New Bar Alert! I recently went to a Soft Open of an awesome new bar right on Hawthorne underneath The Hazel Room: Mame! Fabulous drinks, delicious food and a dark, swanky interior that is sure to become a mainstay in your future cocktail crawls. So I asked owner & long-time Moran family friend – Matt Dooney – to give us the scoop!

The Name

I remember as a kid watching the movie Auntie Mame with my mom and I fell in love with Rosalind Russell’s character.  She “had 13 cocktail parties in 2 weeks. She had to call one off because the bootlegger couldn’t come that day.” She was the epitome of a great host. She was an open-minded, worldly, successful, extravagant, independent single woman living in a gorgeous penthouse apartment in New York during prohibition. My kind of person. I fell in love.

Meanwhile, my mom was also a wonderful cook and host. She taught me everything I know about cooking and entertaining. (They both did.) Everyone wanted to be a part of our parties. And everyone always praised her cooking. All of a sudden I started to do the same. We started to host parties together, scan all our cookbooks and build menus. We made a great team. Long story short, I wanted my mom to be affiliated with the name of my bar. But she wasn’t having it. So Auntie Mame was one of the things that really binded the two. I will never watch that movie without thinking about my mom. It’s a tribute to her without putting her name on it.

Then there’s Hawthorne and family history. I’m fourth generation on Hawthorne on my dad’s side. He grew up on 40th and Hawthorne and we’ve never really left. My two sisters and I both live in the neighborhood and I love it here. There’s such a great sense of community and I’m so lucky and privileged to be a part of it. 

The Food

One of my favorite things on the menu is a goat cheese log, rolled in black pepper. Surrounding it is a pool of extra virgin olive oil with sautéed garlic and Kalamata olives. You take a piece of baguette, spread some of that peppered goat cheese, then spoon the oil, garlic and olives on top and it still remains one of my favorite appetizers of all time. I can’t wait for people to try it, because I still haven’t seen it anywhere.

Another favorite snack is my popcorn. There’ll be a few different variations, but my personal favorite has extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, sea salt and truffle salt. And I always have to have it with a glass of cava. The pairing is so good.

We’ll also be offering panini. One is a ham, gruyère, dijon and pickle. Another is a Prosciutto, fontina and arugula. And then a couple more. I love to experiment and do seasonal stuff, so expect specials. My mom will be preparing our soups and desserts so those will definitely be highlights as well.

The Bar

I’ll focus on classic cocktails, a good draft list and a small (but good) wine list. If anyone else besides me is annoyed by bad wine in neighborhood bars, come see me. I got you.

The Interior

The space is better than I could have ever imagined. A family member, Andy Nelson, built everything. A good friend, Eric Sellers, helped bring my vision to life with design. Our good friend, Kate Troyer, custom-designed all of our wallpaper. To say I got lucky with these people is an understatement.

Final Thoughts

I can’t wait for people to see it and feel welcomed into a super cool bar that we’ve created. And I owe a bunch of thanks to my sister & co-owner, Nicole Nelson, who has worked tirelessly with me to make my dream even possible. It’s very much a family business with my siblings and parents helping. I couldn’t do it without them.

Hours

Mame is open 2:00 pm to 12 Midnight Wednesdays to Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Located at 3279 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR

Cheers & thanks for sharing Matt. And best of luck in your Opening month and beyond!