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Bars where Pete has had a Drink (5,608 bars; 1,754 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:


Bars where Pete has had a drink

Sunday, June 26, 2011

#1398 #S852 - The Bridge, Seattle - 3/22/2011

The Bridge is a comfortable and sometimes incongruous neighborhood joint, with motorcycles and blue collar vehicles parked out front, but inside a menu of sashimi ahi, crab dip, and chicken caprese sliders.  (It also has a tasty burnt creme with fresh berries soaked in Jack Daniels.)  They occasionally have live music and even had one of the local high school drum teams in.

The decor is fairly standard but the owners have worked a number of interesting places, so it will be interesting to see if it grows a bit more pronounced personality.  But it seems like a step up from the Redline, which itself was a step up from Legends.

4439 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 - (206) 402-4606
Est. Feb. 24, 2011 - Closed Dec 2, 2013 - Building constructed 1926
Previous bars at this location:  Redline Music and Sports, Legends Sports Bar
thebridgeseattle.com - facebook - westseattleblog - westseattleherald

#1397 - Daman's Bar and Grill , Redmond, WA - 3/18/2011

14810 NE 24TH St, Redmond, WA 98052 - (425) 881-8801
damansbarandgrill.com - yelp
Est. 1982

#1396 #S851 - Saigon Nice, Seattle - 3/16/2011

Update: Saigon Nice closed (2013?)


My brief stop in at Saigon Nice, which opened in the former location of the Tan Tuu Quan restaurant, was a curious one.  I was the only one in the rather large place, and from their fairly limited liquor stock I decided that I better go with my "safe" drink when I don't trust the skills of the bartender, a simple gin and tonic.  But this turned out to be not simple enough.  The elderly Vietnamese lady behind the bar just pointed at the bottles there and asked, "Which one, you see?"

I didn't see, so I went with a bottle of beer.  And for the entire time drinking it, the woman sat right across the bar from me, watching me.  She didn't seem suspicious or like she hoped I would get out so she could close -- it seemed like she just had nothing else to do.  But it appears that there is no lack of action later in evenings, including multiple stabbings.

4864 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 723-6353
beaconhillblog - yelp
Est. 2008
Previous bars at this location:  Long time location of the Jolo Tavern (at least 60s through the 90s), Tan Tuu Quan restaurant

#1395 #S850 - St. Dames, Seattle - 3/16/2011

Good vegetarian food and cocktails in a surprising location from Amy Weems and Sarah Murphy.  I had the "New Zealand 75" (gin, kiwi syrup, champagne).


4525 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 725-8879
facebookthestranger - seattle weekly
Est. Nov 2010

Saturday, June 18, 2011

#1393 #S848 - Blue C Sushi downtown, Seattle - 3/12/2011

Update: This Blue C Sushi location closed Jan 6, 2019.


The 6th location from the local kaiten sushi chain.  The bars are certainly secondary here, and pleasant enough, but would not be your first choice if you weren't going for the food.

1510 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 467-4022
Est. Oct. 13, 2009 - Closed Jan 6, 2019
bluecsushi.com - seattletimes - yelp

#1392 #S847 - Mondello, Seattle - 3/10/2011

Nice Sicilian joint in Magnolia with a small wine bar from the Palermo buddies who brought us  La Vita è Bella Café.


2435 33rd Ave W, Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 352-8700
Est. July 2005
mondelloristorante.com - facebook - seattletimes - yelp

#1391 #S846 - Jager Bar, Szmania's, Seattle - 3/10/2011

Update: The owners of Szmania's sold it on April 1, 2014 and on April 1, 2015 the name was changed to Rogo's Restaurant and Bar


"Jager" is something that can have widely varying connotations in different contexts, but it was still a little surprising to me the neon "Jager Bar" sign over the quaint suburban wine bar in Chef Ludger and wife Julie's fine bistro.

It's a little charming for my taste in bars, but it's a very nice dinner option (I had the curry wurst and prawns saute) and I enjoyed the "Red Vyalin Manhattan" (Knob Creek bourbon, Vya sweet vermouth, Peychaud's bitters, hint of cherry juice, served up with a brandied cherry)

3321 West McGraw St, Seattle, WA 98199-3209 - (206) 284-7305
Est. 1990, lounge opened 1994
szmanias.com - seattletimes - yelp

#1390 #S845 - Daniels Broiler Leschi, Seattle - 3/9/2011

All three of the Daniels have nice settings, but this one is the best, nestled in Leschi where it feels like a small town.

200 Lake Washington Boulevard Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 329-4191
schwartzbros.com - seattledining

#1389 - Bellevue Grille Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 3/8/2011

100 112th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 455-3330
starwoodhotels.com

#1388 - Three Lions Pub, Redmond, WA - 3/8/2011



8115 161st Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052-3806 - (425) 284-3399
thethreelionspub.com - yelp

#1387 #S844 - Plum Vegan Bistro, Seattle - 3/7/2011

I'm not quite willing to give up the illicit pleasures of heated animal flesh, but places like this remove a lot of my excuses.  And with a number of tasty dinner options, they serve some pretty good cocktails as well.  I had some bruschetta with a glass of wine, and the Spicy Cajun Mac N Yease accompanied by a Blueberry Basic cocktail (Spiced Cinzano rum, sugar, blueberries, basil, lime, soda).

1429 12th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122-3905 - (206) 838-5333
Est. July 25, 2009
plumbistro.com - seattlemetro - seattletimes - thestranger - seattleweekly - yelp

#1386 - Daniel's Broiler, Bellevue - 3/7/2011


Good steakhouse with a nice view, and like a lot of upscale restaurants, they've been forced to up their cocktail game over the last couple years.

10500 Northeast 8th, 21st Floor, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 462-4662
schwartzbros.com

#1385 #S843 - Horses Cut Shop, Seattle - 3/5/2011

Horses Cut Shop is only regularly open the first Sunday of the month, insofar as I can tell, but it is my favorite bar experience in Seattle. They have Sunday brunch, chicken shit bingo, and live music in a space they describe (accurately) as "part high octane bad idea, part Ameircana in all it's wooly glory."

Behind the bar was a sign reading "Horses Cut Shop has gone 185 Days Without Someone Throwing Up."  They ban civil war reenactments and Marshall Scott Warner.  In September they're driving 100 cases of Rainier in a 1974 Ford Camper Special to Austin, TX, where they will swap it for 100 cases of Lone Star and turn around and come back.

This is excellence.



4306 Fremont Avenue North
Est. 2010 - Closed 2012
Subsequently Underwood Stables, 2012-2014
Web site: horsescutshop.com
Articles: stackeddmagazine -  cozyland - flickr

Friday, June 17, 2011

#1384 #S842 - Empire Pub, Seattle - 3/5/2011

Update: The Empire Pub closed in either 2011 or 2012


The Empire Tavern, named for its old location on Empire Way (before it was changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Way), is a classic neighborhood dive. It's been in the current location for about four years, but has a fine collection of old geezers. The walls are filled with Nascar paraphernalia and completed jigsaw puzzles featuring eagles, turkeys, Mt. Rushmore and Thomas Kincade-like cottages. It's a good place to wear your dirty baseball cap and have a beer and some microwave popcorn.

9501 Rainier Ave, Seattle, Washington 98118 - (206) 725-7714
Est. 1948 or earlier, at 5701 Empire Way (later Martin Luther King Jr Way), forced to move due to Sound Transit construction - Closed 2011 or 2012
Previous bars at this location: None known
Subsequent bars at this location: Souvanny's Restaurant and Lounge
yelp

Sunday, June 05, 2011

#1381 #S839 - Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar - 3/3/2011

Good wine and very good crepes.

2118 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115-6936 - (206) 527-7147
Est. 2005
crepesandwine.com - facebook - thestranger - yelp  

#1380 #S838 - A Caprice Kitchen, Seattle - 2/24/2011

Update:  Caprice Kitchen closed July 9, 2011

There is actually a bar here, and it's a quite pleasant place to have a glass of wine (although it is not open late -- closing by 9pm -- and it is not open Mondays and Tuesdays).  However the focus is clearly on the food and people seem to especially enjoy the weekend brunch.  It is small and fairly intimate, and feels like some little roadside farm cafe where a fine chef moved after getting sick of the city.  There is an emphasis on sustainable, organic, local, and seasonal (hence the "caprice") ingredients.  I've seen some mixed reviews of the food but all the items I have had have been uniformly yummy.

1418 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 371-2886
Est. 2008
capricekitchen.com - thestranger - seattleweekly - yelp

Saturday, June 04, 2011

#1379 #S837 - Tidbit, Seattle - 2/22/2011

Update:  Tidbit closed Aug. 27, 2011

Tidbit has some very good (Spanish and Italian) food, some interesting cocktails, and a pretty amazing happy hour with good wines and $1 (!) well drinks (4-6 and 9-close Tues-Fri).  I tried the "Esta-te" (gin, rum, Triple Sec, vodka, Chinotto, lime, and lemon) and the "Peach Sangria-tini" (Absolut Peach, tempranillo, Triple Sec, orange juice, muddled oranges, limes, lemons).

The actual bar portion of Tidbit is tiny and not easy to sit at.  But it's a fine little stop for tapas, wine, and what has to be the most affordable happy hour drinks on Capitol Hill


1401 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122 - Tel 206-323-0840
Est. 2007 - Building constructed: 1996
tidbitbistro.com - closureseattletimes - thestranger - yelp

#1378 #S836 - Chen's Village, Seattle - 2/20/2011

Update: Chen's Village closed Dec 28, 2018.

This is a classic old American Chinese place with a lounge attached.  The lounge portion is integrated into the mirrored wall restaurant slightly more here than the typical darkened room in the back or side of the Chinese place. 

Before it became Chen's in 2005, this was the Lee Chee Garden, and before that it hosted a tiki bar. It was the Tiki Hut -- with "exotic beverages" served in the Shell Room lounge -- by 1962 and into the 70s (at one point also know as "Hope's Hut").  In the 80s it was the Blue Hawaiian Restaurant (still featuring the Shell Room) until becomeing Lee Chee in the late 80s.

Rick Anderson writes of more recent days, "The bar tends to attract cops, editors, and other riffraff."  But the only riffraff in the whole place on the Sunday afternoon we dropped in were ourselves.  It serves pretty much the type of Chinese food and cocktails that you would expect.

Update: Around 2015 I started working in a space just a couple blocks from Chen's. Since the photo here was taken, the I and the L had also fallen off the front facade, and hence it was referred to as what sounded like "Chen's Lodge." A few years later, more letters were missing, and I resolved to liberate one of them for myself and the office within the next few days. I was too late though -- two days later 100% of the characters out front, including the numbers of the address, were all gone.

Chen's Village, Seattle, WA

This wasn't entirely unexpected -- Chen's had been literally falling apart for several years. In addition to the letters on the facade, ceiling tiles, garden planter railings, the clock in the bar, and other various parts of the premises were all missing pieces, with no apparent effort to repair or even stem the tide of outflowing chunks of the restaurant. They also stopped investing in frivolities like heating the building, and on cold days the server would arrive at your table with a big puffy coat on underneath her apron. The food was still fine though, but most the orders now appeared to be take-out.

Update: The day after Christmas 2018, the "Vanishing Seattle" Facebook group, and perhaps other outlets, began to spread the news that Chen's would be closing for good that Friday. We stopped in for a nightcap, joining a few regulars who were grumpy that they couldn't get their customary seat at the bar. "No, I'm not scooting," one said, when a friend tried to join the couple to his right. This was the same fellow who told the person next to him earlier that he didn't know the price of vodka, because "I don't drink vodka -- I'm not a white woman on a diet." In between these exchanges, with "Jeopardy" on the television, they argued about the Punic wars and Greek islands.

Scuttlebutt has it that the building is not, as one would suspect, due to be razed soon. "Apparently it’s not being demo’d - the lease has been taken over by a local chef & it’ll be turned into a commercial kitchen" (Vanishing Seattle). It's an oddly shaped space in an oddly placed point in time and location, as the massive tide of development driving by Amazon et. al. just a mile or so to the east has yet to really roll up the narrow shelf of "Interbay," stretching from downtown to Ballard between Elliot Bay and Queen Anne hill. One hopes that the new management makes better progress on remodeling than the lingering mess that used to be The Shanty Cafe just up the street.

544 Elliott Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119-3910 - (206) 281-8838               
Est. 2005 - Closed Dec 28, 2018 - Building constructed: 1936
Previous bars at this location:  The Tiki Hut, Hope's Hut, Blue Hawaii, Lee Chee Garden
newchensvillage.com  - publicola - seattleweekly - rick anderson - yelp  - tikicentral (tiki hut period)