Solo Dining at Bar Nouveau in North Portland

Recently I was invited to have dinner at Bar Nouveau (so, this meal was comped). After thinking about it for a while, I decided I wanted to dine solo. To be honest with you, I’m not that comfortable dining alone at a restaurant for dinner; lunch is a different story. This became an opportunity to work on and sit with my feelings about that and become curious about them, over a meal I expected to be of high quality.

And indeed, this meal was excellent, as was the service. Here is my recollection of what will no doubt be one of my favorite meals of the year.

About Bar Nouveau

Bar Nouveau started its life in March 2025 as a pop-up inside Gracie’s Apizza on Mondays and Tuesdays. (Gracie’s Apizza closed on April 25 of this year in Portland but continues on in the Mount Airy neighborhood in Philadelphia.)

It is helmed by Chef Althea Grey Potter, who describes the restaurant as “a French inspired, farm-driven bistro.” She is originally from New England (rural Massachusetts) and has been active cooking seasonally for the past 15 years. Here in Portland she worked at Ned Ludd, Lincoln, opened the Oui! Wine Bar, and founded The Flavor Society, which is a maker of chili crisps.

Chef Althea transitioned Bar Nouveau to its own restaurant in early October 2025. It is located in the Leavitt Station building, named after a former streetcar stop.

Arriving at Bar Nouveau

I arrived in the neighborhood after driving a new-to-me route west along Columbia Boulevard that really showed off some of Portland’s industrial section. When I arrived in the St. Johns neighborhood, I found a parking spot on the street right away—not Doris Day parking levels, but good enough.

I stepped into Bar Nouveau and saw my contact Heather there, who greeted me and ushered me to my table. She invited me to eat with her family, who arrived shortly after I did, but I politely declined. I was touched by her generosity.

I took some time to take in the dining room, which reminded me a bit of La Note in Berkeley, one of my favorite restaurants there from the 1990s—I’m happy to say that it’s still around after almost 29 years in business.

But at Bar Nouveau there are plenty of things to look at that are aesthetically pleasing, from paintings with ornate frames, glassware on the bar, books, feathers, sconces, and more. There are a lot of varying textures in this warm and comfortable space.

Shortly after I sat down, they offered me a little glass of an NA Tom Collins that was very tasty. They offer these little drinks to all who come in for a meal. I was touched by this level of sensitivity and hospitality.

Others Going Solo

While settling in, I noticed there were other persons in the dining room enjoying a meal by themselves. I was happy to see that they were offered the same level of service and hospitality that groups of diners were.

So often a solo diner is relegated to a table out of the way where they are less visible, followed up with less attentive service compared to couples or groups. I have heard people—many of them women—talk about about these experiences, which can be understandably frustrating.

But when their experience is good, they will shout it from the rooftops and tell their friends. It really warmed my heart to see solo diners treated with such care at Bar Nouveau. The kind professionalism of the staff helped me feel at ease and welcome in the dining room.

The Menu at Bar Nouveau

The menu is divided into distinct sections: Hors D’Oeuvres, Petit, and Grand. There is also a Chef’s Dinner Party option, which is a kind of omakase—the chef decides what to serve, choosing from the three aformentioned sections. All at the table must participate and it is $69/person. It does not appear that dessert, which has its own separate menu, is part of the set meal.

As I was alone, I went ahead and chose two items from the Hors D’Oeuvres section, and one each Petit and Grand. But first, I started with a mocktail.

To Drink

I chose the Le Soleil Margarita, which uses Ritual NA Tequila, along with strawberry, orgeat, and lime. This was a rich-tasting drink, and I learned that I don’t think I’m a fan of NA Tequila. I loved the strawberry, orgeat, and lime elements—these would actually be great mixed with sparkling water. But the NA Tequila had an aftertaste I was not fond of.

This is not a reflection on the skill of the bar, it’s simply my preference. Later on they gave me a glass of sparkling mineral water with a good amount of lime in it, and I loved it! But this drink really taught me about NA spirits and what I like, and I appreciate that.

Hors D’Oeuvres

The two items I decided on—with help from my server—were one deviled egg and the potato confit. It was really fun to order just one egg.

And let me tell you, the yolk filling in this egg was very creamy—it felt great on the tongue—and so delicious. I am not sure if I’ve encountered a deviled egg quite like it before. Additionally, the yolk filling was substantial in size and it was beautiful to look at. I also liked the addition of the piece of cornichon atop it’s squiggly deviled mound.

The potato confit was a group of rectangular cuboids of smooth potato, every side fried in duck fat until it gets a crisp exterior.

The potatoes stayed hot inside for quite sometime; I preferred the flavor after it had cooled down. The aioli was perfectly lemony, smooth, and balanced. This is a winning combination and one of their most popular dishes.

Petit

For me, this was the highlight of the meal: Cucumbers, melon, cashews, coconut, Thai basil, curried creme fraiche, ginger mignoette.

To riff off some Jerome Kern lyrics, “Lovely to look at, delightful to know and heaven to [eat].” This dish made me think of meals I’ve had at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. It was a mix of fresh, bright, herbal, sweet and tart. It varied in texture, from smooth to crunchy. It tasted like summer.

I especially liked the addition of cucamelons AKA Mexican Sour Gherkins. This may very well be my favorite bite of 2026.

Grand

I chose the chicken schnitzel, which felt like a gargantuan plate with an absolutely gorgeous piece of chicken accompanied by picholine olives, with nicola potatoes and haricot verts salad on the side atop a dill remoulade.

The chicken had a little bit of honey on it, along with thinly sliced cornichons. The chicken was tender and the crust was crispy-crunchy. If there was one criticism, it was that the potatoes were a tiny bit inconsistent in texture—some more tender than others. The beans were fresh with a satisfying crunch. I loved the briny olives.

The remoulade was another nice element. I first fell for a remoulade years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner during my grad school years at my harpsichord teacher’s home. He made a celeriac remoulade that I will never forget, and it set me up for enjoying this beautiful sauce for years to come. It was a joy to encounter it here at Bar Nouveau.

Dessert

They had a separate dessert menu, which had two sweets plus a “Happy Ending” where you get a choice of dessert wine, bonbon from Bees & Beans, “and your own romance novel.” I chose the Marzipan Torte over the Parfait.

The Marzipan Torte was a slice of the cake atop spiced burgundy plum coulis, lemon verbena crème légère, marcona almonds, and ground-cherries. Not ground up cherries but ground cherries—a fruit in the nighshade family, a cousin to tomatillos. Rare is the time I find them outside of my own garden.

Those leaves on both the torte and the cucumber-melon dish really drew me in—the staff told me their name but I have forgotten it. If you know what they are, I welcome hearing from you.

This was a very special meal—the excellent food and drink, the comfortable easy-going surroundings, along with my efforts toward what I’d consider to be self-care. I’m glad I decided to explore my feelings about dining solo.

Many thanks for Bar Nouveau for this incredible meal. I look forward to returning soon.

Bar Nouveau
7425 N Leavitt Avenue, Portland
Bar Nouveau website | Instagram