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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 2016)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun COLUMBIA BAR as Midori 1/4 ounce triple sec 1/4 ounce simple syrup Sprite Ice Orange and lime wheels for garnish Wee Irish cocktail lags for lair (optional) Irish Iced Tea By RYAN HUME Photo by Matt Love The Pitchwood Inn is in Raymond, Washington. A G LIMPSE I NSIDE An occasional feature by MATT LOVE Pitchwood Inn The entrance to the Pitchwood Inn in Raymond, Washing- ton, seemed rather drab, uninviting. More utility shed than saloon. It didn’t exactly scream: great dive bar stocked with “Cannery Row” characters! Nevertheless, I had time to kill before a gig at the library, so I walked inside. I learned long ago not to judge a dive bar by its cover. Thirty minutes later, I left the Pitchwood with a serious case of literary vertigo; I could not believe what I had just seen be- cause in my long years of chronicling the cultural life of Pacific Northwest coastal taverns and bars, these images were firsts, and many quite inexplicable to me: • A 16-point buck on the wall; • A blue neon sign advertising oysters; • Ice in the gleaming metal urinal in the men’s bathroom; • The ability to check into one of the Pitchwood’s motel rooms — right at the bar — while sipping a double Malibu Rum; • Onion rings so thick they resembled the bracelets worn by Pharaoh Ramses (Yul Brynner) in “The Ten Commandments”; • People actually eating a whole plate of these onion rings; • At least 30 former Korean and Vietnam-era Marines and their wives drinking beers, bloody marys, gin and tonics and even one Jack Daniels and lemonade; • A poster advertising a performance — in the Pitchwood — by the semi-legendary punk-country-rock band The Super- suckers. I nearly threw out my neck doing a double take when I saw the poster. Over 20 years ago, I saw The Supersuckers open a show for Social Distortion in Seattle. I nearly went deaf from the experience. How in the world this band could be headlin- ing a show in Raymond, Washington, in winter was beyond my comprehension. These dudes must be in their 60s by now! Who says rock is dead? No one in the Pitchwood. Matt Love is the author/editor of 14 books, available through nestuccaspitpress.com The middle of March ofers much more than just the Ides. While St. Patrick’s Day is a recognized national religious holiday in Ireland, commemorating the death of the island’s most famous patron saint in what’s roughly clocked at 461 AD, the celebration in the U.S. tends to center on the culture and contribution of the large Irish diaspora swept to our shores and deeply immersed in our melting pot. With this in mind and a Pogues song trapped irmly between my ears, I decided to check out The Irish Pub at McKeown’s, an over-21, down-the-road satellite of the established restaurant on the corner of Holladay Drive and Broadway in downtown Seaside. Like all the best pubs, The Irish is essentially a neighborhood joint kept awake by the personalities of its bartenders and patrons. Since leprechaun hats and green beer are the rue of street cleaners everywhere, I would implore you to hang up that emerald Mardi Gras necklace and try this non-tradi- tional concoction instead. Not your usual green tea, this cocktail is essentially a slightly carbonated, Irish whis- key-based margarita. Amazingly, the promi- nent lavor of the Jameson hides behind the melon liqueur, a la Long Island-style. It’s a nice reminder, too, that no matter what day we are celebrating, no culture is stagnant, and we’re all in this together. Sláinte! Ingredients 1.5 to 2 ounces of Jameson Irish Whiskey 1 ounce melon liqueur, such PAPA Directions Add whiskey, melon liqueur, triple sec and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice until cold. Spill, ice and all, into a high- ball glass. Top of with Sprite, garnish with citrus wheels and tiny lag if using. —Recipe courtesy of Darian Neilson, The Irish Pub at McKeown’s, Seaside Once Upon a Mattress For the rollicking, sidesplitting spin-off of The Princess & the Pea! Not your average hum-drum fairytale! UNLOCK THE SECRET TO FINALLY ACHIEVING YOUR WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS GOALS :HLJKWILJXUHDQGHQHUJ\WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ EHJLQV0DUFKWK )XOO'HWDLOVDW5LYHUV]HQFRP=HQ)LW <RJD)OH[LELOLW\6WUHWFKLQJ)LWQHVV7UDLQLQJ VW6WUHHWRQWKH5LYHU:DON 5LYHUV=HQFRP Lyrics by Mary Rogers and Marshall Barer Book by James Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshal Barer March 10, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 23
