Grazing through Portland: Nosh Kitchen Bar

First, apologies for the long absence. Since returning from Churchill, Manitoba (and gaining more than 100 degrees in the process, from 44 below to 70+ above), I’ve enjoyed a couple of days of stellar skiing at Sugarloaf (yes, there’s still plenty of snow in them thar hills), and working on a few assignments. Which is how I found myself in Portland for a few days. I’ve been grazing my way through the city, so I’ll begin to catch up on lost time and lack of posts with some quick restaurant notes. For the record, I’m currently on a Concord Coachlines Boston-bound bus that’s outfitted with power outlets at ever seat, has free Wifi, and is showing a movie (yes, free pretzels and water, too).

• Nosh: A delicious new Congress Street addtition to the Arts District. Very relaxed atmosphere, long slate bar on one side of the room, copper-topped tables on the other. Entry wall of windows opens to a small seating area with leather couch and chair grouping. Open prep area with blackboard menu at the back. Very contemporary vibe. Oh, and free Wifi, too.

Now let’s talk food: menu comprises sandwiches, burgers, and salads, then expands at night with themed plates. And let’s not forget the fries–I had the salt-and-vinegar version accompanied by the very chunky blue cheese sauce. Yup, these will definitely suffice if I can’t get to Duckfat. My sandwich, confit tuna with an avocado/red onion/tomato/caper spread, and a cuke, served with half a snappy dill pickle, was quite tasty and extremely filling. Service was friendly and efficient (really, what more does one want?) I can see this will be an especially popular spot during First Friday Art Walks. Prices begin around $8.