The Landmark Saloon, Portland, OR

Back patio of the Landmark.

This is the last Portland post for a while, we swear!

The night before heading off to the train I felt like blowing off some steam. I had been cooped up in a cubicle during the day and both my host and I were taking it easy during the evenings, battling various degrees of sinusitis. Also, you know, school nights.

I did not have to go into the office for the final day of my Portland junket so the final night I decided to meet up with a dear from high school, KFP.

"I guess there's a country-western bar down the street from where I'm staying, that sounds like fun," I told her over the phone.

Country-western bars are indeed fun, and this one happened to serve food too!

LeRoy's Familiar Vittles smoking rig.

We settled in at the bar where we were the only patrons in the early evening. A barback seated and the bar overheard us discussing food and mentioned that a local caterer who has set up shop in the bar's expansive beer garden and patio.

Sure enough, a food cart with an attached smoking rig was parked in the yard with the words "LeRoy's Familiar Vittles" painted on the side.

Unfortunately for us the the night we were there was one of two nights that he doesn't cook, so I was denied smokey BBQ goodness.

The bar menu offered some tantalizing alternatives, however.

Landmark bar menu. Annotations are "hand crafted."

The first item that pique our interest was the warm spinach dip served in a sourdough bread bowl made at a local bakery, so naturally that too was 86'd. Boo!

Our runner-up was the chili served in same bread bowl, which was hearty and delicious and also vegan. I point this out to say it's not all meat and potatoes with me - except it pretty much is.

KFP and I shared the chili (which came with freshly fried tortilla chips). I ordered a BLT on a nice hearty whole grain bread, locally cured bacon, a nice juicy tomato, mesclun and a healthy schmear of mayonnaise (without which a BLT is no BLT worth eating, in my most humble opinion).

KFP had the venison sliders and successfully defended my attempts to purloin a bite - although they looked pretty good.

By the time we were done eating the bands were loading in. Then came the people, skinny jeans and meticulously coiffed facial hair. Several rounds of Bulleit Straight Rye Whiskey were had, washed down with hard cider. Eventually we were packed in like sardines and made our way outside to the fire pit, pushing through an enthusiastic crowd awash in the twang of Y'allternative.

Drinks! Country! Bacon!

--

The Landmark Saloon
4847 SE Division St
Portland, OR ‎