Eastbound And Down

When the “China” part of Chinatown was shanghaied to 82nd Avenue, Portland’s downtown risked losing the marvelously seedy, dimly lit Chinese bars that were hubs for sailors, scoundrels and Chinese-banquet-goers alike. But lo, Chinese Village (520 SE 82nd Ave., 253-7545, chinesevillage.us) has them all, and they’ve brought along middle-aged cougars, video-poker sharks, crankheads, prostitutes and regular folks looking for strong drinks ($3 for an incendiary whiskey-Coke) or ridiculously greasy Chinese grub (including egg rolls dipped in batter—the culinary equivalent of playing Russian roulette with your left ventricle). The Village’s friendly staff refers to the 10-11 am happy hour as “a nursing home full of geriatric lushes,” and the specials don’t stop there: Monday is ladies’ night, while Tuesdays are for dudes. Chinese Village features some of the oddest people-watching in town (if you have good night vision), and it’s thick with the spirit of those seedy bars of yesteryear, where a plate of fried rice could be followed by a drugging and abduction.