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On the whole, there are a lot of things that Austin and Portland have in common: an overused slogan on bumper stickers, a love of live music and barbecues, Proud Mary locations. There are a few Portland-born companies that have expanded into Austin, including Zeds Real Fruit Ice Cream and Voodoo Donut. But the opposite – Austin companies opening locations in Portland – are less common. Soon, however, a dash of Austin will land in North Mississippi, a bar with ranch water, wood-fired pizza, and Austin bands on the stereo.
Luster Pearl opened in 2009 as a small, relaxed bar on what was then quiet Rainey Street in Austin. Since then, proprietor Bridget Dunlap has turned the bar into a kind of chain and pushed the area into an entertainment district. Her restaurant and bar group Dunlap ATX operates bars across Austin and expanded to Denver in 2017. But according to general manager and co-owner Matthew Wienholt, opening a new location in Portland has been on the agenda for years. “We’d always talked about coming to Portland,” he says. “They only resemble Austin because of the vibe of the city. Those conversations got serious about a year ago. ”As a result, Wienholt moved from Denver, where he previously headed the Colorado Luster Pearl, to Portland and began looking for places and talent.
The company ended up in the former Quaintrelle Square and its neighbor, the former bookstore Another Read Through, which they are currently converting into a larger bar and lounge. “It’s rock and roll, but elegant,” says Wienholt. “You will find a very large gold disco ball hanging from the ceiling, a gold-rimmed bar, purples, lighter greens, and blues. There is definitely space to sit … but we like to have everything mobile, for dance parties on Friday and Saturday evenings. ”
These dance parties will include live music – Wienholt even hinted that Dunlap could stop by himself to sing Stevie Nick’s cover – but much of the music played at Luster Pearl will represent both the Portland and Austin music scenes, with local bands from both cities. This ethos also applies to the drinks menu, which includes Texas-inspired cocktails like Ranch Water (a lemony tequila soda), margaritas, and the Matthew Pecanaughey, an old fashioned with plain pecan syrup. The Portland side of the menu is still under development, especially as Wienholt is starting to hire local bar staff.
The menu will be based on the Denver location, with a selection of wood-fired pizzas. “Pizza is such a popular main course here in Portland City, but this is where we had our experience with pizza. We have good relationships with the people in Denver, we’ve learned a lot about wood-fired pizza, so we bring in some of these chefs to help design the menu, ”says Wienholt. “We know there are other options on this road and we want to [Lustre Pearl] be bar-forward. But we also want people to know that you can get a really good cake here if you are interested. “
Luster Pearl is slated to open at 3936 North Mississippi Avenue in early 2022.
• Shiny pearl [Official]
• Luster Pearl gets back on Rainey starting today [EATX]
• Bridget Dunlap talks about Container Bar, Mettle Reviews and the future of Rainey Street [EATX]
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