Parallel Restaurant & Wine Bar
Restaurant · Kerns ·
Wine-first bistro pairing global wines with creative small plates
Wine-first bistro pairing global wines with creative small plates
"At this restaurant, opened in August, chef Joey Gibson uses wines selected by sommelier wife Stacey as reference points to create dishes like dirty rice arancini and hush puppies served with luxurious uni butter. Although small plate and wine pairings — a creamy, rich seafood cannelloni and a medium-bodied Italian friulano among them — anchor the menu, the rest of the bar and kitchen’s offerings are no afterthought. Cheese plates are constructed with a balanced trio of cow, goat, and sheep’s cheese from Cowbell and Stumptown cold brew espresso martinis come with an optional dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Featuring a thoughtfully curated wine list from Stacey Gibson, an esteemed sommelier whose resume includes stints at Momofuku’s Má Pêche and co-owning Park Avenue Fine Wines, as well as imaginative small plates like coffee-roasted beets from ex-Olympia Provisions chef Joey Gibson, Parallel makes for a lovely new addition to Portland’s wine bar scene. (Portlanders may already be familiar — it formerly operated in town as a pop-up.) Joey’s dishes are developed specifically to complement Stacey’s vino selections; snacks include pairing-focused small plates or wine bar mainstays like charcuterie boards and tinned fish." - Zoe Baillargeon
"I note that Parallel is a wine bar from Stacey and Joey Gibson where chef Joey’s dishes, like dirty rice arancini and seafood cannelloni, are designed to take cues from sommelier Stacey’s wine list, which includes about 12 to 15 wines by the glass." - Rebecca Roland
"I visited Parallel, a new Sandy Boulevard wine bar run by wife-and-husband team Stacey and Joey Gibson that uses wines like Spanish mencia and a mineral-driven white from the Loire Valley as reference points for a menu of small plates and charcuterie boards. They flip the usual pairing script—Stacey gets excited about a wine and Joey builds dishes around it—so pairings are presented as creative suggestions rather than hard rules; examples include the Parallel salad, an amped-up Caesar with Worcestershire-cured egg yolks paired with a Kelly Fox chardonnay, and dirty rice arancini based on a fruity-nosed Italian red blend. Joey tests pairing tenets in subtle ways (for example, substituting smoked paprika for cayenne in chorizo to preserve the palate), and the program reflects his background at Roman Candle and Olympia Provisions. Stacey brings a heavy-hitting but approachable wine sensibility from her work at Momofuku’s Má Pêche and Corkbuzz Wine Studio and from co-owning Park Avenue Fine Wines; at Parallel she emphasizes approachability, a focus on smaller producers and sustainably farmed wines, and geographic diversity. The list includes sparkling and red-heavy bottles plus 12–15 wines by the glass, sherry by the glass, and classic cocktails with playful food elements—like an espresso martini dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a martini with anchovy-washed Aria gin." - Janey Wong
"This dark and industrial wine bar and bottle shop is home to one of Portland’s hottest chefs, Karl Holl; its kitchen churns out killer salads using Oregon produce and a knockout 100-layer lasagna. The wine bar and restaurant also just a few steps from the Galleria MAX station, home to the blue and red lines." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden