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BACK IN BLUE: Kurt Huffman's 99-Oregon-tap beer hall had quite an opening week. Loyal Legion (705 SE 6th Ave, 235-8272, loyallegionpdx.com) had a line down the block when it first cracked the doors of the old Portland Police Athletic Association space, which had long been off-limits to noncops. Inside, they found a rectangular room, with an ass atop every steel drafting stool at the long, blond wood bar and people spilling out of the blue-hued booths on the back walls and out onto the scuffed red floor. Then, the City of Portland stepped in with a veto on a liquor license, because crime rates in the immediate vicinity were too high. Then, after the bar closed, the OLCC said Huffman could have a license after all. Hmm. Well, OK. After being shuttered just a few days, the Legion is back slinging super-cold beers from a tap that pours just above freezing and grilling up sausages from the meatmaker formerly known as Olympic Provisions.
That handful of super-cold beers has some locals pissed—purists insist fine lagers and ales be served warmer so the flavors can bloom—but it's damned pleasant on a 99-Oregon-degree day. The sausages need a better assortment of mustards and the pretzels have a nice, sturdy crumb structure but would benefit from a heavier sprinkle of salt. The bar accepts only cash, but there's an ATM on site. Sausages and all beers cost $6, with pours varying in size based on the cost of the keg. Tipping is, technically, not required as Huffman gives bartenders and servers $15 an hour (the bartender informs me that many customers are leaving a few bucks, anyway). Big things are planned for the upstairs banquet hall, which will be open for special beer events on Sundays. Pending timely approval by the OLCC, of course.
WWeek 2015