BAR PILOT

St. Patrick’s Soirees

The holiday merriment will flow like Guinness in Portland.

Posted by: Brandy Crowe on Mar 14, 2012 at 10:00AM 2 Comments

Where’s the green beer?

Photo Courtesy of Ryan J. Lane.

Welcome to St. Patrick’s Day 2012. We are indeed lucky lads and lasses in our great green city of Portland, as there’s an abundance of celebrations honoring the traditions of pub crawlin’ and corned beef eatin’. Better still, this most Irish of days falls on a Saturday this year, which means even more opportunities for stout-fueled roistering. For your convenience, we’ve gathered the lot of festivities for all the craic ye be seeking, from family-friendly fun and hearty Irish cuisine, to stomping live bands, booze specials, and boxing matches. So don your greens, pluck a shamrock, and slap a leprechaun—we’re on our way!

Dublin Pub boasts a lineup of six bands including pub favorites Darby O’Gill. They will not feature Sean Connery’s vocals from the movie of the same name, but will play timeless ballads about drinking and kissing the lasses. There will be plenty of Irish Stew, corned beef and cabbage, and sausage bangers in honor of the day. (6821 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy)

How about a St. Patrick’s Day brunch featuring a bottomless pint or mimosa? That’s the Hop o’ the Morning special at East Burn. Be sure to save room for a mess of Mike’s Corned Beef and Colcannons. Healy & Haggerty will provide the swilling soundtrack. (1800 E. Burnside St)

Be on the lookout for a giant, two-story inflatable guest planted atop Jake’s Famous Crawfish, which heralds Portland’s longest continuous Irish holiday celebration (they’ve been throwing this party annually since 1892). The action happens inside the restaurant, as well as a block-long tent, and will feature jams by the likes of Seamus Egan & Friends and the Clan MacCleay Pipe Band. This is a charity event, with all proceeds going to Trillium Family Services. (401 SW 12th Ave)

Paddy’s is throwing a St. Paddy’s street party, closing down SW Yamhill Avenue in order to dole out food, drink, and entertainment, including Irish dancing, five bands, and a headlining appearance by local sax-playing soul man Patrick Lamb. Be sure to buy up plenty of raffle tickets as a five-day trip for two to Ireland will be raffled off to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Association. (65 SW Yamhill St)

North45 Pub ladles up the lamb stew with Guinness brew, and will have sipping specials on beer and Jameson Irish Whiskey. Caper about to the music of Carolan’s Skull Irish Band, Kilty by Association, and (rumor has it), bagpipers playing on bar tops. (517 NW 21st Ave)

With diversions like an Ireland vs USA boxing match and a viewing party at the bar for that coincidentally scheduled Portland Timbers’ game, Kell’s Irish Restaurant and Pub is the place to be for the biggest blarney bash in town. Their weekend celebration promises a myriad of live bands belting out traditional tunes, dance troupes, and rivers of Guinness. (12 SW Second Ave)

Perhaps chilling in Katie O’Brien’s spacious back patio is more your speed, nestled in a comfy chair ordering up corned beef hash and triple-decker reubens while nodding to the percussive persistance of the Last Regiment Syncopated Drummers marching band. Company reps from Bushmill’s will be stopping for whiskey tastings at 7pm. (2809 NE Sandy Blvd)

The Doug Fir hosts local Celtic punk band Amadan. Their frenzy of fiddling should blend nicely with the woodsy ambience resulting in much rowdy revelry. Watch for an appearance by the alphorn. (830 E. Burnside St)

What’s St. Patrick’s without the music of The Pogues? KMRIA (Kiss My Royal Irish Ass), a holiday specific tribute band featuring members of the Decemberists, The Minus 5, Eels, and Casey Neill & the Norway Rats will be tearing it up at the Wonder Ballroom.

Biddy McGraw’s brings live Irish music from 10 bands throughout the day, great Irish fare, drink, and good cheer! Parents are welcome too; there will be face painting and a balloon artist for the wee ones, who can hang with the family until 10pm. (6000 NE Glisan St)

As one might imagine, the brothers McMenamin take this holiday pretty seriously. You can find mc-tastic celebrations at all locations, with a multitude of bands, dancing, and the roving River City Pipe band—not to mention leprechauns with candy. Follow the Seamus MacDuff Golf Tourney on the green at Edgefield, or bring the clan to The Kennedy School to dance a few jigs and reels with Freak Mountain Ramblers and the Jig Jam Irish Hooley. At the top o’ the evening bonnie lass Ashleigh Flynn will take the stage at Crystal Ballroom, followed by Under a Blood Red Sky, a tribute to Irish icons U2. Toast “Erin Go Braugh!” with McMenamin’s Irish Stout, Irish Coffee cocktails, the newly released White Owl Whiskey, and the annual limited-edition Devil’s Bit Whiskey. Food specials include seasonal fare such as Dubliner Cheese Salad, Shepherd’s Pie, and MacSleyne Irish Stew.

And finally, It’s OK to get stocious on the 12th annual St. Pat’s BarFly Bus. It’s $25 a head or 10 tix for $200, which means no driving and no cover charges as you receive VIP treatment at 8-10 watering holes, along with drink specials and free food.

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Tags: McMenamins, St. Patrick's Day, Kells, Guinness

Church Service

New McMenamins in Wilsonville is a church change-up

Posted by: Griffin Funk on Aug 08, 2011 at 02:00PM 1 Comments

Surprise, surprise, Mike and Brian McMenamin are at it again, expanding, converting and preserving; this time in an old church in Wilsonville.

Working hand in hand with the Wilsonville Historical Society, the ambitious brew brethren will bring a 100-year old church back to life while enshrining a piece of Wilsonville history. Wilsonvillians may remember this property as the Wilsonville United Methodist Church or after the Methodists relocated, the Christ Community Church. The building has been empty since 1996.

The property will serve as part outdoor music venue, part church, part museum, and part brewery. So if you have a hankering to get hitched while drinking your weight in Hammerhead or just want to hear Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside in an outside amphitheater (Thursday, August 18) well, the McMenamins have got you covered.

The renovated church pub includes an abundance of Wilsonville historical artifacts with tons of photos and memorabilia on display. The decor also will pay homage to the famed first deacon of the church, John W. Exon, who was also (possibly more famously) a riverboat pilot.

The grand opening of McMenamins Old Church & Pub, August 17-20, also happens to coincide with the anniversary of the building’s creation in August 1911.

Be sure to check out the McMenafication of the old church in the video below.

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Tags: New Construction, McMenamins, Wilsonville

Crystal Gazing

McMenamins opens the doors to the Crystal Hotel

Posted by: John Chandler on Apr 27, 2011 at 02:00PM 4 Comments

Photo: John Chandler

View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler
View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler

The Junior Parker room dedicated to the song “Mystery Train.”

View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler

The Wilson Pickett room dedicated to the song “In the Midnight Hour.”

View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler

Flatbread pizzetta with prosciutto and clams. This appetizer was quickly scarfed.

View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler

The bustling Zeus Cafe named after former shady nightclub owner Nate Zusman, who used to run The Desert Room in this location.

View Slideshow » Photo: John Chandler

Everybody into the pool!

Mr. and Mrs. Portland—it’s a McMenamins!

Press folks and prominent rubberneckers got to kick the tires at the new Crystal Hotel on Tuesday, wandering hither and yon through one of Mike and Brian McMenamin’s most ambitious projects to date. The refurbishing of the former gambling den, psychedelic rendezvous, and gay bathhouse at SW 12th and Burnside is nearly complete, with artistic nods to the building’s checkered past festooning every square inch of real estate. It’s a bit overwhelming, but the unifying aesthetic throughout is thoroughly McMenamin: the whimsical, impressionistic paintings, calligraphied song lyrics, and rock posters are the decorative elements in what otherwise resembles a very dark-hued youth hostel. The 51 rooms are hippie spartan, with no TVs and mostly no loos (though guests are welcome to slap their iPods on the clock radios next to the beds). There are 17 rooms on each floor along with 4 communal baths, so between answering the call of nature and the narrowness of the hallways, guests will have plenty of opportunity to rub elbows and get to know each other a little better. “It’s a rock and roll hotel,” announced one of the helpful tour guides. Indeed.

Speaking of which, each room has an artfully rendered song theme by an artist that’s played at the Crystal Ballroom at some point in time, all the way back from Little Richard to the Decemberists. I got a chance to check out the calligraphy and painted headboards in rooms dedicated to Junior Parker, Allen Ginsberg (he was here in 1967—I did not know that), Wilson Pickett, Built to Spill, Black Keys, Avett Brothers, and more, and I have to say that the overall effect is pretty damn charming—like spending the weekend with your rambling hippie uncle who used to be a roadie for Quicksilver Messenger Service. He tells the same stories over and over but at least he’s got good weed.

On the ground floor, the brand-new Zeus Cafe feels historic and homey, especially when the sun shines through the stained glass windows. It’s a welcome change from the polished sheet metal found in every other minimalist-industrial eatery in town. Again, it’s a very narrow walk through the room, so everyone should step lightly. Judging by the appetizers spread around the room, I can safely say the food is a several notches above standard McMenamins pub grub. The flatbread pizzetta with clams and prosciutto was a smoky-salty crowd pleaser and the crun-chewy flash-fried chips came with a trio of lively dipping sauces.

And now, on to the basement where you can find Al’s Den, a dusky grotto that’s like a subterranean speakeasy with a few tiki touches. Down the hall there’s a long serpentine soaking pool in a room lined with bamboo. If there is any justice in this world, guests should be able to drink from plastic cups while splashing about. Don’t quote me on that, though.

Final assessment: Hell yes, I’d stay here.

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Tags: McMenamins, New Bar

Shenaut Will Shine at the Crystal

Mixologist David Shenaut joins the McMenamins empire

Posted by: John Chandler on Apr 18, 2011 at 04:25PM 2 Comments

It’s looking like the brothers McMenamin are upping their game on several fronts with the opening of the new Crystal Hotel and Ballroom. They’ve made a major move toward cocktail respectability with the hiring of Beaker and Flask bartender David Shenaut, who will be mixing drinks at the new Zeus Cafe in the downtown hotel. I chatted with Shenaut about his new position working with bar manager Mike Lorberbaum to bring real consistency to the making of classic cocktails like the mai tai, margarita, mint julep, negroni, and Ramos gin fizz (my go-to breakfast drink). “I can’t speak for the company,” he says, “but it seems to me from the people they’re bringing in that the level of cocktails, wine, and food will be several notches above what we’ve come to expect from the pubs.”

In particular, Shenaut is keen to work with the state-of-the-art Kold-Draft ice machine being installed at the Zeus Cafe. “All of the top bars in New York and San Francisco have Kold-Draft systems,” he explains. In the simplest of terms, Kold-Draft makes bigger, harder ice cubes that melt slowly which results in a crisp cocktail that doesn’t dilute as quickly. “Ice cubes are a very important cocktail ingredient,” Shenaut says, adding that only three Portland bars currently use Kold-Draft technology.

Shenaut believes that the addition of a true upscale venue to the McMenamins empire will be good for business across the board. “I think we’re going to get to a point where you can go into a McMenamins, ask for a negroni, and you’ll see the bartender go to the fridge for the vermouth,” he says. And that’s a good thing.

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Tags: McMenamins, New Bar, David Shenaut, Beaker & Flask

More Drinking Dates

Everything from soup to so long, Tommy

Posted by: John Chandler on Feb 22, 2011 at 03:00PM 2 Comments

Chowderheads rejoice!

No rest for the wicked liver.

Lompoc Brewing’s Annual Chowder Challenge Now that’s good chowder! If you’re a seafood fan with a craving for clams, you’ll want to pipe yourself over to the Fifth Quadrant on Saturday to help determine the People’s Choice Winner at the Fifth Annual Lompoc Brewing Chowder Challenge. The festivities actually commence on Friday night with a shrimp boil between 6-9, where for $12 a plate you can load up on andouille sausage, shrimp, spuds, corn, and all sorts of yummy sides. From noon-5 on Saturday, 14 pubs and eateries, including Green Dragon, Hopworks, Laurelwood, and EAT: An Oyster Bar, will ladle up their finest chowder in order to impress not only you, the public, but an esteemed panel of guest judges including Lisa Morrison (aka, the Beer Goddess), the Portland Tribune’s Bread & Brew columnist Anne Marie DiStefano (aka, the Whiskey Widow), and yours truly (aka, the Bar Pilot, aka, the Handsome Lad). My credentials? I grew up on the coast, my family owns a fishing boat, and I ate clam chowder at least once a week from 1965-80. Of course, when you’re at one of the Lompoc locales, a river of beautiful beer is only a waitress away.

Hillsdale Brewfest If you’ve still got some room after stuffing yourself with chowder, the Hillsdale Brewery and Pub is the site of the annual Hillsdale Brewfest, in which 20 McMenamins brewers will square off to see which of them will represent the company at July’s Oregon Brewer’s Festival. Again, your votes will decide the winner. It’s just like American Idol except with lots of beer and no crappy singers—a 100 percent improvement IMHO.

Lucky Lab’s Barley Wine and Big Beer Festival There’s no room for Coors Light at this annual skull-smashing soiree. Some 40 brews—strong ales, old ales, vinter varmers, barley wines, and other potent potables—will be on tap at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby, Mar 4-5. You will need to purchase a glass and tokens—not to mention a taxi.

Bon Voyage, Tommy One of Portland’s best bartenders, Tommy Klus, was recently awarded a grant from Tales of the Cocktail’s apprentice foundation to study scotch-making at the Bruichladdich distillery in Islay, Scotland. To make sure young Tommy has a bit of walking around money in the U.K., his pals at the Teardrop Lounge are throwing a fundraiser on his behalf, Sunday Mar 6 at 6. A roster of all-star bartenders will prepare an enchanting array of cruise-themed cocktails (Grog, Quarter-decks, among others). If you’re wonder about the dress code, head bartender Daniel Shoemaker suggests “luxury liner during Prohibition.” Hmmm. I’ll have to get the sherry stains out of my camel’s hair coat, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Cocktails, Lompoc Brewing Company, Teardrop Lounge, McMenamins, Lucky Lab