Revenir: A Good Reason to Linger in Corvallis
Sirloin and onion jam on a pizza? Once I saw that I realized choosing my evening meal at Revenir Wine and Bottle Shop wasn’t going to be a challenge.
Revenir, the new wine bar in the heart of downtown Corvallis, is adorned with shelves of bottles lining the intimate room that you can enjoy there or take home. The wine list features both local and international selections, with a special connection to Oregon wine: the owner also runs Bluebird Hill Cellars. Small wooden tables tucked alongside a pillow-lined banquette create cozy corners for conversation, while warm pendant lighting and arched mirrors soften the narrow room. The long bar offers another inviting place to settle in, whether you’re catching up with a friend over a glass of wine or lingering over a romantic dinner.
There’s a practical advantage to the bottle-shop side, too: dinner can double as a scouting mission for something to take home. Our choice for the table was cava brut, but the shelves offer plenty of reasons to browse beyond whatever happens to be in your glass.
Their Winery Wednesday series takes that exploration a step further, offering a chance to meet the people behind a featured winery and taste four or five of their wines. Scheduled tastings run this fall from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for a $25 fee that can be refunded with a two-bottle purchase. It’s a tempting reason to make dinner plans midweek—and a chance to ask questions before committing to an entire bottle.
Pizza was my focus, and it's easy to see why it's a popular choice. The chef hand-kneads the dough daily for his house-made pizzas, which range from familiar favorites to more inventive combinations. But pizza isn't the only way to build a meal here. The menu also includes small plates such as marinated olives and cheese, along with paninis, leaving room for anything from a small bite with wine to a full dinner.
The nightly special made the decision easy, the sirloin special alongside the chicken galantine pizza, tomato and mozzerella, and two glasses of cava brut. The two pizzas made an interesting pair. Sirloin and onion jam brought a steak-dinner idea to the table in a much more casual form—think Philly cheesesteak with a sweeter onion twist. The richness of the beef played against the sweetness of the jam, making this the pizza I kept coming back to, though the chicken galantine gave it competition.
Galantine isn’t something you expect to encounter on a pizza menu. Here, it made an otherwise familiar dinner order feel worth investigating. It also supplied a good reason to order a second pie rather than settle on the special alone.
The tomato and burrata plate offered a simpler item to share between two. I’m an easy sell on burrata, and it made sense alongside the more elaborate pizzas: a change of pace as we alternated bites across the table.
The cava brut carried through my dinner. Bubbles with pizza deserve more outings together, preferably without anyone waiting for a birthday or anniversary to justify the order.
Wine isn't the only reason to linger at the bar. The cocktail menu includes the Aurora, a bright combination of Haku vodka, violet and ginger liqueurs, lemon, and prosecco, as well as the Midtown Manhattan, which puts an Oregon spin on the classic with Pendleton 1910 Rye, sweet vermouth, Ruby Port, Amarena cherry, and Aztec chocolate bitters
Then came panna cotta, the delicate Italian cream dessert served with seasonal fruit. After two pizzas and burrata, dessert might have been an ambitious addition, but I’ve come this far. Something simple sounded right to finish.
Post dinner what stayed with me was how easily the meal combined a familiar night out with a few surprises. Pizza, wine, something sweet at the end—but enough imagination in the orders to give us a reason to come back and see what’s next. For your next Corvallis night out, head to Revenir, to not only sample their wine collection but dive into the evening’s special, and leave with a little dessert.
Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has been publishing for over 15 years. Her articles have appeared in AARP, Travel and Leisure, 1859 magazine, Insider Travel, USA Today, Family Vacationist, The Oregonian, SFGATE, weekand.com, and more. As a local, she loves nothing more than to share all that Corvallis has to offer. Keep up with Corvallis news, events and happenings by signing up for our email newsletter.
