As I previously mentioned, Holly agreed to take me out to the Thompson Brewery & Public House on Valentine's Day; I did not know how much she was looking forward to the dinner. All throughout the day she would mention how excited she was to be going to the pub. It's an odd twist to have one's wife actually excited to celebrate the only publicly acknowledged romantic holiday in a less-than romantic setting, but I have a very special wife who surprises me with her compatibility on a regular basis.

I am usually nervous when I try out a new restaurant; I never know what I'm walking into. I'm unsure about the food, the service, the decor, and the atmosphere, thus most of my first-time visits aren't as pleasant as the ones that follow. My trip to the Thompson Brewery & Public House was different. I was excited about going, Holly was excited about going, and I was determined I would have a good time no matter what. It's amazing what a little attitude adjustment like that can do for an evening's dining.

We arrived a couple of minutes late, for what would an evening out with the two of us be like if we were actually on time? Once one has a reputation one must do one's best to keep that up, and thus ours (or rather mine) is well intact, though only nearly. Surprisingly, Thompson's was crowded and there was a wait at the door. It was at that moment I was both glad we made reservations, and wondered if those reservations were remembered. It took a couple of moments for Holly to flag down a passing waiter and ask about our reservations; true to the concept they had reserved a table for us, so up the stairs we went, around a couple of corners, through a narrow hallway, to tuck ourselves back in a small room with but four tables, and a few fellow diners.

One of our fellow diners was not yet out of elementary school, and that made quite a difference in the mood, a difference to the positive. McMenamins promotes their pubs as family-friendly, so to see a little boy enjoying a meal with his parents was comforting. There is a sense of respectability granted to an establishment which allows children inside its doors; a public house that welcomes minors eschews some of the debauched stigma which hangs over all places which pay special attention to beer.

As I had said, Thompson's was busy last night, so when we opened the door and were greeted with a small group of people crowded in the door I was a bit puzzled. I knew I was there to celebrate Valentine's Day one more time, and this time more casually and on my terms, but what in the world was everyone else there for? Even more puzzling most of the tables were filled with bona fide couples. It was hard to gauge exactly how many people were there and how many of them were couples since the pub is quite literally an old house. From what I could tell none of the interior walls have been removed, so apart from repurposing the house's layout is much as it originally was.

The house is 101 years old, though I'm not sure what parts are that old as it appears there has been at least one addition since its original construction. The decor doesn't seem to have changed much since the 1940s unless we miss our guess. The wallpaper and carpet appear to be from that era, and if the chipped paint on the door frames and trim and warn spots in the carpet are any testament we might be within a decade. In the right mood or frame of mind one might be able to say the place looks run down, and the dim lights didn't help with that impression. Despite this feeling, the place was clean, and that helped to make us believe they were going for a more authentic look to the house, not wanting to update it at all.

The service was fine, even considering how busy they were I didn't have anything to complain about. People were scurrying about checking in on us, and our food arrived just when I was hungry enough to devour it, but not so hungry as to demand it. The food was amazing, and that will bring me back again. We both had burgers and we both agreed they were some of the best hamburgers we have ever had. Being a beef lover this was a delight I relished.

In my mind one cannot go to a pub without sampling something of their fermented barley or wheat, and to that end I was hoping to enjoy a pint of their Black Rabbit Porter but they did not have that on tap, so I chose their Terminator Stout, which I have had before, and I did not regret it. It hit the spot and made that burger taste all the more succulent and delicious. Normally I would not mention how much I enjoyed a pint of beer but that Holly surprised me by confessing she enjoyed the taste of the stout as well; Holly is not a dark beer fan, opting for the lighter beers and steering as far away from bitter flavors as one can, so when she exclaimed that it tasted good to her . . . well I thought the pub must have been enchanted, either that or the evening was.

We've been to the McMenamins pub at the Hotel Oregon, and I must say I much more preferred the atmosphere there than at Thompson's. The Hotel Oregon was much more airy, light, and felt as if there was more breathing room. They had large windows, a high ceiling, and beefy wooden tables. Thompson's wasn't bad, in fact it seemed much more cozy and intimate with all the different rooms. If it were not Valentine's Day there might have been more cross-table talk in our little room, and I'd be curious to know how often something like that might happen, as that could really lend a social aspect to it that would make Thompson's something special. But then again, if one can believe what one overhears from two different patrons the room we dinned in was haunted, so perhaps that is the something special Thompson's has going, and perhaps why the wallpaper and carpet have not been changed.

Overall we had a good time, and now knowing that we can get a cheap, and hopefully just as delicious, hamburger during their happy hour (which is actually two separate two hour blocks) we'll probably pop by again. But first I think we'll give Boon's Treasury a try just to see what it's decor is like, maybe take in a little live music, and hope the food there is just as good.