Sellwood Public House
Cozy spot books best acoustic music, gaming too

by Bruce Gifford

The Sellwood Public House is a cozy, non-smoking public space with good food, wine, live music and gaming.

The Public House is upstairs in a vintage building at 8132 S.E. 13th Ave., in the Sellwood District of Portland. You can spot it when you see their new sign from the corner of S.E. 13th and Tacoma.

Sellwood Public House is booking the BEST acoustic musicians. They feature live music every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. In September, they'll have Charlie Barker, Bob Shoemaker & Sellwood Slim (every Friday night at 10 p.m.), Angel Rhodes, Mystic Canyon, Dean Officer, Peter Bach, Jim Proctore, Jason Henderson, Scott Gallegos, Jesse Meade, Jill Trenholm, Taurus Rising, Arlie Conner, Katie Naylor, Jim Proctor to name a few.

Live music, cash poker tournaments, steel-tip darts, ping pong, foosball, sporting events, free WiFi, great food and drink provide something for everyone in the true spirit of a public house. And the house has the space to house all these activities comfortably.

The bar and dining space is near the stage. It's a relaxed atmosphere to sip on a glass of wine or beer, enjoy some company, eat and listen to local performance artists play for your enjoyment. Gaming is featured in a spacious room behind the stage.

Some of the new items at the Sellwood Public House include the menu, 12 beers on tap, fully-stocked bar, steel-tip dart boards, historical Sellwood pictures, including one that shows the public house building when it housed a hardware store and had a giant ad for Fine Cigars painted on the side. Other innovations are evident, such as fine wines from Burdigala Wine Shop, commitment to service, increased and upgraded air conditioning, Mel's cookin', live acoustic music in the front room, clean kitchen. Social gaming Texas Hold'em poker is available, with a cash buy-in. Sign-ups start at 8 with the tournaments beginning at 8:30.

Burdigala Wine Shop is just down the street at 8317 S.E. 13th Ave. Owner Dididir Sutra personally selects wines for the Sellwood House. Burdigala features live music during wine tasting. After the tasting, they move their celebration to the public house. It's the epitome of business cooperating to serve the public good. Paul McMinn, pub owner, says that Sutra is originally from Bordeaux, France, and has been in the wine business all his life. (Find out more about Burdigala Wine Shop at www.burdigalawine.com).

McMinn and his wife Carrie have operated the Sellwood Public House since March of this year. Mel Spence joined the public house as kitchen master a month after Paul and Carrie took over the business. Spence has a knack for cooking that's undeniable. He explains the intricacies of cooking a batch of fries while enjoying a beer with this writer. Not everything can be revealed, but there is something about pre-soaking the potatoes and double blanching. Spence mentions that he likes to use zero trans fat oil.

The menu includes New York and gourmet-style pizza, burgers, sandwiches, a hummus plate, meat or veggie lasagna. Spence's personal favorites on the menu are the French dip and the meatball sub. Paul and Spence are working on a Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich, to be on the menu soon.

Raina and Nicole were working the bar this night. Raina serves food, pours drinks and studies at Lewis and Clark College. She says that they get a fair number of customers from Lewis & Clark, as well as Reed College, both close by. Nicole helps in the kitchen and serves.

The Sellwood Public House is a great place for banquets, parties, meetings and special events. They have a large banquet room, great staff and good food. Paul and Carrie are accommodating hosts. It is worth your time to step upstairs at the Sellwood Public House and introduce yourselves.

Additional details about Sellwood Public House can be found at www.sellwoodpublichouse.com. Also, see ad and Music on Tap this issue.