History by the Glass
by Nathan P. Gale and Alfredo Moreno
Welcome everyone to the History by the Glass podcast. Your tour of Portland, Oregon's (and beyond) famously historic and infamously endangered bars, pubs and saloons. Inspired by Paul Pintarich's "History by the Glass" book series.
Episodes
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The HBTG 50(ish) Episode Spectacular!
It's the History by the Glass 50(ish) episode spectacular! Starring Nathan P. Gale, Alfredo Moreno, and Producer Bill Clifford! And featuring guest appearances from: Jerry Benedetto of Jerry's Tavern! The Stockpot Broiler's Andy Mason! Oregonian Reporter Samantha Swindler! Bar enthusiast and…
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12 — Ponderosa Lounge & Nite Hawk Cafe and Lounge (remastered)
Breaker, breaker! The eagle and the cottonmouth are back! We return to the field of Portland’s historic bars and saloons by packing up the convoy and rolling north up the big road. First, we belly up at the over-the-top pickle park and honky-tonk, the Ponderosa Lounge at Jubitz Truck Stop (9:10)....
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49 — Wilshire Tavern
"If you smeeeeeeeeeeeeell what the HBTG boys are cookin'?!" Ohhh yeeeeah that's right brothers and sisters, Alfredo, Nathan, and Producer Bill are BACK with another cage match of an episode of History by the Glass beyond inspired by the former Portland professional wrestling legend who once owned...
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48 — Dublin Pub
Portland, Oregon is a long way from New York City boys, from Boston and PA...but still we love our Irish bars...and we revere our proud, independent, authentic AF bar proprietors. Katie Bullard and Carl Simpson started the legendary Dublin Pub in 1983, first in SE Portland where it attained peak...
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47 — Walter Mitty's
“'To hell with the handkerchief,' said Walter Mitty scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable...
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16 — Jake's Famous Crawfish & Huber's (remastered)
[NOTE: Enjoy the resurrection of this classic (kinda long, rambling, and minimally structured) HBTG episode from Season 1 , now with 100% less unlicensed Brenda Lee music!] Do you like your old Portland bars OLD? Well, they don’t get older than this. Join us for a Very Special Episode of History…
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46 — Golden Nugget Bar
Thirteen bars entered. One bar left. In the end, Milwaukie's Golden Nugget (11056 SE Main St.) -- nominated by The Oregonian's unofficial old bar beat writer Samantha Swindler -- held off 12 other nominees from across the metro area in the traditionally idiotic HBTG coin flip tournament bracket…
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45 — The Trap
“Once the kind of place where your estranged alcoholic father would buy you breakfast, the Trap now feels like that weird bar in the suburbs your friends from high school settle on for an annual evening of bad decisions the night before Thanksgiving. The Trap has grown up a bit, and so have you.”...
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44 — Your Inn Tavern
Folks, Prohibition sucked. And here in Oregon, we had it worse than most, cutting off our own booze supply in 1916 -- four years before the rest of the country. When the 18th Amendment was finally repealed in all states in 1933, Oregonians had not legally been in a bar for EIGHTEEN GODFORSAKEN...
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43 — Scooter McQuades
This month's episode finds the boys -- now officially including Producer Bill -- back in town, contemplating semi-historic and overtly political bar decor...poking around Shanghai Tunnels...eating a by-god bar burger...ogling a PERFECT men's room...possibly having one round too many...and putting...
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42 — The Rainbow Cafe (Pendleton, OR)
Thought you'd heard the last of History by the Glass? Think again! After a 6-month hiatus, Alfredo & Nate are back for their fourth season of vintage bar-going adventures. As part of their annual curiosity-laden Bourdain Day observance, the boys squeezed into an 8-seat turboprop bound for the...
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Another Round With...Samantha Swindler (The Oregonian/OregonLive)
In one of their most professional efforts ever (even with Alfredo's audio sounding like a Jack in the Box drive-thru speaker) the HBTG boys visited with Samantha Swindler -- features reporter, videographer, chronicler of all things weird, intriguing, and off-the-beaten path for The...
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41 — Ming Lounge at the Republic Cafe
Season 3 of History by the Glass reaches its culmination with a trip into the heart of Portland's historic Chinatown district to visit the century-ish old Republic Cafe (222 NW 4th Ave.) — the oldest Chinese-American restaurant in the city — and its random and remarkable Ming Lounge. Still…
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40 — Joe's Cellar
Filled with immense thanks for all YOU who have traveled with the two of US for the past six years, we celebrated Thanksgiving weekend with our second annual HBTG Audience Choice Episode. The ridiculously over-complicated Thunderdome selection process saw 12 audience-nominated old bars enter, one...
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39 — The Old Barn
"There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive." And that's just where the HBTG boys found themselves after an energy draining 2-month production delay -- rusty, slightly discombobulated, and, yes, probably a little drunker than advisable...but still...
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38 — Marathon Taverna
"Faster, Higher, Stronger...Drunker?" To commemorate these Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, the HBTG boys set their sights on the Marathon Taverna (SW 18th & Burnside), arriving just past opening at 7 a.m. alongside several of Portland's world-class early morning drinkers (including one...
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37 — Sextant Bar & Galley. etc.
*DRUMS PLEASE* Here it is, the pod, slightly transformed, just a bit of a break from the norm, just a little somethin' to break the monotony... Yes indeed, it is SUMMERTIME in the city and on the eve of America's birthday, the HBTG boys put their sunglasses on, oiled each other up like a pair of...
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36 — My Father's Place
Fathers. You have 'em, you may be 'em, you probably love 'em, and you may also drink in dark bars because of 'em. But there's no better place in Portland to linger over a stiff pour and big ol' pile of eggs while thinking about yours than My Father's Place aka MFP (523 SE Grand Ave.). Established...
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35 — McPeet's Portland Pub
Five 1/2 years ago...two earnest, but slapdash episodes into this grand experiment called the History by the Glass podcast...we were contacted out of the blue...by an actual BAR. And not just any bar, but an honest-to-god OLD bar who simply said, "Love your podcast!" -- the first inkling we had...
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34 — Dan & Louis Oyster Bar
Established in 1907, Dan & Louis Oyster Bar is Portland's oldest family-owned restaurant. Is it really a bar though? Or just a restaurant that serves drinks? We'll leave that for you to decide. But is it a FANTASTIC place to eat, drink, and connect with Old Portland? Abso-shuckin'-lutely. Yes…
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34* — Too Soon
Join us dear friends for another succinct and well produced episode of History by the Glass -- Portland most popular podcast tour of the city's freshest, hottest, and relatively historic bars, pubs, and saloons…whiskey libraries, modern speakeasies, craft brew pubs, and mixology dens. In this…
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33 — The Slammer Tavern
Remember FUN?! Well, thanks to vibrant old locals like The Slammer Tavern (500 SE 8th Ave.) it's BACK. And, hey, so are WE for a THIRD season of History by the Glass! We were thrilled to get busy living at one of Portland's most unique, friendly, and fun-loving dives (or is it?), which has been...
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32 — The Wishing Well
"It was after Christmas babe...in a Chinese restaurant dive bar...an old man said to me, won't see another one..." The season 2 finale and annual holiday special found the HBTG boys holed up at St. Johns' historic and wonderfully divey Wishing Well Chinese restaurant lounge (8800 N. Lombard St.),...
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31 — Laurelthirst Public House
Just like one of John Madden's legendary turduckens, we squeezed an obscene amount of goodness into THIS, our Thanksgiving/inaugural listener's choice/5-year anniversary special! Longtime listener Matt Wyss was our lucky winner with his submission of his live music lovin' local, the Laurelthirst...
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30 — Holman's Bar & Grill
Episode No. 30(!!) finds the HBTG boys enjoying their Halloween Spooktacular happily drinking among the undead at Holman's Bar & Grill (15 SE 28th Ave) -- no, not the youthful clientele, but the bar itself! Established in...ehhh, let's just call it pre-WWII...Holman's appeared to be ALL dead when...
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29 — A & L Sports Pub
Fall is officially upon us. Which, for the HBTG boys, means sports, sports, SPORTS! Once upon a time, the venerable Claudia’s on SE Hawthorne would’ve been atop the list of beloved old local places to grab a cold one and watch the game, but with its October closure after 75 years of service, it…
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28 — Yamhill Pub
The Yamhill Pub is a Fox News producer's wet dream. It's the grimy, thrashed, chaotic, debauched, unrepentant, undeveloped, iconically menacing "lowest down diviest dive in Portland"...and we couldn't be more proud. Established in 1933 or 1939 in a century-old downtown building, the Yamhill Pub...
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27 — Driftwood Room
Downtown Portland’s Driftwood Room has been shaking up craft cocktails and intimate, dimly lit hotel bar connections since opening in what was then Hotel Mallory (and today Hotel DeLuxe) in 1954. Once a pioneer of the city’s mixology scene, today it remains a beloved, luxurious, unctuous, and, as...
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark -- Anthony Bourdain (5 years later)
Anthony Bourdain was our generation's greatest explorer of places near and far. Five years ago, he chose to leave well before his family, friends, and fans around the world were prepared to say goodbye. His legacy is baked into our effort to celebrate the venerable bars (and the communities that...
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26 — McMenamins Barley Mill Pub
With 56 locations throughout Oregon and Washington and annual revenue in the range of $200M annually, we're willing to bet, if you're listening to this podcast, you've been to a freaking McMenamins! You know the vibe, you know the art, you know the history, and you know the consistent, if perhaps...
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25 — Slim's Restaurant & Lounge
In the course of producing this episode, our 25th HBTG bar night out, there were three things we became (fairly) certain about: 1. That Slim's Restaurant & Lounge (8635 N Lombard St.) offers one of the best, most authentic old bar experiences you'll find in Portland. 2. That Slim's is also about…
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24 — The Stockpot Broiler (ft. Andy Mason)
Belonging. Believe it or not, it's what we're all ultimately looking for when we walk into a bar as a patron or, even, an employee. We all just want to be seen and known...and the drinks taste so f--king good. The Stockpot Broiler Lounge & Restaurant (8200 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton, OR) has...
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (Friends of Bill)
Still riding the high from their Season 2 premiere at Bill's Steakhouse... *checks calendar*... EIGHT GD weeks ago (!?!?), the boys welcomed back longtime friend of the podcast and veteran Portland bar aficionado Bill Clifford in-studio to test drive a new HBTG interview segment, and reflect…
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23 — Bill's Steak House
Filled with gratitude, gravy, and goodwill, the HBTG boys emerged from their hiatus refreshed and ready to kick off season TWO of the podcast at the place it all inexplicably began nearly 5 years earlier -- Bill's Steak House (10227 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland's Parkrose neighborhood. This time,...
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22 — The Leaky Roof Gastropub & Goose Hollow Inn, Part 2
The second half of our epic Phase One finale concludes at the only place it possibly could -- the iconic Bud Clark's legendary Goose Hollow Inn. It's a place that, despite its rigorous adherence to COVID precautions at the time of our visit, STILL reminds us of all that was once good about...
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22 — The Leaky Roof Gastropub & Goose Hollow Inn, Part 1
On Feb. 7, 2018, guided by a book (brilliantly) written by a former alcoholic and newspaper man more than two decades earlier, two drinking buddies walked through the door of Bill's Steak House & Lounge on a sleepy Wednesday night, officially launching a creative, celebratory journey into the…
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21 — Dockside Saloon & Sellwood Inn/Saloon
It was just over 28 years ago to the day this episode was released -- Jan. 30, 1994...Super Bowl Sunday -- that the venerable Dockside Saloon in rapidly gentrifying industrial NW Portland was thrust into the national spotlight by that infamous trio of Eckardt, Harding, and...Gillooly. Of course…
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20 — Horse Brass Pub
It's a marshmallow world in the winter and we're channeling our inner Deano and Frank to bring you a very merry HBTG Christmas episode! This month, we pulled up a couple of stools and drank until we encountered the ghosts of Portland bars past, present, and future at the most Dickensian joint…
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19 — Stanich's & Sinnott's Lil' Cooperstown
We're baaaack! Yep, damn near 5 months after our last episode dropped, we've decided to grace our loyal and extremely patient listeners with another one — and not just any episode, but our official return to actual bar reviews! Way back on July 28 we made a midday stop at Portland's most…
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (Bourdain Day & BARS ARE OPEN!)
With most COVID-19 restrictions lifted and vaccines coursing through our bodies, we are effectively back in action! We cross through the crumbling COVID Berlin Wall looking for freedom! Do we find it by venturing out to Multnomah Village's Renner's — our last regularly scheduled HBTG stop? Give…
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Best HBTG Nights Out
Fully vaccinated and with this buzzkill of a pandemic in its waning days, the boys got out from behind their video screens to raise their drinks in person. Now, on the verge of returning to our regular programming, what better time to FINALLY release our six-month-old HBTG Best Nights Out segment...
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Cocktail (1988), Part 2
“Everything ends badly otherwise it wouldn't end.” And now for the B-side of our impassioned two-part deep dive commentary into 1988’s venerable ode to flair bartending, toxic masculinity, and unrepentant greed — Cocktail! In this episode, we join Tom Cruise in Jamaica en route to the half-assed...
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Cocktail (1988), Part 1
“When they drink, they reign.” As promised, the boys dived DEEP into 1988’s venerable ode to flair bartending, toxic masculinity, and unrepentant greed -- Cocktail! Get ready for a giddy scene-by-scene commentary tour of the Worst Picture Razzie-winning film, starring Tom Cruise. SO crack an egg...
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (Patrick F. Smith & Through My Portland Lens)
The boys checked in on another Friday night to recap Nate's first pandemic vacation, the experience of bar-going in this current era of guarded optimism, and the "Sunday Morning Coming Down" vintage photography of Patrick F. Smith. Through My Portland Lens Facebook Group:...
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (I Miss My Bar... Dot Com!)
We are back with a two-finger pour of bar musings and longing. This week, we discuss the sonic glory that is IMissMyBar.com from our amigos at the bar Maverick in Monterrey, Mexico. We loved it all so much, we even mixed in a little din of our own to help you forget about this sterile Zoom…
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (St. Patrick's Day Special!)
A St. Patrick's Day episode released ON St. Patrick's Day?! Pinch me, I'm dreaming! In a very special Shots In The Dark, Alfredo and Nathan regale us with their tales of 2021 St. Paddy's Day in Portland. Then reminisce about past holidays, Darby O'Gill, little boy parties, bagpipes, Irish…
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HBTG: Shots in the Dark (Back to Bars, Reel 'm Inn, MuuMuu's)
It's another sensible pour of Portland, Oregon’s bar news and musings. This week, Nate & Alfredo discuss getting back to the bars after Washington County drops to a "Moderate Risk." What's been great? What's been scary-ass shit? When will they go back!? Plus HBTG welcomes back an unofficial dive...
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Shots In The Dark (2/23/21)
Introducing, HBTG’s Shots in the Dark — a spontaneous, quickly downable, possibly ill-advised version of our beloved pre-pandemic deep dives! A solid 15 to 30 minutes of that one-of-a-kind content you never knew you were missing! We got together for the first one on Feb. 21, 2021, exactly one…
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Top 5 HBTG Bars (So Far)
In this episode, we FINALLY answer our most commonly asked question — “What’s your favorite old bar in Portland?” — revealing dueling top-5 lists that settle once and for all which is the city’s best. So grab a stiff drink and hit play to find out where the likes of Cheerful Tortoise [15:45],...
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COVID Update: Ready Phase 1
On May 30, 2020, we jumped in another Zoom meeting to check in with all of Paul Pintarich’s official “History by the Glass” bars (the ones that are still open anyway) at the dawn of Reopening Oregon Phase 1. We also checked in with ourselves to see what condition our condition was in as we…
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About this show
Welcome everyone to the History by the Glass podcast. Your tour of Portland, Oregon's (and beyond) famously historic and infamously endangered bars, pubs and saloons. Inspired by Paul Pintarich's "History by the Glass" book series.
Hosted by
Nathan P. Gale and Alfredo Moreno
Categories