Dig a Pony | |
---|---|
| |
Restaurant information | |
Established | July 28, 2011 |
Closed | June 2022 |
Owner(s) |
|
Previous owner(s) |
|
Food type | American |
Street address | 736 Southeast Grand Avenue |
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97214 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°31′03″N 122°39′38″W / 45.5174°N 122.6605°W |
Website |
digaponyportland |
Dig a Pony (DAP) [1] was a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon. [2] Named after the Beatles' song of the same name, [3] the business opened in mid 2011. Dig a Pony closed in June 2022, following an ownership change.
Dig a Pony was a popular bar on Grand Avenue, at the intersection with Morrison, [4] in southeast Portland. [5] Named after the Beatles' 1970 song of the same name, Dig a Pony had a 40-person horseshoe-shaped bar, as well as a century-old piano, vintage church pews, and stained glass. [6] According to The Oregonian, the walls were "decorated with vintage pictures, animal skulls, color-coded books and a two-tiered bar lined with glittering bottles". [7]
The menu included American cuisine [8] such as sautéed mushrooms with soft egg and French fries, chicken thighs with stewed tomatoes and almonds, and a barbecue tempeh sandwich served with avocado and citrus coleslaw. [9] The drink menu included a Bloody Mary called Blood on the Bayou, [10] and the Lomo (bourbon, ginger drinking vinegar, yellow chartreuse, orange bitters, soda water). [11] The bar began using cheese from Bandon-based Face Rock Creamery in 2015. [12] The business has served pie and Montel Spinozza for Thanksgiving. [13]
When Burger Stevens moved into the kitchen, the menu included hamburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, a Cuban-inspired sandwich with barbecue pork, ham and pickles, and broccoli with green ranch and pickled peppers. [14]
The bar replaced longtime Greek diner Niki's Restaurant. [15] Partners Jacob Carey, Aaron Hall, and Page Finlay opened Dig a Pony with Gregory Gourdet as consulting chef. [16] The bar opened on July 28, 2011, with Josef Valoff as kitchen manager. [9] Within a few months, several interior decorations were stolen, including a taxidermy pheasant nicknamed " David Bowie". [17] The bar hosted an anniversary celebration featuring free music. [18]
In 2015, the bar and Face Rock Creamery's president Greg Drobot hosted Mongers' Lodge Night featuring cheese samples, cocktails, music, and happy hour specials. [12] Don Salamone, owner of the food cart Burger Stevens, moved into the kitchen in 2018. [14] A walk-up window for Burger Stevens opened on the Morrison Street side of Dig a Pony in 2019. [19] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Salamone served takeout Italian meals as Stevens Italiano; the meals included chicken cacciatore, rigatoni in tomato sauce, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. [20]
In 2022, the business was sold to Elizabeth Elder and Bryan Wollen of Lose Yr Mind Fest, as well as Devon and Tyler Treadwell of the Tulip Shop Tavern in north Portland. [21] It closed in June 2022. [22]
Michael Russell included Dig a Pony in The Oregonian's 2014 list of Portland's 100 best bars. [7] The business was also included in Samantha Bakall's 2016 list of the city's 10 best "high dives (aka the hipster bars)", [23] and Lizzy Acker's 2017 list of "23 places to go dancing in Portland". [24] 101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die (2014) said the bar's staff were "easy on the eyes". [25]
Pete Cottell included Dig a Pony in Thrillist's 2015 list of "10 Portland Bars You Should Avoid Once You're 30" and wrote: "The idea of 'bridge and tunnel bars' has caught on in Portland, and with this place being packed out with neon-clad bros from Beaverton aggressively doing laps and Tinder-ing rather than actually talking to humans of the female variety here, Dig A Pony is the terminally hip Eastside's primary offender. Good food if you show up early enough to get a table, though!" [26] In 2017, Tan Vinh of The Seattle Times said the bar "spins soul and has the soul of old Portland". [27]
Dig a Pony | |
---|---|
| |
Restaurant information | |
Established | July 28, 2011 |
Closed | June 2022 |
Owner(s) |
|
Previous owner(s) |
|
Food type | American |
Street address | 736 Southeast Grand Avenue |
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97214 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°31′03″N 122°39′38″W / 45.5174°N 122.6605°W |
Website |
digaponyportland |
Dig a Pony (DAP) [1] was a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon. [2] Named after the Beatles' song of the same name, [3] the business opened in mid 2011. Dig a Pony closed in June 2022, following an ownership change.
Dig a Pony was a popular bar on Grand Avenue, at the intersection with Morrison, [4] in southeast Portland. [5] Named after the Beatles' 1970 song of the same name, Dig a Pony had a 40-person horseshoe-shaped bar, as well as a century-old piano, vintage church pews, and stained glass. [6] According to The Oregonian, the walls were "decorated with vintage pictures, animal skulls, color-coded books and a two-tiered bar lined with glittering bottles". [7]
The menu included American cuisine [8] such as sautéed mushrooms with soft egg and French fries, chicken thighs with stewed tomatoes and almonds, and a barbecue tempeh sandwich served with avocado and citrus coleslaw. [9] The drink menu included a Bloody Mary called Blood on the Bayou, [10] and the Lomo (bourbon, ginger drinking vinegar, yellow chartreuse, orange bitters, soda water). [11] The bar began using cheese from Bandon-based Face Rock Creamery in 2015. [12] The business has served pie and Montel Spinozza for Thanksgiving. [13]
When Burger Stevens moved into the kitchen, the menu included hamburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, a Cuban-inspired sandwich with barbecue pork, ham and pickles, and broccoli with green ranch and pickled peppers. [14]
The bar replaced longtime Greek diner Niki's Restaurant. [15] Partners Jacob Carey, Aaron Hall, and Page Finlay opened Dig a Pony with Gregory Gourdet as consulting chef. [16] The bar opened on July 28, 2011, with Josef Valoff as kitchen manager. [9] Within a few months, several interior decorations were stolen, including a taxidermy pheasant nicknamed " David Bowie". [17] The bar hosted an anniversary celebration featuring free music. [18]
In 2015, the bar and Face Rock Creamery's president Greg Drobot hosted Mongers' Lodge Night featuring cheese samples, cocktails, music, and happy hour specials. [12] Don Salamone, owner of the food cart Burger Stevens, moved into the kitchen in 2018. [14] A walk-up window for Burger Stevens opened on the Morrison Street side of Dig a Pony in 2019. [19] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Salamone served takeout Italian meals as Stevens Italiano; the meals included chicken cacciatore, rigatoni in tomato sauce, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. [20]
In 2022, the business was sold to Elizabeth Elder and Bryan Wollen of Lose Yr Mind Fest, as well as Devon and Tyler Treadwell of the Tulip Shop Tavern in north Portland. [21] It closed in June 2022. [22]
Michael Russell included Dig a Pony in The Oregonian's 2014 list of Portland's 100 best bars. [7] The business was also included in Samantha Bakall's 2016 list of the city's 10 best "high dives (aka the hipster bars)", [23] and Lizzy Acker's 2017 list of "23 places to go dancing in Portland". [24] 101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die (2014) said the bar's staff were "easy on the eyes". [25]
Pete Cottell included Dig a Pony in Thrillist's 2015 list of "10 Portland Bars You Should Avoid Once You're 30" and wrote: "The idea of 'bridge and tunnel bars' has caught on in Portland, and with this place being packed out with neon-clad bros from Beaverton aggressively doing laps and Tinder-ing rather than actually talking to humans of the female variety here, Dig A Pony is the terminally hip Eastside's primary offender. Good food if you show up early enough to get a table, though!" [26] In 2017, Tan Vinh of The Seattle Times said the bar "spins soul and has the soul of old Portland". [27]