Cloud and Dog: Corvallis eatery and bar pack them in

Cloud Davidson

Over the last few years, the Corvallis restaurant scene has gotten a lot more interesting. Chalk part of that up to Cloud 9 and its accompanying bar, The Downward Dog. Both bring in a large cross-section of the city with fresh, innovative food, unique drinks, movie nights, live music and atmosphere that might not be out of place in Portland’s Pearl District. 

Opened in 2007 and 2008 respectively, Cloud 9 and Downward Dog are the brainchildren of owner Cloud Davidson, a farm kid from Halsey who saw the magic in the restaurant environment after getting his first dishwashing job out of high school. 

“The atmosphere was so electric,” he says. “Everyone was having fun. It was like a nightly celebration of life.” 

Davidson began bartending, checked out the Australian restaurant scene and returned to Corvallis to bartend at Iovino’s, Magenta and the Crowbar. When a waterfront location became available, he jumped on the chance to open up his own space — a clean-lined, modern bistro featuring “handmade American fare.”

Head chef Ko Atteberry has created a unique menu with American, French, Italian, Southern, Japanese and Mexican influences. Dishes include avocado salads, chicken yakisoba, steaks, bean burgers, fish tacos, quesadillas, tofu and ravioli. But the staple is their ever-evolving mac and cheese recipe. 

“We make psychotic amounts of mac and cheese,” says Davidson. 

Taking inspiration from Portland’s Montage, Cloud 9’s mac has taken on a life of its own, with “everything from applewood smoked bacon with Tillamook cheddar to wild boar with smoked gouda, white wine parmesan and fresh basil pesto,” Davidson says.  

Many of Atteberry’s ingredients are bought a block away at the Corvallis Farmer’s market. 

“We’re incredibly lucky,” says Davidson. “There’s a lot of accessible stuff that’s right at our doorstep.” 

Next door, The Downward Dog is headed up by manager Chris Churilla, who’s created an array of signature drinks. 

“He’s been quickly picking up a really impressive amount of notoriety in the state,” Davidson says. “He’s been competing in cocktail competitions in Portland and Bend and placing very highly, and he’s very involved in the Oregon Bartenders Guild.”

 Some of Churilla’s signature drinks include The Lazy Boy, a bourbon cocktail with ginger juice, honey and a fig puree, and the Maestro’s Apprentice: gin with Cointreau, ouzo and dark roasted coffee beans. Davidson’s favorite is the Lotus Blossum: sake, Soho lychee, vodka, triple sec, guava and lime. 

The bar, whose animal-themed name is in keeping with Corvallis’ longstanding tradition of animal-named bars (the Peacock, Squirrel’s, Fox and Firkin), is a more casual, pub style bar that hosts drinkers from across the entire (legal) age spectrum. 

“It’s funny; there’ll be some pretty old people in there and then there’s the 21ers, and they don’t even notice each other. It’s something about that space that just has this cool mojo that’s all-inclusive,” Davidson says. 

The restaurant is slightly more upscale and generally sees the 25 and older crowd: families, young professionals, OSU folk, retirees and people from Hewlett Packard and the hospital. 

“We were going for a ying and yang thing,” Davidson says. 

Both the bar and the restaurant feature live music and event nights: Local bands and musicians play Friday and Saturday nights, and in the past Davidson has turned the restaurant into a club/rave venue. His sous chef is a member of Zenatra, an “avante-guard jazz metal” band that will play July 4. The second Thursday of the month is movie night, when Davidson projects crowd favorites up on the enormous south wall. Past hits have been The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction; The Breakfast Club is up next. 

Davidson also rents out the space for in-house catering events from weddings to business conferences to birthday and graduation parties. This summer, a couple is getting married on the waterfront and renting out the entire space for the reception. Davidson, an ordained minister, is marrying the couple. 

“I throw it in as a free service,” he says. 

Are Cloud 9 and Downward Dog worth a visit to Corvallis? Definitely. Aside from fun and atmosphere, they’re about “classic, simple stuff,” Davidson says, “good service, good food and good value. We actually care. You go to a chain, and there’s a lack of life there.”    

Cloud 9, 126 SW 1st St., Corvallis. The Downward Dog, 130 SW 1st St., Corvallis. Reach either at (541) 753-9900. dinecloud9.com & drinkthedog.com