The Alberta Street
Public House
1033
NE Alberta St., 284-7667
Currently
serving food only.
Never made it to Love Train--though to hear the
stories, I wish I had. It sounds like one of those bars
that lives under siege, locked in a wary tango with its
patrons, the drink-soaked dance in which each partner suspects
the other of the most foul intentions. The sort of place
your mother, the newspapers, your school counselors, maiden
aunts and better angels would prefer you not to think about,
let alone enter.
Today, though, Love Train is no more. The old sign lives
on, bolted to a wall inside its squat Alberta digs, but
gone are the acoustic tiles that apparently used to obscure
the high ceiling and, probably, the OLCC incident-log that
some describe in terms befitting the outline for a James
Ellroy novel.
These days, the corner belongs to The Alberta Street
Public House. Right now, you can only buy food there,
but if the owner's plans come to harvest, a Guinness-stained
new drinking regime will soon unfold in the nostalgic red-and-gold
glow of the old L-Train sign.
On a recent, unseasonably warm night, the master of the
house moved through it like an uncommonly charming hurricane.
Michael Beglan is every inch a pub owner, and the
small fact that his current premises aren't yet fully licensed
doesn't stop him from answering his natural call to service.
Recognizing your Correspondent (no doubt from my frequent
appearances on the Society pages and in the fashionable
salons of my social betters), he called for a pint of the
Guinness the pub was authorized, by temporary permit, to
flog during a Portland Ceili Society show.
As the tan cloud settled atop my capsule of black gold,
Beglan described a scheme to revive some of the folky glory
enjoyed by his old place, the East Avenue Tavern, once
of Burnside, now of fond memory in the hearts of many. Just
as the East Ave became a bastion for local folkies, so too
could the Alberta Pub. If God and the Liquor Commission
stand willing, the place could be fully operational by the
end of the year.
Judging from the show by Beginish, a troupe specializing
in West Donegal-style Irish traditionals, this will be a
very good thing. While the all-seater arrangement in the
long, narrow band room didn't allow for much more ribaldry
than the odd yelp from otherwise bequem Ceili Society
types, the band held forth with fierce passion, sly humor
and a heart-tugging sentimentality.
So the Nightcrawler wishes Beglan and his crew the best
of luck with their worthy endeavor on Alberta--not that
he needs help from the likes of us.
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