Sand Bar: Beach Slap

SAND BAR

A beach-themed bar in Oregon, if wholly honest, would be cold, gray and so windy you couldn't open your mouth without spitting out grit. Sand Bar at Fish Grotto (1035 SW Stark St., 226-4171, fishgrotto.com), built on half the former dance floor of Boxxes Video Lounge, is more the stuff of theme-park fantasy. Hand-placed stones line tabletops, and a map made for Magellan adorns the wall. The cocktails are less "artisan" than tiki-fied Margaritaville, with local and fancy rums. The Dark 'n' Stormy ($8) is advertised as the favorite drink of Jennifer Love Hewitt. The Shipwrecked ($11), an upscale Long Island iced tea, will leave you as its name implies. The friendly corner bar shines mostly for its happy-hour menu of $5 snacks and a $3 featured cocktail, which on a recent visit mixed peach puree and lemonade with a healthy serving of bourbon. This makes it a very welcome addition for the drunky after-office set, in a West End neighborhood that otherwise picks your wallet or leaves you beached.

WWeek 2015

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