Neighborhood:
Lombard, Kenton & Denver With the shiny new MAX yellow line, a New Seasons Market and a slew of 1930s and ’40s fixer-uppers, the several NoPo neighborhoods for which Lombard serves as Main Street are primed for a North Mississippi Avenue-style renaissance. (read more) But not for another decade or so. These days, auto repair shops and payday loan sharks jockey for space with tanning salons, tattoo parlors and empty storefronts on woefully potholed North Lombard Street. Looking for fine dining? Slim pickings. Upstart Encanto (5225 N Lombard St., 286-2929) is upping the ante with its polished New Mexican fare—try the delicious goat-cheese chiles rellenos. Or munch high-concept seafood at hole-in-the-wall Fishwife (5328 N Lombard St., 285-7150). But these are upscale exceptions. Far more Kenton diners are on their way to King Burrito (2924 N Lombard St., 283-9757), where an obscure storefront masks some of the best—and cheapest—burritos in town. Lombard’s bars share a sinister lack of windows, with a few exceptions. Blue Parrot Saloon (3416 N Lombard St., 240-0249) is one: It’s worth stopping by for the weekend karaoke just to see the jarring mix of 10-gallon hats and skinny jeans. Just across the street is the foot-stomping live blues and $1.25 PBR of Mock Crest Tavern (3435 N Lombard St., 283-5014). And for alt-country or rockabilly fans, the up-and-coming Kenton Club (2025 N Kilpatrick St., 285-3718) is the spot—“world famous” for its appearance in the 1972 Raquel Welch film Kansas City Bomber. Otherwise, Kenton’s sightseeing opportunities are few. There’s the two-story Paul Bunyan statue (North Interstate Avenue and Willis Boulevard), University of Portland’s tree-lined campus (5000 N Willamette Blvd.) or Columbia Park (North Lombard Street and Woolsey Avenue), a pint-size fairy forest. Or just space out in Pype’s Palace (4760 N Lombard St., 289-9298), a veritable temple to THC since 1976. Co-owner Patty Collins was the first lady judge at High Times magazine’s 1989 Cannabis Cup. Of course, there are always more XXXciting alternatives: Check out the five stripper stages at Exotica (240 NE Columbia Blvd., 285-0281) and the “fusion” pool table (one of only two in Oregon!) at the Dancin’ Bare (8440 N Interstate Ave., 285-9073), where you can see Bunyan gawking in through the window. —John Minervini.
