PATTY DOWN: Suki's Bar & Grill

Name: Suki's Bar and Grill

Location: 2401 Southwest 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97201 (map)

Website: http://sukisbargrill.com

Angus Burger with fries at Suki's Bar & Grill

When you crave a good hamburger, you don't immediately think of heading out to a dive bar, let alone one that fills the space of a motel's basement.

But there's a nearly religious phenomenon that is happy hour in Portland, and it somehow transforms deal-seekers into explorers of the city's great gastronomical unknowns. For example, it drives a group of twenty-somethings to Suki's Bar & Grill -- which shares its parking lot with a dingy Travelodge -- for a Friday afternoon of cheap eats and fairly priced pints.

Suki's, south of downtown amid a web of busy one-way streets, doesn't seem to mind its less-than-desirable location. It offers weekly karaoke and open-mic comedy nights, and those are only two of the 30 reasons for an outing at the spacious den-like hideaway (free pool, anyone?).

Its happy hour menu should be No. 1 on that list. A third-pound Angus beef burger -- with fries -- for four bucks? That would be an acceptable deal for a bad burger. Granted, this is obviously a pre-made patty without much flair, and the fries are salty even by dive bar standards. Still, the food pairs quite nicely with a lemon-spiked Pyramid Hefeweizen, satisfying palates and wallets. You'll get for $7 what would easily pull at least twice the cash during regular hours at some other establishments.

Suki's is miles from patty paradise, yes, but its overall value means that it suffices as a satisfactory stop along the way.