There's a group of bars here that receive a ton of our attention and praise, both in the Interverse and in print media. It's pretty clear that no one has heard too little about Beaker & Flask, Laurelhurst Market, Clyde Common, Teardrop Lounge, etc. This is all deserved; these places have exceptional bartenders and are in many cases attached to some of the best kitchens in town.
Lately I've been struck by visiting a bunch of bars that get less attention as they aren't the shiny new toy, but are definitely worth more kudos than they currently receive. In some cases, for the exact same reasons that the superstars above get all our collective jizzery. I'm not talking about neighborhood shot-and-a-beer places that we all love and frequent as locals. Unless you want to come out here and hit the Cider Mill with me. Bonus: There's take-out fried chicken next door at Friar Tuck's. (take that, every other bar besides Reel 'M Inn.)
Anyway, I'm sure there's about 20 underappreciated gems that warrant writing about. I'll start with three easy ones that I often end up at:
Ten 01 - Lost in the considerable press of the Jack Yoss departure and Ben Parks taking over the kitchen was the fact one of the best bartenders in town remains a constant: Kelley Swenson. That and the fact that you get a killer cocktail list paired with a great bar menu coming out of the kitchen, and I submit that the Ten 01 bar is underrated. When the crowd at Clyde is overflowing out of the doorway and you'll need a good 30 mins to get a drink at Teardrop, it's pretty crazy that you can often walk into Ten 01, snag a table and place an order in right around 3 minutes. In fact, never mind. Stay the hell away, please.
PROTIP: The Hot Buttered Rum at Ten 01 puts all the artificially-sweet-horror-shows you've had before to complete shame.
Carlyle - I think two things keep the bar at Carlyle off of everyone's radar: One, it's located way down on the ass end of NW Thurman and two, it's mostly known for being one of Portland's more upscale dining rooms. Both of those are true, but Carlyle also has the same two things going for it as Ten 01: One of the most talented and knowledgeable bartenders in town (Jacob Grier) combined with a very first rate kitchen. It's a small bar, but you'll often have it to yourself if you get there early enough for Happy Hour.
Oh, the Happy Hour Menu. While $14-$16 for a burger and a drink is not cheap, here's what you get: The best burger in town (nope, not even a IMHO there) and a craft cocktail that's equal in quality to the best bars in town. It's very much worth the short hike north from downtown or the Pearl.
Secret Society Lounge - It's not secret at all right before a show at the Wonder Ballroom, or when things have gotten so completely out of hand at Toro Bravo that the crowd on the sidewalk moves upstairs. But when it's mellow, it's one of the few bars in town that combines really good cocktails with a chill scene. Details. Hands down the best place to stumble into out of Toro Bravo or after a show if you can snag a seat. Best drinks in that Nopo area, although I haven't had a chance to eat here (EaT and Toro Bravo are tough to pass up for me).
There's less fancypants cocktail tricks going on at Secret Society (tinctures, homemade chipotle raspberry treebark foams, etc) and more of an emphasis on a solid spirits list and a well thought-out group of classic cocktails. Also the best place to do an absinthe flight, if you're into that sort of thing. One of the best cocktails I had over the summer was here: The Kentucky Mule - A Moscow Mule subbing bourbon for vodka, with ginger beer and lime, served in the classic copper mug.
I'd love to hear what other people's underrated faves are.
I had an overwhelming need to reply after seeing Cassidy's and Underrated Bars one after the other in recent posts.
Too funny.
In my opinion Cassidy's is one of the most underrated places in the city.