Interurban

By Martin Cizmar

A great bartender is more than an automated alcohol measurement system attached to a StirrBot. No, a great bartender does all that perfectly while greeting you with a brief commentary on the fortunes of the sportsball team represented by your attire and helpfully settles debates between you and the buddy on the next barstool. Interurban has the latter—the Sazerac is the oldest named cocktail and the Old Fashioned merely a euphemism, he points out, while making the latter with admirable restraint when it comes to bitters and muddling. The food here is a little spendy, but the drinks are well-made, and between the dimly lit room and the sun-splashed patio there's always someplace nice to sit.

Happy hour: 3-6 pm Monday-Friday, 10 pm-close Sunday. Select $4 imperial pints, $5 wines and $5 cocktails. Cheap snacks. Discounted barrel-strength whiskey.

Entertainment: Patio, cocktail re-education.

4057 N Mississippi Ave., 503-284-6669, interurbanpdx.com. 3 pm-2:30 am Monday-Friday, 10 am-2:30 am Saturday-Sunday.

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