{"id":64290,"date":"2022-11-01T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/?p=64290"},"modified":"2022-12-02T10:10:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:10:53","slug":"the-danforth-excels-in-portlands-west-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/the-danforth-excels-in-portlands-west-end\/","title":{"rendered":"The Danforth Excels in Portland\u2019s West End"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The pairing of sauteed mushrooms and creamy polenta creates a satisfying vegetarian entree.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The Danforth\u2019s bartenders begin pouring drinks at 4 p.m., so I arrive at the Portland cocktail bar at 4 o\u2019clock on the dot for an early happy hour. As I step through the restaurant\u2019s front door toward the host stand, the afternoon sun is streaming through several large windows, illuminating the space that has been recently renovated into a posh, modern lounge. One wall of the bar area is lined with three plush, dark red velvet booths, while 12 backless barstools provide seating at the blond wooden counter. Midcentury modern glass pendant lights hang overhead, drawing the eye toward the sleek wooden shelving that showcases an extensive liquor collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head bartender Carlo Caroscio and his team are shaking and stirring drinks, moving seamlessly around each other in the timeless dance of bartenders everywhere. I\u2019m seated in a cozy booth, and shortly thereafter my friendly server delivers a cocktail named Down Ocean, a daiquiri made with grapefruit liqueur, sake, and sparkling wine. It\u2019s tart and refreshing, as a well-made daiquiri always is, with some added complexity from the dry rice wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expectations are high for the Danforth. The bar is the fourth establishment from Gin and Luck, a hospitality group headed by Portland resident Alex Day and his business partners Devon Tarby, David Kaplan, and Ravi DeRossi. The group owns three other cocktail bars\u2014all called Death and Co.\u2014in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver. The New York location opened in 2006 and became a trailblazer in the craft cocktail revival. While Day swears it was not his intention to open another bar in Portland, he was swayed by the opportunity to purchase the West End bistro Little Giant in September of 2021. Day and his husband, Andrew Ashey, whose architecture and design firm provided the makeover of the Danforth, moved to Portland from Los Angeles in 2019, attracted to the pace of life in a smaller city. After a substantial interior renovation, the Danforth opened in July and became an instant hit with Portlanders looking for a special night out and an upscale spot for a drink after work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Danforth is known for its mixed drinks, ranging from specialty cocktails like the Down Ocean, a variation of a grapefruit daiquiri, to classics like the negroni.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A substantial small plates menu includes several dishes perfect for sharing like the Caesar-esque salad, pesto pasta, grilled head-on shrimp, and sourdough bread with chive-herb butter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The cocktail list at the Danforth is composed of ten drinks, beginning with a light cucumber-melon spritz and ending with boozier classics such as variations on the old-fashioned and the Manhattan, called Hyperion Old Fashioned and West End, respectively. The menu, at least on its face, seems surprisingly simple\u2014there\u2019s no long list of ingredients, unfamiliar liqueurs, or specialty syrups mentioned. Rather, drink descriptions are short, with three to five ingredients that seem approachable and familiar. Later, Day tells me this simplicity is by design. He says the concise list \u201chas hidden layers that you can peel back if you want to, but we\u2019re not going to put them right in front of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day\u2019s success in creating approachable yet intriguing cocktails is evident in the Impossible Love\u2014a frothy mix of green chile vodka, peach liqueur, and pineapple juice. It\u2019s another take on a daiquiri, made with vodka. Always popular with drinkers, vodka has long been eschewed by serious craft cocktail enthusiasts. But Day says no more. \u201cWe were the worst offenders back in the day,\u201d he tells me. \u201cWe were such snooty, smug jerks. But that world doesn\u2019t exist anymore.\u201d At the Danforth, he\u2019s more interested in ensuring that customers feel comfortable and have a good time than insisting that a proper martini is made with gin and not vodka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food at the Danforth is another surprise, revealing a depth I didn\u2019t anticipate from an establishment that is primarily a cocktail bar. Chef Michael Boomhower, most recently of Central Provisions in the Old Port, offers a robust menu of nine share plates and five large-format entrees. When I return for dinner, my husband and I are seated in the lounge, a room adjacent to the bar that seats 75 in burgundy velvet booths and clusters of mustard-yellow swiveling barrel chairs. The mood in the lounge is energetic as our upbeat server delivers a parade of small plates. I sip an Echelon, a riff on a margarita made slightly savory by the addition of celery juice and sesame, and dig into the campanelle pasta, each bite coated in a radish-greens pesto that leaves a lingering spiciness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The modern atmosphere of the Danforth\u2019s interior was designed by owner Alex Day\u2019s husband, Andrew Ashey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Other popular appetizers include Pigs in a Blanket, small bites made from fennel sausage wrapped in puff pastry; griddled head-on shrimp; and beef tartare served on a crusty piece of Standard Baking Company sourdough. The salad, a simple combination of baby leaf lettuces, crispy fried shallots, croutons, and a light Caesar dressing, ends up being one of my favorite dishes. My entr\u00e9e, a half chicken with a seared, crispy skin, is finished with smoked butter and sits atop a flavorful corn, zucchini, and pepper succotash. My husband\u2019s vegetarian entr\u00e9e, a decadent mushroom polenta, is reminiscent of a souffl\u00e9 with its creamy, rich texture. Whole roasted branzino, a dry-aged rib eye, and a burger round out the meal options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After only four months, the Danforth already feels like a classic. General manager Lucy Comaskey tells me that some repeat customers have found their favorites on the specialty drink list, while others ask for \u201cdealer\u2019s choice,\u201d an off-menu drink of the bartender\u2019s design. Whether it\u2019s drinks and snacks at the bar or a multicourse meal in the loungy dining room, Portlanders are eagerly exploring the many moods of this multifaceted West End destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Danforth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

211 Danforth St., Portland
207.536.0361
thedanforth.me<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reinvented classic cocktails and seasonal American fare served in a modern lounge. A selection of mostly local beers, unique wines, and nonalcoholic mocktails is also available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cocktails $14\u2013$16
Appetizers $10\u2013$21
Entrees $18\u2013$54<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Neighbors
<\/strong>The small space adjacent to the Danforth on Clark Street has been home to several businesses, including a market, sandwich shop, and bakery. Now it\u2019s home to Zu Bakery, from baker Barak Olins, who sold his bread at the Brunswick Farmers\u2019 Market for years. Olins\u2019s bread, including the burger buns used at the Danforth, is made from organic and Maine-grown grains. Coffee and pastries are available at the shop in the mornings, and freshly baked bread becomes available as it\u2019s ready throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours<\/strong>
Bar: Wednesday\u2013Monday 4 p.m.\u20131 a.m.
Dinner: Wednesday\u2013Monday, 6 p.m.\u2013midnight<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\t\t

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