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How did The Hutch on Holgate (4515 SE 41st Ave., 774-1822), a dim and dingy basement bar with a totem pole in the parking lot and carvings of pilgrims on the wall, come to be? Built as a house in 1927, the building was extensively renovated in 1953 to become Ye Olde Towne Crier, a colonial-themed restaurant known for its apple pandowdy. It well outlived its fellow kitschy midcentury eateries, finally closing in 1996. Then it was Hollyhurst Neighborhood Grill, followed by Grandma's Restaurant, and eventually became the southern outpost of Northeast Glisan Street's the Hutch. Its glory days are long past, the tables wobbly and paint faded, but the stone fireplace is still there, as are the baffling bathroom markers for "John" and "Priscilla." No one's here for the Plimoth Plantation shtick, though—they're here for lively ShanRock's Triviology on Wednesdays, and for Tara, the exceptionally attentive bartender who never forgets a face.
WWeek 2015