Lunch at MacTarnahan's Taproom
On Tuesday I had the good fortune of visiting MacTarnahan's Taproom as part of a business lunch. I've been at the Taproom twice before, long before I started this blog. For more about the history of the Portland Brewery and MacTarnahan's label, see this post.
The building (pictured left) is a beautiful old building in Northwest Portland. This area in general is highly industrialized, being part of the Port of Portland and close to the Willamette River. However, the neighborhood where the Taproom sits is a transition point from industrial to housing (and beyond that, Forest Park). Parking is limited and can be a challenge, but we were fortunate to find an empty spot in the lot.
The inside of the Taproom is open and spacious. One of the first things you notice when you walk in are the giant copper kettles (pictured right). Polished and gleaming with large arched windows letting the light pour in, they were quite beautiful.
Turning 180 from the gleaming copper, the first thing you notice is the bar (pictured left). A chalkboard displays limited releases, old MacTarnahan standbys, year-round brews, and taproom exclusives. The ceramic tap dispensers are quite pretty, but one can't help but notice that the majority of the taps are Pyramid varieties. There's a fair-sized indoor eating area, and we had made reservations, but still found ourselves out on the covered patio. Not a bad option on a warm, sunny day...there were some small flies buzzing around from time to time but they didn't ruin the meal.
The lunch menu is typical pub fare: salads, sandwiches, burgers, and the like. I had the fish and chips, and they were good, especially the beer batter and tartar sauce, though I would have preferred halibut instead of cod. My co-workers said the Reuben was not bad, and high marks were given to the buffalo chicken sandwich.
I made the mistake of briefly glancing at the drink menu instead of studying it, and because I wanted to try a limited release, I quickly selected the Ink Blot Baltic Porter (pictured right). Only later did I see the Red Fig Wheat (which I've never tried) and Pyramid Apricot Ale (which I really like), and probably would have chosen one of them instead. The Baltic Porter was not bad, with roasted malt and chocolate notes, but seemed a little bitter, and was very heavy and thick, a curious choice for a summertime limited release. Ink Blot is an appropriate name. Not quite up to the standards of some other top-shelf Porters I've sampled, but not terrible either.
The service was good, and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. None had outrageous personalities, which can either make service fun or miserable, depending on the person's charm. Overall it was a good time and I'd definitely return to try the Red Fig Wheat and tour the brewery.
The building (pictured left) is a beautiful old building in Northwest Portland. This area in general is highly industrialized, being part of the Port of Portland and close to the Willamette River. However, the neighborhood where the Taproom sits is a transition point from industrial to housing (and beyond that, Forest Park). Parking is limited and can be a challenge, but we were fortunate to find an empty spot in the lot.
The inside of the Taproom is open and spacious. One of the first things you notice when you walk in are the giant copper kettles (pictured right). Polished and gleaming with large arched windows letting the light pour in, they were quite beautiful.
Turning 180 from the gleaming copper, the first thing you notice is the bar (pictured left). A chalkboard displays limited releases, old MacTarnahan standbys, year-round brews, and taproom exclusives. The ceramic tap dispensers are quite pretty, but one can't help but notice that the majority of the taps are Pyramid varieties. There's a fair-sized indoor eating area, and we had made reservations, but still found ourselves out on the covered patio. Not a bad option on a warm, sunny day...there were some small flies buzzing around from time to time but they didn't ruin the meal.The lunch menu is typical pub fare: salads, sandwiches, burgers, and the like. I had the fish and chips, and they were good, especially the beer batter and tartar sauce, though I would have preferred halibut instead of cod. My co-workers said the Reuben was not bad, and high marks were given to the buffalo chicken sandwich.
I made the mistake of briefly glancing at the drink menu instead of studying it, and because I wanted to try a limited release, I quickly selected the Ink Blot Baltic Porter (pictured right). Only later did I see the Red Fig Wheat (which I've never tried) and Pyramid Apricot Ale (which I really like), and probably would have chosen one of them instead. The Baltic Porter was not bad, with roasted malt and chocolate notes, but seemed a little bitter, and was very heavy and thick, a curious choice for a summertime limited release. Ink Blot is an appropriate name. Not quite up to the standards of some other top-shelf Porters I've sampled, but not terrible either.
The service was good, and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. None had outrageous personalities, which can either make service fun or miserable, depending on the person's charm. Overall it was a good time and I'd definitely return to try the Red Fig Wheat and tour the brewery.
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