By LAURA KNUDSON Editor-in-Chief
Josh Cronin, owner and bartender of The Three Legged Dog, said he’s got the secret to making the perfect drink.
The new pub, located at 250 S. Main St. in Independence, opened shortly after the New Year, offering classic pre-prohibition style cocktails, complimented by a tasty array of unique dishes you won’t find on menus around town.
Named after their dog James P. Sullivan, or Sully for short, Josh and his wife Natascha, alongside business partner and chef John Rodriguez, felt the three-legged springer spaniel represented them.
“We wanted something that symbolized the three of us,” Josh said. “Three partners, three legs.”
Natascha who holds degrees in anthropology and museum studies, and Josh who has one in archeology, spent a little over a year in Ireland “pretending to be Indiana Jones,” before moving to Oregon, Natascha said.
“We came here because of Rogue Hop Farms,” said Josh. “We fell in love with the community. We’ve been welcomed by everyone.”
The Cronins hired Rodriquez on at Rogue, and from there the three envisioned opening their own pub. After a year spent discussing and planning, in five weeks they turned a former antique shop into an old style classic pub.
Originally, the space was a Farmers State Bank in 1925 before it went out of business during the great depression. After that, it was Calbreath’s Grocery Store before being converted into a jewelry store.
The space stays true to its historical past.
Original stained glass skylights are on display above the bar and customers may even find themselves sitting on a bench seat from the old Cooper building.
Tables near the front windows were made from Pioneer Lanes bowling alley before it closed.
Although Josh said they’re not quite done decorating, they plan on sticking with “that open feel,” he said. “We want people to feel comfortable.”
“We intentionally don’t have televisions,” Natascha said. This allows customers to start up conversations with people they know or don’t know, she said. “It’s a small town, and we want people to either hang out with their neighbor or get to know their neighbor.”
And with constant comical banter between chef and bartender, TVs are not needed.
The menu however is no laughing matter.
Brussels sprouts sautéed with housemade candied bacon, roasted garlic, shallots, and fresh basil will have any vegetable
hater begging for the recipe. And it’s not everyday you can order a duck confit and bacon sandwich on a warm ciabatta with creamy red cabbage slaw. Sweet tooths are quick to try the grilled fruit with honey-lemon-thyme vinegar dessert served with a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for $6.
Overall, prices are affordable and portion sizes are generous.
“Creativity with the menu in what separates us,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, who has been cooking for 18 years, previously ran J Rods Burgers & Wings in Keizer before helping open the Word of Mouth Bistro in Salem.
The Three Legged Dog has given him the opportunity to use locally sourced ingredients in the kitchen.
A giant blackboard hanging in the pub lists the ingredients and where they come from. Customers biting into the kale and
pear salad might be happy to know the added hazelnuts come from Monmouth or that the chicken in the potpie soup is from
McMinnville.
Spirits are sourced from Bend, Portland, Crater Lake and more.
So far, “almost down the board, everything is served regularly,” he said.
However, the fun, approachable menu still encourages diners to go outside their comfort zone.
A peppered pork belly plate can be ordered for $9 or a Clover Club cocktail made with egg white.
“With so many ingredients at our fingertips, why go elsewhere when we have so much available in the Willamette Valley,”
Natascha said.
“This place is filling a space that it didn’t have originally,” Josh said, something Independence was ready for, he added.
“I don’t think anyone around is trying to do it at the level we are,” Rodriguez said.
“When we put out a plate of food, I think the expectations are pretty huge. And that’s where I want them to be.”
Rodriguez’s goal is to take care of customers and send them on their way, satisfied.
“We want it to be one of the best meals they’ve had in a long time,” he said. “That’s what we’re going for.”
What will be most interesting, according to Natascha, is “to see that as the seasons change, how the menu will change.”
She anticipates customers will get a bit riled up when their favorite menu items disappear as certain ingredients go out of season.
Rodriguez looks at this as an “opportunity to put a new favorite on the menu.”
“We’re all ridiculously excited for spring and summer,” Josh said. “That’s when the whole local food just explodes.”
Local fruits and mint will be used to create fusions and mixed drinks, he said.
“It will be really nice to go to the market at 8 a.m. and cook with ingredients handpicked the day of,” said Rodriquez.
Freshness envelops every aspect of food and drink in The Three Legged Dog.
“Josh has a very distinct vision for those to squeeze all citrus fresh,” Natascha said.
“I’ve had people just blown away by the whiskey sour,” Josh said. But The French 75, a gin and sparkling wine cocktail, is a close second, he said.
And for those seeking a splash of the fresh citrus, The Hakam Hiccup contains orange liqueur and a hint of house-made
orange bitters.
Perhaps the best part of being served at The Three Legged Dog is watching your food and drink handcrafted in front of you.
“We’re the owners and we’re the employees,” Josh said. “When customers come in, they’ll be cooked for by the owners, and
they’ll be served beer by the owners.” Chatting with people for a living is the best part, said Josh.
For Rodriquez, it’s the “instant gratification to drop something off in front of someone and get a reaction.”
“Nobody cares about our business more than we do,” Josh said, “and nobody cares about our customers more than we do.”
Having seen the vision of The Three Legged Dog become a reality, Natascha said they are grateful to have their own
place now.
“Nobody goes to college wishing to be a bartender,” she said. “But we wanted to be business owners and impact our community. Americans are dreamers.”
And that dream, inspired by one three legged canine aims to put care and thought into every plate, glass and conversation.
But there’s another small thing that makes a huge difference.
“People become complacent with what they’re used to,” Josh said, referencing cheap and easy, pre-mixed liquor.
So what’s the secret to the perfect drink? “Squeezing fresh lemons,” he said. “It’s that simple.”
