Photo Courtesy of McMenamin’s: Mural at Backstage Bar. Contributing artists were Myrna Yoder, Lyle Hehn, Jenny Joyce, Kolieha Bush, Olivia Behm, and Joe Cotter.
Wednesday Night is Mission Theatre’s Beer, Burger & Movie for $10.50. Wednesday, August 16, showing: The A-Team (5:30pm, minors welcomed with parent/guardian), Knight and Day (8pm, 21 and over), Take Him to The Greek (10:15pm, 21 and over). Mission Theatre is located at 1624 Northwest Glisan Street (between NW 16th and 17th Avenues).
07.08.10
How’s about dining out on swings? Sounds interesting, right? East Burn- a good place to kick back with friends and sway while you eat. There is both indoor and outdoor seating options; many of these include swings that hang table-side. The outdoor patio also includes tables with fire-pits as your centerpiece (please note: the outdoor patio allows smoking).
Last week I managed to fit in a feast while dining at East Burn and it was worth it. Let me just say-Elk Meatloaf Sandwich- served on pugliese with slow roasted tomatoes and baby arugula dressed with champagne vinaigrette (Oh yum). I will be back for the meatloaf sandwich before you know it.
The good food didn’t stop there, I also indulged in a side of clam chowder that was equally brilliant. You see- I am a huge fan of clam chowder and all types of Seafood. This was due to my adolescence when I grew up digging clams clams in Sitka, Alaska during the summer. My grandfather and I would go out in the early morning when the low-tides hit and scoop up large clams right beneath the surface. When our buckets were filled to the brim, we would haul the clams indoors and helped grandma get to cooking. By afternoon and high-tide, we had a huge batch of fresh clam chowder that would melt in your mouth. Some fun facts to throw out there while offering a good piece of where to eat when you want to sway!
One of the toughest bicycle races in the country is set to roll out tonight. The Mount Hood Cycling Classic will begin its first of six days of racing with prologue time trial event at Portland International Raceway and stage 1 will consist of grueling circuits of Mt. Tabor’s local climb.
This year the early stages will focus on being spectator friendly. PIR, Mt. Tabor, and Hood River will feature “Spectator Expos,” designed to improve the experience.
So be sure to check out the first stages of this epic bicycle race for a chance to see some of the fastest bike racers in the nation compete right in our backyard.
05.20.10
This Sunday is New Begium Brewing’s Urban Assault Ride™. I will certainly be participating in this great event that combines many of my favorite activities. I recommend you sign up with me or at least come to the after party. It should be fun.
“What is the Urban Assault Ride?” you ask. Well here is an explanation from their website:
The Urban Assault Ride™ is a truly unique cycling event…and quickly becoming one of the biggest in country! Here’s how it works: You and your teammate will set out on a city-wide quest for ‘checkpoints’ on your favorite two-wheeled steeds. At each checkpoint, you’ll drop your bikes and complete a funky/adventurous obstacle course, then remount your bikes and hit the streets for more.The goal is to complete all the checkpoints in the shortest amount of time. You choose your own route and checkpoint order. This means that the most clever are often the victors. Of course, it may also help if you can pull a mean big-wheel powerslide and fly across an inflatable slip-n-slide ;)
After your pedal-powered adventure, your team will cross the finish line and enter a massive celebration of bikes and beer. The after party is just as much fun as the ride itself, thanks to the craziest raffle prize contest you’ll ever experience.
Pick a partner and we’ll see you there!
Photo Courtesy of McMenamin’s: Mural at Backstage Bar. Contributing artists were Myrna Yoder, Lyle Hehn, Jenny Joyce, Kolieha Bush, Olivia Behm, and Joe Cotter.
McMenamins is a well-known classic among Portlanders. With locations all throughout the Portland Metro Area, most anyone can appreciate their artistic pubs with hand-crafted beer. One special feature of McMenamins includes their Theatre Pubs where great flicks, handcrafted brews, and simple eats come together. Mission Theatre is conveniently located in downtown NW Portland. This theatre is one of my favorites; featuring both ground floor and balcony seating for an enjoyable evening. Every Wednesday night is Mission Theatre’s Classic Burger, Beer & Movie for $10.50. In addition, Mission Theatre occasionally hosts NW Film Festival events, live music, and select football games. St John’s Pub located in North Portland is also a well-known spot, hosting theatre-goers with comfy couches and plush theatre seating. I do not want to forget one of the oldest theatre pubs and classics; the Baghdad theatre located in Portland’s SE Hawthorne district.
For show times and locations please call McMenamin’s Theatre line at (503) 249-7474 or visit McMenamin’s Website.
McMenamins Theatre and Pubs
Mission Theatre, 1624 NW Glisan Ph: 503-223-4527,
St. Johns Theatre and Pub, 8203 N. Ivanhoe Ph:503-283-8520,
Baghdad Theatre, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd Ph: 503-236-9234
01.10.10
Photo provided by Henry’s Website.
Did you say Henry’s? Sure did, and it’s right around the corner! Henry’s tavern offers an array of excellent food and one of the best Happy Hours in NW Portland. Henry’s is known for it’s selection of over 100 beers and hard ciders on tap, mostly featuring local breweries.
08.17.09
McMenamins hotel on tap
The new Crystal Hotel will occupy prime land near the Brewery Blocks
Portland Business Journal – by Wendy Culverwell Business Journal staff writer
MEDIA
An eagerly anticipated hotel project in downtown Portland is taking shape after the spiraling economy temporarily shelved it.McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries secured a permit from the city of Portland on July 20 to proceed with its Crystal Hotel project at 303 S.W. 12th Ave., a former bath house, hotel and reputed gangster hangout that has been empty for about two years.
The hotel, slated to open this winter, will link with two McMenamins facilities in the neighborhood, Ringlers Annex Pub and the Crystal Ballroom. It also promises to connect the neighborhood with the Brewery Blocks to the north. The Crystal Hotel was one of two hotel conversions announced with great fanfare in 2008, then delayed. The other, TMT Development’s plan to convert the derelict Cornelius Hotel at Southwest Alder and Park streets, remains stalls. McMenamins, the popular Portland-based operator of pubs, hotels and other entertainment venues, intends to create a 50-room hotel and restaurant, catering to downtown visitors and patrons of the pub and Crystal Ballroom venue.
Michael McMenamin, president and co-founder, purchased the four-story building that will house the Crystal Hotel from Gerding Edlen Development in 2008 for $3 million. The Crystal complex will provide a welcome link between the Pearl District to the north and the West End to the south. The West End, an emerging district that is home to Jake’s Grill, the Ace Hotel, Living Room Theater and a number of restaurants, has become a popular visitor destination. Tourism officials regard the Crystal Hotel as an important catalyst for the neighborhood.
“It will be the linchpin to tie that area together,” said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of Travel Portland, the city’s tourism agency.
McMenamins planned to call its lodging venture the “Hotel Louie,” but switched names when it acquired the rights to “Crystal Hotel.” Plans to open earlier this year were delayed as the recession battered the hospitality industry. PKF Hospitality Research predicts a 19 percent decline in revenue for Portland-area hotels in 2009. It attributes the relatively poor performance to a 10 percent decrease in demand, coupled with a 3.6 percent increase in the supply of hotel rooms in the market.
With financing all but unavailable for larger projects, only smaller hotels like the Crystal are being done, the Atlanta-based research firm said. The Crystal Hotel will be the eighth lodging facility for McMenamins, which operates more than 50 hotels, bars and entertainment venues. The company, which chiefly operates in Oregon, doesn’t disclose revenue, but posted net sales of $26.9 million in 2008, according to Hoovers Co., an online business database. McMenamins, founded in 1974, oversees some of Portland’s best-known destinations, including McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale and the Kennedy School in Northeast Portland. Augmenting the Crystal Ballroom and Ringlers Annex with overnight accommodations is a long-held dream for the company. “It just flowed beautifully,” said Renee Rank, McMenamins marketing director.
The design, by Ankrom Moisan Associated Architecture, calls for a mix of traditional American-style hotel rooms with private bathrooms and European-style rooms with shared bathroom facilities. Plans include seismic work to brace the aging structure against earthquakes, a street-level restaurant, a basement soaking pool and connections to Ringlers Annex. The building occupies most of the wedge-shaped lot bordered by Southwest 12th, Southwest Stark and West Burnside streets. Ringlers Annex occupies its triangular tip. Prospective room prices were not available, though many McMenamins hotels charge between $60 and $150 per night. Rank said budget and financing information also wasn’t available.
Pacific Crest Construction, a Troutdale firm that does most of McMenamins’ construction work, is the contractor on the project. Permits estimate the renovation will cost slightly more than $1 million.
