Tilikum Station Opens on Portland's East Bank
When the Tilikum Crossing (bridge) opened in September of 2015 we PDX'ers knew that this connection between the South Portland Waterfront and the Willamette River's east bank esplanade would be a match made in heaven. Streams of pedestrians, bicyclists and other, non-motorized people have indeed found this new bridge to be very useful. And with continued growth on both sides of the crossing, this bridge decision gets smarter every day. Enter the new craft beer, wood-fired pizza location of Tilikum Station. Done in a railway theme, utilizing two, Northern Pacific railcars that you can sit inside of and eat/drink, the overall look and feel of this place is definitely fun and unique. Very Portland. Having opened just last week on July 4th, this second location of Mt. Hood Brewing, the true craft beer sensation that makes its beer on the slopes of Mt. Hood, is set to impress.
Blending true, Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza making techniques with local, NW ingredients, well, how can this not be a great, great thing? Truly, it is (a great thing) as I have had the luxury of enjoying food from both chef's responsible for the exciting menu at Tilikum Station...and these guys get high marks. Here's a quote from NewSchoolBeer.com, talking about the two chef's, their history, and what they're doing together at this new restaurant:
“The menu is being developed by Timberline Lodge Executive Chef Jason Stoller Smith and protégé, Chris Flanagan. The two chefs worked together for nearly ten years at a well-known Oregon wine country restaurant, the Dundee Bistro. Flanagan took over as head chef at that restaurant when Stoller Smith became Executive Chef at Timberline Lodge in 2010. Eight years later, they have reunited to pair Neo-Neapolitan pizza with Mt. Hood Brewing Co.’s ales at Tilikum Station.”
Featuring craft beers from Mt. Hood Brewing, along with a "this location only" special brew, what's better than good pizza and great beer? Image Courtesy: mthoodbrewing.com
At one point I wrote a blog article titled, "The World's Best Pizza at 6,000 feet." This feature covered the insanely-tasty pizzas coming out of the tiny Blue Ox Bar inside of historic Timberline Lodge. Truly, these are awesome pizzas. With this new location opening up, and sporting even more authenticity in terms of prep and cooking...well...I know my next hang out!!
Enjoy!