Special dinner, new happy hour roll out at Renata

Published 12:00 am Sunday, April 3, 2016

It takes more than just an encyclopedic knowledge of wine to be a Sommelier.

Chris Wright — the Sommelier at Renata, one of Portland’s hottest restaurants — is one of those guys who knows how to tell a story, make people laugh, share part of himself and help people fully enjoy their wine and dining experience.

“If you listen to one story (by Wright) about where the wine’s from, you’re just like — ‘That’s it, that’s the wine I want to drink today,'” says Chef Matt Sigler, who came to Portland to work at Renata last March for its much-anticipated startup.

Wright, 41, is now in a fight for his life, however, diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.

Sigler is hosting a benefit dinner for his friend and crewmate this Wednesday, April 6 at Renata to help cover Wright’s medical and other expenses.

The dinner is called “Chuck it on the Coals,” a concept Sigler had a while ago, until it got put on the back burner.

Now he’s reviving the idea, letting guests order the special items a la carte or from the menu. Guests may hang out at the bar, on the patio or make a reservation for the dining room between 4-11 p.m. April 6.

The cost is a donation to Wright’s crowdfunding campaign for his medical costs: https://www.youcaring.com/chris-wright-542352#.VvCnLk-IxTe.facebook.

The food at the benefit dinner will be simple, and true. “We’ll open part of the hearth, create a coal bed, sear some whole steaks, roast whole fish,” he says.

Sigler also sees it as a trial run for some menu adjustments he’d like to make this year, now that they’ve established themselves and don’t have to worry about living up to the hype.

From its start, Renata has won high acclaim for its playful, family-friendly Italian fare, everything from tagliatelle to wood-fired pizza with nettles, ricotta, fava leaves and meyer lemon; and stuffed squid and clams with ceci beans, pork sausage and squid ink aioli.

“I’m looking forward to this dinner being a good test,” Sigler says of the April 6 benefit. “In the future, I want to figure out how to use the coals more, make that a larger part of what we do. I think we’ve started to be taken over by pasta. I want to showcase that fire a lot more.”

Cooking on fiery coals brings with its own logistical challenges. “Our hearth is such a large open space, it’s difficult to find the proper ventilation,” Sigler says. “We’re still playing with wood combinations to create the coal bed we want.”

Sigler says he’s grateful for the support Wright has from the community in Portland and the Bay Area, where Wright is from.

Wright directed the wine programs at Aqua and the Delfina Restaurant Group in San Francisco before moving here in 2014 to start at Renata.

Also this month, Renata will launch a new happy hour menu, Aperitivo, showcasing bites reminiscent of authentic Italian street food like salt and vinegar pork rinds, lamb and beef meatballs with polenta, fritto misto and more.

Spring cocktails will include the Paper Moon (pisco, vermouth, bay leaf, chamomile, eggwhite and lemon), created by Renata’s bar director, Gabriel Lowe.

Available at the bar and patio only, happy hour runs from 4-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Renata is at 626 S.E. Main St.

For more: renatapdx.com.

@jenmomanderson