Estes Residency at Broder Nord in Portland Starts Next Week

Over the weekend I had a chance to chat with Patrick McKee of Estes, about their new residency at Broder Nord. They are starting up there next week, bringing all their deliciousness with them. Our conversation involved a variety of things, including time at Dame and what’s to come at the Broder residency.

The Estes-Broder Announcement

Earlier this month, Patrick announced on Instagram about the Estes residency at Broder Nord. They’ll be open Wednesday to Saturday evenings—5pm to 9pm Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 5pm to 10pm Fridays and Saturdays. Their soft opening was originally going to be this week, but it’s been pushed to next Thursday and Friday January 23 and 24, and remains mostly an invite-only setup. Full service starts Saturday, January 25. Ben Preacher from Wilder will be making the drinks and running front-of-house service.

On top of having a new space to work in, they have access to the commissary kitchen on site, when they will make their pastas and sauces.

I really enjoyed speaking with Patrick and learning more about Estes and his experience with food. Here is the rest of our conversation.

The Origins of the Estes Name

I love learning the origin stories behind restaurant names, so I asked Patrick about Estes. Turns out it’s the Americanized version of his family’s Italian name, “d’Este.” When his family emigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island, they changed the name. His great-grandfather came from Rome.

And it happens that d’Este was a prominent family during the Renaissance, and was related to the Borgia family through marriage. You may know both of those names in relation to the Villa d’Este, located just outside of Rome. “Obviously, the state owns all the all the stuff, but it’s kind of cool seeing the the signs for it,” remarked Patrick.

The Connection to Broder Nord

I was curious to know how Patrick connected with Broder Nord to secure this upcoming residency. One of his cooks was a former chef there, who also clued him in on the on-site commissary space. Patrick eventually went and talked to the guys at Broder and they loved the idea of Estes opening there. They said, “Hey, we close at 3 o’clock every day, and the space isn’t used at night.”

He continued, “They said that they have been looking for somebody who could take the commissary and then potentially do some dinner things. So it was a situation that worked out for all of us. Plus, the vibe that we have with the Broader guys is really good.”

While discussing this, the topic of shared spaces came up, and how we are seeing them more often when it comes to eating and drinking establishments in the area. Patrick observed that this may be the way of the future, especially as rent prices continue to rise. “Nothings’s cheap,” he remarked.

The Pasta Business, Estes Pastificio

Along with Estes the restaurant, there’s Estes Pastificio, his pasta and sauce work. He’s been making pasta and sauce during the past six months and wants to continue to do so. “It’s always been kind of like a side dream of mine to focus on pasta and sauce,” he explained. When he started exploring the idea, he got support from his wife, from his friends—and also from Michelle Vernier from Bella’s Italian Bakery. They are friends and worked at Paley’s Place together.

After hearing about his pasta and sauce idea while she was there at dinner one night, she said, “If you want to test it out, sell them to me, and I’ll sell them out of the shop.”

“Right now, everybody wants fresh pasta and fresh sauce,” said Patrick. “So that’s right up my alley.”

You can find his pasta and sauce at Wellspent Market, Zupan’s and Bella’s Italian Market under the brand, Estes Pastificio.

His Time at Dame, and Why He Left

He had nothing but good things to say about his time at Dame. He started there as Estes in February 2019. Things were moving along—then COVID hit. “There were days where it was just me and Jane,” said Patrick. “Sometimes my wife would come in and help me out.”

Eventually, Patrick’s role became less Estes at Dame and more simply being the chef at Dame. “There was some general confusion with people about what was Estes and what was Dame.” He and Jane talked about it and Patrick agreed to slide into the role of being chef there, essentially becoming Dame.

“You know, Jane was the one who started it here. Other people had done pop-ups but nobody had really done a residency type of deal.”

He also had a chance to propagate a good culture there at Dame, something he looks forward to continuing at Estes at Broder Nord. He was inspired by Vitaly Paley, who he worked with for 10 years. “He taught me a lot,” added Patrick. “I was really fortunate to be around somebody who didn’t scream and yell.”

As for the reason why he left Dame, part of it was the need for a commissary space for the pasta and sauce work.

Space

Leaving one location and moving to another means new opportunities to change things up. “I’m sure that everything will be a little bit different because we’re cooking on a different line. And the setup’s different. And I’m now the guest in somebody else’s kitchen, so we’re gonna have to kind of adjust how we do things.”

“They have some things we didn’t have, and they don’t have some things that we had. But the space feels great.”

He also indicated that at some point he’d like to move into his own space. But for now, he’s pretty excited about diving into this new space at Broder Nord.

The Food at Estes

I asked him about what he is going to bring andw as far as the menu goes. “We had the squid ink bucatini that I took it off the menu about six months ago,” he said. “And I’ve gotten nothing but people asking when it was going to return. I wanted to save it for when we opened, so it’s going to make a return. I think people will be very happy.”

“We’re gonna make a porchetta,” he said. “And I’m excited about it!”

They’ll be making their own focaccia and sourdough (“We’re kinda bread nerds.”). And a little antipasti plate will be on the menu—Finocchiona, salami, Robiola cheese, that kind of thing.

“Our pastas are ever evolving,” he says. One of the pastas dishes he’s looking forward to serving is an Italian dish called gnocchi alla bava, involving Taleggio cream with potato gnocchi.

“Athena who does a lot of the bread baking, also does the desserts,” he added. They like simple things, and that includes tiramisu. They’ll also have cocktails, mocktails, and wine.

But Is It Authentic?

The topic of authenticity came up. (Fun fact: Andy Ricker dinged me once for using that term, and his reasoning was interesting—I’ll save that for another day.) Patrick said about his food, “I like that it’s close to authentic … but it’s not. And it’s also a representation of not just the Italian side of my family, but also of the experiences that I had working at Paley’s.

He continued, “I was really influenced by Spanish cuisine for a while, and I saw that three Michelin-star restaurant in San Sebastian. And that had a huge effect on me. And there are some Spanish tinged things that you’ll find on the menu, for sure.”

Above all, though, is his believe is that cooking for people is taking care of people.

Everyone Is Welcome

Inclusivity is an important part of Patrick’s work. “The thing I got from my mom was that everybody was always welcome.”

“When people would come into our house, my mother usually had two questions,” he explained. “They were, ‘Are you hungry?’ or ‘Have you eaten?'” His friends and the guys from his high school wrestling team always wanted to come over to his house because his mom was cooking. “They felt welcome, and that kind of hospitality has definitely made a mark on me,” said Patrick.

He mentioned how important the feeling of being in service for others is, too. “I think in the climate that we live in now—-politically around the world and the divisiveness in everything that’s going on—getting people to sit down and eat together is probably one of the most powerful things you can do.” And he wants to make the world a better place for his kids, so he is determined to find a way to make that happen.

Portland, Help Independent Restaurants

Usually I ask at the end of an interview, “Is there anything else I should know?” Instead, I asked what he thought the city could do to help restaurants in this town. So many have closed, and a lot of it comes down to economics. So my question was, “What do you think Portland should do to help our independent restaurants, which are a huge draw from a tourism perspective and from a resident eater perspective?

“You know, is there any way to help us out with rent?” he asked. “The thing I see more often are all my friends’ places getting broken into.” Regarding break-ins he cited Cookie McCakeface, who posted a video of her walking out at 6am and finding a guy breaking into her car. The guy was drilling her lock out.

He continued, “I’m good friends with Han from Kim Jong Grillin. He had an instance where somebody broke in and they they took all of the meat out of his refrigerator. And my friend, Rick, who just opened Malpractice. They got broken into before they opened.”

He added, “I don’t know if the city has done or can do anything about that kind of thing. How about some kind of a security presence or helping us buy bigger locks.”

Final Thoughts and The LA Fires

I enjoyed hearing his thoughts on family and culture. “I found a strong connection to my family,” said Patrick. “And going back to Italy (I still have family that live in Rome), connecting with that side of my family has changed me immeasurably and for the better.”

“There’s an old myth that Italians used to believe—that you didn’t age when you’re at the table, and that’s why it took so long to eat a meal. And this is how Italians eat.”

“I love what I do. I love cooking. And if you make good food, people will come back,” he says.

He also told me that for the first week at least, anything over what they need for a profit they will send to California to support the displaced people due to the wildfires.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a couple days of soft opening mostly as an invite-only, though if seats do become available, he’ll open that up. Otherwise, opening day is Saturday, January 25. Many thanks to Patrick for his time, and best of luck to him and his team as they get ready to open!

Estes at Broder Nord [opening January 25, 2025]
3765 N Mississippi Avenue, Portland
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