I Love a Rainy Night

[December 12th, 2007]

Like most of the hangouts in the slowly burgeoning “TweBu” neighborhood, Red Flag (344 NE 28th Ave., 232-0507)—a dimly lit bar in the shell of the not-much-missed Geraldi’s Cafe Renaissance—can’t decide whether it’s a classy joint or a dive. On the one hand, there’s some nice art on the walls, paintings on the ceiling and good liquor behind the bar. On the other, the (cheap) menu consists entirely of hot dogs, sandwiches and other things that the bartender can prepare in the microwave—and not one of the three beers on tap was born in the Northwest. Memo to Portland: Stella Artois is the Budweiser of Europe, and does not count as a microbrew. Red Flag’s service is friendly, though, and the quiet, non-smoking atmosphere is nice enough to excuse a little cognitive dissonance. Not that any of that matters when you’re sipping a nice whiskey ginger ($2.75 at happy hour) by the window, listening to a great mix from the jukebox (Northwest indie-pop paired with Grandmaster Flash) and watching the rain.