A heaping helping of new restaurants downtown offers something for every appetite

By BENNETT HALL
Gazette-Times business editor

After 17 years of operating restaurants in Corvallis, Regina Iovino could be called a veteran of the local dining scene — but she prefers a different title.

“I’d rather be called the queen,” she said with a laugh as hearty as her pasta. “My name means queen, you know. Anytime somebody wants to give me that crown, I’m ready.”

The latest incarnation of Iovino’s Ristorante could well be the crowning achievement of her career. With its multi-tiered dining area, dramatic decor and commanding views of the Willamette River, the relocated Iovino’s — on the ground floor of the new Renaissance on the Riverfront building — is one of the most spectacular dining spaces in town.

But it also has plenty of company in a district that is rapidly becoming a magnet for foodies.

In fact, you can’t swing a salad spinner in downtown Corvallis these days without hitting a brand-new restaurant — and more are on the way.

Since Iovino’s moved four blocks south from its old location in January, no fewer than five startup or upgraded restaurants have debuted downtown, and a half-dozen more are under construction.

The area’s restaurant revival has gathered steam since the opening of Riverfront Commemorative Park in 2002, but the latest batch of new arrivals is large by any standard. It’s a far cry from just a dozen years ago, when downtown boosters held a meeting to discuss the dearth of dining options.

“At that time we had the Dairy Queen, a couple of Mexican restaurants and one Chinese restaurant,” recalled Joan Wessell, executive director of the Downtown Corvallis Association. “Look how far we’ve come.”

One measure of that progress is Iovino’s new location. After eight years in a renovated warehouse space in the heart of the “old” riverfront district at Southwest First Street and Madison Avenue, the restaurant is now the anchor attraction of the newest riverfront development, the seven-story Renaissance condo tower.

It’s roughly twice the size of the original restaurant, with seating for 140 in the dining room and 60 in the banquet room. A patio will open this summer, offering al fresco dining for 50.

The menu remains the same, a broad selection of updated Italian classics with local favorites such as crab cakes and pork loin, and the bar continues to offer the specialty martinis and sturdy wine list that regulars have come to rely on.

“We were this small little restaurant that everyone loved,” Iovino said. “I didn’t want it to look like we changed things too drastically.”

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Barely a month after Iovino’s moved, Cloud 9 opened in the restaurant’s former digs at 126 S.W. First St., and change was the first order of business for owner Cloud Davidson, who gave the place a makeover with bright, cheery colors, casual-comfy tables and chairs, and a menu he describes as “gourmet comfort food.”

“To me it was important to come in here and make it look different, make it be Cloud 9,” Davidson said.

But some things never change. Before opening his first restaurant, Davidson made a name for himself around town as a master mixologist, starting his bartending career at Iovino’s before moving on to a stint at Crowbar, where he created a hugely popular concoction of blackberry vodka, fresh lime and Triple Sec he dubbed the Heckle & Jeckle.

“I re-created that drink here, but I use raspberries instead of blackberries,” Davidson said. “I call it Le Caw Caw.”

Fruit infusions are the specialty of the house. In addition to the black raspberry vodka, Cloud 9 offers a blueberry gin and even a coffee tequila.

To put a different stamp on the kitchen, Davidson brought in chef Ko Attebury, a veteran of Big River and Portland’s Heathman Hotel. You can get a New York steak or grilled mahi mahi at Cloud 9 if you want, but the big selection of appetizers and “small plates” have been the best sellers so far.

“Korean shortribs, steak and fries, the grilled fish taco, chicken and dumplings — that sort of stuff has been a huge hit,” Davidson said.

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If it’s breakfast you’re hankering for, there’s the Broken Yolk Cafe, which opened in March in a substantial portion of the old Burton’s Restaurant at 119 S.W. Third St.

Brooke and Brandon Dale have decked out their family-friendly eatery in a rainbow of colors. The walls are covered in wide-awake tones of yellow and orange, the tables are decorated with everything from butterflies to coffee beans, the food arrives on party-colored Fiestaware — even the concrete floor has a custom paint job.

“The most popular items we have are our Spanish omelette, our Third Street Scramble, and we make a mean breakfast burrito,” said manager Jessica Gordon.

For really hearty appetites, there’s the Broken Yolk, an eight-egg meat-cheese-and-veg omelette the menu describes as “the heart stopper.”

Hungarian mushroom soup has been a popular item at lunchtime, when you can also get salads, wraps, burgers and “slamwiches.” Gluten-free breads and wraps from Living Earth Bakery — another recent downtown arrival — are also available.

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At Water Street Market, a renovated warehouse at 151 N.W. First St., two longtime tenants have added full kitchens and upgraded their menu offerings.

Wine is still the main attraction at Sahalie Wine Cellars, a dark, cozy basement cave outfitted with Oriental rugs, comfy sofas and a warm, back-to-the-womb ambience.

Fondue is still on the bill of fare, but about two months ago owners Jeff and Diane Cygan uncorked an expanded menu that blends Northwest staples with Mediterranean influences.

Entrees range from grilled ribeye and wild chinook salmon to penne alfredo and coq au vin. There is also a small assortment of sandwiches and plenty of wine-friendly nibbles, such as baked brie and roasted garlic, dates wrapped with roasted prosciutto and a cheese and fruit plate with Spanish almonds and Italian bread.

“It’s pretty much accomplished what we had hoped,” Jeff Cygan said. “When people can sit down with a plate of food, they tend to order a whole bottle of wine instead of just a glass.”

Upstairs, The Pantry has completely reinvented itself as The Waterfront Grill. The open, airy dining room will still look familiar to Pantry regulars, as will the sandwich selection, which still features such popular fixtures as the crab melt.

“We made additions — we did not make subtractions — to our lunch menu,” reported Cindy Howard, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Scott.

The additions are most evident on the extensive dinner menu, anchored by chop house classics such as filet mignon, Porterhouse and ribeye steaks, rack of lamb and double-cut porkchops. Also available: seared duck, stuffed chicken breast and a variety of seafood and pasta dishes.

The corner that used to house the deli counter is now a bar, an intimate space that features specialty martinis and well-aged single-malts.

“My husband has a passion for Scotch,” Howard said, pointing out the whisky menu. “This will probably grow.”

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One of the newest additions to the downtown dining scene is also the smallest, at just 400 square feet. Baguette, tucked into one corner of a renovated warehouse at 501 S.W. Second St., opened for lunch and dinner two weeks ago with a menu that features Vietnamese sandwiches.

Served on eight-inch white or wheat French rolls baked fresh every morning, the sandwiches are a fresh Asian take on the familiar sub, with fillings such as ginger chicken, curried beef and steamed pork meatballs garnished with pickled carrots and radishes, fresh cucumber and jalapeno, cilantro, house mayonnaise and garlic-pepper sauce.

Rounding out the menu are egg rolls, salad rolls and other Asian goodies.

One sandwich, dubbed the Daring, is stuffed with minced Vietnamese ham.

“We steam it inside a banana leaf,” said Thanh Hoang, an HP employee who owns the restaurant with his wife, Huong.

Helping get the new venture off the ground is Thanh’s sister, Kimber Hoang, the owner-chef of Magenta at 1425 N.W. Monroe Ave. But after a successful nine-year run in the university district, Hoang is bringing her signature brand of pan-Asian fusion cooking downtown.

Hoang is busy remodeling her new space at 137 S.W. Second St. — formerly The Union — and hopes the relocated Magenta can be open by June. She’s keeping the campus-area location but plans to revamp the menu to feature “cheap, spicy Asian eats” calculated to appeal to college students. She’ll rename the place Southeast.

The new Magenta will retain Hoang’s rotating, ever-evolving menu of seasonal ingredients blended with creative flair.

“They’re all my own recipes,” she said. “I combine the Asian style and herbs into the Northwest and European cooking.”

Hoang bought the building last month, partly as an investment decision but also because she felt Magenta was a better fit downtown, where the restaurant scene is quickly achieving a critical mass that once seemed unattainable for Corvallis.

“I love it,” Hoang said. “I love it because the more restaurants in a town the better. It gets people interested in staying in town — they don’t have to go out of town to eat.”



COMING ATTRACTIONS

Block 15

300 S.W.Jefferson Ave.

Nick and Kristen Arzner are renovating the former End Zone space for a brewpub. They plan to produce up to 13 different microbrews and serve “casual fantastic” pub grub ranging from burgers to pasta to pulled-pork barbecue.

ETA: September-November

Harrison Bar & Grill

550 N.W. Harrison Blvd.

Katty and Michael Tse are remodeling the former Ignacio’s Mexican Restaurant into a family-friendly venue that will feature steaks, hamburgers, Oriental seafood specialties, pasta dishes and a full bar.

ETA: June 1

Happy Tokyo

250 S.W. Third St.

A veteran of restaurants in the Kansas City and Washington, D.C., areas, Dubin To and his wife, Cindy Tran, are opening a Japanese steakhouse featuring Kobe beef cooked at the table on traditional teppanyaki grills. Sushi will also be on the menu, along with live lobster and other seafood selections. Full bar, with sake available hot or cold.

ETA: June 16

Hot Diggity Dog

151 N.W. Monroe Ave.

A good old-fashioned hot dog joint in the Water Street Market. Scott and Cindy Howard, who also own The Waterfront Grill, hope to add saltwater taffy and other kid-pleasing candy selections when they reopen this little lunch spot, which had a short run last fall.

ETA: Mid-May

Magenta

137 S.W. Second St.

After nine years in Cobblestone Square, Kimber Hoang is moving her popular pan-Asian restaurant downtown, into the space previously occupied by The Union. At the same time, she’ll convert her original university district restaurant into a more student-friendly concept called Southeast, which will feature “cheap, spicy Asian eats.”

ETA: Before June

Strega

517 S.W. Second St.

Penthouse dining on the fifth and sixth floors of the new Elements Day Spa building. Eclectic tapas menu featuring seasonal Northwest ingredients, as well as house-aged meats, wine bar and possibly the best views in town from two large balconies. Accordion doors on both levels fold back, opening the whole restaurant to the elements in nice weather.

ETA: August-September