As a Young Man William's on 12th, a new formal dining room in Southeast, channels the spirit of a painted lady and a coltish chef.
Children welcome but unusual.
The single most entrancing painting in any Portland restaurant. She was found in a local gallery that had rescued her from several homes whose owners, in turn, had retrieved her from the basement of the Arctic Club in Seattle, where she was retired, grimed with smoke, after hanging for 50 years above the men's bar. This history should be put on little cards, to allow Mr. Henry more time in his kitchen. William's on 12th has a slightly formal look, almost incongruous for this Southeast Portland neighborhood, yet it's entirely comfortable, with cozy seating and perfectly modulated lighting. There's a 19th-century feel to the place, which features deep green walls, wooden floors, early Northwest landscape paintings that complement but never compete with the star on her chaise longue, and beautiful Victorian chairs that once graced a ship's salon.