Monday, February 23, 2009

Astoria trip



Seafood, micro-brew, geocaching, hooray!! Unfortunately, no darts were to be played on our recent trip to Astoria. I love Astoria though, but other than an electronic monster at The Portway, I couldn't find a proper board anywhere. So, I had to settle with enjoying the food and beer at Ft. George Brewery. Ah, it's a tough life. Chris, the owner/brewer makes a mean IPA named Vortex, which can sometimes be found on tap here in town. But, the real beer on a pedistle for us this trip was his Cofee Girl Stout, named after the coffe shop on Pier 39 that his wife runs. It was so smooth, creamy, and with just a hint of coffee flavor. The fish and chips here are really good, as is everything on the menu. We also went to Rogue, since we were nearby for a Cache, and I tried their Juniper Ale, which was good, but for beer drinking, Ft. George is the place to be in Astoria. That being said, one can skip right over The Astoria Brewing Comany's Wet Dog Cafe. The beer and food are shit.
So, for a service to the dart players, I can tell you where we went, and don't have boards.

:Portway Club (nice place, seasoned bartender, decorated like Long John Silver's)
:Ft. George (good...well..good everything)
:Silver Salmon Saloon (awesome oyster stew!!!)
:Voodoo Room (unique place with a hell of a bartender)
:Worker's Bar and Grill ( no seafood or vegetarian food, and the service sucks)
:Rogue (Rogue is Rogue, if you like it, you like it, if you don't , you don't, they do have Ft. George on tap though, which helps to wash down the high priced food)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Lucky Lab


Lucky Lab, in SE, has two dart boards in a neat little alcove on the Hawthorne side of the building. The only bummer I saw was that they are side by side, which makes me uncomfortable, being the anti-social bastard that I am. The beer at Lucky Lab is always good, I had the delicious No Pity Organic, while Erin enjoyed the Scottish Holiday. The food was really good, if your up for a sandwich. Great vegetarian selection too. Also, if your not in the mood for a sandwich or meal, they have, what I consider to be the perfect food, peanuts.
A couple of comments to the dart player. I would say that the boards are a bit far away from the bar, so you might actually walk far enough to lose your buzz. Solution? Drink more! Also, like Roots, service is all at the bar, so grab the beer and food between games, or get a pitcher.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Root's


Root's Organic Brewing has a dart board way back in the back, right next to the bathrooms. It's also, evidently, on the main path for the cooks to get to the fridge, so be warned. The dart area has a single, barrel style, table, which is nice for a "hey we have this place to ourselves" feel, until someone runs back in a drunken stupor on their way to take a leak. But, on the plus side, my drunken stupor was a nice short trip.
The beer here is really nice, though some styles were not anything I was into. I tried a sample of the Flanders Red, which was pretty sweet, almost candy-ish. I settled happily on the Triple Threat IPA, while Erin had the Younger's Revenge, both were excellant. The Younger's was 10%, while mine was around 5.5%.
Food at Root's is semi-slim for the vegetarian, which we are, so chips and guacamole it was. But really, I don't feel like chowing down to a full meal when I'm getting my ass beat at darts anyway. Hey, I never said I was good at darts, I just love playing.
Other notes, this is located right on the number 4 Busline, and they do have darts behind the bar.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The mother of all pubs..Horse Brass


After a day of geocaching (oh yeah, I'm a dork too) and hiking on the gorge, really the only thing to do after getting back to town was to grab some fish and chips at Horse Brass. Really, it is hard to say much about this place that hasn't already been said. But, the one thing I will say, much to the dismay of it's nicotine stained owner, the post smoking ban Horse Brass is a much more visited place by yours truly.
So, for the darts. They have two dart boards in the main dining area, and I think about four in the back. They do have darts available behind the bar, but I had mine handy. The cool thing about Horse Brass, is that they also sell darts, and dart accessories (flights, etc. )
So, the beer list is legendary, and always changing. Which can be wonderful, or heart breaking if you find the beer of your dreams. I get teared up thinking about the Laurelwood Black IPA that was there but for a fleeting moment.
At $6.25 for a generous HALF portion of Fish and Chips, and the dart boards generally ripe for the picking, Horse Brass is a destination worthy of any one that picks up a pint, or aims for a bull.

Yet another blog?

Yes, yet another. So, this one is pretty straight forward. I am a lover of great beer, especially those made right here in Oregon, and I also like going our and playing darts. Nothing really complicated. SO, I want to start a blog, to talk about, bitch about, and inform anyone that wants to know where to go in Portland, or wherever I end up, to play some darts, and drink some good beer.
I have to admit, I am a bit slanted to the SE area of town, but I will try to expand my horizons, for you, the reader.
Also, I really prefer the real dartboard, not the electronic shit machines. I'm not a purist, a snob, or a pro, I'm just cheap, and those cost money.