p e n g u i n d e v i l

I think about “nightlife” every time that I am in Saint jay. If this were a same size town in Oregon, it would probably have 20 “bars” in it. Here? Not so many. I know of maybe 5. There is the Dawghaus (where I would never go for I believe that it is worse that its neighbor). The bar next to the DH (which I don’t remember the name of), I went there once and it was one of those loud, well-lit, “paneling and bud light posters” kind of places… fine, I suppose, but certainly not what I am used to. Then there was the Underground, which I also had been to, some kind of dance club in the basement of an office building that seemed more like a junior high prom in a poor suburb in the 1980’s than a nightclub (I think it is a sports bar now). The lounge at the bowling alley (I haven’t been there, but I imagine that it’s the pick of the bunch) and then there is the place that I went for the first time tonight, The Black Bear. It is one of those old style restaurants with a banquet room off to one side and a little bar area in the back with baseball on TV. I had a fine time and chatted with some nice older ladies from Tennessee and California who were here for the foliage (“leaf peepers”). They had a half dozen beers on tap (luckily none of them were the big boys): their own ale, something called “Knuckleball Bock”, a Sam Adams, a red and a brown that were local, a Magic Hat… A much better array than I had expected.

What this leads me to think of is, of course, the bars back home. There are a whole lot of them, some of which I really like. Which ones? Well, my top home town bars:

The Horse Brass. The best drinking establishment in Portland. Thick smoky atmosphere, thickly smoked walls, crowded, old European pub interior, European football on TV if you are there at the right time, extensive beer menu (especially British), extensive whisky menu, lots of darts. Just the best place to have a beer and feel “the pub thing”.

The Cellar (Ringler’s annex). My personal favorite. the narrow, cavern-like basement of a narrow, windowed old triangular building on a corner downtown. The Cellar is dark, bricked, with large candlesticks thick with old wax and an oddly arranged set-up of tightly packed tables. As soon as I walked through the hatch and first descended the steep stairway down from the sidewalk, I felt like I was in some old underground bar in Europe. It is the perfect atmosphere to drink and read or share a beer with that special someone.

Dot’s Cafe. Just plain one of my favorite places, period. Nice beer, nice basic pub/”mexican” menu, nice booths, dark dark dark, filled with both tattooed hipsters swilling that PBR stuff and families out for a cool, dark place for lunch. I’ve been going here regularly for 15 years and haven’t begun to get tired of it.

The Little Red Shed. The best of the six or so places to get a beer at McMenamins Edgefield complex. The Shed is exactly that. A small brick building with enough room for the bartenders space and one table and then a little window-enclosed outer area that can hold maybe 8 people. Sometimes it seems a bit full if you aren’t the only party there, but with a good beer and a little snack it can seem just right.

Beulahland. A nice place right up the street. I used to work across the street and ended up going there about everyday. Since then, they have expanded to included a dining room space, but I’m still not too sure about that. Beulahland opens early for coffee, has some nice lunch food and at night is a rather crowded and noisy hipster bar, but it is a real neighborhood bar, and t looks like an a beat-up old neighborhood place. Great beer selection, and lots and lots of regulars

The Laurelthirst. Another place I used to go all of the time after work, they have the annoying habit of having bands play there, which is good if it’s someone you want to hear, but if you are just there for some daily beers, sometimes you would rather they just didn’t. But again, a neighborhood bar with a funky and cozy feel to it, great beer selection, good food (I especially like the Cannonball with beans), dark and laid back and a great place to go for breakfast, as barely anyone seems to go there for that, but it’s good.

The Basement Pub. A fun place, crowded, very smoky, low ceiling, and you will always run into at least one person that you know. Though it can be hard to find a spot to sit, they have a nice big fish tank, pinball, great beer, not much for food, but some little-sized options for $1.00, which is hard to beat.

The County Cork. I used to really like this place, years ago. But then they moved and I hadn’t tried out the new location until recently. But now I really like it. Very comfy inside with a rustic decor, good beers, some good food options, not crowded, a very nice mix of clientele, and kid and family friendly

The Hedge House. It is part of the Old Lompoc family of bars and is right up the street from our business. It is a cute little (very little) old bungalow with a side patio that continually gains in size and functionality, as this place can be much to popular for its little size. As with the other Lompoc’s it sells their own beer, but it is a great variety of great beers and a quite good food menu. The Lompoc’s each have their own version of Nachos, all of which are quite good.