Dive Bars: Live Music, Cheap Food And Drinks - HOOAH!

Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge

4830 NE 42nd Avenue

Portland, OR 97218

Northeast Portland, Cully

Phone number (503) 287-5800

Website: thespareroompdx.com

Prices: $$$$

Cheap drinks (Jim Beam and Coke - $3 - All Day/Every Day), food (ample menu and specials), and music (live/DJ/karaoke/free/cover) ... what more could you ask for!

Around the corner from my new temporary digs, I stopped by on Thursday night for a couple drinks and free, live music, unfortunately country on this night, but beggars can't be choosers. The bartender/hostess/server was very nice, well dressed, attractive and, most important, friendly. She also pours a strong drink ... HOOAH!

I did not stay long because I can only handle country in short bursts, but will return soon for one of their dinner specials (surf and turf, prime rib, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, etc.) and, hopefully, some rock and roll, jazz, or blues. The place is big and dark with an old fashioned feel, not extravagant and not seedy, just right. Two bars and dance floors in two adjoining big rooms with other spaces which I did not have a chance to explore. They also have gambling-type machines at the bar although I neither know Oregon's gambling laws nor if these machines are for used betting.

Most people seemed to know each other, but other than the bartender/server, nobody said a word to me or even looked like they wanted to although hugs abounded and conversations surrounded me. Not the welcome I would have liked, but as the new kid on the block, I expected little else.

CombatCritic Gives Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge An Initial 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room To Grow ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: Live Music, Cheap Food And Drinks - HOOAH!

Key Words: Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge, spare, room, lounge, bar, music, live, karaoke, Portland, Oregon, NE, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Restaurants (Washougal, WA): Our"Bar" Not Set Very High And Small Plates Left Me Somewhat Unimpressed

OurBar
1887 Main Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number: (360) 954-5141
Website: our-bar.com
Prices: $$$$

Little place, little plates, a little more imagination. I met some friends in Washougal to admire the pouring rain and grab a bite to eat. I wanted to try a place in Camas, but they took me to OurBar.

Biscuits And Gravy?

The menu is very limited and you order at the counter, then fight for a table. I guess I missed the side of the menu with sandwiches, so I ordered the quiche. A bit too light and fluffy for my liking, the consistency and flavor was more like a souffle than a quiche, but it was not bad. The tiny plate held the not so big slice of quiche ($7) and a mini smattering of fried potatoes.

Quiche

My friends ordered the Sopa de Fideo ($9) and Egg in a Basket ($5) and we shared an order of biscuits and gravy ($8). I tasted the sopa and it was pretty good, but the basketed egg looked a little underwhelming, even on a small plate. The bacon and cheddar biscuits were good, but not what I expected with the wild boar (swine/pig) gravy. The biscuits were not big by any stretch and the brown (not white and country) gravy came in a teeny tiny little bowl.

Sopa de Fideo

Egg In Too Small A Basket

The food was pretty good and seemed fresh, but the service was non-existent, and the ambiance lacking any character. If you are hungry and looking for traditional breakfast fare, this is not the place to go. If you want something very different and on the lighter side, OurBar could be the place for you.

CombatCritic Gives OurBar 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of OurBar on Yelp

Title: Washougal, WA: Our"Bar" Not Set Very High And Small Plates Left Me Somewhat Unimpressed

Key Words: OurBar, our, bar, Washougal, Washington, Main, Camas, Portland, Oregon, breakfast, lunch, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Restaurants: Good Food, Small Portions, And Moderate Prices Left Me Fendering For More

Bumpers Grill and Bar

21935 NE Halsey Street, Suite 100

Fairview, OR 97024

Phone: (503) 618-1855

Website: bumpersgrill.com

Prices: $$$$

Stopped for lunch with some friends because they had their cute little doggie with them and Bumpers has a patio where our furry little companion was welcome.

The patio was nice on that sunny Portland day with little wind and our server was friendly and efficient. I had the French Dip ($12.99), my friend had the Baja Tacos ($13.99), and his better half had a Classic Caesar Salad ($10.99) and the Parmesan Encrusted Chicken Medallions ($9.99) appetizer.

The food was good, but I was not overly impressed with the quality to portion to price ratio. The roll my French dip came on was rather small, one of the smallest sandwich rolls I have seen, especially for a $13 French dip, and the crinkle cut fries were sparse and a tad greasy. My friend's Baja tacos looked good, but for $14 all he got were two flour tortillas with some small battered cod pieces, a slew of cole slaw, some pico de gallo, and a couple avocado slices with some tortilla chips and a thimble of salsa. His wife's Caesar salad was not impressive at all for the $11 price and the $10 chicken was tasty, but there were only four small medallions, a few carrot sticks and some ranch dressing.

Don't get me wrong, what food we got was pretty good, but there was not all that much bang for the buck and at $60 for lunch for three with only ice tea and water to drink, it was not an exceedingly great value.

CombatCritic Gives Bumpers Bar And Grill A Very Average 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

 

Title: Fairview, OR: Good Food, Small Portions, And Moderate Prices Left Me Fendering For More

Key Words: Bumpers Grill and Bar, Bumpers, bar, grill, Fairview, Gresham, OR, Oregon, Halsey, 503-618-1855, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog