Pour Wine Bar has received accolades from many different sources, from the Oregonian to Western Interiors, here are a few stories you might enjoy.

Recently, Pour Wine Bar was named the editorial pick for Best Wine Bar on Citysearch.com, a Willamette Week Pick for 2007-08, and named a City Best pick on AOL City Guide http://search.cityguide.aol.com/portland/bars/pour-wine-bar-bistro/v-121660921

OREGONIAN

Question: "What do you want to put in there?"

Answer: "I dunno. A wine bar?"

Volz was a writer, not a shopkeeper. He didn't have a business plan. All he had was an inordinate fondness for chairs.

Pour Wine Bar & Bistro is not exactly in a prime location. The corner is less a portal to Alameda, more a gateway to Hollywood Fred Meyer. But already, just six weeks in, it's setting a new standard for the neighborhood.

Volz is a huge fan of Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. He's the guy who designed the legendary TWA terminal at JFK airport. Too old school, for you? Remember that way cool HQ for "Men in Black"? That was based on a Saarinen design.

So when Volz found a stash of Saarinen chairs left over from a 1952 cruise boat, he snapped them up to set the tone for Pour. Their trademark curves are echoed in everything from the vestibule to the wine racks. Saarinen knew from curves. He also designed the St. Louis arch.

"Yes," Volz says, "I know. Even my dad says I am way too stylish for a heterosexual."

His wife, Theressa Davis, likes him that way. She's the communications director for Comcast and drops by every night to balance the books. Says Volz, "It's the only way she sees me."

At Pour, Volz does most of the cooking -- he put himself through school cooking at Cafe Zenon in Eugene. He keeps things simple: olives, cheese, lamb. His trademark is the "daily pour," just $3 a glass during happy hour. He pairs each wine with each customer. Frisky redheads, for example, often seem to be rewarded with a stunning pinot from Ken Wright.

As for the cocktail waitress. Yes, Kat Fleming really was a supermodel. No, she isn't wondering whether you might be free tomorrow night.

Jonathan Nicholas: JPNicholas@aol.com

PORTLAND TRIBUNE
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=31912

Newest oenophile outlet pours on the style, charm

By Liz Colie Gadberry

You’ve heard the metaphor about how opening a restaurant is a lot like having a baby. The months of planning, the intense labor before it’s born, then the constant worry that something might go wrong, fighting with the dream that your baby (or restaurant) will be loved by many and grow up to be a huge success.

Many restaurant owners have the excited, anxious, happy look of new parents. Robert Volz, owner of the month-old Pour Wine Bar (2755 N.E. Broadway, 503-288-7687), is no exception. In fact, he’s like the parents, the grandparents and the pediatrician all rolled into one.

Volz is a man obsessed with details. If a parent paid as much attention to his child as Volz does to Pour, the kid would suffocate. But Pour seems to benefit from all the attention. The color scheme, the chairs, the lights, the entryway, the kitchen, the food and the wine: Volz has a hand in every aspect of his baby.

Pour’s location looks a bit incongruous. It would fit right in in the Pearl, but on the corner of Northeast 28th Avenue and Broadway, across the street from a pet supply store and a stone’s throw from a Fred Meyer, the thoroughly modern-looking spot stands out like an elegantly dressed woman at Oaks Park.

Pour is small but makes a big statement in style. Beautiful chairs designed by Finnish architect and furniture designer Eero Saarinen (who designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis) are the room’s most striking feature. A rich cream color, the chairs are also extremely comfortable. Volz points out that the arched openings in the chairs’ backs echo the arched entryway to Pour and an arch above the bar.

A Cruvinet system for preserving opened wine allows Pour to offer a nice selection of wines by the glass. The kitchen is about the size of an extra-wide diving board and, as in most wine bars, the menu is small. But you can order olives, nuts, cheese, beef Bresaola and even escargot with your wine. Panini, risotto, and macaroni and cheese are also available. Volz recently bought a slow cooker and intends to add roasted meats to the menu soon.

Last week I tried the cheese plate, and it was superb with Oregonzola by Rogue Creamery, a solid Manchego from Barcelona and a rich, Parmesan-like Gouda.
Noon to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 4:30 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday
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WESTERN INTERIORS

Pour It On
When former food critic and mid-century design enthusiast Robert Volz decided to open a wine bar in Portland, he turned to the design firm Compressed Pattern to make it a reality. “Each of our projects tells a story about a client’s passion,” says the firm’s Travis Weedman. “It’s a collaborative process.” In designing Pour, the team was influenced by Volz’s forty-one Eero Saarinen chairs. Their curvature is echoed throughout the space, from te tables designed by Volz (above), to the alcove string art (top) by Andi Kovel.
Pour Wine Bar, 2755 NE Broadway St. Portland, OR. 97232, 503-288-7687.

OREGONIAN Wine Bar Features

Oregonian, Wine Bar Bests, June 2, 2006

Show off your stylish self:

Pour Wine Bar & Bistro

Baby, that new Prada looks amazing on you. Head to this design-centric spot to raise a glass to your primo shopping score. The low lighting makes you forget you're on a strange stretch of Northeast Broadway, the sleek furnishings have a '50s retro sexiness, and the house iPod loaded with '70s R&B gets you in a total Stevie Wonder groove.

Choice sips: By-the-glass offerings include high-enders like a supple pinot from Oregon's Beaux Freres, but a smooth-tasting Italian Arneis from Tre Donne treads lighter on the wallet. Bottles range from a humble $18 to $450 for a 36-year-old sauternes, with the menu noting picks from the Wine Spectator and The Oregonian wine critic Matt Kramer.

Bang-up bites: Grilled panini loaded with artisanal cheese; piping-hot escargot; comforting mac and cheese.

Find it: 2755 N.E. Broadway; 503-288-7687