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| Photo Courtesy of libertinedeli.com |
The Libertine is serving Beer and Wine now and pulled me in like a magnet. It had a fine selection of wine and beer, and small plates at a fair price. They don't serve the commercial crap wine served overpriced at other restaurants, but wines you may come across when touring a small winery. The ambiance was simply stated, and if I were inclined to escape the insanity of my children for a moment, and watch a 2nd half of the Timbers game at a local strip mall cafe, this would be it. It's not some over hyped sports bar where the crowd outside of smokers is larger than the one inside - I'm not trading one insanity for another.
It's also not your typical strip mall cafe crammed with video poker and other ways for them to take our money. Are you a cafe? A bar? A pub? The identity here is clear - local public house. Tables were quaint, the owners are present, music was good, and they featured sports on the television in lieu of infomercials. Even though this looks like a soccer mom's afternoon out, they do a fine job at enticing the soccer dads as well.
I always wonder about this particular corner of Saltzman and Barnes, just south of the Cedar Mill Library and the sleepy little strip mall we tend to scoot on by. We ignore the Walgreens while we head for Target. We fly by the TruValue Hardware on our way to Home Depot, and we skip past the little Napa Auto for the new AutoZone. It's like a theme from the Disney movie CARS. I've often wondered why this mall sits in yesteryear while so much progress is trying to take place around it. Is it the proud local business owners such as the tailor and laundry mat? Is it the large land lord that can't afford to make capital improvements, because the rents are low. I assumed the latter. It's not uncommon when the rents are low, no improvements are made. If no improvements are made, the rents stay low, and these types of malls spiral into a dead mall as a result of losing the anchor tenant. It's cyclical and sad.
Through subtle interrogation, I discovered none of this was true. There is actually a plan in place for the whole mall to be knocked down and rebuilt in it's entirety. Maybe there will be life after the dead mall. Stores are going to get moved around, and get new facilities. Maybe it will be street friendly, and pedestrian friendly. Perhaps, there will be courtyards full of life and fountains. Fingers crossed that the black-top parking lots will be replaced with patios for people watching.
I can't wait for PROGRESS!!!!
For more information about the Libertine, visit: http://libertinedeli.com
