Gourmet Magazine

Good Living
In the up-and-coming neighborhood called Montavilla, The Country Cat Dinner house & Bar adds Northwest glamour to heartland Cooking. Here, midwesterner transplant Adam Sappington and his wife, Jackie, do the impossible: They make light of old-time American farm food.

At Brunch, for instance, there are extraordinarily good cinnamon rolls and a pecan spoon bread that practically levitates off the plate—all made by Jackie, the house pastry chef. And then there are the meats, including Adam’s mortadella stippled with pistachios; “the protobologna,” he called it. And the übercrispskinned, succulent, skillet-fried chicken that his German great grandmother used to make for inmates at the Vienna, Missouri, jail. The pièce de résistance, though, is a sectional ode to Portland’s pig love that includes tender rolled belly, smoked shoulder, and a brined shop, all prepared from an organically raised whole hog delivered straight from Sweet Briar Farms each week.

The Oregonian

Best Bites: Heritage Burger
Adam Sappington’s down-home spot emphasizes Southern fare and the sort of from-scratch approach you find in the best home kitchens. That aesthetic plays out wonderfully with his terrific hamburger, adorned with white cheddar and garlic mayo, and served on a French onion bun. On the side: The Country Cat’s signature onion rings, all stringy and crisp, and a ramekin of sweet homemade ketchup.

Best Bites: Sweet Briar Farms Whole Hog
Pigs cannot compose poetry, but they sure can comprise it, at least when pork is professionally prepared and plated. Chef Adam Sappington has the hops and serves them, too. His pork platter features a brined shop, a pinwheel of pork belly, smoked shoulder meat and head cheese croquette, served over white corn grits withe a changing fruit sauce (for fall it is plum). The hog from Eugene’s Sweet Briar Farms, is butchered in house weekly. Definitely worth pigging out on.

bon appétit

Here's Where to go now: The Country Cat
This former pharmacy has been dressed up with modern design and neo-retro cooking: deviled egg sandwiches, butter lettuce with green goddess dressing, chicken fried in a cast iron skillet, and house-made Strawberry Mountain beef jerky.

Willamette Week

Restaurant Guide
God is in the grits and heaven is in the hog at The Country Cat. Although the focus is on classic America Southern fare, the twists (molasses hickory-smoked duck legs, an old fashioned floated with sweetened iced tea in a tall glass) are enough to make you twang in tongues. Chef owner Adam Sappington’s signature dishes include cast-iron fried chicken; Strawberry Mountain Barbecue beef; and smoked pork shoulder, rolled belly and brined chop—the “Whole Hog.” The whiskey and bourbon shelf is long, and the bar menu chalked on the wall beside it should not be missed. Highlights include buttery, hot pretzels sprinkled with salt and served with whole grain mustard, and the pulled pork sandwich with a tall stack of shoestring fries. Your tattooed server will happily serve bar bites along with a full meal with a wink and a nod.