Neighborhood Notes

Having a third place is important. It's not where you live, it's not where you work—it's the place you hang out. Third places are highly accessible, within walking distance for many, usually offer inexpensive food or drink, and serve as an informal "anchor" for the community it serves. A multitude of people use it for a variety of purposes: meetings, work, social gatherings or just hanging out. Most of all, a third place has to be welcoming and comfortable. But as easy as this sounds, a third place is more than the sum of these ingredients—a good example is Cafe Reese in NW Portland.

Cafe Reese is a fairly new addition to NW 23rd. You may remember the space as the former home of Fruition—or not, because sadly, Fruition just wasn't that memorable. Regardless, there have been many improvements to the interior that make it feel, well, good!

Cafe Reese is open, bright and spacious. Best of all, it offers a variety of seating situations: squishy sofas and club chairs, dining tables and bar seating. As you might suspect, this variety of seating, gives way to a variety of uses. While we were there, we saw informal meetings (NWDA President Juliet Hyams was there—I'd take this as a GOOD sign!!!), students with laptops (WiFi!!!), ladies lunching and folks just hanging out. Yep, Cafe Reese definitely smacks of a third place.

The new owners moved the bar to the back of the space, which really opened it up. The new color palette is cheery, don't you think?

Cafe Reese is an espresso, beer and wine bar.They serve 100% organic coffee roasted by Eugene-based Cafeto Coffee Company. They have a nice selection of reasonably-priced wines by the glass and bottle. They also have beer—don't fret.

The menu boasts a nice selection of soup, salad and panini sandwiches. I'd show you a pic of what we had, but we were starving and forgot to take a photo. Sorry! We tried the St. John's (fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes topped with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar, $7) and The Broadway (house-made Dijon mustard aioli, ham and Swiss, $8), both served with a side of fresh greens drizzled with the house Dijon vinaigrette. A tasty lunch well under $10—we'll take that!

I'm not usually a fan of house salads, the dressing is usually bland and tasteless, but I thought this one was delish.

Cafe Reese has a full organic espresso bar. They serve a light breakfast menu in addition to their regular fare. They also have fresh blended smoothies, juices and teas.

We heard the mochas were good, so we gave one a try—tasty!

Cafe Reese also has ample outdoor seating. It's a great place to hang out!

And, definitely swing by during happy hour (4:30–6:30pm) for red or white wine ($5), selected pints ($2.50) and a variety of bites ($3-$4). If you're in the mood for music, Cafe Reese offers live jazz on Thursday evenings.

And, before I forget—the staff is really friendly and attentive.

So, what do you think of Cafe Reese? Or, if you live elsewhere, what is your third place?