160852 Tue Jul 27 13:07:04 -0700 2004 11 13 New England 0 862597 Where are the cool bars in portland? Tue Jul 27 13:07:04 -0700 2004 0 geokin 1 862600 For funkier, Norm's on Congress St. For nicer drinks, I've enjoyed Una on Fore St. and the Wine Bar (I think that's the name) across from Street & Co. Tue Jul 27 13:15:17 -0700 2004 862597 0 Joanie 1 862602 Here are some Portland picks from a beerhound (me). Outside of old port is the Great Lost Bear. Great selection of local draft beer (~50 taps), 4 cask engines with Geary's HSA usually being one of them, and a huge bar food menu. In old Port is Gritty McDuff's brewpub which is a Portland classic. I prefer the brewpub brewed beers at Segabo just down the street. And the best beer selection in old port is to be had at $3 Dewey's. If you like Guinness, try the Cadillac Mountain Stout there -its a tad sweeter and has much more flavor and thicker mouthfeel than Guinness. It's one of the best beers brewed in Maine and is hard to find south of Portland. Brian Boru is a popular bar also. My advice is go to old port and just walk around until you see the kind of crowd you like. Tue Jul 27 14:27:47 -0700 2004 862597 0 rl 2 862615 "Cool" really depends what you're looking for. Don't know how old you are, but in my book (which is not the book of a barhopper, however) the Old Port is heinous (seriously, think "Girls Gone Wild") on weekends in the summer. Wine Bar and Una may be a couple of exceptions, though Wine Bar, locationwise, is on Wharf St, in the absolute thick of the heinousness, and Una is full of unwarranted upscale preening. Aging hipsters with a hick-nostalgia fetish are fond of Bubba's Sulky Lounge, right across from the big post office off of Forest Ave. Very impressive vintage lunchbox collection on the ceiling, among other things. Warning: Junk-on-the-wall overload. Lighted dance floor. Pretty over-the-top, actually. Dewey's has decent burgers, good beer selection, and free popcorn. Gritty's has good beer and mediocre food. Sebago has slightly better food and decent beer, but with a more corporate-slick atmosphere. More of a restaurant. Lots of people like J's Oyster on Commercial, mostly for being low-key and on the water. Haven't been there, but a lot of folks like Ruski's on the West End, too. S'posed to have a good jukebox. Tue Jul 27 20:40:45 -0700 2004 862602 0 MU 1 862619 Just went there for the first time a few weeks ago and we happened upon a place that was advertising tapas on the sign outside. Well, the food wasn't exactly what I'd call tapas (think seafood meets southwestern flair - I got the veggie taco plate, he got the fried scallops) but the bar was by far one of the best places we visited while there! They had one of the best jukeboxes around with an impressive punk rock selection, a hip and friendly staff who seemed to be plucked right out of NYC, and a killer scorpion bowl! I think it was called the Downtown Lounge (or something like that. I think on Exchange St., but maybe Congress. Tue Jul 27 21:52:21 -0700 2004 862597 0 weathermasta 2 862620 Downtown Lounge is on Congress. It's really the western outpost of Norm's, which has officially moved to Middle St, kind of across from Hugo's. Tue Jul 27 22:04:14 -0700 2004 862619 0 MU 3 862628 This is what I was referring to when I suggested Norm's. And I know Norm still works at that location, I just missed him last time I visited Portland. I thought this and the bbq place were the first locations and the spot next to the State St. Theater was the most recent, but were all part of Norm's "empire". No? Wed Jul 28 09:11:27 -0700 2004 862620 0 Joanie 2 862630 The Norm's confusion: Norm's has 3 locations: 1) Norm's Bar and Grill, on Congress (on the same side of the street as the State, but closer to the West End). It moved from it's original spot, where now stands... 2) Norm's Downtown Lounge, also on Congress, across from the State, not to be confused with... 3) Norm's BBQ, on Middle St., near Ribolita and Woody's Burgers. Best onion rings in town, and you get a ton on them. Take your pick. Wed Jul 28 09:53:31 -0700 2004 862619 0 Blue Man 2 862631 The Norm's confusion: Norm's has 3 locations: 1) Norm's Bar and Grill, on Congress (on the same side of the street as the State, but closer to the West End). It moved from it's original spot, where now stands... 2) Norm's Downtown Lounge, also on Congress, across from the State, not to be confused with... 3) Norm's BBQ, on Middle St., near Ribolita and Woody's Burgers. Best onion rings in town, and you get a ton on them. Take your pick. Wed Jul 28 09:53:32 -0700 2004 862619 0 Blue Man 1 862632 I like Norm's any location. Downtown Lounge just for drinks. (Joanie: the 1st one opened on Middle Street, and then "accidently" burned down. Then he opened the now Downtown Lounge which was Norm's Congress. Then they remodled Middle Street, and that's the BBQ. Then he opened accross the street on Congress, and then the other one re-opened as Downtown Lounge. Confusing.) I also like J's Oyster Bar on Commercial, Rosie's on Fore Street and the Wine Bar. Una is silly. Brian Boru has good guiness but full of meatheads. Gritty's is okay for beer, terrible food. Like Dewey's for a big bar. In general, the Old Port is a nightmare as far as I'm concerned. New England style daytona. Wed Jul 28 10:19:04 -0700 2004 862597 0 tanja 1 862867 If you're looking for a good ol' meat market packed full of 21-year-olds, just go anywhere on wharf st in the old port. Amigo's is an old port is nice change of pace. Interesting crowd--it's a haven for heavily tattooed, chain-smoking musicians. Nice outdoor patio. I recommend just leaving the old port and heading to Brian Boru--it's the only "Irish Pub" in Portland that is in any way a traditional "Irish Pub". It has great outdoor space, decent music, even Irish music on Sundays(?). It gets people from all walks of life, mostly locals, good beer selection, good food. Did I mention great outdoor space? Only other place I would send someone is Norm's Downtown Lounge--bartenders play hip music, good beer/drinks, nice atmosphere, good food. Young crowd, albeit an educated, hip crowd. The other two Norm's places are food places, not bars (they have bars though--but have more of a restaurant feel to them). One place I would NOT go is UNA. I tried many times to like that place, but I have given up. The service is terrible and I can't get over how awful the music is (DJ's aside). Service is so bad that I've walked out more than once and slipped over to Boru's. Great Lost Bear is good, although that's a food place more than it is a bar. Good wine bar? Not the Wine Bar! (cool space, poor wine selection). Try Meritage, across from the Public Market. Great wines, jazz on Thursdays. I'm sure there's some other good places, but after a year in Portland I haven't found them. If you're from the Boston area (for example), you might find the bar selection in Portland kind of lacking. It's sort of like the bar scene around Fanueil Hall area, only worse. Wed Aug 04 14:16:16 -0700 2004 862597 0 RDN 2 862888 Agree about the wine selection at the Wine Bar. Lame. Good for a date, but not really a good bar if you actually are into wine. Meritage has a much better one (associated with Market Wines next door), but the narrow space isn't nearly as comfortable (Wine Bar has sofas and coffee tables & such), and the food menu, at least the last time I was there, was much more limited. Una's wine list is at least interesting, in theory anyway. Boru's, on a good night, is loud and crowded, but with an MBA sort of crowd rather than a spring break crowd. Wed Aug 04 21:34:12 -0700 2004 862867 0 MU