McMenamin Brothers – Dear Liza

Auntie Bridgett’s Birthday!!

Dear Liza,

Tuesday was your Auntie Bridgett’s Birthday, and we had a fine time.

After a quiet morning of breakfast and language practice, she opened her presents, including tee shirts, sketchbooks, and a fabulous Snoopy quilt her Momma Donna made for her. Isn’t it amazing?

Once Bridgett had her celebratory red Converse high tops on, we caught the #20 bus downtown to Powell’s City of Books, which we haven’t visited in far too long.

Just being in the space makes me happy!

They have a new café inside, called The Guilder Café (after a country in The Princess Bride). The food was good and not very expensive, and the seating area has regular tables along with some arena type seating and comfy chairs. We spent more than an hour eating, reading, and browsing. It was delightful.

Then, after taking pictures of one of Coraline’s Curious Cats in her lovely urban environment, we caught the #20, connected to the #6, and headed up to the McMenamin’s Coffee Roastery. Considering how many McMenamin’s venues there are, I was amazed at how small the facility was! This one room, one giant roaster, and one guy named Chris.

Chris gave us all the lowdown on coffee… where it’s sourced from, how long you roast it for, and some of the dangers. Did you know that Auntie Bridgett’s favorite dark roast needs to get to 500 F, and will burst into flames at just 700 F? Dangerous work!

After we heard all that Chris had to say, we caught the #6 and then the #15 to get home, where we all had a nice rest. Birthdays are exhausting!

At dinner time, Grandpa Nelson was still pooped, so he stayed home and I walked the Birthday Girl up to Dov Vivi pizza. We love their cornbread based crust and Quattro Fromagio (Four Cheese) pizza.

We ate out on the patio and watched the world go by. Moms with strollers, kids on skateboards, old dudes getting off the bus… busy city life going on all around us.

We needed to bring half the pizza home, but it will make a lovely lunch tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Bridgett!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse

Dear Liza,

We discovered another McMenamin’s! This one is west of Portland, out by the stadium where the Hillsboro Hops minor league team plays baseball.

Most of the McMenamin’s venues have some history, and this one does, too. It was the house, barn and fields of the Imbrie family for six generations. When the family needed to leave the property, the McMenamin brothers bought and began to work their magic. First they refurbished the farmhouse and octagonal barn.

Then they built a brewery, because of course they did.

Imbrie Hall, where we ate a delicious dinner, was built in 2001 with salvaged parts from barns all over the country. I think it is very nifty that the rafters for the roof came from the Blitz-Weinhard brewery in Portland, where the Imbrie family sold their barley!

Our dinner was salmon salad for Auntie Bridget and a trio of hamburger sliders for me. I indulged in a ‘cider flight’, which was small glasses of Blackberry, Blueberry and Peach, and Apple cider. Delicious, and I got to share!

We wandered the property for a bit, enjoying the way the paths wound around and opened up to lovely outdoor rooms.

I know we will return to the Roadhouse, for a dinner or just to walk around the grounds and enjoy the garden.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Art at Gearhart

Dear Liza,

While we were on the Oregon Coast, we stayed at McMenamin’s Gearhart hotel. We have visited it before, but now we got to really explore.

As with all McMenamin’s venues, the art and ambiance are wonderful. They have a sizable art department that creates wonderful “surreal histories”, as well as preserving actual historic posters. The blurring of factual and mythical history is delicious.

Since Gearhart is a golf course, all the artwork is golf themed. I don’t care much for golf, and it is one of Auntie Bridgett’s LEAST favorite sports, but the art was fun, anyway.

It told of the agony of missed shots and the joy of fresh air and competition. There were so many styles on display, we seemed to travel from religious relics to 1920 flappers to Disney-esque woodland creatures by turning a corner.

There was even a ‘secret room’ painted in wonderfully eerie black-light paints.

We spent a LOT of time looking at art, as well as people watching, fire pit sitting, and beach walking.

And then, after a few days, we were back home, refreshed and cool.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Leap Day at the Barley Mill

Dear Liza,

This last Thursday was February 29, also known as Leap Day. And of course, McMenamin’s was celebrating.

It was cold and almost rainy, practically trying to snow, and we had grocery shopping to do. But we stopped at The Barley Mill for lunch first. This is the location of the original McMenamin’s, and isn’t far from us. It is also one of my favorites.

The food is standard McMenamin’s; burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, always tasty and well-made. We decided to pass on the special beers and cocktails they were offering, and just had some tea.

The decor of the Barley Mill is amazing.

Dedicated to Jerry Garcia and all things Grateful Dead, this cafe is delightfully chaotic. I see something new every time I come in.

Our waiter, a fellow named Nick, was friendly and fun. He gave Auntie Bridgett the Leap Day stamp in her McMenamin’s Passport.

We ate and chatted and then played PINBALL! This winter has been so awful we haven’t been out to play, and I’ve really missed it. The SHREK game has three flippers and even a tiny inset game in the top corner, as well as lines and music from the movie. The adrenaline rush was fabulous!

When we had done all the fun, we met Grandpa Nelson at Fred Meyer and did the shopping, picking up a nice fat chicken to make into soup to get through the rest of this nasty winter.

Love,

Grandma Judy

History Pub at the Kennedy School

Dear Liza,

Spring means going out more, and last Monday we went out to the McMenamin’s Kennedy School for one of their wonderful History Pubs!

We ate dinner at home, because two nights of McMenamin’s food seemed a bit of an indulgence. But Grandpa Nelson made sure we didn’t suffer too much.

We went to hear Marilyn Clint, a former Rose Queen and current CEO of the Rose Festival, talk about the history of the Rose Festival in Portland. She knows it from the inside out, and is a real history buff, too. She had a lot of interesting stories.

She told about Harry Lane, who was Mayor of Portland from 1905 to 1909. Harry was a man ahead of his time. He rode his bike from his house in the Eastside to work downtown. He was pro-women’s suffrage and pro-integration. He was the Mayor who got naval ships to come visit Portland for the Rose festival, by writing a letter to the Department of the Navy. Fleet week has been part of the Festival ever since.

Harry was also a pacifist, and as a Senator in 1917, he voted against American getting into World War I. His position was not popular and he was viciously attacked in the press. His health was not good and he suffered from stress, and he passed away the next year.

Marilyn told us about Silas Christofferson, who carried his biplane, piece by piece, up to the top of the newly built Multnomah Hotel in 1912. Then, during the Festival, he flew it off the building!

Other flight-related shenanigans involved a hydrogen balloon race that ended in two of the contestants making a crash landing in Bull Run Lake and having to walk themselves home.

Here’s a silly picture of Grandpa Nelson posing with the statue of a Royal Rosarian (yes, it is a real group) at the Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. I love this time of year, with Spring Fever hitting everyone and roses and activities blooming like crazy!

Love,

Grandma Judy

67 and Having Fun

Dear Liza,

Yesterday was my birthday, and my lovely people turned it into a two day celebration. Saturday was predicted to be the warmest, sunniest day of the year so far, so we went out and about. We drove about 20 minutes east to McMenamin’s Edgefield resort to enjoy their St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
It was so warm, I didn’t even wear a coat!!

Like most of the McMenamin’s properties, Edgefield has a history. Back in the early part of the last century, it was the Multnomah County Poor Farm, where folks with no resources would go to have food and a roof over their heads. After it closed, it was empty and vandalized for many years, until the McMenamin brothers found it and brought it back to life.

I love all the McMenamin’s places, but Edgefield is the largest and most creative. We started in the Black Rabbit Room, with murals, smiles and good food. In keeping with my healthier diet, I had a tofu tikka masala instead of a hamburger. I did enjoy a fine birthday stout, however. I’m only human.