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December 5th, 2008
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We, of course, enjoyed the turkey, stuffing, and passive-aggressive comments that are a hallmark of our holiday season. Both football games were total blowouts, which sucked, but with people losing their friggin' lives the next day by simply trying to shop, and many more losing their jobs, we felt we were exceeding our usual level of self-involvement and remembered to count our blessings (if not our 401k dollars), and went about the business of hanging lights. We are a bi-religious household, so when you see both a tree and a menorah in our window, you'll know that's us. And just to confuse things… Happy Kwanza! Want to score some cool new duds? Destroy Store was nice enough to offer up some T-shirts for a few helpful lads—so forward this email to 5 friends and and CC us at picks@portlandpicksformen.com. One of them could be yours. |
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Portland Picks for Men: |
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| 1 | Use Your Head Our first memory of getting a haircut was sitting in the bathroom while our dad butchered our locks. Next we moved on to our old man's barbershop where we'd receive a cut with the same clippers used on our pop's nose hair. Finally we graduated to our girl's salon where we spend far too much money to receive nothing more than an earful about our stylist's newest man and a semi-decent cut. At Chopperz you get so much more. Upon walking in you're offered a free micro-brew to sip while watching one of their many flat-screens or using their free wifi or Mac terminal. Also, each cutting station has its own flat-screen, so you can watch your favorite program from their ultra comfy chairs. And not only does Chopperz provide quality cuts, they offer a stress-releasing scalp, neck and head massage. Our favorite thing, however, is that every stylist is an expert with a straight razor, which gives our neck that super-clean look and feel. Drop into Chopperz—your head, neck, scalp and girl will Chopperz |
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| 2 | Cajun Sensation Late-night hunger pangs make us susceptible to the grossest sustenance imaginable. From fast-food burgers to greasy slices of pizza, our usual dietary caution gets discarded as soon as that unexpected howling starts up in the stomach. Fortunately, there's a new antidote to after-dinner hunger with the opening of the Cajun tapas joint Tapalaya. Mixing the Spanish tradition of small-plate, late-night meals with Cajun cuisine, Tapalaya offers all the usual courses you'd expect, but with interesting twists. So while their jambalaya is plenty spicy and comes with the standard, delicious assortment of chicken, shrimp, and Andouille Sausage, its rich, creamy sauce adds a whole other dimension. Similarly, the Potato and Bacon Gratin comes with smoked Gouda and Fuji apple, adding disparate flavors to the dish that are welcome but completely unfamiliar. Though the portions are small and no single item will fill you up, the quality of the ingredients and the care taken with the recipes is apparent as soon as you take a bite. Keep that in mind the next time those late-night hankerings take hold. Tapalaya |
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| 3 | Drunk & Horny |
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Mandatory Gear: |
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| 1 | Christmas Crabs |
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| 2 | Up to Your Neck There are those (you know the ones) who utilize themed neckties to showcase their “cleverness” or “originality,” resulting in familiar fashion abortions like reindeer ties at Christmas. We laud their chutzpah, but we know that individuality in business attire requires taste and, ahem, some subtlety. Enter Lee Allison, who sold his very first designs to Barney’s, an undisputed bastion of taste. While offering a whimsical quality to more staid designs, he's also pulled off themed neckwear with some sophistication. |
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| 3 | Swingers Party We were good golfers upon our arrival in Oregon. By the following spring we were hacking like beginners and swearing like sailors. A frustrated call to the old man got us this advice: "Do |
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| Event of the Week: | |||
So This is the New Year The holidays are about giving, right? Well, New Year's Eve is all about treating yourself. And what better place to do that than the uber-classy Lucier. Don your snazziest duds, gather loved ones and enjoy the finest drinking and dining in Portland. Their New Year's Eve party is an all-inclusive prix-fixe evening with hors d'oeuvres, specialty cocktails, champagne, live music and a DJ! And for those not yet familiar with Lucier, what better time to visit this decadently beautiful waterfront restaurant? What: New Years Eve Party at Lucier |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Holiday Ale Festival Love the big beers of winter? The Holiday Ale Festival has more than three dozen on tap, many created specifically for the event. It's one of the best venues in town to mingle with good friends, and meet lots of new ones. Clear, heated tents create a warm and cozy ambience. |
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While you’re online, check out the Portland Picks Holiday Gift Guide at www.PortlandPicks.com. It's a great place to find gift ideas for everyone on your list, from the boss to the bros to your little sister, and, what the heck, maybe a little something for that hot girl in marketing you've had your eye on… we won’t tell. |
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Be sure to visit www.portlandpicksformen.com and check out past issues in our archives. If you like what you see, forward to a friend and encourage them to check out www.portlandpicksformen.com and subscribe for free! It's easy--there's a box in the upper left to enter your email address. If you would like to make a suggestion, please email us at contribute@portlandpicksformen.com. Share your favorite ideas for Picks, tell us about terrific products or services, announce a sale or event, or let us know what you think of Portland Picks for Men! Website and weekly issues maintained by Studio Ridge.com. |
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