History by the Glass

Downtown Portland’s Driftwood Room has been shaking up craft cocktails and intimate, dimly lit hotel bar connections since opening in what was then Hotel Mallory (and today Hotel DeLuxe) in 1954. Once a pioneer of the city’s mixology scene, today it remains a beloved, luxurious, unctuous, and, as we can now attest, potent purveyor of spirits.  Yes, we had an AWESOME time at Driftwood Room…and then...

Anthony Bourdain was our generation's greatest explorer of places near and far. Five years ago, he chose to leave well before his family, friends, and fans around the world were prepared to say goodbye. His legacy is baked into our effort to celebrate the venerable bars (and the communities that love them) of Portland and beyond, as well as how we engage with the world around us on a daily bas...

With 56 locations throughout Oregon and Washington and annual revenue in the range of $200M annually, we're willing to bet, if you're listening to this podcast, you've been to a freaking McMenamins! You know the vibe, you know the art, you know the history, and you know the consistent, if perhaps overly scrutinized, food, beer, and service. Well, 40 years ago , nobody knew much of anyt...

In the course of producing this episode, our 25th HBTG bar night out, there were three things we became (fairly) certain about: 1. That Slim's Restaurant & Lounge (8635 N Lombard St.) offers one of the best, most authentic old bar experiences you'll find in Portland. 2. That Slim's is also about 24 years younger than it has long believed. 3. That, in the grand of things, we don't really gives a sh...

Belonging. Believe it or not, it's what we're all ultimately looking for when we walk into a bar as a patron or, even, an employee. We all just want to be seen and known...and the drinks taste so f--king good. The Stockpot Broiler Lounge & Restaurant (8200 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton, OR) has been serving up belonging for nearly 50 years at a former farm turned golf course in the Portland-Tigar...

Still riding the high from their Season 2 premiere at Bill's Steakhouse ... *checks calendar*... EIGHT GD weeks ago (!?!?), the boys welcomed back longtime friend of the podcast and veteran Portland bar aficionado Bill Clifford in-studio to test drive a new HBTG interview segment, and reflect fondly on his most formative/traumatizing bar moments, the shuttered local joint he misses most, and the o...

Filled with gratitude, gravy, and goodwill, the HBTG boys emerged from their hiatus refreshed and ready to kick off season TWO of the podcast at the place it all inexplicably began nearly 5 years earlier -- Bill's Steak House (10227 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland's Parkrose neighborhood. This time, instead of near-crippling depression and doubt, the boys found an earnest, scrappy regulars bar that con...

The second half of our epic Phase One finale concludes at the only place it possibly could -- the iconic Bud Clark's legendary Goose Hollow Inn. It's a place that, despite its rigorous adherence to COVID precautions at the time of our visit, STILL reminds us of all that was once good about bar-going in Portland, and could be again.  Bud, who died on Feb. 1, 2022 after 90 incredibly well-lived year...

On Feb. 7, 2018, guided by a book (brilliantly) written by a former alcoholic and newspaper man more than two decades earlier, two drinking buddies walked through the door of Bill's Steak House & Lounge on a sleepy Wednesday night, officially launching a creative, celebratory journey into the heart of Portland's classic bar culture. Exactly four years, one pandemic, and 42 bars later, they have ar...

It was just over 28 years ago to the day this episode was released -- Jan. 30, 1994...Super Bowl Sunday -- that the venerable Dockside Saloon in rapidly gentrifying industrial NW Portland was thrust into the national spotlight by that infamous trio of Eckardt, Harding, and... Gillooly . Of course you know the basic knee-whacking plot of that most surreal sports scandal of the '90s, but we set out...

It's a marshmallow world in the winter and we're channeling our inner Deano and Frank to bring you a very merry HBTG Christmas episode! This month, we pulled up a couple of stools and drank until we encountered the ghosts of Portland bars past, present, and future at the most Dickensian joint left on our list, the legendary British-Oregonian Horse Brass Pub (17:16).  In the bygone era of bigg...

We're baaaack! Yep, damn near 5 months after our last episode dropped, we've decided to grace our loyal and extremely patient listeners with another one — and not just any episode, but our official return to actual bar reviews!  Way back on July 28 we made a midday stop at Portland's most infamous, mercurial, and legendary burger bar, Stanich's (09:12), followed by an abbreviated nightcap at myste...

With most COVID-19 restrictions lifted and vaccines coursing through our bodies, we are effectively back in action! We cross through the crumbling COVID Berlin Wall looking for freedom! Do we find it by venturing out to Multnomah Village's Renner's — our last regularly scheduled HBTG stop? Give us a listen to find out. PLUS, we celebrate Bourdain Day by traveling to undiscovered Aloha, Ore. Say he...

Fully vaccinated and with this buzzkill of a pandemic in its waning days, the boys got out from behind their video screens to raise their drinks in person. Now, on the verge of returning to our regular programming, what better time to FINALLY release our six-month-old HBTG Best Nights Out segment (19:35). Not the best bars necessarily, but the best, most magical drinking nights we've had so far du...

“Everything ends badly otherwise it wouldn't end.”  And now for the B-side of our impassioned two-part deep dive commentary into 1988’s venerable ode to flair bartending, toxic masculinity, and unrepentant greed — Cocktail! In this episode, we join Tom Cruise in Jamaica en route to the half-assed ending that secures this movie's place as one of the best worst pictures ever made. Be sure to li...

“When they drink, they reign.”  As promised, the boys dived DEEP into 1988’s venerable ode to flair bartending, toxic masculinity, and unrepentant greed -- Cocktail! Get ready for a giddy scene-by-scene commentary tour of the Worst Picture Razzie-winning film, starring Tom Cruise. SO crack an egg into your Red Eye, push your way to the front of the bar, and get ready to enjoy two obnoxious as...

The boys checked in on another Friday night to recap Nate's first pandemic vacation, the experience of bar-going in this current era of guarded optimism, and the "Sunday Morning Coming Down" vintage photography of Patrick F. Smith. Through My Portland Lens Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1760291797474818/ Oregon Live's Article about Patrick F. Smith: https://bit.ly/3x1Z5no

We are back with a two-finger pour of bar musings and longing. This week, we discuss the sonic glory that is IMissMyBar.com from our amigos at the bar Maverick in Monterrey, Mexico. We loved it all so much, we even mixed in a little din of our own to help you forget about this sterile Zoom reality. Imagine yourself perched on a stool next to us, pondering bar magic and sipping your troubles away.

A St. Patrick's Day episode released ON St. Patrick's Day?! Pinch me, I'm dreaming! In a very special Shots In The Dark, Alfredo and Nathan regale us with their tales of 2021 St. Paddy's Day in Portland. Then reminisce about past holidays, Darby O'Gill, little boy parties, bagpipes, Irish coffees, movie reviews, and MORE. It's just like hanging out with them in the bar, but so much better!

It's another sensible pour of Portland, Oregon’s bar news and musings. This week, Nate & Alfredo discuss getting back to the bars after Washington County drops to a "Moderate Risk." What's been great? What's been scary-ass shit? When will they go back!? Plus HBTG welcomes back an unofficial dive classic as SE's Reel 'm Inn reopens for business.

Introducing, HBTG’s Shots in the Dark — a spontaneous, quickly downable, possibly ill-advised version of our beloved pre-pandemic deep dives! A solid 15 to 30 minutes of that one-of-a-kind content you never knew you were missing! We got together for the first one on Feb. 21, 2021, exactly one year to the day that we last visited a bar for an official HBTG episode. Plenty has changed since, but not...

In this episode, we FINALLY answer our most commonly asked question — “What’s your favorite old bar in Portland?” — revealing dueling top-5 lists that settle once and for all which is the city’s best. So grab a stiff drink and hit play to find out where the likes of Cheerful Tortoise [15:45], Corner Saloon [22:30], The Alibi [29:15], Renner’s [46:07], Lutz Tavern [39:26], Jake’s Famous Crawfish [5...

On May 30, 2020, we jumped in another Zoom meeting to check in with all of Paul Pintarich’s official “History by the Glass” bars (the ones that are still open anyway) at the dawn of Reopening Oregon Phase 1. We also checked in with ourselves to see what condition our condition was in as we mulled, yes, a return to drinking IN PUBLIC.

On Feb. 21, 2020, we made a triumphant return to newly-reopened Renner’s Grill. On Mar. 16, COVID-19 social distancing efforts forced every bar to close. We discussed it all over several rounds in our Steinhaus/Buddy’s Lounge glassware, in front of our ubiquitous, soul-sucking Zoom cameras in this very special, history in the making episode of HBTG...dedicated to every single person who has brough...

Buoyed by a lifestyle-enhancing new sponsor, we embarked on our first HBTG visits of 2020. First, a visit to Portland’s third-oldest bar — a former downtown dive “men’s resort” turned vintage motorcycle joint, Kelly’s Olympian (09:54). Next, we happily marooned ourselves on an island of “Old Portland” goodness amidst a sea of rampant redevelopment at NW 23rd's Nob Hill Bar & Grill (38:54) where Na...