Just in time for an outdoor, socially distanced summer, a new rooftop bar atop Kex Hotel called Lady of the Mountain opens this Friday, August 7. The five-table rooftop bar draws inspiration for its Icelandic-themed cocktails and snacks from Dóttir, the Nordic-meets-Oregonian restaurant on the ground floor of the Reykjavík-based hotel’s Central Eastside location. The hotel and hostel rooms remain closed. For Lady of the Mountain, this Friday is a beginning; for Dóttir, it marks a reopening after months of closure due to the pandemic.

Lady of the Mountain, named for the female personification of Iceland, opens with a cocktail menu especially designed for these warm months. Drinks are generally lower-ABV and made with refreshing, summery ingredients. Some offerings, like the aperol spritz and the cucumber-infused Pimm’s Cup, are warm-weather afternoon drinking classics. The Nordicy Oregon Spritz, on the other hand—made with Martin Woods gamay rosé, Brennivin Rugbraud aquavit, lillet, cynar, Combier raspberry, and cava—has bar manager Lydia McLuen’s signature written all over it. 

For wine lovers, the rooftop bar offers a list of 30 bottles, with options like Chenin Blanc from Brendan Stater-West (born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and now making wine in the Loire Valley), Syrah from Buona Notte, Aligoté from Patrick Puize, and more. 

While full meals are available only at Dóttir, both Lady of the Mountain and Dóttir will offer a snack menu with options like brined potato chips with smoky skyr and caramelized onion dip, pickled deviled eggs, and veggies, open-faced ham and cheese sandwiches, and bay shrimp with caramelized tomato and horseradish. 

Downstairs, Dóttir is reopening for both indoor and outdoor service. There’ll be two outdoor seating areas: an inner courtyard and streetside seating. The indoor area offers spaced-apart tables and is equipped with an energy-recovery ventilation system, designed to constantly ventilate the room with filtered air from outdoors. 

Dóttir will offer nightly $35 three-course dinners from chef Alex Jackson. Dinner opens with a course of haricots verts, wax beans, marinated trout roe, grilled and whipped zucchini, and crispy quinoa. The main course is a pork shoulder with Bing cherry and black garlic sauce, and dessert will be a grilled peach parfait with candied hazelnuts and vanilla custard. Vegan and vegetarian options are available with advance notice.

The wine list at Dóttir will include several local wines served from the keg from winemakers like Cameron, Johan, Ovum, and Maloof. And of course, Dóttir’s reopening is an opportunity to add new cocktails to the restaurant's menu. Try the new Second Honeymoon, created by bartender Courtney Gilman and made with Banhez Joven Mezcal, Bacardi 8 rum, Lazzaroni Amaretto, Combier banane, Averna amaro, and salt.

Lady of the Mountain and Dóttir at Kex Portland, 100 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, kexhotels.com. Lady of the Mountain hours are 5–10 p.m. Wed–Sun; Dóttir hours are 5–10 p.m. Thu–Sun (last reservations at 8:30 p.m.) Reservations available on Tock. 

Editor's note 8/20/20: Lady of the Mountain is now offering brunch from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.