Ambassador Restaurant & Lounge

by Sam Soule for pdxguide.com
April 2006

These days a bit of glitz rules the Ambassador Restaurant & Lounge.

The long-standing NE Sandy karaoke dive bar got a make-over this past winter, closing down for several weeks to conduct significant interior and exterior renovations. The result? Seedy is out and slick is in. The Ambassador is on it's way to becoming the Hollywood neighborhood's first urban nightclub, though appearances can be deceiving.

From the outside, the Ambassador looks like a small castle fortress, its gray brick facade enlivened by striking neon signage. Drive by and the place looks like a family restaurant with a gimmicky royal court theme.

But upon crossing the Ambassador threshold this exterior medieval vibe gives way to a decidedly cool school interior. The redesigned lounge now works a color scheme of deep blacks and neon blues. Aquariums, plants and and sheets of running fountain water create an environment both relaxing for its faux-natural features and jazzy for its modern stylings. With invitingly deep mauve-toned dinner booths, the restaurant side of the Ambassador is a space tailored to encourage foot traffic and socializing; central to the dining room is the house pool table. Everything is state-of-the art, even the Keno monitors are flat screens. And Karaoke remains a nightly staple.

Past the bar's checkered black-and-white tile dance floor is a room dedicated solely to karaoke control. It is a small, closet-sized affair stuffed with electronics gear and LED displays. Inside this room, "K-Js" — those who operate the karaoke control center as well as MC the nightly proceedings— are noticeably pressed for space. The Ambassador clearly regards karaoke as a bread-and-butter attraction, sparing little expense to impress a town with numerous high-profile locations where folks can make a spectacle of themselves in front of a microphone.

In fact, my latest visit to the Ambassador was to drop in on a friend's karaoke birthday party. Now, I'm not a fan of fake singing in public, but I was impressed with how the well-mannered staff handled drunks with more than just a song in their hearts. With an obvious in-house security presence and a dress code clearly displayed at the front door (bottom line: no gang-wear) the Ambassador is taking active measures to "clean up" its image. Not a bad idea.

My birthday friend reports her Ambassador party was even more fun than her karaoke party last year at the Galaxy — a bar not only also located on Sandy (though far more centrally located) but also owned by the owner of the Ambassador. Part of what she liked about the Ambassador was "no creepy regulars."

On a follow-up visit to the Ambassador, I had a heaping plate of spicy Kung Pao chicken for lunch at the reasonable price of $5.50 (see website for menu, complete with scanned photos of food items). My lunch also involved and a pleasant chat with a very nice bartender in pigtails. She informs that between the Ambassador and the Galaxy, the Ambassador comes first. Said the bartender, "This is the owner's baby."

It shows.

The opinions expressed within are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of pdxguide.com or The Columbian Publishing Co.

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