I may lose my beer snob status for this, but I’ll go ahead and admit it anyway.
I like McMenamin’s.
More specifically, I like a lot of things about the various McMenamin’s pubs - and definitely, some things - and some pubs - more than others. Specifically, I like:
- Terminator Stout. Kvetch all you want about its Bock-like name, but you can always count on this glass of beer to be smooth, sweet, and yummy.
- Hammerhead. It fits no style category but it fits my palate. It’s predictably good.
- True 16-oz pints. No “cheater” pints. Ever.
- Seasonals. There is always a seasonal on tap and, due to their multiple brewery/distribution system, it’s different from pub to pub. Sometimes they suck, but usually they’re worth trying.
- Guest taps. Some brewpubs skimp on the guest tap offerings. The Brothers have no such fear. From Terminal Gravity IPA to PBR, they let you have it.
- Comfort food. It’s mediocre and at times bland, but you can’t knock a menu that gives you PBJ’s and grilled cheese with tater tots.
- Atmosphere. Every McM’s is different and every one is funky. Their “art” budget alone must be killer.
- Preservation. The way that The Empire has invested in restoring old landmarks into new destination pubs and maintained their architectural and spiritual integrity never ceases to amaze me. I point to the Kennedy School, Baghdad Theater and Hotel Oregon as exhibits A, B, and C.
- Theater pubs. They didn’t invent the genre and they have many excellent imitators now, but credit the gorgeous Baghdad, the airy Mission Theater, and the cozy Kennedy School for defining the Portland-area market for this awesome idea.
Then there are the specifics of each pub that make them unique. Some of them work for me; others don’t. My favorites are:
- Edgefield Manor. I just love the idea of a “beer campus,” particularly one transformed from a poor farm and old folks’ home into the sprawling beer/wine/spirits getaway that the Manor has become. If you’ve never stayed overnight or caught a movie in the tiny theater there, you haven’t truly lived the Oregon beer experience.
- The Kennedy School. Walking the halls, beer in hand, I so want this to be my back-to-school experience. Being able to drink in Detention (and smoke, for those who swing that way) or to lie on a love seat and much pizza while watching a movie is good for lots of extra credit.
- The Fern Bar on NE Broadway. Not its real name, but it is what it is. Comfy and green and so ironic that the anti-Starbucks resides directly above one.
- The Rams Head. The anti-bar on NW 23rd. I love the living-room atmosphere and it was here that I first learned to love “High Pasta.”
And then there are a few I don’t fancy:
- The Tavern and Pool Hall on NW 23rd. I’ve been treated rudely too many times there. It’s the only place I’ve gotten bad attitude from McM’s and I just don’t need that.
- Sunnyside. Uh, scratch that last comment. There are two such places. I won’t go back here, either.
- Fulton Pub. It’s just plain drafty there.
- Blue Moon. What a meat market. Meh.
What about you? What are your likes and dislikes about the McMenamin’s Empire?
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6 comments:
I have to part company with Portermaker about McMenamins. My wife and I live near Kennedy school but have been frequenting McMen's since ~1988 at Mission Theatre.
Sat., Jan. 20, last week, we were in the vicinity of their newest site, the Chapel Pub on Killingsworth and decided to stop ~1330 for a beer. Service was kind of slow because, being new, the place was pretty busy.
One third of the way into our beers, we ordered a small order of french fries which arrived more than 30 minutes later.
Then, realizing we should have ordered a large fries, we decided to order one burger to split and get more fries. About 45 minutes after ordering, our server brought a beer saying, "It's on the house," by way of apology for the long wait. Finally, after an hour, we cancelled the order and left.
We still left her a sizeable tip; the delay was not her fault. But it'll be a long time before we go back to a McMenamins.
I agree with you about the draftiness of Fulton Pub, but come on, the outdoor seating is great. Plus, it is the quintessential neighborhood pub, even if it is McM's.
What keeps me from frequenting any McMenamin's is the across the board crummy service. Good service has become the exception, not the rule. I have found that to be true at least all over the Portland area, if not true Empire-wide.
That said, Oregon beer geeks dilute themselves if they diminish the huge role McM's has had in the development of craft beer as a local cottage industry.
I generally love the atmosphere, enjoy the food, dig the mission, but I'm not so hot on the beer most visits, especially considering they're more than $4/pint at most places.
Edgefield is great. The Red Shed is probably the coziest bar in the world. I really like the McM's places because they don't try to make everything sterile and shiny, it's more like walking into a friend's, well, defunct school or poor farm.
The McBrothers offer decent beer in gorgeous settings. If this were a different town, I'd complain about it just being decent beer, but hey, I can get exceptional beer anywhere. With Nebraska Bitter, their Irish Stout, and occasional above-average special brews, I often find the beer to my liking, too. (And Termie is a good beer, and I remain nostalgic for it.)
My fave pub in the empire is Ringlers Annex, which is like a disruption of the time-space continuum in its location on Burnside. You disappear into an entirely different world.
I love the Jerry Garcia sculpture at Edgefield, that's probably the nicest thing I can think of to say about them right now...
I can't say I'm impressed with the beer, and after spending $6 for a pint of diacetyl-laden IPA at the Crystal last week I'm even less enthused about it, but I give them credit for creating an atmosphere that makes mediocre beer enjoyable.
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