For too long Portland has been in dire need of a bar that looks like an Arizona tourist trap crossbred with a PF Chang's and a tiki bar. Thankfully, a while back the owners of A Roadside Attraction (1000 SE 12th Ave) came along to fill this gap. Plopped on the edge of SE's industrial district, the bar is one of the weirder drinking establishments in town.

From the sidewalk A Roadside Attraction looks like a warehouse that's been converted into some sort of clubhouse. An outdoor seating area behind a large, wooden fence is littered with knicknacks and cubby-hole booths. Inside, different types of East meet different types of West. A sign swiped from the Pendleton Round-Up advises patrons to keep their clothes on at all times. The bar itself may as well have been stolen from a beach house. A large, red pool table sits in the middle of a room filled with booths and decor possibly rescued from a long-forgotten Chinese restaurant. Street signs lead to the bathrooms. If I ever become a rich eccentric, Roadside Attraction is what my living room will no doubt like.

It's non-smoking and the small menu offers entrees like crab cakes and kabobs. When the weather finally clears up I hope to add the place to my growing list of places around town to kill time on a sunny day.

Labels: Booze