Gross Confection Bar opened last Friday night, and I hustled over Saturday first thing (after they opened at 5pm) to check it out. I was pretty excited about pastry chef Brant Dadaleares' latest project, a dessert bar—in both senses of the word "bar," with cocktails, beer, and wine available.
Dadaleares is a longtime Portland chef and sponsored a Kickstarter for his project back in the fall of 2016. So this project has been in the works for a long time and with its planning, my excitement has grown. I'm not even a huge dessert person—I don't frequent Bar of Chocolate or even usually order dessert when eating out. But I know a good dessert can be next level, and I trusted that Dadaleares would deliver.
The space is subterranean—located at the corner of Exchange and Middle Street in Portland's Old Port, it used to be a retail Christmas shop. Dadaleares spent months converting the space himself and seems very proud of the finished product, eagerly showing off little accents like small fireplace uncovered during demolition.
There's several tables with banquette seating and a bar with maybe 10-12 spots. There's more bar in another section closer to the kitchen, so plenty of seating options for your mood. My friend A. and I sat at the bar with the friendly bartenders and ordered a round of drinks and four desserts.
The 6 speciality cocktails are inventive, many made with unfamiliar ingredients. I tried the Coup D'Etat, made with Barbancourt rum, Dell'etna (an amaro), bergamot, and grapefruit. It was actually pretty savory and a little unexpected. Alysia had the Mr. Allen, with Cachaça, Suze (a French aperitif), guanábana (fruit juice), and lemon. Other bar options include wines by the glass or bottle, 3 draft beers, and a few ciders.
The dessert menu is divided into four sections: "the taste," "for one" (regular sized desserts), "companion," and "entourage." The latter two are priced per person ($15-28) and can be ordered for as many as are in your party.
A. and I stuck to the tastes and single servings of dessert, with banana ice cream ($3), an apple tarte tatin ($6), a coconut, pear, date eclair ($9), and "crumb" brulee ($10). I was also intrigued by the hazelnut financier, citrus verrine, coconut macaroon, and jasmine rice. The sharing section of desserts has even more tempting options with carrot cake french toast, brown butter yogurt panna cotta, and a "3 chocolate mess" of brownies, marshmallow fluff, and salted caramel.
The menu describes the dishes as a list of ingredients, which creates an element of surprise around what will actually land in front of you. I'm into that—I think part of the fun of Gross is wondering what the kitchen has come up with and encountering flavor combinations you haven't before.
Before tip, our bill was $54 for two cocktails and four desserts. I wonder if the prices will be a little bit eyebrow-raising for some. I was happy to enjoy the novel experience and could see a nightcap at Gross fitting into an evening out on the town. After how hard Brant and his crew worked to get this project open, I hope Portland supports them for years to come.
If you check it out, let me know what you think on Instagram or Twitter. Gross is open 7 days a week from 5pm to 1am (dessert available until 12am).
