Description
At Portalis Wine Bar, the main facade is composed of glass doors that open up for tangerine and indigo tinted sunsets, creating a spillover onto rustic-chic Ballard Avenue. Considering the interior of Portalis (abstract art hung from exposed brick walls, a library of wine shelved near worn-out signs for Ford and Yick Kee Laundry), the flow between the two is perfectly natural; Ballard Avenue is now far from rustic, but still stubborn enough to resist looking chic. Wine by the glass ranges from a California syrah to a Burgundy chardonnay, while the Small Bites menu boasts a Fresh Market Cheese plate that changes, presumably, with each visit. Every two weeks, a seasonal special hits the menu, crafted specifically to match a featured wine. These are first-rate, often name-brand samples of their various kinds, and priced accordingly.
