A new bar called the Morrison Hotel opened yesterday in the SE Morrison storefront formerly occupied by La Villa. La Villa, is missed, of course, but I like the new place—I stopped by yesterday, and it proved a great spot to have a couple beers and enjoy a game of Scrabble (all I want out of a bar, really). The owners have done a nice job dressing up the space a little: there’s now a bar area with a lovely redwood bar and seating, as well as a dining room; the murals are gone, and the walls have been repainted a really pretty dark green; the whole place has a clubby, beer-and-scotch kind of a vibe.
And beer is the thing. The bar boasts over 80 bottled beers, with a few taps as well—didn’t catch what any of the taps were, save for a Caldera amber. The emphasis is on bottles, though. I knocked back a bottle of Hair of the Dog’s Fred, a sweet and treacherous golden strong ale, followed by a bartender-recommended Celis White, a summery, citrusy wheat. Prices range from $2.50 for a Session o $12 for 22 oz of Moylan’s Double IPA (not for the faint of heart). There’s also a full bar, and an as-yet limited selection of food that yesterday included tuna empanadas, $5; pinchitos morunos (marinated pork skewers), $6; and boquerones (anchovies), $6. I didn’t try any of their food, but I look forward to it—all told, it seems like a great addition to the neighborhood. I’ll definitely be back.

Morrison Hotel, 719 SE Morrison, 236-7080; open daily with a happy hour from 5-6:30, according to their sign ($3 wells, $1 off calls), and lunch service slated to start soon. Non-smoking, kids kosher until 9pm

(I stole that image from PDX pipeline, which has some impressions of the place and more photos here)