Food, Drinks & Merriment
Monday, June 20, 2005
I went here for my 21st birthday. Not because they wouldn't let me in before -- but because they would, being a restaurant-pub, and have always been wonderful and friendly. (For the birthday, they treated me to one of their famous beers.) It's one of the first places I ever saw in Portland, being right across the street from the old Hollywood Theatre, where I first visited Portland to attend the Lovecraft Film Festival. The Laurelwood's warm charm has never failed to cheer me. The wood interior and breathtaking views of the glass-sheathed brewery are always visually appealing, and the friendly atmosphere -- family-friendly, but uncrowded -- makes it a good place to go alone or with friends.
I think it's either smoke-free or has a big nonsmoking area.
Food here includes a decent range of options -- many vegetarian, many meat. It's pub food with a high-quality, Northwest spin. High-quality also bumps up the price. The place is pretty affordable, though; expect a meal for $10, and a fine award-winning beer (brewed about twenty feet away from you!) for $3-4, or a cocktail for more like $7.
It's where I'd take a relative in town, or a visiting friend who I wanted to be caught by the heart and stay in Portland for a while. The Laurelwood manages to have a slick look AND a lot of heart -- a rare combination that I'm going for, more and more.