Sitting at Spints

It's no secret that food carts are the hot items du jour all across the country. Cities across the nation are passing new rules to encourage their proliferation, and blogs tout the latest pods popping up in former trash-strewn parking lots and vacant corners. Some popular carts are even spawning "Son of…" spin-offs that allow owners to expand offerings without crowding items off their regular menus.

While it's high time that America got on the street food bandwagon that the rest of the world considers a normal part of their everyday dining options, on a chilly afternoon there's really nothing like sitting down at the bar of a nice warm pub to enjoy a microbrew and some tasty bits of happy hour-priced noshes.

We stopped in at Spints Alehouse the other day for just such a sit-down between errands, ordered from a list of impressive brews on draft and in the bottle, then waited a few minutes for happy hour to begin at the very civilized hour of 4 pm. Pictured in the photo, top, is the meat smorgasbord with cured albacore, ham and pork rillette with zucchini pickles and poppyseed flatbread, at the very happy price of $10. And, at least on the day we were there, they had their house sausage and pepper (right) for just a buck!

And if you're wondering what those measurements printed on the drink coasters might be, they indicate the dimensions of the stein lockers on the wall next to the bar (left). So if you've got a beer stein that you'd like to show off, or one you'd like to drink out of when you stop in at your favorite pub, there are a few lockers left for some lucky patrons.

Details: Spints Alehouse, 401 NE 28th Ave. 503-847-2534.