I had the pleasure of going here last night, September 9, which was a sunny, warm, and clear evening. The 1882 Grille is located at 645 NE 3rd Street in downtown McMinnville. While the address is on 3rd Street, I found that the entrance was on Galloway. The bottom of the establishment seems to share the ground floor with Chris James' tasting room.
There is never a truly terrible parking situation in Mac and this was no exception, but I did end up having to park in front the courthouse, which is a block or two away from the restaurant.
When I came to the entrance, I was greeted by a gentleman who asked the number in the party (one), offered immediate seating at the bar, and gave me a menu. The dining area is on the third floor of the building and is accessed via an elevator which is located immediately to the left after you go through the entrance.
The dining area is a large open space, the decor is mostly wood, and the ceilings have a pseudo industrial look. It is a nice blend of modern and traditional and provides a relaxed and fun atmosphere. There is a bar with about 12 seats, a large number of tables for two (I think that had I asked for a table I would have experienced no wait), some seating for four and a row of tables against one wall that was accommodating a large group of about 30 people. There is also a balcony for anyone inclined to eat outside.
The menu has a good variety of items, including desserts. There is a dedicated pizza oven and the pizzas I saw coming out of the kitchen looked pretty good. The bar has a large number of different brews on tap, and a great selection of whiskey. Ultimately, I chose to have the Rogue Blue Burger and paired it with an Irish Red Ale.
First, the beer. Wow. This is an amazing beer. It is smooth and rich and packed with flavor. It is not bitter and has no aftertaste. The beer alone made would have made this trip worth it.
Next the burger. Again, wow. It is difficult to overstate how great this burger is. It comes on a pretzel bun. While 1882 makes some of their breads in-house, the pretzel bun is not one of them. Regardless, it was fresh and flavorful. The toppings of the burger were Swiss, bacon, mushrooms, aioli, and blue cheese. The patty was very thick and very high quality. (1812 sources its beef locally from Eola Crest here in McMinnville. I am a fan of the 100 mile diet concept and supporting local business, so bonus points for this). The combination of the ingredients has a nice synergy. None of the toppings overpowers the others and they all combine to create a subtle, yet complex and tasty masterpiece.
Lastly, the fries. The fries were simple. Unbreaded and straight cut. Fresh and flavorful. There were not too many, but honestly, the burger was such a standout and so filling that there was hardly any need of the fries at all.
Overall, I give the following grades:
Burger: A
Beer: A+
Fries: B
The beer was $8 and the burger was $18. For what you get, it's great value. I would highly recommend this venue. While there are a lot of stops left on this quest, it is easy to imagine that this burger will end up in the top 3.
Great looking burger, thanks for sharing!