Bar Guide 2014: Blue Diamond

By Matthew Korfhage

Blue Diamond

2016 NE Sandy Blvd., 230-9590, bluediamondpdx.com. 10:30 am-1 am Monday-Saturday, 5-10 pm Sunday.

You want to show up to Portland's best juke joint, the Blue Diamond, on the second Saturday of the month, when Lloyd Allen Sr. plays–in part because the guy's a town treasure of the blues, and in part because the rest of the room knows it, too, and something between reverence and abandon takes over a room of the mostly dignified. Allen's wife brings the hat around for the band's take, and you should throw in a fiver just for the sake of the feeling in the room. Old men dance with young women or, if they must, their wives. The food and drinks are cheap and simple, and both do their job. But take note of the oddly large wine selection. That's what ladies drink. And Blue Diamond is all about the ladies. MATTHEW KORFHAGE.

Happy Hour: 4-7 pm daily. $.50 off drinks, food specials.
Entertainment: Music every night. Dancing when the mood strikes.

WWeek 2015

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