Drink Top Fives

[May 20th, 2009]

Five bars with great free trivia nights:

Sewickly’s Addition (4901 SE Hawthorne Blvd.): ShanRock reigns supreme as Portland’s trivia queen. She hosts at many venues, but the Tuesday-night quizzes at Sewickly’s offer cash prizes.

Crush (1400 SE Morrison St.): Ever wish your quiz night were more gay? That’s So Gay trivia every Sunday swings that way.

New Old Lompoc (1616 NW 23rd Ave.): Former Portland Mercury editor Katie Shimer’s pop-culture knowledge can be measured only in parsecs. She bends minds over great beer every Tuesday.

Peter’s 19th Hole (5701 NE Fremont St.): ShanRock again, armed with video clips for Peter’s giant screen every Wednesday.

Fifth Quadrant (3901 N Williams Ave.): No Fish! Go Fish!’s legendary Strip Jeopardy! nights are no more, but John Doyle still asks the tough questions every Wednesday.

The five best bars that also host concerts:

Mississippi Studios (3939 N Mississippi Ave.): It’s like drinking in your parents’ garage, but with awesome folk-rock bands playing!

Doug Fir Lounge (830 E Burnside St.): As swank and hip as when it first opened, the Doug Fir has two bars, one within earshot of the stage and one upstairs where all the beautiful people hang out.

Slabtown (1033 NW 16th Ave.): It’s not dirty in a physical sense, but it’s totally dirty. Pinball, garage bands and delicious egg sandwiches means it’s almost always a late night.

Jimmy Mak’s (221 NW 10th Ave.): Two distinct and equally cool rooms (one with deep-sinking leather couches and one with great music) compose Portland’s marquee jazz club.

The Goodfoot (2845 SE Stark St.): Urban hippies and soul brothers come together in this multi-level club, perhaps the most funkadelic of Portland’s nightspots.

Five places WW writers have overindulged:

Mazatlan (2050 SW Morrison St.): Thursday-night karaoke can get a little out of hand.

Joe’s Cellar (1332 NW 21st Ave.): One easy block from the office, and there’s always room.

The Slammer (500 SE 8th Ave.): We’ve lost many a Sunday afternoon refueling after a softball game.

Space Room (4800 SE Hawthorne Blvd.): Those fishbowls will destroy you.

Virginia Cafe (R.I.P.): The VC’s new digs (820 SW 10th Ave.) may be in our old classifieds department, but the original Cafe took our memories to its grave.

Five great restaurants with even better bars:

Ten 01 (1001 NW Couch St.): An extensive spirit menu, old-school cocktails and easy access to truffle fries.

Saucebox (214 SW Broadway): Bruce Carey’s party spot has rolled out an innovative line of cocktails made with Chinese herbs.

Clyde Common (1014 SW Stark St.): New head bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler was recently honored by Playboy for his DIY mixers.

Carlyle (1632 NW Thurman St.): Simply the sexiest bar in town.

Belly Timber (3257 SE Hawthorne Blvd.): Housemade liqueurs include Stumptown Hairbender, limoncello and essence of almond.

Five theaters for heavy-drinking film-lovers:

Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.): Heavy on noisy action flicks and kids’ movies, but you can’t beat the Bagdad for atmosphere (and that colossal screen doesn’t hurt).

Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St.): Always the best roster of films in town, plus good pizza.

Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St.): Good movies, better neon and cheap babysitting for harried parents.

Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave.): Portland’s premier arthouse now serves beer and wine.

Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan St.): The same movies as the Bagdad, mostly, in a more relaxed setting. Love that balcony.

Five bars that look like movies

Doug Fir Lounge (830 E Burnside St.):Because indie rock is so much better in Lynchian settings.

World-Famous Kenton Club (2025 N Kilpatrick St.): Why “world-famous?” Because it was here that Raquel Welch fended off suitors in the 1972 roller-girl flick Kansas City Bomber.

Driftwood Room (729 SW 15th Ave.): The gin joint of the Hotel deLuxe is vaguely reminiscent of every bar Clark Gable ever haunted.

Moloko Plus (3967 N Mississippi Ave.): This Clockwork Orange-inspired lounge is the perfect place to fuel up for a bit of the old ultraviolence.

Departure (525 SW Morrison St., 15th floor): Welcome to Starfleet, Captain.