Moonshot Tavern — Restaurant in Portland

This place has been a few different restaurants over the last 20 years; Moonshot feels like a natural fit for the neighborhood that could have been here for ages. Bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, recognizable faces from the Portland bar scene for years. Colors, details, design, and lighting are tasteful and comfortable--not too stuffy, trendy, grungey, or cookie cutter. Prices are fair, drinks are great, food (which I didn't get to try) looks awesome, and there are plenty of seating options inside and out, good for anything from a date to a group. 5 pinball machines in a separate back room is always a huge plus! In many ways this feels like the ideal "dive bar for grown ups;" unpretentious, casually classy, seems like a perfect stop for a night out in the area--dinner, drinks, and a movie all on one block. Will...

Went last night on my birthday. It was 90 degrees outside and close to that inside, I guess no AC? Music was loud but we could still hear each other until it was cranked up halfway through our meal so it meant it was hard to hear each other. Food: Barbecue Shrimp - tasty sauce, way over cooked shrimp came with cornbread instead of baguette even though we didn't ask for a substitution. Hard to soak up the sauce w cornbread. Asparagus - asparagus was super tasty with light smokiness. The egg however was raw. Not soft, the white of the egg was runny. Disappointing. Iceberg salad - the lettuce was not crisp, it was limp like it had been sitting under a heat lamp. Otherwise it was super flavorful. So not sure if I would...

The BLT I was served was fantastic, the potato salad was very good, and the Old Fashioned was great. I don’t normally write reviews, but the food was so surprisingly good (I was expecting the normal fair to middling pub fare), I feel compelled to give the chef kudos. I like to check the quality of a new place by the BLT, and I’m having a hard time remembering enjoying a better one (and I’m, well, old). The Heirloom tomatoes burst in my mouth, the bacon was perfectly crispy, and everything was super fresh. I couldn’t have asked for better, and I think I’m going to try everything on the menu, assuming I don’t get...