Tusk Weekend Happy Hour

I’ve raved about Tusk before, which totally delivers on the hype the food writers in media have given it with its fresh, seasonal, farm to table Mediterranean food.  Tusk only takes reservations for their dinner, or if your table for their brunch (served weekends only) is 8 people or more. But, anyone looking to enjoy Tusk there is double good news. First, in the past month or so, they have completely enclosed their outdoor patio. The end result is really increasing their capacity for seating and protecting you from the sometimes moody spring weather so the area is usable all year round. Secondly, there is now a Tusk Weekend Happy Hour. Instead of closing between brunch and dinner, they offer happy hour drinks and eats from 2:30 – 5 PM. Here’s a detailed look at their offerings.

First, drinks. Tusk will be offering a rotating menu of three special happy hour cocktails available only during weekend happy hour, and three wines by the glass (all under $10) as well as beer. Don’t worry – the full Tusk cocktail menu will also be available.
 

The Mr. Kiss cocktail features Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, lime, tahini, ghost pepper, and chocolate. Despite the wide ranging combination, the cocktail flavors are pretty tame – mostly a little bit of lime and tequila citrus followed by a little savory from the chocolate and hint of heat from the ghost pepper, but not spicy at all, don’t worry.

The Hazy Jane cocktail is one of their signature drinks and offers Reyka vodka, almond, house made basil syrup, ginger, lemon, rose, and yogurt. The end result is light and refreshing with just a little bit of creamy mouthfeel from the yogurt.

If you are looking for a non-alcoholic drink, definitely consider their iced matcha tea.

Foodwise, the happy hour menu is filled with a sampler of some of Tusk’s best dishes, not only priced lower but also are sized perfectly for filling your whole table with lots of little dishes to try everything. Make sure you also try everything with a little bit of the 3 condiments on the table of Aleppo chile oil, za’atar, and cumin salt, to see how they enhance the flavors of any dish.
 

Here’s a look at all the happy hour dishes – I’ve tried them all!

• Olives with aleppo, preserved lemon – that aleppo pepper gives these olives a kick that make them not just your regular olives starter dish while you’re waiting for the rest of your dishes
  
• Hummus and Flatbread with tehina, paprika, cumin. Both so fluffy! These are the best hummus and fluffy pita bread in Portland. You MUST order this dish.
  
• Here besides the hummus, consider dipping your fluffy flatbread Dukka with nuts, seeds olive oil
  
• Marinated Feta with za’atar, citrus, and flax cracker is a surprisingly good lil bite – the crackers are light and crispy, and the feta is not too salty
  
• Or get all three in their Happy Mezze that offers a little sampler each of hummus, olives, feta, tabbouleh, dukka, flatbread
  
• Chickpea fries with green garlic, amba, lemon
  
• Greens with pecans, gouda, crispy quinoa sound simple, but honestly I thought this was one of the top 3 dishes of the happy hour menu – we left nothing of it behind and were happy to go for second or third helpings as we shared.
  
• Mujadara with rice, lentils, crispy onions, labneh, sumac
  
• Baked Halloumi with spicy tomato, yogurt, nigella seeds
  
• Casuela with beef, mushrooms, tehina, peanuts
  
• Za’atar fries are hard to resist and are plenty to share for the table
  

Make sure you leave room for dessert, like their daily pastry or soft serve. Here, you see a date soft serve with crispy, salty, olive oil-roasted dates

What dishes would you order from the Tusk Weekend happy hour?

Disclosure: I attended a happy hour media preview that was complimentary, but I have been to Tusk multiple times on my own dime and recommend it highly all the time, and I’ll be back to happy hour on my own too. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.