The Richmond Club Succeeds the Richmond Bar in Portland

Artist rendering of the center booth area at The Richmond Club. Image credit: The Richmond Club.

Last October, The Richmond Bar closed after 13 years in business. In January of this year, it appeared that something called “Irene’s” was moving in. Time passed. Then last month I had a chance to chat with Dan Castro, the owner of The Richmond Club, which is the real name of the new bar opening in what was The Richmond Bar space. Here’s what we talked about.

Who Is Dan Castro?

Aside from being The Richmond Club’s new and only owner, he’s also the owner of Double Dragon, a popular Vietnamese spot about a mile to the west on SE Division.

So What’s the Story With Irene’s?

That was one of my first questions, as I was very curious to know what was up with the whole Irene’s thing. “Yeah, that was just sort of a placeholder name that we had to use to get the [liquor license] application,” explained Dan.

The Richmond Club: What’s in a Name?

And with that out of the way, we can focus on the actual name of the bar: The Richmond Club. “We had been debating whether to keep the [old] name or do our own thing,” explained Dan. “We tried a few other names on for size and nothing really felt quite right. And we were just like, ‘Well, this is still going to be a neighborhood bar, it’s still ideally going to be serving a similar clientele, and playing a similar role in the neighborhood.'”

He continued, “And so it felt better to keep the name a little closer to what it was. It’s going to be The Richmond Club.”

The Richmond Club Concept

As for what to expect at The Richmond Club, “We want to keep it a neighborhood bar,” said Dan. “I think it’s a great space in an old historic building that plays a really important role in the neighborhood for people who live close by. But I think there’s an opportunity for it to be brought up to speed and have the dial turned up a little bit on the cocktails and the food.”

He added, “And I think the space needed a little bit of a refresh. But other than that, this is a good neighborhood bar, and the cocktails are going to be a high priority item.”

The Cocktails

He is committed to putting together a really solid bar program. “I feel very good about everything we’re putting out there.” he said. “I’m responsible for the bar program at Double Dragon, and I will also be responsible for the bar program here.”

The drinks at The Richmond Club are going to feel, as Dan says, “a little more classically rooted and maybe a little more refined.” He pointed out that the drinks at Double Dragon are very maximalist: juicy and fun and big and loud. He describes the drinks at The Richmond Club as “a little tighter and a little more direct,” comparatively speaking.

It’s Sorta Like a…

He compares the way they are organizing the drink program at The Richmond Club is similar to that at a bar in LA called The Normandie Club. “At their bar their drinks don’t have titles,” he explained. At the top of the cocktail menu it says, “It’s sorta like a …” and the comparisons follow: Sorta like an Old Fashioned, Sorta like a Daiquiri, etc.

“And from there on out, it’s very creative and proprietary,” he added. “The ingredients don’t necessarily read in such a way that you would be like, ‘Oh, that’s obviously a daiquiri.’ So they’ll still be creative. They’ll still be exciting.”

The Cocktail Curious and the Cocktail Nerd

Dan also talked about creating a menu that allows customers to find drinks that really appeal to their interest in flavor, form, and function. “I think people generally are more likely to approach ordering a drink from a position of ‘Well, I want something that’s like an Old Fashioned. Or what I want is something that’s like a daiquiri. Or what I want is something that’s like a whiskey sour.”

“So, why not give it to them that way? Why not give people this stuff in a language that they can make better sense of.” Dan thinks this could lead to the customer getting a drink they are truly excited about.

Of course, there are those who want, for example, a true vodka martini, or an Old Fashioned, or a Tom Collins done in the classic way. That will also be possible at The Richmond Club. “All of the bar staff will be very seasoned pros,” remarked Dan. “We’re extremely adept at doing classic stuff as well as doing creative stuff. It’s going to be really, really good.”

NA Drinks at The Richmond Club

NA drinks are also on their radar. He said at Double Dragon they have four NA cocktails to the 13 or 14 alcohol-based cocktails. It will be a similar ratio at The Richmond Club. And he recognizes the importance of and interest in dry cocktails. “We will have well-thought-out, developed, and composed options for those drinks,” he remarked. “That’s a must do nowadays and we’re not skipping it or anything.”

We chatted about the topic of the cost of zero-proof cocktails, which in the end can be more expensive than traditional cocktails.

“There’s a public perception that because these drinks aren’t made with alcohol that they should be cheaper,” said Dan. “And the thing is, if you’re going to make drinks in a way that they’re not going to be juice bombs, you need to use spirits—you need to have something taking up the space of alcohol in the cocktail.”

The Cost Issue

“And that’s the thing, those NA spirits are expensive,” explained Dan. “Often times those NA spirits are more expensive than a base spirit that we would use in a cocktail that has alcohol. And if all my cocktails on the menu are $15, the NA drinks ought to be, too.”

He added, “The drinks cost $15 because they need to cost $15. Obviously, it’s important and you’ve got to do it because it has to taste good.” And in this case we are not talking about a cocktail that is primarily juice and club soda and splash of bitters. He also said that having high quality non-alcoholic spirits is a recent thing.

“There’s been a huge boom in that space, which is great,” he added.

Why This Location for The Richmond Club?

So why this location? Dan and his team had been passively looking for a second space for a couple of years. And it was important that the space be in a neighborhood that he felt like he understood and had a connection to—and since he’s lived in this neighborhood the whole time he’s been in Portland, the connection is familiar and deep.

“I’ve lived basically three or four blocks away from the Richmond for 15 years,” Dan explained. And for most of that time he’s worked at Double Dragon, too.

“Ultimately, I’m interested in the success of this space and in this neighborhood being an awesome place to live and hang out,” he said. “I’m excited to open another space that is a part of the neighborhood that I live in and hopefully it will be a positive addition to it.”

The Food

For their food menu, they consulted with Aaron Barnett at St. Jack, who has done menu consults at a number of places around town. “He’s super accomplished guy—he’s awesome!” exclaimed Dan. It is clear he is a big fan.

“So the food is going to be approachable, snacky bar food,” explained Dan. “It’ll read a little French just because that’s kind of his thing. The food is not going to be slept on. It’ll be a really solid place to eat.”

I asked Dan if there was something he was really psyched about and he said the Niçoise salad. “Personally, I’m excited about a Niçoise salad,” he said. “It’s probably cooler to talk about the pig’s head croquette that’s going to be on the menu.”

That said, we are very much excited about salad around here at Bridgetown Bites. (Salad Week is around the corner!) It’s also not that easy to find a Niçoise salad in this town.

He also highlighted their burger and a schnitzel. And a kind of gratin, a nod to The Richmond Bar’s beloved mac & cheese.

“So there will be heavier, heartier options, but there’s also like a really well-fleshed-out selection of salads, a crudo, and some grilled oysters that are going to be awesome,” said Dan.

Bar seats at The Richmond Club. — Image credit: The Richmond Club.

Working on the Space

As for the seemingly long time it’s taken to open up The Richmond Club, that aspect has partially been affected by some necessary additional work at the location. “We wound up having to do more work on it than we anticipated, which is not uncommon with taking over a space,” said Dan.

He continued, “We thought we’d be able to turn it over and get rolling a lot sooner. But I think the improvements that we wound up making to the building are going to be really positive for everybody’s experience there.”

More seating, including blue banquettes. — Image credit: The Richmond Club.

Decor at The Richmond Club

I wondered if they had done much to the interior. Had they changed the footprint of the built-ins (like the bar)? Have there been major changes or is everything kind of staying the same?’

The bar is in the same place, “but the interior is going to wind up looking pretty different—there’s a hanging bar that we built.” said Dan. “I found a lot of cool architectural salvage pieces to go both inside it and outside. The space is going to look great.”

Looking into the bar. — Image credit: The Richmond Club.

He also talked about the patio that he feels is somehow still kind of a secret to a lot of people.”I mean, that’s a huge asset to the space, and there aren’t a lot of those up and down Division Street,” he explained. “It’s a totally enclosed 60 seat patio. It’s incredible.” I think there be some addition of plants back there, too.