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January 9th, 2009
In an effort to bring you the latest and greatest in Portland, we try to employ savvy, in-the-know gents to find the goods. And our latest acquisition, Byron Beck, is definitely one of those gents. Formerly an editor with a certain weekly that shall remain nameless, he has had his hand on the pulse of this city for some years now. He brings a lot of inside info and a unique perspective to the table, so join us in welcoming our newest raconteur to the PPFM family. |
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Portland Picks for Men: |
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| 1 | Not-So-Hostile Takeover Let's face it, the men's stores in this town are finite. The good men's stores are even more limited, and some we've only discovered because it's our job. One such place is Haberdashers. A fixture in the Beaumont neighborhood, the proprietors have seen fit to bring their vision of a men's boutique to both the Pearl and Lake Oswego with two new locations. Not only does Haberdashers offer the "staple stuff" for your wardrobe like quality denim, Ben Sherman, and Lacoste polos, but you'll also find everything from accessories to grooming products. And the best part is they've been able to recreate the charms of their original location—a friendly, laid-back environment complete with pool table and ESPN-streaming flat screens. It's the kind of “guy den” that encourages you to hang a while and shop at a leisurely pace. There is much reason to believe that their vision will be as successful (if not more) outside the confines of a cozy little nook in Northeast. Haberdashers… There's one near you! Haberdashers |
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| 2 | Mex It Up Finding a good plate of Tex Mex in the Northwest is about as easy as squeezing water from a desert rock. There are plenty of expensive "gourmet" places specializing in unusual sauces and tiny portions, and there are enough examples of the cheap stuff, too, with ingredients straight from the can. But there are few oases as plentiful as Esparza’s. Their ingredients are fresh, the tamales and tostada shells are
made from scratch, and the meat is smoked in-house. Designed Food-wise, there are over twenty house specials, burrito and taco plates, egg dishes, and our personal favorite, the Chile Verde Tostadas with spicy, juicy shredded pork, jalapeño jack cheese, fresh tomatoes and pico de gallo. But the night isn't complete until you've polished off at least one of their two chocolate-crusted cheesecakes—either the sweet potato pecan or the chocolate chip hazelnut. Yee-haw! Esparza’s Tex Mex Café |
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| 3 | The Drinker's Guide to the Galaxy The most remarkable thing about most dive bars is how unremarkable they are. They all provide the same crappy service, the same boring drink specials on well liquor and cans of PBR, and the same dilapidated, "broken in" appearance. We understand the appeal of a place without frills, but when the drink selection sucks, what's the point? Luckily, we found The Pub at the End of the Universe, the perfect dive bar for fans of good beer! The Pub is a series of small, trippy-looking rooms connected to one another at strange angles and decorated with leopard-print seats, harem-style lanterns, multi-colored tables, and mesh screens. Atop it all is that thin layer of grime you've come to expect from your dive bars, along with plenty of cigarette smoke (well, not anymore) and a bathroom that looks like somewhere Dante may have stopped en route to the Seventh Circle. Dive bar qualities aside, the Pub stocks a great selection of 24 draft beers, several more bottled beers, wine, and plenty of bar food. In other words, it's a pretty great place for watching the universe end or the New Year begin. The Pub at the End of the Universe |
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| Gratuitous Photo of the Week: | |||
Photo courtesy of www.loverslane.com |
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Mandatory Gear: |
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| 1 | Blade Runner With the economy in the dumps, we're trying to look for an upshot to our normally frivolous purchases. And because we generally have to buy new something for our ride every month (What? We're guys.), we tried to find something that'll save money, and maybe even the planet. What we found was the Sabertec Blade. Easily attaching to your tailpipe, it looks cool and will squeeze as much as six miles more out of each gallon. |
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| 2 | Marathon Man Remember those old-school York Peppermint Patty commercials? You know, the ones with someone, who by the sheer power of chocolate and mint, imagined they were downhill racing in Torino? Last time we checked, that level of energy coupled with hallucinations indicated meth addiction. You can, however, have a reasonable jolt of energy in a mint (or even chocolate) incarnation with Foosh Mints or Buzz Bites. Each mint or chocolate chew is tasty, portable and packs the punch of one cup of coffee. |
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| 3 | Countenance Your Blessings One look at our old man lets us know we hit the genetic Natural oils to seal in the moisture and repair the damage |
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| Grooming Tip of the Week: | |||
Grooming Tip of the Week: |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Rejuvenation Factory Sale Starts Tomorrow! |
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| 2 | A Sub-Pop Original We grew up as die-hard punk rock fans. As we've aged, however, we rely on nostalgia when we spin some of that old vinyl. There are a few bands that simply stand the test of time, and probably none better from the west coast than the Dwarves. One of the craziest live acts ever. What: The Dwarves w/Zeke |
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| 3 | Or You Can Keep it Local Another great show downtown tonight will be Dartgun at Kelly's Olympian. Not as raucous as the Dwarves, they remind us of all the great silly bands we still love (from The Knack to The Dead Kennedys). It'll definitely be a fun show. (Plus, we hear they pack in the girls.) What: Dartgun |
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| 4 | Tiiiim-berrr Six days after raising their 2008 West Division Champions banner, the Portland LumberJax finish their two-game home-stand by hosting the Colorado Mammoth. An extremely heated rivalry, Colorado leads the series history 5–3. Lacrosse sounds French and all, but it is a sight more physical (and more entertaining) than you might expect. What: Portland LumberJax v. Colorado Mammoth |
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Help us support local businesses! Tell a friend about PPFM. |
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