{"id":10154,"date":"2014-10-30T09:30:44","date_gmt":"2014-10-30T13:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=10154"},"modified":"2014-10-30T09:30:44","modified_gmt":"2014-10-30T13:30:44","slug":"good-old-fashioned-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/good-old-fashioned-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Old Fashioned Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 2014 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

As the holidays approach, downtown becomes a festive destination.<\/h3>\n

By Olivia Gunn<\/p>\n

\"After-Dark-Nov14-(1)\"<\/a>Desserts are a perfect ending to any meal or night on the town. But if you happen to eat dessert first<\/em>, fear not, The Bar of Chocolate<\/strong> has happy hour.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve come to meet up with a college friend for chocolates and cocktails. It\u2019s the start of happy hour, and drinks and desserts are all six dollars. She orders a cosmo, and I take a risk with a key lime pie.<\/p>\n

Before we get into \u2018Olivia and Emily: A College Memoir,\u2019 our drinks arrive and we\u2019re ready to order sweets\u2013chocolate berry torte and raspberry cheesecake. Stop, I know. Did I fall on the cobblestones and end up in heaven?<\/p>\n

My key lime pie cocktail tastes like a slice of perfection, and the crusted rim is just the detail I was looking for. Emily can hardly finish her cosmo and asks for a glass of water. Not only are the drinks sweet, they\u2019re strong.<\/p>\n

The bar starts filling up as a group of bros waltzes in. They shy away from sitting nearby, and it\u2019s clear they were just as intrigued by the promise of chocolate as we were.<\/p>\n

We finish up our catch-up, pay up, and agree that this hits the spot. What better way to analyze exes, bad parties, and stupid mistakes than with dessert?<\/p>\n

Sparkling New Oasis<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, what about that<\/em> place? That place looks good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well, there\u2019s\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeen there, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can imagine how hard it\u2019s become for our friends and us to find a new spot that pleases everyone. Tonight we make our way from Ruski\u2019s in the West End down Congress, through Old Port, and end up on the East End, for some an uncharted territory.<\/p>\n

On the way up Munjoy Hill, we pass Mama\u2019s Crowbar, which only takes cash, and The Snug, a spot our friends wish to avoid, and wind up at the top. \u201cLolita<\/strong>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks too good to be true\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

From the crisp exterior, Lolita has the glow of your own mama\u2019s kitchen if she had a fully stocked bar. Yes, please! The four of us shuffle in, our cheeks rosy from the chill, and take the remaining seats at the bar. It\u2019s about 7 p.m. and all tables are reserved, but the bartender welcomes us with the wine and cocktail menus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite red?\u201d He suggests the Lagrein; it\u2019s Italian, dark, but subtle and light.<\/p>\n

My companions order Old Fashioneds that arrive on icebergs rather than rocks. The boys are quite impressed and decide they need to invest in an ice maker and pick.<\/p>\n

Lolita is a tight squeeze with little standing room, so if you find seats you\u2019re lucky, but if there is a wait, it\u2019s worth it. After two rounds, we head back into the chill with warmed, flushed faces knowing Lolita will always offer a cozy seat in the East.<\/p>\n

The Play\u2019s The Thing<\/p>\n

We\u2019re 10 minutes late, parked three blocks away, and my pumps were a really bad idea. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just park at the apartment? I could have changed my shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you wear those shoes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Parking.<\/em> The task that has brought a\u00a0 sudden storm cloud to many happy couples\u2019 evenings. It\u2019s the argument that always arises when running late for a show, dinner, or party. Tonight it\u2019s Portland Stage<\/strong>\u2019s production of Brighton Beach Memoirs<\/em> that may be interrupted by the Olivia and Filipp show.<\/p>\n

We rush to the box office, my feet blistered and cramped, to find they do<\/em> permit late seating. \u201cOh, thank you, we\u2019re so sorry.\u201d The attendant nods and with a disapproving frown hands us the tickets. \u201cWe\u2019re not usually late.\u201d She smiles at my obvious lie.<\/p>\n

We climb the stairs, which by this point might as well be Katahdin, and make our way to the back of the theater. There are few empty seats, but the theater is small enough that even from the back row you can see the entire stage perfectly.<\/p>\n

By intermission, all is well between us again. Leave it to Neil Simon to bring about hugs and apologies. Something about sharing a laugh with over 200 people keeps the tension at bay.<\/p>\n

The line for coffee and cakes is long, but we\u2019re headed out afterward, so we enjoy the people watching instead. It\u2019s a well-dressed audience; one woman even wears an evening gown. Portland\u2019s theater scene may be small compared to the lights of Broadway, but no one can claim we don\u2019t have city class.<\/p>\n

The show warrants a standing ovation from some; audiences more and more often feel this is expected of them, but it isn\u2019t. Though this performance was very good, unless you are entirely moved and literally swept to your feet, a standing ovation is not required. We notice several older couples who know this and once everyone has been re-seated, we rise and leave behind them.<\/p>\n

The walk back to the car is much less painful, and with the promise of a foot rub and a \u201cYou were right,\u201d the drama ends and the curtain drops on that argument.<\/p>\n

Piano Break<\/p>\n

After spending the afternoon at Longfellow Books<\/strong>, Sherman\u2019s<\/strong>, and Yes Books<\/strong> Christmas shopping for the perfect titles to give our loved ones\u2013a Thoreau for Ilya, Lily King\u2019s Euphoria<\/em> for Jill, and the latest Olivia the Pig<\/em> for little Paige\u2013we\u2019re ready for an evening all about us. The Old Port is perfect for holiday shopping, but when you\u2019ve got family in every state and two continents, you soon learn to simplify the giving experience. \u201cBooks. We\u2019ll do books this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

After our list is checked, we\u2019re ready to give ourselves the gift of a break and soon find ourselves at MJ\u2019s Wine Bar<\/strong> in 1 City Center. The giant, marbled bar is nearly empty but for the young woman and her man sitting at the very end. She wears a fitted red dress and he\u2019s more casual in t-shirt and jeans. The few other patrons sit far apart, one couple on the couch keeping close and an older man opposite them with his first glass of wine.<\/p>\n

For a minute we\u2019re strangers, but we approach the couple with friendly hellos. Colleen recognizes Fil and me and she introduces us to Jared. She\u2019s performing tonight as part of MJ\u2019s weekly event, \u201c88 Keys and a Lady In Red.\u201d Each Wednesday, she and two other female vocalists trade off singing jazz favorites.<\/p>\n

Colleen\u2019s pianist, Kyle Friday, arrives and she saunters to the piano. As we sip Malbec and snack on cheeses, Colleen swoons us with renditions of Billie Holiday and Etta James.<\/p>\n

The sounds of Colleen and the piano beckon more lone drinkers into the wine bar. Soon we\u2019re all sitting in silence, comforted by the wine and sultry lullabies. It\u2019s the perfect Wednesday night for the season, to warm up with a bottle of red and some of the sweet sounds of Portland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

November 2014
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