Almost five years ago, at the end of a particularly hedonistic summer, I decided I was an alcoholic and checked myself into a treatment center. I fondly call this place “The Dryer.” In the year following I did everything an alcoholic who had checked into a dryer should: I reflected deeply, I appreciated greatly, and […]
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Dieting for Dollars
A Pound of Flesh Isn’t Worth the Price
True confessions: When I’m really hungover I order Domino’s pizza and hot wings and eat them in bed while watching TV. At least once a week I drink no less than three whiskey cokes at Club 21 and then order and subsequently demolish a delicious Club burger–soon after, I pass out. I do my best […]
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In With the Old
Lucy’s Table Changes Hands; Hasn’t Changed
Lucy’s Table 704 NW 21st 226-6126 No matter how packed, Lucy’s Table never fails to exude cool, soothing elegance. It’s a miraculous oasis, embedded on NW 21st, in a thicket of greasy frat brains that ooze forth from places like The Gypsy and turn that accursed street into a living hell after the sun goes […]
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The Great Outdoors
Plus Dinner and a Cocktail
Sure, I go on a hike about twice a year and tube down the Sandy River at least once (note to self: put car keys in a zippered pocket this year). I don’t, however, spend all that much time in the outdoors just relaxing and breathing in the air. My foolproof method for increasing the […]
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Eat It Like You Mean It
Buckman’s Got Bounty
Buckman Grill 207 SE 12th 230-0945 Immediately upon sitting down at the Buckman, a bowl of bright red steamed crawfish at a neighboring table caught my eye. When I settled in and my focus turned to the menu, I realized there were difficult choices ahead. For appetizers, I mulled over the jambalaya and the chicken […]
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Vaseline Alley
A Sampler of Downtown’s Gay Bars
It may not be the most PC admission, but I use gay pride weekend as an excuse to ogle hot gay men in their hot gay underpants (or, even better, hot gay men without their hot gay underpants). Besides the parade, the best place to do this in Portland is the part of town nicknamed […]
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Revisit the Classics
Fratelli Could Be in Black & White
Fratelli 1230 NW Hoyt 241-8800 Fratelli is a classic. It was the first nice restaurant I ever ate at in Portland and it holds a warm, nostalgic spot in my heart. It’s a place you can keep coming back to with confidence, both that the menu will have evolved with the seasons and that your […]
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Food Cart Roulette
Not So Dangerous, Really
It is no small fact that Lance Chess and Katie Shimer are the two most recklessly dangerous people in the Mercury office. Depending on the day, you’re bound to find one or both drinking themselves self into an overnight hospital stay, running a yellow in a photo radar intersection, or smoking a big doober in […]
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Teen Fantasy
Wax Feeds the Fountain of Youth
Wax 5101 N Interstate 283-9093 If you’re a North Portlander, you know that special feeling of excitement when you spot a new restaurant or bar in your neighborhood. Several times, I’ve nearly swerved into oncoming traffic while gawking at, say, Mio Sushi, or Echo, or Wax. And while I first curiously ogled Wax about six […]
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Happy Hours
Did we skip your happy hour? Email katie@portlandmercury.com, and we’ll include it next time. Alibi, 4024 N Interstate, 287-533, cheap apps daily 3-7 pm, Sat-Sun $2.50 Bloodys and screwdrivers all day Enjoy some cheap greasy food at the most happening tiki bar in North Portland. Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, 208 SW Ankeny, 227-5906, $1.95 […]
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No More Drama
SubRosa Perfects Simplicity
SubRosa 2601 SE Clinton 233-1955 As we get older, life gets more complicated. The people we encounter have more baggage. The transactions we enter are more detailed, and our actions are tainted by years of interacting with other complicated people and processes. Thus, a little simplicity is welcome relief from the everyday. And simplicity has […]
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Sugar Shacks
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
As yummy as DiPrima Dolci’s warm, fried zeppoli are, who can wait for the last Saturday of each month to indulge a sweet tooth? You’ve got a chocolate jones now. A hot fudge monkey on your back. An ice cream itch that needs to be scratched. You can go for Russell Street Barbecue’s ooey-gooey brownie […]