The Woodsman Tavern

We got back to the tradition of trying new places this weekend and did not have to travel too far from home to get to the Woodsman Tavern on upper SE Division. Opened in the fall of 2011, this is one of several neighborhood taverns that are offering non-typical bar food. In fact these places are competing with any of the best restaurants in town on cuisine, while offering a friendly, casual atmosphere to eat or just meet for drinks.

We started with a couple of cocktails from an impressive, somewhat expensive list. I can highly recommend the Gold Rush, a great mix of bourbon and lemon juice. This was coupled with an order of deviled eggs, which was small, but delicious and the Country Ham plate, which had three different hams to taste with pickled green and bread. It was much like a charcuterie plate, very flavorful and thoroughly enjoyable. As an entree we decided to go with two small dishes and on large dish to share. The small dishes we choose were the smoked trout with lentils and the rock shrimp with avocado and radish. Of the two the smoked trout was the one that really shined here. The large dish was a roasted boar shank, which was tender in the middle with a nice crispy outside, accompanied with white beans.

By this time we were both nearing capacity, but could not resist looking at the desert menu. Because we are weak we had to try the key line pie and a berry trifle. I thought the trifle was amazing, and the key lime pie too sweet, but they came with a great after dinner drink pairing that put them over the top.

The Huntsman Tavern is not going to be a cheap night out if you want to take advantage of the menu, but it is rewarding. I want to come back and try a few more of the small dishes and get the whole roasted trout as an entree. The waitstaff is also very helpful and timely which adds to a fun dining experience.

The Woodsman Tavern
4537 SE Division St. 
Portland, OR 97206

(971) 373-8264 Mon-Sun  5–10 PM