CBG, the revamped Congress Bar and Grill, opens today. The longtime Portland favorite closed this summer and was purchased by Jason Loring and Mike Fraser, who have also worked together to reopen Bramall and Roma, two other Portland institutions.
The new space has a similar feel to the former bar, with wood paneling replacing the red walls. The signature red and yellow checked linoleum remains, but has been buffed up. Retro beer signs, modern lighting, and taxidermy dot the walls, and a large portrait of the characters from The Big Lebowski looms over the dining room from the rear wall.
Most of the booths are gone, replaced with tables, and the wall that seperated the bar from the dining room has also been removed, in its place a wide high-top table that has bar stools at both sides.
The drink menu is similar to Bramhall's, with signature cocktails that skew towards quirky. I had the 5 Hours West of Los Angeles, with rum, applejack brandy, dry curaçao, fernet branca, pineapple, and lemon. A. tried The UFO with rum, coconut cordial, cucumber, lime, pineapple, and sesame oil.
The food menu ranges from pubby—wings, smash-burgers, and baked mac and cheese—to global: tempeh larb salad, falafel and feta plate (perhaps a nod to Congress Bar and Grill's hummus plate), and ramen. The bar also introduces an upstate New York classic, the garbage plate, to Maine with a hearty serving of French fries and American chop suey topped with a fried egg, hot sauce, onions, and spicy aioli.
We enjoyed wings ($12 for 6), riblets ($14 for a small order), Caesar salad ($12), steak frites ($17 for a small), and the chicken noodle paitan ($14). The crispy French fries that accompany the steak are made in-house, and I'm still regretting sending the leftover paitan with my husband for his lunch (I was feeling generous!).
CBG will undoubtedly fill the same needs Congress Bar and Grill did—a meal before a show at the nearby State Theater, a happy hour spot, a late night nightcap, a casual date night. Open 11am to 1am every day, there's no excuse for you not to stop into the new CBG and check out the changes for yourself.