The ground floor of McMenamins' Crystal Ballroom may get overrun on weekends with the "woooo!" crowd, but here's a hot tip: Ringlers boasts one of the finest whiskey selections in town, and nobody knows about it—sometimes, not even the bartenders. They're sitting atop rare bottles of Hirsch and Black Maple Hill that are just gathering dust (we scored a pour of Black Maple Hill's 23-year rye for $23, an absolute steal; don't worry, most pours are much cheaper), and there are some surprisingly decent McMenamins house beers that go beyond the Hammerhead/Ruby varieties. Yes, we're saying it: Ringlers is a totally solid choice. Just pick the right time to visit—actually, one of the best times is when you're shut out of a sold-out show upstairs, as they'll pipe a soundboard mix right down into the bar. NED LANNAMANN