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]
Menu
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]
History
The bar replaced longtime Greek diner Niki's Restaurant.[15][16] Partners Jacob Carey, Aaron Hall, and Page Finlay opened Dig a Pony with Gregory Gourdet as consulting chef.[17] 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".[18] The bar hosted an anniversary celebration featuring free music.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[22] Dig a Pony closed in June 2022,[23] and was replaced by the music venue Lollipop Shop in October.[24][25]
Reception
The bar's exterior at night in 2022
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)",[26] and Lizzy Acker's 2017 list of "23 places to go dancing in Portland".[27]101 Places to Get F*cked Up Before You Die (2014) said the bar's staff were "easy on the eyes".[28]
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!"[29] In 2017, Tan Vinh of The Seattle Times said the bar "spins soul and has the soul of old Portland".[30]
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