I’d been curious about this underground bar the many times I’d walked by it when I worked downtown. So when the alphabet finally rolled my way, I picked Mummy’s. I was a bit scared by some of Internet reviews, but since the trek has to stop here at some point, I figured now was as good a time as any. Then I looked at the news and realized it was a very appropriate time to go to Portland’s only Egyptian restaurant.
Mummy’s has been here for 30 years and it shows. Some of it shows in charming ways: like the plates and glasses that were delightfully of a different era. Gabriel, our waiter, almost surely the owner, was also charming, and quickly made us drinks with names like King Tut, Osiris, and Egyptian Princess. That man can float three liqueurs in a perfect stack. I will also take this opportunity to note that the majority of theme named drinks are “sweet ” with ingredients such as Bailey’s, Cream, and Galliano.
I was even more charmed when he brought back my credit card receipt.
“Nadya,” he said, “it is an Egyptian name! An Arabic name. I wrote it for you.”
Now, tucked in my wallet, better than a fortune cookie fortune, is my copy of the receipt, with my name in tiny Arabic letters across the bottom.
The official scores were:
Nadya’s Choice
Round 1
Gary 2BN Ra
Jim 2BN Ramses
Kat 3BN Osiris
Nadya 2BN Valley of the Kings
Round 2
Gary 3BN King Tut (the PM recommendation)
Kat 2BN Sphynx
Nadya 1BN Egyptian Princess
Round 3
Gary 2BN Isis
Jim 2BN Pyramid
Kat 2BN Mummy’s Slide
Nadya 4BN Tanqueray Martini (at this point swearing off the sweet drinks and going “off the menu”)
Meow Gallery: The gallery is empty.
Mummy’s
622 Southwest Columbia Street
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 224-7465
