by Jaime Vazquez for pdxguide.com
August 2007

Bartini 2108 NW Glisan St. Portland, OR 97210 (503) 224-7919 Website

Bartini is one of the better samples of the trendy life in Portland’s Northwest neighborhood, because it embodies both the locals’ fine tastes as well as the area’s annoying hipster vibe; while the drinks are top-notch and varietous, the cooler-than-thou attitude that permeates the bar gets old, quick.

Bartini is, naturally, a dimly lit martini bar in a space the size of a small English flat. Even walking in at night, the room seems dark, although a few green lamps hang down ominously and candles are tastefully scattered across the dozen or so tables. The walls are done in a reflective black, with hangings that look almost like mini-tikis. Usually, I’m a fan of small and intimate nightspots, but as I entered, I found myself rubbing my eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the bat-cave-levels of light available. For all I know, Bartini is filthy; there’s not enough light to see anything in any detail, and that’s a little disarming.

Bartini’s list of martinis is of course impressive, and enough to sate even the most suave of ‘tini enthusiasts. Most are in the $10 range, and feature names straight from a Jelly Belly catalog—Bananas Foster, Chocotini, and so on. Bartini even has the more masculine standards, made with high-end vodka or gin, naturally, so those in search of the basics, or a crash-course, will have a fine place to start. While it’s no surprise that a martini bar has a good selection of their namesake drink, it is worth noting that the menu at Bartini, if anything, errs on the side of desserts. Snickertinis. Mint this. Fruity-sweet that. If such things are gendered, Bartini is on the girly side of martini bars; it’s less Dean Martin and more…bachelorette party.

And while the drinks certainly satisfy, Bartini leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the basics of a night out. The staff are as much part of the décor as they are the functionality; that is, they add to Bartini’s air of being a happening spot for good-looking people, but aren’t exactly responsive to things like, say, customer orders. In contrast with a spot like Apotheke, where the bartenders will give you a tour of the menu, and make a point to indoctrinate the uninitiated, Bartini is a spot where you should probably bring a martini expert with you—or an extra twenty minutes. And while the staff isn’t going to win any awards—unless they give awards for servers who have perfected looking busy, distracted, and aloof all at once—to be fair, that’s not really why people come, so getting good service is almost an unfair expectation.

The soundtrack at Bartini is painfully off; you can tell they’re trying to achieve a lounge-y, trip-hop feel, ala Thievery Corporation, but instead what comes out is far closer to techno, like the music from a shampoo commercial. Still, Bartini is a place that does swank right, and it’s not hard to imagine that on the right night, with better music, each of the tables could feel like its own getaway, perfect for a one-on-one conversation or even a first date.

Bartini will likely continue to be a neighborhood staple, either through its prime location at 21st Avenue and Glisan or its appeal to upscale yuppies in the area. It is, for all intents and purposes, a great nightcap; a good martini can finish off a day like nothing else, and Bartini pulls off their specialty with a flavorful finesse…as long as you’re not in a hurry.

The opinions expressed within are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of pdxguide.com or The Columbian Publishing Co.