The best thing about this dark, sexy food and drink cave? You can make your own world here. Every night, every table is a different experience. The guy in the corner might be having an epiphany over old Macallans and Japanese whiskey rarely seen outside collector cabals. Daters at the chef’s counter juggle dill pickle–flavored fries, modernist fried brie sticks, elegant vegetables, and some of Portland’s best pasta. (How is this food still under the radar?) Steps away, at the other marble bar, folks chat up ace bartenders who put the likes of coconut vermouth and popping blueberry pearls in smoky drinks. For all its scholarly curations, Scotch Lodge has not an ounce of pretension.