A good neighborhood pizza joint is invaluable. It’s the place to grab a quick slice when you don’t want to think about what’s for lunch. It’s the place to bring a group to share a casual dinner. It’s the place you have on your phone’s speed dial, so you can painlessly drop in and grab […]
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Happy Hours
Hedge House, 3412 SE Division, 235-2215, Mon-Fri 4-6 pm, $3.25 micro pints, all day Tues $2.50 pints Great sandwiches and an outdoor seating area round out this neighborhood hangout. Hillsdale Brewery and Pub House, 1505 SW Sunset, 246-3938, daily 4-6 pm & 10 pm-midnight, 50 cents off wells, $3.25 pints, $9.70 pitchers, $3.45 burgers with […]
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Happy Hours
Clinton Corner Café, 2633 SE 21st, 230-8035, daily 4-7 pm, $3 pints, $3 wells, $1 off wine, $2-5 food Welcoming neighborhood spot has a great beer selection and food specials including house-made chips and a pulled pork BBQ sandwich. Pilsner Room, 0309 SW Montgomery, 220-1865, Mon-Sat 3-6 pm & 9 pm-close, all day Sun, $1.95-3.95 […]
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The Pleasure of Voyeurism
Checking Out Beast
I can’t help but stare. Naomi Pomeroy is deftly balancing braised pork cheeks atop spinach-stuffed chickpea crêpes. I’m not being rude just because I’m anxious to eat (though the smooth, earthy mushroom soup we’d had earlier—er, the “wild mushroom velouté”—did bode extremely well for what was to come in the six-course prix fixe meal). I’m […]
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Feisty, Fresh, and Fishy
Le Hana Experiments
Le Hana touts itself as a French/Japanese fusion restaurant, which seems to me like the odd pairing of a fat person and a skinny person. But I’ve seen fat/skinny relationships work out just great, and so I wasn’t going to judge Le Hana before I understood what made it tick. Perhaps they were onto something. […]
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Happy Hours
Greater Trumps, 1520 SE 37th, 235-4530, daily 4-6 pm, $3.25 pints, 50 cents off wine McMenamins cigar and port bar has happy hour discounts on proprietary wine and beer. Greek Cusina, 404 SW Washington, 224-2288, Mon-Thurs 3-7 pm, Fri 3-6 pm, $1.95 menu, $4 Greek cocktails Visit the Taverna on the second floor for “Greek […]
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Erin Go Burp
Exploring Culinary Stereotypes
Ireland is known for many things, but cuisine ain’t one of them. Considering that the Irish subsist entirely on a diet comprised of whiskey, Lucky Charms, and colorful storytelling, it’s no great loss that many of Portland’s Irish establishments only loosely comply with food traditions from the green island. What’s more, you’ll be able to […]
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Everything to Everyone
East Burn Stretches Itself Thin
Located in the old Nocturnal space, East Burn has many things going for it— and a couple things that remain just out of its grasp. With an upscale dining room upstairs and a game-filled rec room in the basement, East Burn attempts to be all things to all people, and, to be fair, it hits […]
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Happy Hours
Want us to list your happy hour? Email ahallett@portlandmercury.com Gold Dust Meridian, 3267 SE Hawthorne, 239-1143, Mon-Fri 2-8 pm, $3 pints, $3 wells, $1 off wine, $2-4 food specials Space-age bachelor pad-themed bar has an excellent happy hour, with deviled eggs, mac ‘n’ cheese, and soup/salad/sandwich combo. The Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark, 239-9292, daily 5-7 […]
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Could Be Worse
[Insert Ninja Turtles Joke Here]
Leonardo’s isn’t going to make it onto any critical best-of lists anytime soon, with a menu of passable Italian dishes dressed up with bells and whistles that aren’t fooling anyone into thinking the food is better than it actually is. (Pine nuts! Dried cranberries!) The place is mediocre, but inoffensively so—and considering that Leonardo’s is […]
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Happy Hours
Edge of Belmont, 3350 SE Morrison, 971-230-3343, daily 4-6:30 pm, 10 pm-midnight, $1.50 PBR, all other beers $2-3, $3 wells, $3 food New bar promises “eclecticism and good music.” Side Door, 425 SE Washington, 233-8553, daily 4-6 pm, 10 pm-midnight, 20-ounce beers for the price of a pint Friendly, easily overlooked little watering hole serves […]
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Too Good to Be True
Another Portland Success Story
It’s a typical Portland story, and one that seems too good to be true. A couple starts selling food at the farmers’ market, attracting a clutch of groupies every week. They open their own café in a decidedly untrendy part of town. Most everything is made from scratch, including homemade ice cream, with other goods […]