About Thebeerchaser

Retired Chief Operating Officer at a large Northwest regional law firm. Attended Oregon State University in the late '60's and went to Portland State University for graduate school. Have resided in Oregon since our family moved here in 1960.

You can Always Return to The Nest…and You Should!

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Thebeerchaser

The “New” Home of The Nest Lounge

Webster defines “nest” as “a place of rest, retreat or lodging,” and our recent visit to The Nest Lounge affirmed at least part of that definition. It was a warren of nooks and crannies in a charming old house that makes a great neighborhood bar on SE Belmont. It serves as another reminder of the vast array of quirky and fascinating Portland bars awaiting those willing to stray – even if just a little bit from the beaten path.

Barkeep Alex tending to business..

Our bartender, Alex, was a nice chap, who haled from Minnesota and came to Oregon seven years ago. He told us about the disastrous 2012 fire that resulted in the temporary closure of The Nest on NE Alberta and relocation to what was once the home of the Nine Muses Pub – “…..with cozy hangout rooms throughout, and their signature ping-pong tables on the back patio.”

“For those searching the web, the place we visited is NOT the Nest Lounge “located on the rooftop of LeFenix Hotel in one of the coolest nightlife areas in Bangkok ,” nor is it the bars with the same name in Decatur Illinois, Omaha or Long Island, New York (TheBeerchaser’s birthplace) – “…come on down and enjoy a night out that will offer your senses a bit more than you’re accustomed to – You’ll be ‘Nestling’ before you know it.”

A number of Nests ___ throughout the country

A number of Nests can be found throughout the USA and….

And then there is the Indian Wells Nest in the desert, where, “The Nest has long been a favorite of celebrities, golf and tennis legends and locals alike….It’s no wonder that the Nest is at the top of the “Things to Do in Palm Springs.“ As new owners, Dodi and Kevin Henry state, “At The Nest, life begins at five.” (We assume they are talking about the time of day and not years after birth.)

I was accompanied by my former Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt colleague, Hamilton Emery, now an Associate General Counsel at Cambia Health Solutions in Portland. “Ham” the moniker by which he is known to his friends, received his law degree at Willamette University College of Law. As is the case with Thebeerchaser, he “married up” – in Ham’s case, to Rachael, a Portland physician.

Ham minding the Nest and contemplating various provisions of the Affordable Care Act

He spends about 60% of his time working on health care reform issues and would not respond to Conan O’Brien’s 2012 comment regarding the Affordable Care Act:

“President Obama says that Congress is very close to getting a new health-care plan, but due to compromises, it ‘won’t include everything that everybody wants……For instance, it covers everything except trips to the doctor or the hospital.”

Alex and Ham with Thebeerchaser logo

: Recreational opportunities besides or while raising a mug..

A Portland Bar Fly review echoes our experience, “This place is AWESOME. They’re super cheap…they have a pool table, arcade game, pinball, ping-pong table, juke box…..

Just like in college….!

…. also an outdoor – enclosed patio area, projector for movie nights, and some crazy local art. I felt like I was at someone’s lake house. We kept discovering new areas and being more and more impressed.”

Cool local art located throughout

Aside from the quirky and interesting physical layout and the cool artwork, there are no other distinguishing characteristics, but they had a nice, albeit limited, selection of beers –

Ham had an India Red Ale and I had a Vaporizer, both from Hood River’s Double Mountain Brewery. Their food menu is also limited.

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As an aside, it is interesting that Bar Fly lists 198 “nearby bars” –although it should be noted that Bar Fly includes strip clubs and restaurants with bars such as Boogie’s Burger and other questionable venues that Thebeerchaser would never consider for his tour because they are restaurants or other establishments and not a bar per se’

For example, The Star Theater and now closed, Hamburger Mary’s. One can also question the definition of the term “nearby” when the list includes Prost – one of Thebeerchaser’s favorite bars (see post from 11/24/12) – however, on the other side of the Willamette River on North Mississippi Avenue.

Some interesting specialty cocktails

Ham and I enjoyed our trip to the nest and as we parted, he told me that in the spirit of the new Affordable Care Act and the New Year, he was willing to propose an innovative concept to management.

: A Ping-Pong table in the cool (literally) basement

Consistent with his nickname, Ham — he thought that motivating people to take their cholesterol medication by wrapping it in bacon could have a positive impact on patient care and health care expenses.

That idea rocks, Ham and this patio at The Nest will rock during the summer months. If you’ve been there before – return to The Nest, and if not hatch a plan to try it out – you don’t have to go to Nebraska or Bangkok to make it happen.

Every nest should have a porch or balcony

The Nest Lounge 2715 SE Belmont

Thebeerchaser’s 2013 Annual Report

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Thebeerchaser

Thebeerchaser raising a mug in Amsterdam during our Rick Steves’ Best of Europe Tour

During the twenty-five + years I worked before retiring in 2011 at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, accountability was “part of the gig,” – the case at most large law firms. The New Year started with a review of prior year statistics and accomplishments and setting performance goals for the current year.

: A Beerchaser tradition at each stop – a photo of the logo – Shelby and Dave Booher at the Solstice Brew Pub in Prineville

While Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Portland bars, taverns and pubs, initiated in August of 2011, does not have to worry about billable hours worked, improving client relations or analyzing merger possibilities, the habit of reviewing benchmarks from the past year(s) will take additional time (and more brewskis consumed) to depart my cerebellum.

Slabtown – An important institution in an historic neighborhood

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In this spirit (and in preparation for audit….), I submit the following “Beerchaser Year in Review,” which includes an interesting graphic display by WordPress, the blogging software used. For those who want to drill down for more detail (there are after all, several tax lawyers who are followers of this blog), you can click on the link below the graphic.

The final part of this posts includes a listing of establishments visited in the last 2.4 years by year and category i.e. dive bar, neighborhood pub, etc and Thebeerchasers-of-the-Month or Quarter who have been “honored” with this recognition.

Brewmaster and Beerchaser-of-the-Month, Jonny Brose and bartender, Camas, with Thebeerchaser logo

I was pleased that, in 2013, there were approximately 15,000 views of this blog from 143 different countries – primarily the result of my effort to “tag” the names of places visited, individuals, or topics I cover, so people searching on Google, etc. may decide to check out the link. This compares with 6,700 views from 96 countries in 2012 – so the audience has grown.

Beer with attitude – er, I mean altitude..! The James Bond Bar at the summit of the Schilthorn in Switzerland

H. G. Wells warned, “Satan delights equally in statistics and in quoting scripture….” and notwithstanding that admonition, the following provides some grist for the number-crunchers – note that I am not including bars visited on our Rick Steves’ Best of Europe Tour, but do count the wonderful venues visited on the four-day road trip to Eastern Oregon.

The bar at the Central Pastime. Patty was camera shy but impressed with the city slickers passing through.

The bar at the Central Pastime Tavern in Burns. Patty, the bartender, was camera shy but impressed with the city slickers passing through.

Thebeerchaser reviewed 20 bars in 2013, compared to 24 in 2012, which equates to one bar every 18.3 days – slightly less ambitious than the 15.2 days in 2012 and the 17.1 during the partial year of 2011 with eight establishments.

This averages out to a non-weighted mean of 16.9 for the three years with a respectable, albeit somewhat mundane, standard deviation of 1.563 days to accomplish the review of 52 establishments. And remember, many required more than one visit for the due diligence.

Note for the accountants – this figure does not include “accruals,” if you will, i.e. the two bars and one brewery that were visited in 2013, but not yet reviewed and posted (will occur in January.)

The Sasquatch Brewing Company from our August visit

Shown below the WordPress report is a compete listing of the watering holes – by category visited since inception. Of course, bearing in mind the case of the man who drowned crossing a stream with an average depth of six inches, one should be cautious about using averages.

For example, our European Tour of 21-days was a respite from Portland taverns and thus the 2013 work ethic should not be demeaned.

New City Club Executive Director, Sam Adams, at the entrance to the Tug Boat Brewery - right in Downtown PDX

New City Club of Portland Executive Director, Sam Adams, at the entrance to the Tug Boat Brewery – right in Downtown PDX

Here’s an excerpt from the WordPress report:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Twenty Establishments Visited in 2013 *

A nice part of the decor at Beer – a bar with an appropriate name

Neighborhood Bars – Sidecar 11, Belmont Inn , Belmont Station, Beer

Beerchaser and Big Buck-Hunter David Dixon at the Belmont Inn lamenting, "If only I had spent more time shooting and less time studying in Palo Alto...."

Beerchaser and Big Buck-Hunter David Dixon at the Belmont Inn lamenting, “If only I had spent more time shooting and less time studying at Stanford….”

Dive Bars – Slammer, The Tanker

Historic or Classic Bars – Slabtown, Horse Brass Pub,

Grand Cafe

Portland appellate lawyer and former Town Hall Moderator, Jack Faust, with Frank Peters – “proprietor and cook” at the Grand Cafe

Bars that Defy Classification – Davis Street Tavern, Church

Breweries/Brew Pubs – Tug Boat Brewery, Sasquatch Brewery,

Bars Outside of Portland – Solstice Brew Pub and Horseshoe Tavern (Prineville), Hideout Saloon and Long Branch Saloon (LaGrande), Bull Ridge Brewery and Mt. Emily Ale House (Baker City) and Central Pastime Tavern (Burns)

* Does not include European Bars

: The Horseshoe Tavern in Prineville

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Twenty-four Establishments Visited in 2012

Clearing the Air – Tanya, our Waitress and 4 Environmental Lawyers at County Cork

Neighborhood Bars – County Cork, Muddy Rudder Public House, Hawthorne Hideaway, Laurelthirst Pub

Dive Bars – Ship Tavern, Bar of the Gods, Dixie Tavern

: The Ship Tavern in Multnomah Village – an outstanding dive bar

Historic or Classic Bars – Claudia’s, White Eagle Saloon, Lutz Tavern, Cheerful Tortoise, Mock Crest Tavern, Goose Hollow Inn and The Twilight Room

Beerchasers-of-the-Month, Jim Westwood and John Terry with former Mayor and Goose Hollow owner, Bud Clark

Bars that Defy Classification – 1856, Gold Dust Meridian, Bottles, Interurban, Ash Street Saloon

: Beerchaser, Chuck Mitchell with bartender, Matt at 1856

Breweries/Brew Pubs – Migration Brewery Pub

Beerchaser Dave Booher enjoys a draft and a bucket of fries at The Desdemona in Astoria

Bars Outside of Portland – Embers Brew House (Joseph), The Desdemona and Wet Monkey Café (Astoria), PourHouse (Port Townsend, WA)

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Eight Establishments Visited in 2011 (August – December)

The Brooklyn! The very first stop on Thebeerchaser Tour

Neighborhood Bars – Brooklyn Park Pub, Gladstone Street Pub,

Dive Bars – Yukon Tavern, Joe’s Cellar

: The Yukon Tavern – one of the proverbial Dive Bars visited in the first year of The Tour

Historic or Classic Bars – Buffalo Gap Saloon

Bars that Defy Classification – Prost

Getting the Boot from Emily the Bartender at Prost in 2011

Breweries/Brew Pubs – Amnesia Brew Pub, Coalition Brew Pub

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Beerchaser Honorees

Several times during the year (we fell down slightly on this goal in 2013), Thebeerchaser names a person, group or organization as Beerchaser-of-the-Month or Quarter. These may or may not have any relevance to the primary goal of this blog, but deserve to be “honored” or recognized in some manner. They are shown below and we can all be confident that they do not update their resumes to reflect this acclaim.

Lt. Jud Blakely USMC in Viet Nam in 1965

2013 – Jud Blakely (Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient in Viet Nam War), Johnny Brose, (OSU Graduate and Brewmaster at Bull Ridge Brewery in Baker City), Jim Westwood (Portland lawyer, civic activist and former captain of the GE College Bowl Team from Portland State College).

Jim Westwood, Coach Padrow and the PSU College Bowl Team

Former OSU and NFL start, Craig Hanneman on successful Mt. Everest climb in 2012

2012 – Forrest Green (Musician and consultant), Coach Mike Riley and the 2012 OSU Football Team, Craig Hanneman (retired Willamette Industries executive and former OSU and NFL football player), The Crew of the USS Constitution, Dr. John Walker (Professor of Finance at Portland State University), John Terry (retired history columnist and reporter for The Oregonian) and Dr. Harry Frankfurt (Emeritus Professor of History at Princeton University and author of the book On Bullshit)

Late crime novelist and beer drinker, James Crumley

2011 – James Crumley (late crime novelist from Montana), Harold Schlumberg (retired chemical engineer), Phoebe, Emily, Dave and Natasha (bartenders at the bars the Brooklyn Park Pub, Prost, the Twilight Room and the Gladstone Street Pub.

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I appreciate the followers of Thebeerchaser for their comments and suggestions and am especially thankful to Janet – Thebeerchaser’s spouse of 33 years for letting me indulge in this retirement hobby.

Thebeerchaser and Janet in Paris – summer of 2013

While reviewing 52 establishments in 2 years and five months is noteworthy, the fact that Portland has approximately 750 bars, taverns and pubs is somewhat overwhelming and begs the question as to whether retirement should have started while I was in my twenties…..Convey your suggestions regarding future venues in the blog comments.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas from Thebeerchaser – Beerchaser Miscellany VI

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The perfect bicycle for one who has everything

Last Minute Christmas Shopping – If you have not found that perfect present, why not consider the bicycle in the above photo. This is one of over 40 bicycles featured in the Portland Art Museum’s exhibit, “Cyclepedia,” earlier this year. Each represented different structures, materials and functions for bicycles from the 1920’s to contemporary design.

The exhibit “….included racing, mountain, single speed, touring, tandem, urban, folding, cargo, curiosities, and children’s bicycles.” Portland was the only city in the US to host this exhibit, in part, because of the affection Portlanders have for bicycles and the number of cyclists per capita – reportedly, the highest in the US.

The bike above was Thebeerchaser’s favorite for obvious reasons. Can you imagine touring on this mobile platform which has a keg, a tap and undoubtedly a holder for a glass of your favorite microbrew.

A Good and Zany Read – Given that before retiring, Thebeerchaser spent almost forty years of his career working with lawyers, I confess that I still enjoy the American Bar Association Weekly Journal (on-line) each week.

It has a listing of interesting cases, and includes the zany and bizarre judicial matters that pop up regularly. And while the sample below may strain credibility, anyone who has worked in the legal environment can attest that they occur:

3/27/13 – “Man stranded on Disney’s ‘It’s a Small World’ ride, wins pain and suffering damages.”

7/26/13 – “Banned from campus over ‘Hot for Teacher’ essay, college student loses free speech suit.”

11/5/13 – “Lawsuit for traffic stop resulting in 3 enemas, 2 X-rays and 1 colonoscopy in cops’ fruitless search.”

I love lawyers and they are, in general, a very smart, dedicated, competitive group of professionals, but the work environment breeds some interesting results:

7/10/13 – “Lawyer leaves $200K Ferrari in floodwaters to make it to hearing on time.”

9/16/13 – “Attorney who billed for 29-hour day, did the work, his lawyers says.” This one reminded me of the Wall Street associate in the ’70’s who wanted the record for billing the most legitimate hours in his firm, so worked a 24-hour day and then continued his work on a plane flight to Los Angeles for an actual 27 hour billable day.

12/9/13 – “Unwitting lawyer is suspended for arranging client loans to secure Nigerian inheritance.”

And finally, if you or a relative is considering law school as a career option, you might want to check out this post from December 9th:

“One law school’s credit rating drops to junk-bond status.”

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Thebeerchaser Logo – A New Look – Let’s raise a $2 mug of PBR to Jud Blakely, who designed the new logo you now see as the background or header for this blog.

Followers of this blog will remember that my SAE fraternity brother, Jud, was Thebeerchaser-of-the-Quarter (September 16, 2103 post ) where I saluted him for his heroism in Viet Nam (Bronze Star with Combat V and Purple Heart) and his subsequent exploits – as a member of The Gulf Coast Humanities Consortium, on the executive staff at Tri-Met, as a communications consultant, on the basketball court, etc. etc.

: 1965 Bronze Star Award Ceremony for Captain Blakely USMC

He obviously has developed new talents in the technology area. Thanks Jud.

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The Yard House – Coming to Portland — While in Seattle, my wife and I dined in the new restaurant/bar that replaced the Borders store near Westlake Plaza. Reportedly, one is in the works for Pioneer Square in Portland.

Would you believe over 100 beers on tap??

Would you believe over 125 beers on tap??

While Thebeerchaser typically avoids restaurants rather than a single purpose bar or tavern, this one was notable because it had over 125 beers and hard ciders on tap.

And that doesn’t count some of the seasonal specials such as the Sam Adams Merry Maker that I tested and thought was a winner. (“Heartiness of dark roasted malts and a touch of wheat. But it’s the intensity and spices of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, & ginger that add a wicked kick for a jolly playful brew full of merry mischief.”

: The “hydraulics” to get the brew from the kegs to the taps would be a good science project….

And the interior was fascinating: “The glass-enclosed keg room is essentially the pulse of the operation housing as much as 5,000 gallons of beer at a time. Three to five miles of individual beer lines stretch overhead from the keg room to the island bar maintaining a constant temperature.”

The menu was robust and there was not an empty seat in the restaurant or bar. Stay tuned for the Portland opening.

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Joe’s Cellar Moves Up – We are pleased to report that one of our two favorite dive bars – the other being The Ship Tavern (December 10, 2012 post) in Multnomah – reopened this summer.

Joe’s Cellar, originally opening in 1941 and a great watering hole in the NW Industrial District (they had a Happy Hour at 7 A.M. for the workers getting off the night shift) had building structural issues that caused Multnomah County building officials to shut it down earlier this year.

Moving Up…….Step Up to Joe’s Cellar

Fortunately it is now back under new ownership and as Thebeerchaser advised you in the September 17, 2011 post, “Step Up to Joe’s Cellar.”

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Bar Jokes – We can’t end the year without at least one or two of our favorite bar jokes – the first from The Oregonian’s Edge column:

A duck walks into a bar and asks the bartender, “You got any bread?”

Bartender “No.”

Duck: “You got any bread?”

Bartender (looking annoyed): “No!!”

Duck: “You got any bread?”

Bartender: “No – and if you ask one more time, I’m going to nail your bill to the bar!”

Duck: “You got any nails?”

Bartender: “No.”

Duck: “You got any bread…??

######

A guy walks into a bar — He really hurts himself…….

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: Lumpy’s Landing – a delightful dive on Highway 18 on the way to the Oregon Coast

How Cold Was It……? – Sign outside the door of Lumpy’s Landing – a wonderful dive bar in Dundee, Oregon.

This is the tavern where the original idea for Thebeerchaser Tour of Bars, Taverns and Pubs, originated while I was eating natchos and drinking a Budweiser on the way to the beach:

How Cold Was It??

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Most Outlandish Simile: And finally, while having written over sixty reviews of bars since Thebeerchaser blog commenced in August of 2011, I understand that sometimes “writer’s block” can shroud one’s brain like a San Francisco fog.

However, a critique of the El Modernito Restaurant/bar by Martin Cizmar, a reporter for Willamette Week (which is a good resource for this blog and usually has informative and reliable reviews) contained what is probably one of the most pretentious and/or ridiculous descriptions of a cocktail, ever to hit print:

“Oh, but the chorizo and cocktails. They’re united in a margarita made with sausage-flavored tequila and a salty foam that tastes like a wave perpetually suspended at the point of breaking.” (emphasis supplied). Enough said – back to journalism school, Martin!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Thebeerchaser

Church – Eat, Drink (Pray) – Repent!

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Lawyer John Mansfield at the somewhat plain entrance to Church

Church is a relatively new bar on 26th and NE Sandy. Opened in 2013, it has an intriguing interior to mitigate the nondescript exterior and lack of a really viable patio. Willamette Week, in its review accurately states, “Though it is a neighborhood bar in no neighborhood at all, it’ll likely gather a congregation,” – affirmed on both of our visits – an energetic crowd to complement the friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Mansfield in a margarita toast to the 95 Theses

I was joined by one of Thebeerchaser regulars, Portland intellectual property lawyer, John Mansfield. John thought he could cause a stir and gain some publicity by emulating his hero, 16th century theologian, Martin Luther, and tacking 95 patents to the door of Church to commemorate Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses at the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg in 1517.

Martin Luther

Indeed, besides the physical resemblance one can glean from these pictures, Mansfield and Luther share some other traits. Luther translated the Bible to the vernacular and Mansfield converts the language of patents and IP procedures into coherent terms that his clients can understand.

The name provides a marketing challenge, of sorts….

A Google search for “Church“ yields 221 million possible hits and for “Church Bar,” a total of 490 million – an interesting fact in itself, but it raises the same question I asked the owner of the recently Beerchaser-reviewed (April 2013 post) bar “Beer.” How do you market your establishment on-line and help people find it given the generic moniker?

Although there are also bars named “Church” in Webster England, Lakewood Ohio, Portland Maine and Atlanta, our research found that a new trend is also to have Sunday church services in a bar – possibly an answer to the statistical question above. It’s the case in both Forth Worth and Abilene, Texas. (Of course, if Rick Perry is your governor, it would motivate one to both drink and pray without ceasing…)

I like answer the Abilene pastor gave to the following question: Will alcohol be served at Bar Church?

Is it kosher to drink in Church??? Ask Sam, the bartender.

“Jesus seemed more interested in connecting with people than he was interested in debating questions like this. We like Jesus’ approach. The fact is that we meet in a bar, and some people are probably going to want to order a drink.”

One of the other pastors stated, “If Jesus came in the door, he’d probably laugh.”

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Distinguishing Characteristics

The impressive interior

The Décor – The dark recycled wood panels on the wall have inlays shaped like steeples and catch the light from very large windows at the front of the bar.

Medieval trappings integrated into the décor enhance the impact as does one of the other unique items – a confessional booth which is actually a slick photo booth (see below).

Bartender, forgive me, for I have sinned. “It has been five minutes since my last Bloody Mary….”

Inside the confessional is a high-quality digital camera, which will take about 8 photos of the “penitents” and through a custom-made software program transmit them to social media for posting – pretty slick although not medieval and raising issues regarding the sanctity or confidentiality of this bar sacrament (to be resolved over cocktails…)

Catharsis in the booth….

The Food – The menu at Church is impressive with enough Southern standards to make one feel like he’s at a Baptist convention. Although we did not eat, we met Javier, the chef, and he is proud of the selection and the quality and he was knowledgeable about his craft.

For example, hush puppies, glazed pork belly and corn bread, biscuits and gravy, grits and even their tofu dish has black-eyed peas. They reportedly have a great burger and their ribs are only $5 during Happy Hour.

Also a selection of oysters and as stated in the Portland Tribune review in June 2013, “A sign over the bar reads, “Eat. Drink. Repent.” It’s a little unsettling, especially when you’re talking about shellfish — but we remained unrepentant.”

Unsettling – when eating oysters…..!

Mansfield with Brian Block, one of the owners and the traditional Beerchaser logo.

The Cocktails It’s an eclectic and creative cocktail menu which adds to a nice selection of nine wines and eight beers, although we were somewhat surprised, that there were only two beers and a rotating cider on tap. (We had the Pfriem Blond IPA from the Hood River brewery – their rotating micro, which was very good.) John also had an excellent margarita.

An ambitious project would be to work one’s way through the ten interesting cocktails in addition to a “rotating punch.” Most of the drinks are consistent with the religious theme: For example, “The Great Fire” is tequila, lime, grapefruit, sugar, dill and cayenne, while “Sunday Morning” is buffalo trace, Drambuie, ginger syrup, lemon, Angostura and bubbles?. “Death from Above” and “Old World Prayer” were also worthy of a future indulgence.

Some of the reviews questioned the synergy of the intriguing ingredients. And the Portland Mercury in its review opined, “As if to make a position statement, the bar offers a Pickleback: a shot of pickle brine that washes away a shot of bad whiskey—an efficient tool for those only interested in one aspect of their drinking. It lives at the end of the cocktail menu, a white flag of capitulation after all that trying.”

The two visits to Church were both good experiences and the bar’s character and décor are worth seeing. Since Mansfield was noted for the tribute to his historical hero above, it is fitting to quote one of Thebeerchaser’s favorite intellectuals – Lord G.K. Chesterton, a British theologian, essayist, philosopher, newspaper columnist and novelist, who lived from 1874 to 1936 in London. He was known for his love of food and drink and sometimes said grace before lighting a cigar. He once stated:

Brilliant, prolific and humorous theologian, philosopher and author, Lord Chesterton

“No animal ever invented anything as bad as drunkenness – or as good as drink.”

Based on two more quotes, I think he would enjoy the crowd and the theme of Church:

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”

“If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”

Stop in at Church (Happy Hour from 4 to 7 and midnight to 2 A.M. every day with $2-$4 drafts and $3 well drinks) and have a chicken gizzard salad washed down with an “Old World Prayer”cocktail (Monopolowa vodka, green chartreuse, pear juice, lemon, green tea syrup and juniper) and then receive absolution in the confessional.

John Mansfield in lawyer mode….

Church 2600 NE Sandy

The Diamond Hotel – The Cutting Edge in Hospitality and the Final Chapter in Thebeerchaser Tour of Eastern Oregon

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The Peter French Round Barn south of Burns

After lunch in Burns – a great town where one pundit asserted, “You could get a good meal, rent a movie and hire a contract killer,” we headed southeast on Highway 78 to Diamond, Oregon (population 5) and our final night at the historic Diamond Hotel.

Passing through the most desolate country on this stretch – Burns south past the Malheur National Wildlife Preserve almost to the Steen’s Mountains and the Alvord Desert. We toured the Peter French Round Barn – on the National Historic Register and constructed around 1870 by the cattle rancher who used it to train horses.

More prevalent than cars on Highway 78

The remarkable interior structure of The Round Barn.

About 50 miles south of Burns, we also stopped at the Diamond Crater Natural Area – which reportedly “has the best and most diverse basaltic volcanic features in the United States.” We saw lava flows and tubes and cinder cones from the observation area.

A road through the lava beds or what Dave maintained was a description of Thebeerchaser's career.

A road through the lava beds and a sign that Dave maintained was a description of Thebeerchaser’s career.

The Diamond Hotel was in a beautiful grove of poplar trees and we believed the sign that said the population of Diamond was only five since the hotel was in essence the center of “the city” – on Main Street.

The Census Bureau had an easy time in this venue

After playing cards and having a beer, we sat down for “Family Dinner” – eight people sitting around a large rectangular table for an outstanding rib dinner with all the accoutrements. The three-hour feast lasted that long because of the fascinating conversations with our fellow diners.

Family Dinner at the Diamond Hotel

Two of the diners were a married couple in their mid-eighties and riding in on their Harley – mid-way through a tour that took them into Montana, Idaho and Oregon.

Another was a high-tech exec from Portland – a German immigrant who rode in on his BMW bike on which he has toured most of the western US and Canada. We were the only boring ones at the table……David Thompson, one of the friendly owners, briefed us on history and shared stories while we were eating.

Notice the Harley and the BMW bike

For those who love our state and want to explore, the Diamond Hotel should be on your bucket list. Built in 1998, it was completely restored in 1990. Shirley and David Thompson, descendants of one of the first families in Diamond bought the hotel in 2001 and now operate it.

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It was headquarters for the Cycle Oregon staff during their 2013 ride this summer, which had a one night stay near Diamond. The rates at the hotel, including the dinner, are very reasonable and it is quaint and interesting.

“Recreation” before Family Dinner

And so ended our four-day road trip. After breakfast, we headed north – this time on Highway 205 back through John Day, then north on 395 and to Steve’s home in Pendleton. We photographed the Stampede Room in Long Creek, which will have to wait until our next trip to raise a mug.

The Stampede will have to wait until the next trip

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We saw amazing sights and reaffirmed the premise of Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Portland Taverns, Bars and Pubs – “Each bar or watering hole has its own unique character, ambiance and clientele,” – only in the central and eastern part of our wonderful state.

Whether sampling the brews of Johnny Brose at the Bull Ridge Brewery and Pub in Baker, kidding Patty at the Central Pastime Tavern in Burns, hearing stories from Heather at the Horseshoe Tavern in Prineville or just photographing the Powder Club Tavern in North Powder – which incidentally, is Under New Management or The Elkhorn Saloon in Sumpter, our visits to the Central and Eastern Oregon bars was outstanding and we would recommend it.

Powder – Under New Management!

We told Eastern Oregon bar jokes like the one about the dog who limped into the bar and said to the bartender, “I’m looking for the guy who shot my paw…!”

The bartender who asks the horse who comes into his bar and orders a beer, “Hey, why the long face..?”

Besides the establishments mentioned above we also visited The Solstice Brewery in Prineville, The Long Branch Saloon, The HideoutTavern and 10 Depot Street Bar and Restaurant in LaGrande and The Mt. Emily Ale House in Baker City. These are reviewed in the first three blog-posts of this road trip.

1,746 miles, four nights and ___ bars later....

1,346 miles, four nights and eight bars later….

Now back to Portland where the next Beerchaser post will review the fairly new and interesting neighborhood tavern – Church.

Burns, Oregon – A Hot Stop on Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Eastern Oregon

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

One of the sights along the highway in God’s Country

Our third day on the Eastern Oregon tour started with a drive from Catherine Creek State Park through Baker City to John Day where we had lunch. Although it was too early for a beer, we photographed Kilpatrick’s Tavern in Mt. Vernon and I talked briefly to the female co-owner, who with her brother, lawyer, Mike Kilpatrick, are the offspring of the legendary Oregon lawyer, Roy Kilpatrick, who served on the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors from 1965-8.

Kilpatricks Tavern in Mt. Vernon

The sign from his law office by the entrance to the bar shows his firm was established in 1854. Among the partners was Grace K. Williams, the first woman elected to serve as a district attorney in Oregon, who died at 90 on June 22, 2007, in John Day.

Robert Dayton, my colleague at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt for many years, also worked at Kilpatrick’s firm and described Grace as, “Honest, tough and did not cave into pressure.”

: A Legendary Eastern Oregon law firm

Bob described Roy Kilpatrick as “An Eastern Oregon powerhouse along with Wendell “Pinky” Gronso from Burns….and Owen Panner of Bend. Owen and Roy hit it big as plaintiff’s lawyers for the folks flooded out in the big Mitchell flood of 1956.” (After a thunderstorm resulted in four inches of rain in about 50 minutes a sudden surge of water destroyed or heavily damaged 20 buildings in the Mitchell and several bridges.)

His obituary in The Blue Mountain Eagle stated: “His red bow tie (was) as colorful as his vocabulary….He was a fighter, without peer…one of the last of the colorful characters who set the tone in courtrooms in the eastern two-thirds of Oregon.”

The Dirty Shame Tavern and Pizzeria in John Day

We decided to explore some other camping options before opting for Clyde Holliday State Park in Mt. Vernon, and drove south from John Day and on the Forest Service Roads off Highway 395 past Wickiup and Parrish Cabin Campgrounds to what we hoped was a great camping and fishing at Canyon Meadows Lake. Wrong…!

The “remains” of Canyon Meadows Lake.

We saw the impact of the drought and forest fires. The only water at Canyon Meadows was a small creek which passed through an impressively large meadow – once the bottom of the lake – which ended with a recently erected beaver dam.

: This campground shows the impact of the Parish Creek fire in 20

So we headed back to Clyde Holliday Park for dinner and the night with an early start the next day to Burns and Diamond. The highway was straight and well-maintained as Dave, feeling the power in his left foot, powered his Highlander up to pass two cars until he realized in the nick of time it was a cop chasing a speeder…..!

Broderick Crawford would have been appalled…..

The fourth day we drove south on Highway 95 to Burns – home of former U of O and now St. Louis Rams quarterback, Kellen Clemens.

We explored and made a stop at Reid’s Country Store which had an impressive growler option for beer-hungry patrons.

Impressive selection of beers

Growler options

The grocer directed us to the Central Pastime Tavern (CPT) for lunch, which allowed us to ignore Steve who was pushing for the Broadway Deli after seeing the sign below and arguing, “It would be good food and also make sure our car had a smooth ride to Diamond……..”

The Central Pastime – “Best food in Burns….”

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It was a great recommendation. We talked to owner Glen Williams, a Wisconsin native, who was very cordial and a real character. After a variety of occupations involving surveying and power, he bought the CPT seven years ago and said the original bar was in the old hotel in Burns.

Thebeerchaser logo with Thebeerchaser and Glen Williams

However, the bartender, Patty, was the star of our visit. She served us a great lunch (chicken gizzards, a rib-steak sandwich and a taco salad) and we each had one of the eight beers on tap.

Rib Steak, onion rings and Heinz 57 – it doesn’t get any better….

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We listened to some great country music – it reminded us of Bob Newhart’s memorable quote, “I don’t like country music, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do….And for people who like country music, ‘denigrate’ means ‘put down.'” Of course, this prompted us to remember some of our favorite county-western titles such as:

If The Phone Don’t Ring, You’ll Know It’s Me
I’m So Miserable Without You; It’s like Having You Here
I Put the Golden Band on the Right Left Hand This Time (This one is actually a wonderful real tune by the late and great, George Jones)

Great interior design enhances the atmosphere at the Central Pastime

Since we talked about Kellen Clemens, Dave decided to ask one of the patrons, “Do you know Kellen Clemens?” The guy was listening to country-western and replied, “No, but hum a few bars to see if I remember the melody.”

But the conversation with the hard-working Patty, an attractive and personable lady in her late forties or early fifties, was the best part of this bar. I had seen the cocktail menu which included some interesting libations including one entitled, “Liquid Marijuana.” I didn’t want to pay $9 and had already had a PBR, so Patty offered to fix a shot sampler and told us the ingredients: Captain Morgan’s Rum, Blue Curacao, Malibu Rum and a splash of Midori (green melon liqueur). It tasted like a Long Island Ice Tea with coconut.

Liquid Marijuana – “Because it’s green and makes you hungry…”

We could have talked to Patty all afternoon, but we needed to head to Diamond and our conversation concluded with this friendly exchange:

Beerchaser: How long have you worked at the Central Pastime, Patty?

Patty: Eighteen years.

Beerchaser: Then this must have been your first job out of high school?

Patty: And I thought the cowboys around here were smooth talkers. You city slickers put them to shame!

Good food and selection on “The Daily Specials”

And with that parting dialogue, we took off south for the historic Diamond Hotel – our last night on Thebeerchaser Tour of Eastern Oregon.

The bar at the Central Pastime. Patty was camera shy but impressed with the city slickers passing through.

The Beerchaser Does Eastern Oregon – Part II and Johnny Brose, Beerchaser of the Month

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Historic Church in John Day

The second leg of our four-day Eastern Oregon road trip started at Unity Lake State Recreation Site where we had spent the first night. We headed north through Sumpter for breakfast and to photograph The Elkhorn Saloon. (next trip we will have a beer!)

: An historic saloon in an historic Oregon city

Abandoned school-house in Granite

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We drove through Granite and Starkey – a town so small you can wake up next to yourself – passed an immense camp for firefighters which had about 150 tents, and on to LaGrande – which requires a correction from Installment I of the Eastern Oregon tour on this blog. We did not hit the two taverns in La Grande (Long Branch Saloon and The Hideout) until the second day and not on day one.

Catherine Creek –

After visiting the aforementioned two saloons, we pitched our tent that night at Catherine Creek State Park, which is accurately described in the website as, “a cool, quiet and peaceful setting.”

We then contemplated the benefits of escaping from the daily routine and just relaxed in God’s Country as you can see by the picture below………

Away from the daily grind – wait a minute – are those I-Phones??!

We hit the road again in search of a dinner venue – like a good steak considering all the beef on-the-hoof we had observed. We heard good reports on the Cove Tavern and Steak House, but it was closed on Mondays and we ventured into the City of Union.

Pick-up Truck at Cove Tavern and Steakhouse

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Steve, being an educator and astute observer, stated, “You know, both dogs and pick-up trucks seemed to be ubiquitous in these environs.” (He then defined “ubiquitous” and “environs” for Dave and me….) As evidence, we saw the following two signs on taverns we visited:

Keep your dog in your pick-up and not the bar.

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The historic Union Hotel was also rumored to have a great steak and was impressive, but it was closed as was another Union institution – LG Brewskis, a very interesting looking pub which will have to await our next trip.

As we got back on the road, Dave wondered why there were a number of cities with nautical themes in their names, but without a trace of water around. Examples included Cove, Island City and Hot Lake. Our attention span was not sustained long enough to try for an answer.

Unfortunately we could not find out what the LG designated in the name of this pub

Hungrier now, we ended back in LaGrande, which was fortunate because we had a fantastic dinner at 10 Depot Street, a restaurant which also had one of the most impressive bars we saw on the trip.

An impressive bar complemented the great food

Unfortunately, we were not going to be in town for the La Grande Pub Tour “….which kicked off its Celtic Festival,” and for which $10 would secure a ride on the trolley making the rounds. (10 Depot was the first stop.)

A first-rate LaGrande bar and restuarant

A first-rate LaGrande bar and restaurant

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We had a nightcap at the Mt. Emily Ale House – the one disappointment on the trip. Although it was a Monday night, there was a decent crowd, but the bartender was inattentive and did not have a clue about the products produced by his brewery. The beer was also not very impressive, which is also the case with their website.

A disappointment for a number of reasons.

It was a full moon and we were awakened in the middle of the night by screeches and screams – many more decibels in intensity than the snoring which had started early that night. It was coyotes.

Dave then awoke with a start and admired the view of the moon and stars before exclaiming, “Where in the hell is my roof?” before we assured him he was not at home and our tent had a vent-hole at its top.

The next morning, Dave demonstrated his culinary skills with a great breakfast and we headed for Baker. Upon reaching the city we took picture of two more bars before stopping at the Bull Ridge Brewery and Pub. A conversation at 10:50 AM between Steve Larson and his wife gives some context:

: Culinary skills helped start the day.

Steve: Hi Babs, we are in Baker waiting for the Bull Ridge Brewery to open. We’ve already been to two bars earlier this morning.

Babs: Isn’t that a little early to start drinking beer?

Steve: No. No. You don’t understand. Don just took pictures of the first two. All we’ve had this morning is coffee so far.

The Stockman Bar deserves an actual visit on the next trip.

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To lend credence to Steve’s assertion, the following are two bars in Baker which we photographed but did not visit on this trip although like General McArthur – “We shall return.”

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The Idle Hour – interesting, but too early to partake

Waiting until the Bull Ridge opened at 11:00, we drank what, for us, was an early beer. Camas, the helpful waitress (named after the flower) told us a little about the establishment which is housed in an historic building – originally a mercantile warehouse and opened two years ago in September.

We had pints of Bull Ridge’s Tumbleweed and Flagstaff Pale Ale, which were excellent. As a side note and rationale for AM drinking, beer was probably the safest liquid we could consume since Baker City was in the middle of a battle with cryptosporidium which had contaminated its water and sickened dozens of residents.

Dave and Steve in an inarticulate and awkward effort to demonstrate that it was 11:00 when we entered Bull Ridge

Camas then told us we should see the Brewer for a tour and we met Johnny Brose, who was a smart, articulate and friendly young guy who gave us a personal tour.

He demonstrated real pride and knowledge of his product and the brewing process. I was both surprised and pleased to learn that he is an Oregon State graduate who earned his degree in Food Science and Technology with a focus on Fermentation Science. OSU is one of only two universities in the US to offer a fermentation degree and is home to an internationally recognized hops research initiative

Brewmaster, Jonny Brose and Camas with Thebeerchaser logo

He was a Baker City High graduate and before returning to his home town he interned at breweries and wineries for a year in Germany learning his craft.

Jonny was extremely helpful and has lofty goals for the brewery. He receives Thebeeerchaser of the Month of November in recognition for his enthusiasm for his profession and his competence in his craft – also being a Beaver.

The pub has an excellent selection of beers on tap and wines and a nice menu. Since we visited, Johnny has rolled out several new beers and his creativity is evident in the names:

Johnny extracting a sample for us to taste.

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Haymaker Hefeweizen, Bear Claw Porter, Whitetail Pale Ale, Gun Sight IPA, Rut Dust Amber and Lone Pine Lager.

He plans to roll out a winter ale at the beginning of December, but has not named it yet. How about Beaver Dam Winter Ale?

We recommend you visit the Bull Ridge Brewery and Pub when you are in Baker and say hello to Johnny Brose.

The Bull Ridge Brewery and Brew Pub 1934 Broadway Baker City

The Bull in Bull Ridge..!

Thebeerchaser Does Eastern Oregon – Part 1

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Granite – one of the stops in the Eastern Oregon Beerchaser Tour

After visiting pubs in six European countries on a 21-day Rick Steves’ Best of Europe Tour this summer, a return to basics was in order. What better description of “basics” could one devise than a four-day road trip through Eastern Oregon – visiting taverns, pubs and bars along the way. (This post is the first of three installments…)

Historic beauty along the highway

Psyched to start our 1,300 mile journey

Thus, three of us – Thebeerchaser, brother-in-law, Dave Booher and Pendleton teacher and coach, Steve Larson, completed a 1,346 mile four-day trip in August.

We camped three nights and stayed at the wonderful Diamond Hotel, in Diamond, Oregon on the fourth. Diamond, with a population of five, is so small that the “Welcome To” and “Come Again” signs could be on the same telephone pole. Anyone who has not experienced this historic inn, should make it a bucket-list item.

As one can see from the map, we circled through the “God’s Country.”

The Route - From Prinevill on the West to Baker on the East - Diamond in the South and ending at Pendleton (North)

The Route – From Prineville on the West to Baker on the East – Diamond in the South and ending at Pendleton (North) – 1,346 miles in 4 days.

This trip was a great opportunity to either visit or photograph some of the colorful and historic local watering holes that are institutions in cities such as Prineville, LaGrande, Baker, Fossil, Burns, John Day, Mitchell and Sumpter.

Solstice – Prineville’s only brewery

Prineville

Solstice Brewery – Solstice celebrated its second anniversary in July and with a play area for tots (which we did not try) is a family oriented venue. Shelby, our waitress, was friendly and helpful as was the owner, Joe, who told us it was the only brewery in Prineville and that they have a five-barrel capacity.

Shelby and Dave with Thebeerchaser Logo

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The Bar at Solstice

They bought their five-barrel brew kettle from Terminal Gravity Brewery in Enterprise. Their beer was good and we tried the War Paint Red Ale, Show-me-the-Honey Wheat Ale and Walton Lake Lager, three of six Solstice’s own brews. We also had a good Sunday lunch.

The Horseshoe – Established in the 1940’s

Horseshoe Tavern – Just up the street from Solstice on Prineville’s Main Street we met native Pennsylvanian, Heather, the bartender, who did a great job filling us in on the history of the bar, which is over 70 years old – a fact substantiated by the picture of the original owner, Howard Bose, on opening day.

Horseshoe Founders in 1940

Heather told us that her most challenging customers were the off-duty state troopers, who made the trucker patrons look tame.

They have seven beers on tap and we enjoyed the Bombshell Blonde from Cascade Lakes Brewery in Redmond. This review from “Urban Spoon” summed up the Horseshoe pretty well, “Good food, huge portions.$1 beer, friendly staff. What more could you want?”

Heather at the Horseshoe

Heather convinced Thebeerchaser to have an “Angry Balls” cocktail which is Angry Orchard Hard Cider (5% alcohol) and a drop of Fireball. It was very good although evoked no emotional or physical reaction implied by the name.

LaGrande

The Hideout Saloon – Our next stop was in “downtown”, LaGrande, where Cindy, the gregarious bartender who has worked at the Hideout for ten years, hailed from the Land of Sky Blue Waters as did the “Beer-of- the-Day” – a draft Hamm’s.

Thebeerchaser “hiding out…”

Cindy briefing Dave on the Hideout

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Cindy didn’t know exactly when the bar started operating, but said without equivocation, “It’s older than anybody here.”

Old Testament Vintage

We noted that a number of patrons – other than ourselves – reminded us of some of the Old Testament characters so we knew the bar was old.

Because they had cheap PBR and Dave was in a nostalgic mood, he harkened back to his days in the Navy’s Submarine Service and used the phonetic alphabet and ordered a “Papa – Bravo – Romeo,” which Cindy understood.

The LongBranch Saloon – Just down the street, we discovered our final LaGrande bar – one that had no lack of character and ambiance. Patsy, the bartender didn’t know how old the bar was, but said that her grandmother worked there at one time.

Barbed-wire sculpture added to the atmosphere

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One young guy came in and she asked for his ID which he didn’t have. He left – came back and showed his ID – then just got a glass of water….! The Long Branch also has a quant diner attached that looked like it was from the 1950’s.

Straight from the 1950’s..

We then debated where we should camp that evening. Steve advocated flexibility, but I told him, “Spontaneity on this trip takes a lot of planning…”

We stopped at the Dairy Queen in John Day to assess our options, while I had a chocolate malt, Dave a Dilly Bar and Steve a DQ Sundae. We couldn’t figure out why Dave told the Drive-thru waitress to make sure that our orders were “To Go.”

Unity Lake at Sunset

We headed east on Highway 26 and about half way between John Day and Sumpter, we ended up at one of Oregon’s wonderful State Parks – Unity Lake State Recreation Site.

“Camping” may be a stretch to describe our accommodations because we stayed in a cabin with bunks, but as you can see from the photos, it was a perfect ending to a day of exploration.

A toast to God’s Country!

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A Tribute

And this post should end with a short tribute to the man who instilled my appreciation of God’s Country when I was in my teens and he was a carpet salesman for Mohawk Carpets.

My Dad – F. Duane Williams – on whom we lovingly bestowed the moniker, “FDW”, grew up on the East Coast and thanks to his courage and that of my mom (Frannie), we moved to Oregon from Ohio in 1960 after a three-month camping trip (a VW bus hauling a Nimrod pop-up-tent trailer) across the US. We missed three + weeks of school in the fall because FDW wrote the superintendent of schools that we were getting an outstanding education on the road.

FDW in God’s Country

We all fell in love with Oregon on the trip and FDW quit his job and moved to Portland while Frannie sold the house and then drove the four kids across the country to our new home in Oregon City. From that point on, FDW was imbued with “The spirit of high adventure.”

FDW and his VW

Although he did not make much in commissions from his Eastern Oregon territory, he loved the trips. From the geology to mingling with his dealers such as Doc Mosier of Mosier’s Home Furnishings in John Day – founded in 1955 and now operated by Doc’s son he relished the adventure.

I still have a personally autographed copy of famous Oregon cattleman, Herman Oliver’s autobiography, Gold and Cattle Country, with whom my dad had many visits in Grant County.

And no trip was complete without navigating a little-used Forest Service road in his VW Bus. (We once spent the night sleeping in the VW when we took the wrong turn got stuck on a new spur in the Mt. Emily Road and had to be pulled out the next morning by a bulldozer that was excavating for the new road!)

Slabtown – A “Slice” of Portland History

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

An important institution in an historic neighborhood

After six posts on pubs and taverns in Europe based on our Rick Steves’ Best of Europe Tour, Thebeerchaser takes comfort in returning home – to the roughly 700 watering holes in Portland. And what better way to regain the origins of this blog than reviewing a Portland classic dive bar – Slabtown.

External character in a manner of speaking

As evidence of its status, it is the only bar other than the recently Beerchaser reviewed Slammer Tavern (September 2013) that has been named one of the favorite bars in the ”hallowed” – at least in my eyes because of its value as a reference source – Willamette Week Drink Guide (Favorite Bars) for the last six years.

And as we walk you through our visit to this NW Portland institution, we will provide some highlights from the WW past reviews:

2013 – “Old-school rock and roll venue, Slabtown is, as ever, a play-town for putative grown-ups (with occasional all-ages shows served up from the back entrance) with pinball, air hockey, Skee-ball and Pop-a-Shot.”

: Old School venue with traditional bar competition – Air Hockey, etc.

I was pleased to have Portland lawyer, Scott Whipple, a Beerchaser regular and esteemed graduate of Iowa’s Grinnell College (where they still talk about his accomplishments on the basketball court) accompany me both to this bar and our second stop that night at the Skyline Tavern.

: Fred and Scott – A character in a bar with character(s)

We sat at the bar next to a great old guy with a white beard, overalls and a baseball cap named Fred, who while I talked to the friendly bartender, Dave, wanted to engage Scott on topics such as “quality trading” in the stock market, World War II and the global economy. Ben, another quality barkeeper who has worked there for 4 1/2 years was there working with Dave on my second visit.

Two Class A Bartenders – Dave and Ben with Thebeerchaser Logo

Dave was very helpful, has worked there for 18 months, is a Wilson High graduate and the grandson of John Howard, the former and very well-regarded President of Lewis and Clark College.

2011 – “….Slabtown has changed, man. But don’t freak out – it has changed for the better.

The owners booted the video poker machines for more pinball and video games (this place is like a Chuck E. Cheeses for adults) upgraded the sound system a bit and incorporated a wider range of music into the schedule….The building seems further from collapse than ever before….”

Old style pinball machines replaced Video Lottery — Good Move!!

Distinguishing Characteristics

Its History – Slabtown has been around since the ‘70’s under three different owners It was originally a strip club and was also known as “Cal’s Fort.” It has an interesting “altar” near the entrance, paying tribute to fabled rock musicians Wendy O’ Williams and Freddie Mercury. The bar was also used as a set for two scenes from the “Portlandia” show.

The “altar” at the entrance.

The Slabtown neighborhood is also one of Portland’s most historic neighborhoods and oozes with history as evidenced by this excerpt from the July 13, 2013 The Oregonian

“For a century, Wallace Park was the site of trading for Native Americans, (Tracy) Prince writes in “Portland’s Slabtown.” The book (published by Arcadia Press) traces the Slabtown neighborhood’s history……when Native Americans outnumbered white settlers 1,000 to 275, through its blue-collar decades, and into its current “Trendy-third” reputation for its Northwest 23rd Avenue boutiques…..

It was a working-class neighborhood home to marginalized groups — Native Americans, Chinese and European immigrants, gypsies, and black Portlanders.”

Timber is a key to the “roots” of Slabtown.

Why the name “Slabtown? “….back in the industrial days of lumber milling, the slabs of the rounded tree edges made good fuel and were to be found all over this area.” (KGW.com 9/7/2010). The slices of wood piled up at the George Weidler Lumber Mill on NW Northrup Street commencing in the 1870’s.

The Menu – It’s entirely vegan since last June! This is the first time Thebeerchaser has encountered this situation although it was not a problem. Neither Scott nor I could tell the difference between the excellent large order of vegan french fries we had that night versus what we are used to……..

A very positive change initiated in July 2012 was the introduction of Falafel to their kitchen with a new chef. You can see the reviews are superb:

Yelp 6/6/13: “Dive BAR! but right now they are renting the kitchen out to an amazing FALAFEL CHEF… So good you must try…”

: Although a limited menu, the food gets high marks.

Yelp 5/9/13: “Best falafel sandwich I’ve had in Portland and quite surprising to find it at a dive bar.”

Yelp 10/12/13: “Lover’s of delicious food: this is a serious find. It is a serious dive……But the people who make the falafel are serious about their craft. I’ve never had a better gyro, and I’ve been to Greece and eaten them there, so I feel like I am qualified to speak to Gyro power.”

Drum sticks and guitar strings – A unique feature

The Vending Machines – It may well be that Slabtown is the only bar in Portland where one can purchase both guitar strings and drumsticks (not the kind one eats) from a vending machine.

You can also see Scott waiting in anticipation at the kissing booth, which, understandably, did not get any participants when we were there. There are also a number of old classic pinball machines, air hockey and skee-ball and Pop-a-Shot that did see a lot of action.

: “Better not give up your day job, Scott.”

2010 – “…You can order a basket of French fries and play pinball for three hours and no one is going to try to grab your boobs…”

Pop-a-Shot – The score reflects Whipple regressing to his college days at Grinnell…

But perhaps the machine that ended up with more than several of our dollars in its belly, was Pop-a-Shot.

Scott immediately gravitated to the machine and we played no less than five games in which he marginally came out on top in four of them. Scott sang the Grinnell Fight Song as he shot. After we went back into the bar, Dave the bartender, said to me, “He’s a competitive guy, isn’t he?” (If you only knew, Dave….)

As a Concert and Performance Venue – When I asked Dave and Ben how they would best describe Slabtown i.e. Dive Bar, Neighborhood Bar, Music Venue, Ben stated, “It’s something different to each person and can be each of those.” Dave, however, chose the Performance Venue option because of the history and the percentage of the bar’s receipts resulting from these shows.

Indeed, check out the calendar on the Slabtown Website or Facebook page – a full calendar with different types of music – live and otherwise – some with cover charge – some free – almost every night. They also have all-ages shows to open it up for more patrons and obviously, closely control the alcohol for underage folk. Also Bingo and Industry Night events on Tuesdays.

2008 – “….Slabtown strikes a near perfect balance between style and scum with dirty rock and plenty of breathing room to relax over cheap food and plentiful beer…A fine after-work drinking spot if there ever was one.”

Scott at the “Bar” – making a closing argument to himself

As a sign by the entrance said at one time, “This isn’t the Pearl – It’s Slabtown! You’ve been warned.”

So noted! And that’s a good thing. Check them out while you have a gyro….

Slabtown 1033 NW 16th

The Beerchaser Goes International – The Final Chapter

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The Arc de’ Triomphe

After leaving the wonderful Cinqua Terra on the Mediterranean Coast of Italy, we headed for the final two stops on our Rick Steves’ 21-Day Best of Europe Tour. From Italy, we hit Beaune, France for a night followed by the last two of our trip – Paris.

Tasting at the Bouchard Aîné & Fils cellars

Beaune (pronounced “bone”) is a delightful and historic city of about 25,000 people in eastern France, right in the wine capital of Burgundy. The city still has a good portion of the wall, ramparts and moats constructed during the Roman era to protect it. Although my preference was obviously beer, we had a very interesting tour of Bouchard Aîné & Fils cellars – one of the many located in and around the city and established in 1750. .

We also visited the Hospice de Beaune, a charity hospital built in the 15th century after the devastating Hundred Years’ War and the Plague left more than 90 percent of the town’s population destitute .

I then ventured into a majestic cathedral right across the street from our hotel – which turned out to be Notre-Dame de Beaune – one of the largest Romanesque churches in Burgundy. It dates to the 12th century and was not completed until the 1600’s and has marvelous tapestries from the 1500’s inside.

The majestic Notre-Dame de Beaune

Notre-Dame de Beaune – dates from the 12th Century

Unfortunately, we left early on a Saturday morning when the merchants of Beaune were just setting up the notable food market which features cheese, wine, fruits and other delicacies from all over Burgundy.

Before an excellent dinner, we had a beer in one of the most delightful pubs we encountered on the trip – The Publican. Unlike my experience in Paris the next day, the bartender was very friendly and spoke excellent English. (I considered myself to be bilingual because I knew how to say “hello” in French.)

A wonderful little pub….

Nice selection of beers and great atmosphere at The Publican.

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They had a nice selection of beers and a great little deck where we joined a number of other patrons and enjoyed the afternoon.

We concur with this excerpt from a Yelp review in late 2012:

“Best bar in town!” The owner is great. The prices are perfect …The seating is all couches and nice chairs, very comfortable! Very English friendly but we also saw a number of local youth (18-25 years old). The wine they serve is from the owner’s in-laws and very good for the price. We didn’t have any food, but the meat and cheese plate looked good.”

Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris

The bus driver, as we arrived in Paris, gave us a quick tour, of sorts, through the city. Seeing the Eifel Tower, the Seine River and the Arc de Triomphe was amazing – as was our subsequent tour of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the incredible Church of Sainte-Chapelle.

The magnificent stained glass of the Chapelle de Saint

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I found another amazing cathedral – this one the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – established in 1861 and the first Russian Orthodox place of worship in Paris.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral

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And while we really enjoyed Paris, Thebeerchaser had his only negative experience in a Parisian bar after visiting over sixty in America and six European countries since I started this blog in 2011 – a validation of the stereotype of rude and snobbish French servers and a justification for presenting this bad bar joke before I relate my experience:

A Frenchman with a parrot perched on his shoulder walks into a New York bar:

Bartender: “Wow, that’s really neat! Where did you get him?”

Parrot: “In France. They’ve got millions of them……”

: Millions of Frenchmen available….

Thebeerchaser is Chastised!

Our hotel was only one block off the famed Champs-Elysees – one of the world’s most famous boulevards. The night before, I saw a pub with the inauspicious name “The Beer Station” only about two blocks from our hotel and I took a picture of the sign on the outside.

After visiting the Russian Cathedral, I decided to take a picture of the interior on my way back even though I did not have time for a beer – I wanted to at least mention one bar in Paris.

The Beer Station – not one of Paris’ finer bars..

So on a late Sunday afternoon, I popped in and took a quick photo of the bar which had about four patrons sitting at it. After I left, the bartender came running out yelling, “Monsieur, Monsieur, you did not ask permission to take this photo.”

I explained what I was doing and showed him the two pictures – one of their sign and one of the bar with its beer taps. In righteously indignant and broken English, he informed me that he wanted me to delete the picture of the bar. Rather than argue – I did.

Everything turned out fine, because I walked a block to the La Vin Couer – a classy bar and one in which the bartender and his staff were more than happy to pose for a Beerchaser picture.

La Vin Couer – A classy alternative to The Beer Station – and friendly!

It made me wonder why the bartender was so prissy about pictures which admittedly did include a few patrons. I assumed, however, that an important corporate officer or high-ranking politician who did not want to be seen at a bar would patronize a place other than one called “The Beer Station.”

Then it occurred to me that a bar with this moniker only one block off the classy Champs-Elysees is tantamount to Leonardo de Vinci, naming the subject of his famous work – “Gertrude.”

De Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre – did not name his famous work “Gertrude”

And after reading this April 2012 Yelp review, it made me think that I was better off skipping The Beer Station anyway:

“What you see is what you get.

Eating here was not a highlight of my recent trip to Paris. It was raining, I was tired, so we decided to find a place near the hotel to eat. This place filled that void. We had below average food and wine at a below average price.”

And the bar down the street – La Vin Couer was classy and favorably reviewed in this December 2012 Yelp review excerpt:

“This seems to be an ‘in’ place with the crowd as it is relatively close to the Arc de Triomphe… It is a popular place. They were very pleased that we asked “Parlez vous Anglais?” even though they spoke perfect English – just made mention that it was nice that we even inquired! Food was very good and prices were reasonable – for Paris…Good sized servings, good taste, easy access…… “

And so ended our outstanding 21-day Rick Steves’ Best of Europe Tour – one that we would strongly recommend for anyone making their first trip to Europe. We saw majestic scenery, living history, met wonderful people and visited a few great bars.

We will return. Thanks Rick Steves!

That said, it will be nice to return to Portland and the comforting ambiance of the Barmuda Triangle…! Stayed tuned for our next review of Slab Town in NW Portland.

Thebeerchaser

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