Skip to main contentWith all the hysteria surrounding the mayoral and presidential elections, it's easy to neglect another pressing decision on the minds of Portlanders in 2008: Which Matador should I drink at tonight? The original Matador on West Burnside has been a Portland dive institution since the early 1970s. But how does it measure up to Casa del Matador , an upscale, Seattle-owned tequila bar that opened on Northwest 23rd Avenue in late December within stumbling distance of the original? "We were OK with them registering as Casa del Matador," says Matador co-owner Rebecca Wolfe, "but their sign has little brass letters that say 'Casa del' and then 'Matador' in big, lit-up letters, which has generated a lot of confusion." We matched up the bars in a head-to-head bullfight to see who most deserved to bear this proud name. Will it be the scrappy local favorite or the more refined newcomer from up north? JOE JATCKO.
WEDNESDAY JAN. 23
[DANCE] TANGO FIRE
Witness the dance of sharp attacks, elongated slides and Velcro-close partnering—which has less to do with smoldering lust than with the lack of real estate afforded by the cramped red-light bars in Buenos Aires, where tango originated.
FRIDAY JAN. 25
[WORDS] TRIPLE DARE
Reading Frenzy and IPRC present author Vendela Vida, filmmakers Jenny Shainin and Randy Walker, and folkstress Shelley Short. And there will be dares involved.
See the
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[SCREEN] PERSEPOLIS
Marjane Satrapi's adapation of her graphic-novel memoir is the sweetest, most uplifting cartoon you'll ever see about the Iran-Iraq war. Plus God shows up, and he looks…nothing like the
monster, sadly.
See
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SATURDAY JAN. 26
[PARTY] NUCLEAR WINTER FORMAL
The best remedy for radiation poisoning is excessive consumption of alcohol, followed by sporadic bursts of dancing.
[SPORTS] ROLLER DERBY
The Rose City Rollers begin the 2008 season with the promise of more out-of-town teams to topple. First up: 2007 season champs the Break Neck Betties against Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls.
SUNDAY JAN. 27
[MUSIC] PORTLAND LOUNGE SERIES
LocalCut's monthly interview-'n'-show series hasn't been this noisy for quite a while. Expect stuff that sounds like chainsaws and faulty machinery—and we mean that in the best possible way.
MONDAY JAN. 28
[MUSIC] LIARS, NO AGE
Come for No Age, Cali's new hot-shit high-energy export. Stay for the creepy post-punk of Liars, whose percussion-heavy fast fuzz has been the talk of the blogs goin' on half a decade now.
TUESDAY JAN. 29
[GAMING] ROCK BAND NIGHT
Take to the stage for live team gaming and rock out under the bright lights.
The Matador, 1967 W Burnside St., 222-5822. Happy hour noon-7 pm, daily. $ Inexpensive. Casa del Matador, 1438 NW 23rd Ave., 228-2855. Happy hour 4-6 pm and 10 pm-1 am, daily. $$ Moderate.
WWeek 2015