I debated referencing the Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop in my post title but that's not very “punk rock”. Nor is it probably fair to put "Blitz in the Ladd" in such esteemed company as Punk Rock's Elite. Don't get me wrong, I watched the movie, 'Rock and Roll High School', and that wasn't the essence of cool either but you got to cut the Ramones some slack. For those who are scratching their heads about the song, Blitzkrieg Bop, it's the Ramones tune that starts out "Aye Oh, Let's Go...", that was featured in the comedy classic, National Lampoons Family Vacation. Think Rusty and Audrey in the back of the Family Truckster with their headphones on. Ah, the days of summer road trips in the family station wagon. Don't even try to tell me that today’s minivans have the same panache as station wagons. Station wagons were tanks without the rotating cannon. Only in America can the everyman own some guns and a wood paneled tank. Hmmm, I seem to recall a James Garner and C Thomas Howell movie with a similar plotline except there was an actual tank involved.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088224/
Anyway, this little write-up is to recap on my recent visit to a sports bar in SE Portland in Ladd's addition called "Blitz in the Ladd". The Ladd's area is inner SE Portland near the Hawthorne/Division area. It was a Saturday afternoon and the troops were restless. The gang had a few, collective objectives:
- Find a decent place to watch an NBA Playoff Game without subjecting the non-sportsfan friends to the torture of 3 hours of basketball. In other words, find a place where a TV wasn't the sole diversion.
- Find a bar in the SE that doesn't terribly suck. I love SE Portland and it's great in so many ways. However, the bar options always seem limited.
Pretty meager requirements for that warm fuzzy feeling that accompanies good times with good friends on Memorial Day Weekend. No "rain camping" for this kid.
Initial impressions upon walking in the front door:
1. This place is pretty big and spacious.
2. There is a giant bar and they serve liquor (if that is your thing). I like the option.
3. There’s a lot of natural light if you are there prior to nightfall. I like light. To be fair in assessing this establishment, I think my review needs to be broken into two summaries: Blitz as a dining establishment and as a bar.
Let’s start with the positive. The Blitz is a pretty dang good bar.
Upside (Bar):
1. They have the following games: foosball, pool, two long shuffleboard tables (free), ping-pong tables and steel point darts.
Note: If you want to play ping pong, you better bring your A game. There are some hardcore pongers in the house that appear to spend all day there.
2. They have many nice big screen HD TVs. This would be a great place to watch a Blazer game.
3. The clientele seemed closer to my age which is nice. I feel a little out of sorts hanging with 21 year olds at the bar.
4. It seemed like a neighborhood bar. People were actually friendly and social; can be hard to find in Portland at times.
5. I think that they have about 10+ beers on tap.
6. They have at least 10 nice, new leather couches for relaxing.
7. Overall, I think they did a really nice job of filling a large space to make it feel comfortable and cozy.
8. They have a big garage door that they will open when the weather is nice. I like that touch as well.
9. We were able to hop on the shuffleboard without waiting more than a few minutes. Pretty remarkable for 8pm on a Saturday night (and the bar was pretty well populated).
10. They had really good service.
Downside (Dining Establishment):
1. The food was either bad or bland.
2. We got some fries and onion rings as appetizers and they were fine but the portions were pretty ridiculous. I would equate the amount of fries similar to a Biggie Fry from Wendys same with the Onion Ring portion size.
3. After a couple more hours, we ordered some main courses.
a. I ordered a fresh made pizza with pepperoni and jalapenos. It’s hard to make a pizza with these ingredients bland but they did it.
b. My friend got a Margareta pizza and same thing. It was so bland, she ate 2 small slices and called it quits.
c. My other two buddies got burgers based on our server’s recommendation. The burgers looked weak and got poor reviews from my friends. I’ll actually quote one of them for your reference, “The burger was horrible. Low part of the night. How can you mess up a burger?”
4. I noticed on the menu that they had asparagus on the menu for like $2 or $3 bucks. I saw someone ordered it and it looked good. I think it’s impossible to mess up asparagus so I will probably seek that out next time; if I’m in need of nourishment. How can they mess that up?
In summary, a great bar to hit up with your friends. Especially if you want to watch some sports and even if you don’t want to watch sports. I would grab something to eat before you get there. I love bar food and am pretty forgiving because I expect less from a bar kitchen. I think they should probably fire their kitchen manager or order their food from a different supplier. For a space that big, they have the opportunity to sell a lot of food; I can’t believe that they haven’t noticed how poor their food product is. If this place comes up with one signature dish, they could really make some bank.
I believe they also have a Blitz in the Pearl in NW Portland. I have not visited that site nor do I know anything about that place as a bar or dining establishment. The Blitz in the Ladd is hands-down the best sports bar in SE Portland (far better than Grand Central, Claudias, Bucket Brigade, etc).
Upon finishing my review, I decided to read some of the reviews on Yelp. There are a lot of negative comments regarding the poor service and other factors. I would like to make the disclaimer that I have only visited Blitz one time but all 4 of us had a grand time. Outside of the food, they nailed it and I’m looking forward to returning in the near future. I hope that my next visits are as satisfying as my first visit. All and all, it’s a safe place to test drive at least once if you are looking for a sports bar in the inner SE.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blitz-ladd-portland
Note: This was my second review and preceded my blog. As a result, I only have two pictures that don’t really capture much. Future pics will be far more telling than these inclusions.
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