New Cocktail Bar from Colin Carroll, Alex Gessler, and Rob Slattery
Portland, Ore. (March 13, 2019) — 5 & Dime opens today at 6535 SE Foster Road in Portland. The new cocktail bar is a collaborative venture from bartenders Colin Carroll, who earned his fame at Portland’s Trifecta Tavern, and Alex Gessler, formerly of Huckleberry Bar and Reclamation Bar in New York City and Doug Fir in Portland, and Rob Slattery, a designer and contractor specializing in the hospitality industry. 5 & Dime is open seven days a week from 3 pm to 2 am.
Five and dimes, the general stores bearing the same name, were popular across the country in the early- to mid-20th century. With their new bar, Carroll, Gessler, and Slattery strive to capture the spirit of these inexpensive neighborhood establishments, offering well-made cocktails and small plates at approachable prices.
“We’re coming into a well-established neighborhood, and it was important to us to create a welcoming atmosphere for people in all walks of life,” said Colin Carroll. “We want to be an unpretentious, approachable bar for our community.”
The team carefully designed the space to reflect this atmosphere, with Slattery working to bring this vision to fruition. Taking inspiration from the early 1900s, the bar follows a color scheme of forest green and black with brass accents, crafting a timeless look with touches of modernity.
Large windows overlooking SE Foster Road and SE 66th Avenue bring a light and airy feeling to the space, with padded banquettes and high-top tables surrounding a large bar in the center of the room. Design accents include deck-mounted jelly jar lights, bank lights on the bar, and brass icebox latches on refrigerators behind the bar. Twentieth-century table bases from O’Malley’s (the previous occupant of the space) have been incorporated, preserving a timeless quality atop the bar’s original concrete floors.
The 5 & Dime team partnered with friends and local artists for the creation of murals painted on the exterior of the building, custom leather menus, and interior pieces, extending a sense of ownership for their local community. A series of striking paintings created by Rudi Broschofsky, owner of Flat Blak Gallery a few blocks down Foster Road and long-time friend of Carroll, depict Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, where both Broschofsky and Carroll grew up. On the north wall hangs a large portrait of Portland Trail Blazers player Rasheed Wallace, also by Broschofsky.
5 & Dime seats 18 at the bar, with a total seated capacity of 58. Outdoor seating will be added along SE Foster’s large sidewalks as warmer weather arrives.
The drink menu at 5 & Dime features eight house cocktails plus two on draft, alongside a selection of classics, with the majority of cocktails priced between $8 and $10. Carroll and Gessler draw from their extensive bartending experience, infusing spirits and syrups in-house and carefully selecting high quality-but-affordable liquors and ingredients to craft well-balanced cocktails that honor the people who make the spirits.
Menus will change according to different themes, rather than seasonality. 5 & Dime’s opening cocktail menu is based on the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman and includes drinks such as Wednesday, made with aquavit, grapefruit oleo saccharum, lemon, and bitters; Low-Key made with bourbon, lemon, honey herb syrup, pea flower, and soda; and Mr Jaquel & Mr Ibis, a blend of rye, dates, Kashmiri, and grains of paradise. A rotating selection of beer and wine is also on-hand. A full menu can be found here.
5 & Dime offers elevated neighborhood fare, focusing on vegetable-centric small plates made by Chef Zach Ragghianti, formerly of American Local. The opening menu features boards of cured meats, house pickles, and cheeses, skewers, sandwiches, and vegetable plates, including roasted beets with smoked labneh, preserved oranges, and almonds, and a salad of Bibb lettuce, creamy tofu dressing, spicy peanuts, croutons, and candy orange peel.
Details
Address: 6535 SE Foster Road, Portland, OR 97206
General inquiries: [email protected] (no phone)
Social: @5anddimepdx
Seats: 58
Hours of operation: 3 pm to 2 am, Monday through Sunday
ABOUT 5 & DIME
5 & Dime is a collaborative project from bartenders Colin Carroll and Alex Gessler and designer and carpenter Rob Slattery. The bar is located in the Foster-Powell neighborhood of SE Portland, offering specialty and classic cocktails at approachable price points and vegetable-focused small plates. Opened in March, 2019, 5 & Dime strives to capture the spirit of five and dime general stores of the early- to mid-20th century, serving as a comfortable and informal destination for the surrounding community. Having worked in the Portland bar and restaurant scene for many years, Carroll, Gessler, and Slattery brought together friends and local artisans to create a collaborative space with a sense of collective ownership. 5 & Dime is open seven days a week from 3 pm to 2 am.