Restaurant
503 S.W. Alder Street
Portland, OR 97204
At Red Star Tavern, you'll find ample evidence of true tavern character. The bustling open kitchen set amidst the rustic play of wood and natural tones throughout catches your eye as you make your way into our newly expanded bar and renovated dining room.
Executive Chef
Dolan Lane
With a culinary career that includes learning from legendary mentors and cooking on land and at sea, Dolan Lane is in familiar territory. Heading up the Red Star kitchen, he'll further showcase his innate knack for working with local ingredients. Dolan went to school for photography but soon discovered that restaurant life fit his big picture. He enrolled in California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and graduated in 1993, landing his first job in Seattle at local mainstay, Tulio, where Dolan was mentored by executive chef Walter Pisano.
From there, Dolan ventured afar as part of the culinary staff at Holland America Cruise Lines' Wind Star Fleet, cruising to France on a four-mast sailboat. Upon returning, Dolan settled in Portland, where he worked alongside Chef Kenny Giambalvo at Pazzo Ristorante and later climbed the ladder to become the chef de cuisine at Bruce Carey's Bluehour. He then moved to its sister restaurant, clarklewis, and remained for five years as executive chef, before returning to Bluehour with the same title.
Eventually, Dolan landed at Meriwether's, a Portland favorite that has its own five-acre farm. With a direct hand in the farm-to-table experience, he created in-the-moment seasonal menus and let his passion for sustainability flourish. Now, at Red Star Tavern, Dolan continues to build his legacy of supporting Portland community farms. With go-to suppliers like Your Kitchen Garden and Sauvie Island Organics, he captures what's in season and puts it to delicious purpose with Mediterranean, Italian and French influences.
Winery Partner
Newberg, OR
Founded in 1998, by husband and wife team Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars embodies the spirit and passion of a boutique producer specializing in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Riesling from the northern Willamette Valley. With a portfolio spanning the 7 major AVAs of the Willamette Valley, Penner-Ash sources from some of the region’s most distinguished vineyards, including the Shea Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, the Bramble Hill Vineyard in Ribbon Ridge, and the Zena Crown Vineyard in Eola-Amity.
The first woman winemaker of note in Oregon, Lynn began her career in the Willamette Valley with Rex Hill Vineyards. She has been described as a master blender, skillfully working with each lot to bring forth the truest expression of a given vineyard site. Today, she works side by side with Winemaker, Kate Ayres, and Assistant Winemaker, Lauren Wheeler, who have been entrusted to carry forward the longstanding relationships with grower neighbors and friends that Lynn has fostered over the past twenty years
In 2005, Lynn and Ron designed and built their sustainable, gravity-flow estate winery in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Surrounded by estate vineyards, the building appears to spring from the hillside and enjoys 360 degree views of the Willamette Valley, making the Penner-Ash tasting room a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.
In the winery, Lynn and her team focus on small-lot indigenous yeast fermentation with extended cold soaks to extract rich, fruit-focused, wines with a textured mouth feel.
