There are plenty of reasons for Willamette Week to dis new North Portland bar The Old Gold (2105 N Killingsworth St., 894-8937, theoldgoldpdx.com). For starters, it’s co-owned by former Portland Mercury music editor Ezra Caraeff. More important, Old Gold beat WW’s team in bar league softball this year, and the championship trophy now looms on top of a refrigerator behind the bar. So, readers, know that when I say the Old Gold is actually a great little bar, I’m not blowing smoke up your asses. It’s perhaps not destination drinking, but a cozy local watering hole that, after just one month, has already acquired a genuine neighborhood atmosphere. On the back wall is a large wooden “Drink in Oregon” white stag sign—an ethos that extends to a localish tap and bottle menu and a well-priced cocktail menu that’s heavy on kombucha. Pair one with the surprisingly good tofu banh mi and sit back to admire that trophy—it won’t be there for long.