CombatCritic's TravelValue™: brewery

Showing posts with label brewery. Show all posts

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Washougal, WA: We Walked Into A Trap, But Won't Be Coming Through That Door Anytime Soon

Trap Door Brewery

1834 Main Street

Washougal, WA 98671

(360) 314-6966

trapdoorbrewing.com/home

Prices: $$$$

$17 for a 5-inch Italian sub and $9 for a pint? Give me a break!

The food was meh, the servers couldn’t crack a smile if their lives depended on it, and the prices are flat-out insulting. I just spent 4+ years in Europe where inflation was the same (thanks Joe), yet restaurant prices didn’t skyrocket like they have here. The only explanation: good old-fashioned American greed.

The fondue was decent and the best value on the menu.

That “Italian sub” barely stretched six inches and had a whisper of meat and cheese. At best, it was worth $10 … maybe. Charging $17 is highway robbery with a pickle on the side.

Washougal doesn’t need another overpriced brewpub—there are already too many of those, along with sushi joints and Chinese takeout. A mom & pop Italian restaurant with red and white checker tablecloths and candles melting down Chianti bottles would be a welcome sight this side of Olive Garden. This was our first visit and it will be our last.

CombatCritic gives Trap Door Brewery 4 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better … Unless You’re On The Receiving End!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Monday, May 20, 2019

Portland, OR: Four QC Concerns During Our First Visit Led Me To A Mediocre Rating

Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
210 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
Pearl District
Phone number (503) 296-4906
Website: deschutesbrewery.com
Prices: $$$$

Needing some chow before the play we were going to see at The Armory, which is just next door, we decided on Deschutes because of its proximity and Portland's inclement, crappy weather that particular evening.

The place was packed on a Sunday evening around 6pm, a surprise because downtown Portland is not normally particularly busy on Sunday nights in our limited experience. We were told it would be a 30-40 minutes wait, too late to eat and still get to he theatre in time, but we happened upon a table in the bar that was just being vacated by a very nice young couple ... we're in!

I ordered a Clearly An Imperial Ale (IBU 70, ABV 6.7 - $5.75), but was not particularly hoppy about the snifter it came in. I guess I should have read the small print, but my eyes, along with a few other of my body parts, are not quite as good as they used to be. DRAT!

We decided on an IPA Pretzel, coming with melted Monterey Jack Cheese Sauce and Black Butte Porter Stone Ground Mustard ($10.50) as an appetizer. The pretzel was piping hot, straight out of the oven, crispy outside and soft inside, but the cheese sauce was lukewarm and a bit of a bummer.

I tried to order another beer before our meals arrived, having asked three servers that had come by over a ten minute period to drop off the pretzel, fill our waters, and so on, but they all told me I had to wait for the bar staff. About 10 minutes later, a male server finally came by with another snifter half-full of the same IPA, but I told him that I had planned to order their Extrafjordinary Porter ($6.25). He took the IPA back, giving me a strange look as if the faux pas was somehow my fault. The porter arrived a few minutes later and everything was copacetic.

I went with the Pub Burger w/ Bacon and Garlic Fries ($18.25) and my wife the Black Butte Porter Mac & Cheese ($15.75). My burger was quite tasty, coming on a toasted brioche bun along with a side of fries covered with garlic sauce and an unknown grated cheese. The fries were also lukewarm and the garlic sauce a tad chilly, another QC problem and the third (cold pretzel sauce and wrong beer) in our short time there. My wife's Mac & Cheese came with some very odd looking pasta and there was hardly enough cheese sauce to coat the pasta. The presentation was OK, but there were drops of extra cheese sauce scattered around the rim of the bowl. It was also extremely bland with not enough sauce and very little flavor - QC problem #4. The server was nice enough to remove the Mac & Cheese from our bill, a very nice gesture, after we told him about the lack of flavor in the dish.

The ambiance of the large room was quite pleasant, reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest with lots of carved oak, open doorways, tall windows, and old photos and paintings on the walls. We had a decent meal and enjoyed the space, but the problems and positives resulted in a zero sum outcome and a very middle of the road rating from me.

CombatCritic Gives Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Portland, OR: Decent Chow, But Not Too Hoppy With The Higher Than Average Prices

Von Ebert Brewing

14021 NE Glisan Street

Portland, OR 97230

Hazelwood, Northeast Portland

Phone number (503) 878-8708

Website: vonebertbrewing.com

Prices: $$$$

I play golf at Glendoveer quite often, being a member of their PDP Program, so I thought I had to try the latest restaurant to be located on the premises. It was a toasty day in early August, up around 100 degrees the day I was there, but their patio was comfortable and the view of the 10th hole serene until the toddler at the far end of the patio started screaming at the top of his lungs.

My server, Ryan, was friendly and efficient, but when I ordered a "CAN" of the Blood Orange IPA ($6/16 oz. glass or $5/16 oz. can), he told me "we do not serve cans, they are only for take-out". I asked why cans are even an option on the "eat-in" menu if you cannot order them, but I did not receive a reply. I paid the extra $1 for the glass and was pretty "hoppy" with the IPA even though their beer prices are about a buck higher than most places in town.

With Ryan's input, I ordered the Elevated Emily ($12) sandwich with brisket, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms on a ciabatta roll with a side of au jus, as well as a side of Cajun fries ($3 - sandwiches and burgers do not come with a side BTW) for a grand total of $15. A tad on the high side for a sandwich, it was actually quite tasty although a bit small for the price.

Not a horrible value, I have eaten better, more robust sandwiches (with fries) and have drunk equivalent brews at other local establishments, having paid a total of $3 to $5 (per person) less on average. I do not see myself going out of my way to eat here in the future, but may try their Happy Hour menu sometime as its prices are much more reasonable.

CombatCritic Gives Von Ebert Brewing (East) 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Dillon, CO: Dam It ... Small Burgers And Hidden Upcharges Tainted This Special Occassion

Dillon Dam Brewery

100 Little Dam Street
Dillon, CO 80435
Phone: (970) 262-7777
Website: dambrewery.com

Not bad, not great. I went with my two sons who I had not seen for 6 months and, although it was a Friday night, we were seated rather quickly. Peter, our server, promptly arrived for our drink orders. We had three of their house drafts, me a Here's Your Dam IPA and my boys a McLuhr's Irish Stout and Sweet George's Brown respectively ($5 each). The beers were good, but all a bit too "smoky" for my taste, smokiness must be a Dam Brewery thing - Dam it!

For dinner we went with sandwiches, me a "Rodeo" ($11.95) with a beef patty, cheddar, bacon, caramelized onions and Bar-B-Q sauce on the side with French fries. The burger was very basic, small and uninteresting, likely a frozen patty of 5-6 ounces max. My youngest (soon to be 29) had the Munich Schnitzel Sammy ($10.95), a breaded pork cutlet and smoked gouda on a pretzel bun, accompanied by apple slaw, beer mustard, and fries. I tasted it and it was also nothing special. A "schnitzel cordon bleu" sandwich would have been much better, but my son seemed to like it. My oldest (30) also ordered a Rodeo but with a bison patty ($4 Extra - $15.95), with cheddar, bacon, caramelized onions and Bar-B-Q sauce, opting to swap Mexican Beer Cheese Soup for the fries. The server asked if he wanted a bowl of soup instead of a cup and my son concurred, only to find out that the price had ballooned from $15.95 to $21.20 when the check arrived. It would have been nice to have been informed of the $5.25 up-charge when placing the order, but so you have it.

The sandwiches were decent, not great, the burger patties being a tad on the small side (± 5-6 ounces). My burger arrived with what I perceived to be no caramelized onions, so I sent it back. The server brought the dish back a few minutes later telling me that they were under the cheese while my son's had been on top of his Rodeo's cheddar cheese. Odd I thought, until the check arrived and I found out that I had not been charged for what I ordered (a Rodeo), but for a build your own burger ($9.25) with cheddar ($1.35), bacon ($1.35), caramelized onions ($1.00) for a total of $12.95, a dollar more than what I had ordered and what Peter had agreed to when I ordered it.

Rather than make a fuss about the unannounced upcharges, I simply deducted the amount we were overcharged from the 20% tip Peter would have received for the decent, not great, service he provided, leaving him with a respectable 16.5%.

Server Lesson Learned: Give the customer what they order and, if you do not, inform them of any upcharges PRIOR to submitting their order, do not surprise us with unexpected charges when the bill arrives.

CombatCritic Gives Dillon Dam Brewery 6 Bombs Out Of 10 With Deductions For Unannounced Upcharges And Mediocre Food At Above Average Prices ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

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Title: Dillon, CO: Dam It ... Small Burgers And Hidden Upcharges Tainted This Special Occassion

Key Words: Dillon Dam Brewery, Dillon, dam, brewery, CO, Colorado, beer, hamburger, pub, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: G2G = "Good To Go"

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