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Diverse Dining List

Holman's Bar & Grill

12/30/2018

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​Portland, OR
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Nothing delights me more than a retro neon sign. Especially when the neon sign includes the word cocktails.
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Bonus points for decorated windows! These were painted with holiday greetings and clinking martini glasses!  
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Last Summer

This past summer, Don and I spotted this wonderful place. Our daughter and son-in-law had literally just moved to SW Portland, into an apartment around the corner. ​
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The sight of this neighborhood bar might scare some parents. But Don and I didn't worry. Instead, we joined the "newlyweds" and celebrated with drinks. 

The Bar
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The front door opened to the original bar, which has been serving customers for over 80 years... first, as a lunch counter, then a bootleggers saloon during prohibition.
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The Holman's sold the bar to the current owners in the 1970's. Last summer the bar stools were empty.

​The Game Room
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The game room with its slanted linoleum floor was practically empty, too. But the walls were full of entertainment!

Garden Patio
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Last summer, it was a lovely day when we shared drinks on the patio bar. It didn't look quite as inviting, when we returned on December 26th. 
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But even in the cold drizzle, the little area behind the bar looked a lot better than it did years ago... when it was an old used appliance graveyard. I learned that from some menu trivia.

December 26,  2018
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We ended up having lunch at Holman's, on the day after Christmas. We were just finishing a festive holiday celebration with our kids and their spouses in Portland.
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What better place to dine, before heading to the airport!

The North Dining Room
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I tried not to intrude with my camera, but there were quite a few people seated at the dark bar, at 11:30 am.
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We headed to the dining room, which was added in the '70's.  It sort of felt like we were sitting down for a meeting at our round table, with rolling task chairs.
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Settling In
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As it turns out, we were lucky to get this prized dining spot.
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Holman's opens at 8 am and Heidi said the table is usually occupied, by older gentleman, when she walks by in the morning. 

BYOS
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I ordered a BLT with fries. That seemed like the kind of food I might have ordered years ago, at the lunch counter.
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They would have surely delivered my beverage with a straw, back in 1933. The sign on the table was a reminder that it was 2018 and we were in Portland. (Too bad the metal straws that Santa brought me, were packed!)

Looking Around!
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While we chatted and ate our fairly decent meals, I took in all the fun decor.
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The dining room had once been a Rexall Drugs and I tried to picture that. I doubt the Cigar Man was part of the drug store decor, but the lit up Rudolph and Snowman could have been. 

Shoes and Socks
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Before noon, the Game Room was very quiet. I checked out the slanted floor again and the pinball machines and the square windows, that let me peek in on the bar. I
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 smiled to see the wooden shoe display, that I remembered. I was glad they had added some felt socks for the holidays!

​Meal Wheel

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We didn't have time to play Pacman or pinball, but our very nice server did invite us to spin the Meal Wheel, before we paid up.
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She watched from the bar, while we took turns, hoping to match up the arrows for a free lunch.

Winner!
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This photo makes the wheel look like it was spinning crazily fast! It wasn't.
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Luckily my wimpy attempt was strong enough to make one revolution... before finishing with the red arrows pointing at each other! Free Meal! 

My BLT was free and I got to write my name on the Winner's Chalkboard! This was my first dining adventure, involving a free meal!  
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       The Dining Blog

    This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food.  Below, you can read how this started.


    On
    July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year!  (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to  join me, on some unusual dining adventures.  I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise.  Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining.  I have continued  blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned  along the way!
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  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!