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The Sporting Life

Duck Dives

Watering holes for the Fiesta Bowl

Posted by: John Chandler on Jan 07, 2011 at 11:00AM Speech Bubble1 Comments

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Duck_reclines

It’s been a while since a local sports team was involved in any sort of nationally televised championship scenario, so naturally the furor over the Oregon Ducks battling the Auburn Tigers for the Bowl Championship Series title has reached a fever pitch. I would just like to remind everyone that it’s also an opportunity to drink beer, carouse, and carry on with your comrades. After all, the Ducks are in the Fiesta Bowl, and as we all know, “fiesta” means “party.” So here’s a list of possible places to pass the time during the pigskin pageant along with a few notes on specials designed to further entice the game-day patron.

Buffalo Gap Just by showing up you have a chance to win a new Budweiser kayak. If you stay home to watch the game there will be no kayak for you. Bud Light pitchers $6, 30¢ buffalo wings.

Champions A Samuel Adams rep will be present to distribute Sam Adams (the beer, not the mayor) swag to fortunate attendees. Tailgate party food menu and pints of Sam Adams $3.25.

Cheerful Tortoise A Jameson’s whiskey rep will be present to distribute Jameson’s swag (glasses, T-shirts, hats) to fortunate attendees. Jameson’s by the glass $4.50-5.

Chipotle Stop by wearing Oregon Ducks gear and you’re entitled to a buy-one-get-one-free burrito special.

Grand Central Bowl Just by showing up you have a chance to win a new Bridgeport Brewing snowboard. If you stay home to watch the game there will be no snowboard for you. Happy Hour prices, $2.95-4.95 food menu, during first hour of the game.

Hollywood Theatre Will be showing the game. Doors at 4:30, no cover, and kids welcome.

McMenamins Theaters The Mission, the Bagdad, and St Johns Theater and Pub also will be showing the game. Doors at 4:30, no cover, and kids welcome.

Nick’s Famous Coney Island: Happy Hour prices all day; three sliders for $2.50, 50¢ chicken wings. Glasses and T-shirts will be distributed.

On Deck Sports Bar & Grill: A Smirnoff’s vodka rep will be present to distribute Smirnoff’s swag (glasses, T-shirts, hats) to fortunate attendees. Smirnoff’s drink specials TBA.

Spirit of 77 Food and drink specials and custom-made beer cozies for lucky guests.

39th St Sports Pub (Tom’s) A Pabst rep will be present to distribute Pabst swag (glasses, T-shirts, hats) to fortunate attendees. Pabst pints $2.

Triple Nickel Tacos are a measly 50¢ each.

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Tags: Sports bars, Oregon Ducks, Where to Watch the Game

New Bars

Fresh Kicks

442 serves up sandwiches, suds, and soccer

Posted by: John Chandler on Nov 23, 2010 at 10:00AM Speech Bubble10 Comments

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442a

Some guys were born to be publicans. Bosnian bar owner Muhamed Mujcic-Mufko is such a man. It takes the wiry, snow-haired proprietor of 442 on SE Hawthorne nearly two seconds to welcome a stranger to his small, dark-wood furnished pub, with a hearty bellow of, “Hello my friend!” Once introductions are made, he proudly tells me about his establishment (“Is nice place”), the menu (“Best food in town”), and the beer (“Not 16 ounce—we have 24!”). On the wall three large flat screens are showing sporting events. A colorful assortment of soccer jersies and team pennants add jaunty flair to the already athletic ambiance.

For those oblivious to international sport, 442 is a soccer-themed bar and the name refers to 4-4-2, the most common player formation in the game. The bar sits in the former location of the Taste of Europe market (which Muhamed also owned) and it looks like it could hold perhaps 50 people, tops. It’s empty at the moment, but Muhamed assures me that the place was packed just the night before. Soccer is the bar’s lifeblood and there are nearly two-dozen satellite channels on tap dedicated to that end. Whether it’s Tottenham vs Bremen, Stuttgart vs Koln, or Real Madrid vs Ajax (not to mention American Major League soccer tilts, including the Portland Timbers), chances are you’ll find your match as well as a cadre of fellow devotees with whom to cheer, curse, and drink.

442b

As Muhamed himself boasts, draught beers (Laurelwood Treehugger Porter, Ninkasi IPA, and Deschutes Black Butte Porter are among the locals) are served in thunderous 24-ounce mugs for $4.50. There are another 20 or so brands by the bottle, a respectable wine list, and a full bar. I ask about Happy Hour and I’m told, “All day is Happy Hour!” What Muhamed means by that is that there isn’t really a Happy Hour, but his prices are more than fair—and if you don’t like them you can watch your soccer someplace else. And that would be a tragedy, because the food at 442 is fairly awe-inspiring.

I order a grilled-cheese sandwich with a side salad ($6.99). Muhamed calls back to the kitchen “grilled cheese for nice guy!” A few minutes later I’m served the tastiest (and most offbeat) example of this dish I’ve ever encountered. The sandwich is not grilled. The round, Bosnian lepinja bread is baked in-house and it’s cloud-soft and springy, with a delicate golden crust on top. Inside there is provolone, feta, and parmesan melted into a warm, gooey blanket, with a splash of olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and a layer of ajvar, a piquant relish made from red peppers, eggplant, and garlic. Muhamed watches me tear into this amazing sandwich with the enthusiasm of a hyena and smiles. “Told you is good!” he says. The salad is drizzled with a sweet balsamic vinegar, a light dusting of parmesan, and more olive oil. What could have been a mere plate decoration is simply sensational in its own right.

442d

Perusing the menu I stumble over entries such as Ćevapi (fresh ground beef and lamb patties), Šiš-Ćevap (beef kebabs), Suđuk (traditional Bosnian smoked sausage), and Peka, which I’m told is the finest cut of beef that gets dried and smoked, Fear not vegetarians! There are five different sandwiches, including roasted eggplant, and roasted pepper, as well as cheese plates, salads, and spreads for your non-fleshy nourishment. Most entrees ring in between $6-12. “Is all good food,” Muhamed announces. “Fresh and healthy.”

I imagine 442 is a jumping joint indeed during a rowdy soccer match and for local enthusiasts, this is welcome news. But it’s also a very cozy, friendly space, with swift, accommodating service, and a strange, bountiful menu that demands to be explored. Goal!!!!!

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Tags: Bar Openings, Craft Beers, Southeast, Sports bars, 442

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Jchandlerbar

In his twenty-plus years as a roving journalist and his forty-plus years as a native Oregonian, Portland Monthly web editor John Chandler has developed an appreciation for a properly stirred cocktail, all manner of beer, smoky single malt scotch, and the odd moment of clarity. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophy,” is his pet quote, and he’ll break it out whether the occasion calls for it or not. Rock ‘n’ roll snob, film geek, and cultural kibitzer, Chandler can usually be found perched on a local bar stool muttering to himself about “the good old days” when he was always on the @#$%&!* guest list. Approach with caution.

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Bar Pilot navigates from dingy dive bars to ritzy schmooze-and-booze affairs to brain-melting rock shows, and points of interest in between. Chandler will do his utmost to jot down keen observations, hopefully inspire a few barroom arguments, and guide his readers through another night on the rocks.

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