Bar King, Open Tonight, Straddles the Line Between Rustic Bar and Ritzy Celebration Spot | Eater Portland

"Arriving in a dark, moody, slightly rustic space that feels thoroughly Portland even though Jamie and Shaun King aren't locals, I noticed a rhombus-shaped wooden frame made from an old Stark’s Vacuum sign displaying Kiriko Made kimono prints—a quiltlike nod to the restaurant's Japanese influences. The interior mixes casual, wood-heavy front rooms and banquettes with a somewhat ritzy marble bar and dark tile backbar, unfinished late-1800s floors, and boothlike nooks that create intimate, separate spaces. The menu embraces Portland's high-low style: onion rings paired with smoked trout roe sit alongside hamachi sashimi in a pool of bacon ponzu and sorrel, a fried chocolate bar for dessert, and a black sesame pavlova with kiwi-olive-oil sorbet. The kitchen centers on a looming J&R smoker and a hearth—wagyu bones are being smoked for a burger-meets-French dip with wagyu bone jus, taleggio, and pickled daikon; a large short rib is served ssam-style with lettuce; prawns are gently smoked for a shrimp cocktail; cabbage is smoked with bagna cauda and egg yolk; pork ribs finish in the hearth; squid is blackened and served with Kewpie and Japanese togarashi; and a rolling Boos Block is on-call for tableside carving of dry-aged duck. Overall, I found Bar King can be both a casual spot for fried fish and onion rings and a place for oysters and regal shared meat platters, and it opens tonight, March 9, at 726 SE 6th Avenue." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden