Streetcar Bistro & Taproom

Kathy Russo and Jim Conachan, born and raised Portlanders, first met in junior high, but they didn't get married until reconnecting at a high school reunion. By then, both had children—six in all. Russo says the kids are reason behind their new bistro—the business will give them not just a place to work, but a place to develop a strong work ethic. So what's in store? The menu, headed by executive chef Vito Crews, features items like house-baked macaroni and cheese, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, Scotch eggs, hand-cut pastas, lobster BLTs (with avocado tempura), and pastries. And as the name implies, the new spot is a tap room too, featuring a full bar (with an emphasis on the browner liquors) and 30 rotating taps, which pour a variety of beers from all over the world, although most will come from Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Too many choices? Try a choose-your-own, five-beer taster flight, and sample as many as you wish. Chad Walsh, 10/2/2012