent the spot across the street and open something NOT a crappy little coffee barn, cos this proves the location itself isn’t cursed.