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Imagine your grandparents had a country cabin that you could trick out with industrial kitchen equipment, a DJ station and an endless supply of Rainier beer. If you hosted a party in that sweet little space, it might come close to what an evening at the Tannery feels like. The spare exterior of white cinder blocks flanked by a row of stained picnic tables topped with ashtrays doesn't look very domestic. But once inside, the warmth of the open and always-moving kitchen draws you to a bar seat where you can watch the chef layer toppings on a burger with the same precision and care that he uses when drizzling honey atop crispy, buttermilk-bathed chicken thighs nestling with creamy grits. The show behind the counter is rivaled only by two turntables sitting at the end of the narrow space along with vinyl from the owner's collection. Two long communal tables fill the rest of the bar, which is dotted with farmhouse-style artifacts: rustic baskets, pots and oil lamp sconces. Bar snacks, such as rich, salty, truffled Oregon filberts, arrive on ornately patterned dishes. The cocktails are as varied and colorful as their given names. Start your night watch with Noche de Ronda or cap the evening with a Soviet Sombrero.
Happy hour: 4-6 pm and 10 pm-close Monday-Saturday. $1 Rainier bottles and Tecate cans, $5 house wines, sliders for $5 each or three of a kind for $12.
Entertainment: The two turntables get the addition of one DJ almost every evening from 8 pm-midnight.
5425 E Burnside St., 503-236-3610 , tannerybarpdx.com. 4 pm-1 am Monday-Saturday, 9 am-2 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Willamette Week