Going Out No. 14: The Lift Off Lounge
Don't write off bar food.
Welcome! This is the Going Out edition of Riley’s Recs, where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Every Sunday, I also share Staying In recipe recommendations for your week. Don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!
Meal: Dinner
Price for two including tip: $109*
To eat: onion rings, relish tray, hand-battered corn dog, and fried chicken sandwich
To drink: Only Fans Martini, Door County Old Fashioned, and Miller High Life (x2)
*we definitely over ordered. Don’t expect this to be your bill amount, especially if you go with a group.
In the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, Dr. Mehmet Oz made a bid for relatability and went on a filmed trip to the grocery store to get his wife “some vegetables for crudité.” The whole video came across as way out of touch for a multimillionaire. Plus, as his opponent John Fetterman was quick to point out, most people call it a veggie tray.
You have certainly encountered a veggie tray (or relish tray, pickle plate, crudité…whatever you want to call it; although, yes I’m aware there are slight differences) at a company picnic, child’s birthday, or 4th of July party. Although veggie trays may summon images of dry carrot sticks and broccoli crowns, they can be so much more.
The Lift Off Lounge, a bar and restaurant on NE Sandy, understands the potential of a veggie plate. Like the rest of their menu, their relish tray —pickled and fresh veggies with chips and garlic dip—has a sense of integrity.
At Lift Off, there are no dry cucumber spears, soggy fries, or greasy chicken strips. No, no, no. Here, the fried chicken sandwiches have a sense of self-respect; the relish trays are refined; the martinis come with a champagne chaser.
It’s pinky-up chow-down comfort food. And it challenges what you can expect from a neighborhood bar.
In a 2019 Willamette Week article, Pete Cottell called it “boomer food,” but to that I say: do you know how to have fun?
The Lift Off Lounge is located on a triangular corner of NE 52nd and Sandy, just down the hill from Clyde’s Prime Rib. The entrance is marked by a giant neon martini sign. The neon continues inside with a Wicked green backlit bar and outer-space themed art, including a florescent, winking moon on the far wall. The bar is two levels and seating is a mix of green leather booths and auditorium chairs.
I took a trip to the Lift Off Lounge last Friday. It was post Thanksgiving and small groups of 30 and 40-somethings were scattered around the bar, drinking Miller High Life, splitting plates of fries, and catching up. It was alive and fun and exactly where you want to be on a cold weekend night.
I knew I was in for something special when the onion rings arrived. Battered and fried to perfection—they are everything an onion ring deserves to be, both satisfyingly crispy and melt in your mouth tender. Each serving of golden brown rings is generous (about 8 to a plate, but I don’t remember because I ate them so quickly), and it’s a must-order for the table.
We paired the onion rings with the relish tray, corn dog, and fried chicken sandwich, each a delight. The relish tray is the perfect foil to fried food and could easily feed three to four as an appetizer. The hand-dipped corn dog resulted in lots of oh my gods and a quick text to my friend: “I found your new favorite corn dog.”
Across the street from Lift Off Lounge is a glass paneled gym —with people running on treadmills, bicep curls, etc.— so eating a corndog and staring at them was as bit of a bummer, but nevertheless I persisted.
I then continued on to the fried chicken sandwich, which is a sight to behold. The chicken is pounded thin, breaded with cornflakes, and fried to a crisp. The oversized oblong piece of meat spills over the sides of the potato bun, leaving diners to tame the messy sandwich by trimming off the edge pieces to make DIY chicken strips. The sandwich is prepared with a dill slaw and spicy mayo and is an absolute joy to eat. But maybe ask for extra napkins.
The drinks are equally great. Choose from classics like the Martini and Old Fashioned or festive drinks like the Jungle Bird—bacardi, campari, pineapple, and demerara—and the Grasshopper—creme de menthe, fernet branca, creme de cacao, ice cream, and whipped cream. At happy hour (4-6 pm daily), all cocktails are a steal at $8.
Typically, when I go to a bar or pub I play it safe and get a BLT and a PBR. I’ve ordered one too many disappointing burgers and cocktails to risk another let down.
But the best bars let you have it all. The best bars remind you of the power of a plate of onion rings and a martini made well.
The best bars aren’t skipping a shower, using dry shampoo, and throwing on a sweatshirt. No. They’re using the Dyson air-wrap, moisturizing their face, and having a fucking night out. Because they have some self-respect, okay?
Thank you to subscriber, Jess, for the A+ recommendation! Do you know any places I should try? Reply to this email or leave a comment.
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