#4064 - Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY - 7/20/2020

Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY

One of my very favorite bars on my 2020 road trip of Wyoming, Montana, and beyond, and one of my favorite bars, period, is the Mint Bar in Sheridan, WY. You start with the great neon sign out front, a cowboy riding  bucking bronco, over the brands of local ranchers. Stepping inside you find a wonderland of gleaming knotted and burled pine over cedar shingles and surrounding sizable collections of taxidermy and historical photos.

And the Mint does indeed have a rich history. The Mint Saloon was constructed and opened on Main Street in the small western city of Sheridan (population under 20,000) in 1907. A few years after national prohibition shut it down in 1919, it reopened officially as the Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop," while unofficially hosting liquor sales and gambling in an expanded area added to the back. It closed again in 1930, and subsequently hosted a series of offices until federal prohibition was repealed in 1933. (sah-archipedia.org) 

Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY

The decor one sees today traces mostly back to the 1940s, with the gnarled pine burl framing knotty pine pine paneling and lots of local taxidermy (including a jackalope, of course), along with several animals from the owner's hunting trip in the Yukon in the 1950s. Under the pressed tin ceiling, the cedar shakes are said to feature 9,000 brands from local ranches. The drinks are fairly standard, with some nice local beer and whiskey choices, the staff is cool and friendly, and the crowd is a pleasant mix of young and old, locals and tourists. From the building itself and the postings on their facebook page, the owners and patrons both clearly value the deep and continuing history of the place, and it is a must stop for anyone near northern central Wyoming.

The Mint Saloon, 1908
(Photo from bar's Facebook page)

The Mint Bar, 1936
(Photo from bar's Facebook page)

The Mint Bar, 1941
(Photo from bar's Facebook page)

Est. 1907 - Building constructed: 1907
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: mintbarwyo.com - facebook 
Articles ranked: SAH archipedia - savingplaces.org - travelwyoming.com - onlyinyourstate.com - yelp - tripadvisor - sheridanwyoming.org 

#4010 - Kirk's Ferry, Brownsville, OR - 6/18/2020

Kirk's Ferry, Brownsville, OR

I am sitting in the old town of Brownsville Oregon next to a cabin that was built before the first white settlers even reached Seattle, sipping a cocktail, and chatting with bar owner Greg Hopla about everything from news of the day, to the towering restaurant and trading store he built himself, to the titanium swords he makes, to the large jousting tournaments and various medieval events he organizes, to swimming in the cenotes outside the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. He is, to put it mildly, a remarkable fellow, and he plainly tends to undertake his projects at a grand scale.

The hand hewn log house to my right was constructed by Alexander Kirk, apparently sometime between 1846 and 1850. Kirk moved to the area in 1846, purchased some property, and within a year was operating a hand-hauled flat-bottomed ferry across the Calapooia river. The community that grew up around him was also initially called "Calapooya," after the local native Kalapuya tribe, and also "Kirk's Ferry," and eventually was renamed for Hugh Brown, who had arrived in the same party as Kirk, and established the area's first store. Meanwhile, the current cabin was apparently the second constructed by Kirk, and was "run as an inn or tavern for many years." "Anyone who wished to stop over at Brownsville could stay with father," noted Alexander's son Lee Kirk. The Hoplas found a ledger dating back to 1850 which included goods purchased by virtually all of the town's founders.

Kirk's Ferry, Brownsville, OR

Over the years the house passed down through various family members and eventually to Hopla's great-grandfather, Justice Porter, and from thence to his grandmother, who finally sold it to him, something Greg said he predicted when he was a young boy staying at the place. "It's your turn," Greg says his grandmother announced one day, before dividing the profits of the sale among her family and living the rest of her days happily on a small stipend. At that point the house had long evolved into a modestly modernized home, with extended rooms and siding that left little clue of it's primitive origins and historical significance. Hopla tore down the extensions and stripped it down to the original core, then to protect it constructed a massive outer structure, and told me about learning by trial and error how to operate a crane and set the large beams. Then he filled the surroundings with beautiful wood tables and bar tops he cut himself. The cabin is now filled with antique artifacts and adorned with taxidermy heads donated by the locals.

Greg Hopla, owner, designer, builder,
Kirk's Ferry Restaurant & Trading Post

Hopla's money for the project and his vision for its development came from his many years of putting on various large, medieval and renaissance themed events, including jousting tournaments, elaborate sets, and his own period costumes and weapons. He worked for years in the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament before striking out on his own with the World Tournament Of Champions -- designing and installing large sets, teaching men to joust and special horseback riding, and forging their weapons. He and his wife Shawna still work producing such events, even as they continue to developer the Kirk's Ferry Trading Post, Restaurant and Bar, and continue to produce titanium swords and axes as Knight Vision Weaponry.

They opened July 4, 2012, with 100 seats inside, surrounding the old cabin, and another 45 on the veranda in the shade of two old walnut trees. Greg scaled back some of his plans for the structure, when it appeared to the regulations imposed by local authorities just didn't make it practical to have large pioneer-themed dinner shows with the horses and activities he's organized across the country, and in Spain and Mexico. The entertainment these days -- interrupted by the coronavirus restrictions -- tends to be live country bands, with the occasional cowboy poetry reading. His son Dakota is now the chef, producing enticing preparations of grilled comfort food classics, including prime rib, fresh smoked ribs, chicken, burgers and wood fired pizzas.

Hopla in one of his other jobs
(Photo: Idaho State Journal)

Old downtown Brownsville, which sits across the river from Kirk's Ferry and just a few miles east of I-5 some 90 miles or so south of Portland, between Corvalis and Eugene, is well worth an extended stop. And I hope by now it is abundantly clear that Kirk's itself is a must-do stop for anyone interested in northwest history, bars and restaurants with a ton of character, or just a fulfilling meal while in the area.

Shawna Hopla

217 W Bishop Way, Brownsville, OR 97327 - (541) 466-5614
Est. July 4, 2012 - Building constructed: 2012 large structure completed; 1846-1850 (interior cabin)
Previous bars in this location: Kirk Alexander's tavern?
Web site: facebook
Articles ranked: eugenedailynews - democratherald - yelp - tripadvisor

#2696 - Tiki-Ti, Los Angeles, CA - 1/29/2015

The Tiki-Ti, Los Angeles, CA

TL:DR - A must visit in LA, confirm they are open and get there early (e.g. 4:00 Thursday), bring cash, order a Ray's Mistake, then an Uga Booga, then a Blood and Sand, and eventually an Uber home.

---

An immigrant from the Philippines, Ray Buhen established the Tiki-Ti in 1961 in a former violin repair shop owned by his father-in-law, where his son and grandsons run the bar to this day. Buhen had been part of the very founding of tiki culture in the U.S., one of the original bartenders at the seminal Don The Beachcomber's in Hollywood. Buhen had arrived in the U.S. in the last few years of prohibition, worked as a hotel bellhop and elevator man, then trained as a bartender before joining the new Don the Beachcomber's in 1934.

The Tiki-Ti, Los Angeles, CA

Part of a substantial group of Filipino bartenders who created much of the "tiki" menu and culture, Buhen would go on to work at several more Hollywood grog shops, including The Dresden Room, the Seven Seas, Palms in the Jungle, China Trader, Sugie's Tropics, Ching Hau, The Luau, and the Clark Gable funded Christian’s Hut. (The drink making was interrupted by a stint in the Long Beach shipyards during WWII.) And as this was Hollywood and thereabouts, Buhen's customers included Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Howard Hughes, Burt Reynolds, Jack Palance, Marlon Brando, Jack Palance, and Tyrone Power (the inspiration for the "Blood and Sand").

Ray worked the bar until he was 88, and passed away shortly after, in 1999. Since then his son Mike and grandson Mike Jr., have run the place, taking a moment every Wednesday to ring a bell five times, whereupon the entire bar makes a toast to the revered founder. Further details on Ray's life may be seen on the bar's web site here.

Virtually everyone agrees that Tiki-Ti is "a classic," but a classic what exactly, is a bit more complicated. Most critically, the huge cocktail selection, 96 choices at last check, and full of secret recipes that Ray took with him from Don the Beachcomber's as well as inventing along the way (and no beer and wine available), is top notch. The house favorite is "Ray's Mistake," a white rum, gin,  passionfruit, pineapple juice, bitters, falernum, and dark rum float concoction of some sort that resulted from an error in constructing an Anting Anting in 1968, and the rest is history. (The recipe is officially a secret but googling reveals any number of attempts to reconstruct it.) The most fun drinks to order, on the other hand, are those that inspire the assembled regulars to chant throughout the preparation. These are the aforementioned "Blood and Sand" (to chants of "Toro, toro, toro!"), perhaps served in a new custom mug designed by Doug Horne, and the Uga Booga, accompanied by chants of the drink's name.

Ray Buhen working at the Dresden Room, late 1960s
(photo via Tiki-Ti Facebook page)

The size and decor are as much those of a cozy dive bar as the more famous tiki establishments, and while purists may not have chosen the pop music over exotica, or the kitschy bric-a-brac over a more deliberately fashioned polynesian decor, it remains one of the most beloved tiki bars in the country. Given its tiny size (12 bar stools and about 30 people max), customers may face lines if they go on a popular day, and/or during popular hours (again, try being there at opening time, currently 4pm, at midweek). The bar is closed Sundays through Tuesdays, which repeatedly frustrated this eager would-be patron, as those seemed to be the only days I had available in LA. But I finally made it in 2015, and am much looking forward to future and longer visits.

Mug designed for Tiki-Ti by Doug Horne,
inspired by the "Blood and Sand" cocktail
(photo from the Tiki-Ti Facebook page)

4427 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - (323) 669-9381
Est. Apr 28, 1961
Web site: tiki-ti.com - facebook
Recommended Articles: critiki - theworld
Additional Articles ranked: instagram - laist - bbc - tikiwithray - losangelesconservancy - thirstyinla - worldsbestbars - punch - wikipedia - yelp - tripadvisor - wanderingchopsticks - bonapetit - roadtrippers - thrillist - timeout - drinkableglobe 

#2900 - Pioneer Saloon, Goodsprings, NV - 11/29/2015

Roadsideamerica.com, Culturetrip.com, atlasobscura.com, Bucket List Bars -- sometimes I could know a bar I wanted to visit just by the sites that write about it. But there was never any doubt that the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada was going to be high on my to-do list. There was little chance I'd miss this one -- despite being the only surviving business in a tiny ghost town, with 20% of its income now coming from its use in movies, the bar has its own PR agent. And once you see a few pictures, you have to go.

It's welcoming and fairly large, but somehow doesn't feel too touristy. We had a pleasant chat with Noel Scheckells, the current owner, whose sons run the bar and kitchen, and also with patron Jim, who is a session musician and told us he played drums on Patsy Cline's "Crazy," Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" album, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," various Carpenters tunes and many others.

Of course it has ghosts, of course it has a great antique Brunswick back bar, and of course it has bullets in the wall (which may have come from a dealer shooting a cheating card player or may have come from former owner Don Hedrick's appreciation for a good story). It also features chicken shit bingo, barbecues where you can cook your own food, an expansive patio, and a 100-year-old urinal.

I like the history of the place compiled on this excellent page about Nevada's Brunswick bars:

"Built in 1913, the Pioneer Saloon, one of the nation's oldest stamped-metal tin buildings, is up for sale. The $1.35 million asking price includes two other buildings, all of the bar's antique fixtures and, of course, its colorful ghost stories and history. "I am asking a lot for the place because I want the new owners to be committed to it living on," said Don Hedrick, whose family has owned the saloon -- the last remaining commercial business in Goodsprings -- for 40 years. Hedrick has managed the business on State Route 161, seven miles west of Jean, since his father, Don, died in 1996. (The Saloon was turned over to its new owner, who was also a long time patron of the Pioneer Saloon, in December 2006. Less than a year later on October 17th, 2007 the long time, loved, and respected, former owner Don Hedrick Jr. passed away.)

The Pioneer Saloon was built by George Arthur Fayle, who had served as a Clark County Commission chairman and owned the Fayle Hotel in Goodsprings. The saloon has changed little since indoor toilets were installed in the 1930s. The interior and exterior walls are of stamped tin
and manufactured by Sears and Roebuck. It is thought to be one of the last, if not the last of its kind in the United States. The legendary cherry wood bar installed in 1913 was manufactured by the Brunswick Company in Maine in the 1860's. It was shipped in three sections around Cape Horn to San Francisco. Two of the sections were lost and the third became a fixture in a bar in Rhyolite, now a Nye County ghost town, before it was shipped to the Pioneer.

The saloon gained international attention in 1942 when screen legend Clark Gable hung out there for days afterhis wife, actress Carole Lombard, was killed in a plane crash at nearby Mount Potosi. No one is sure whether Lombard's ghost still wanders into the saloon looking for Gable. But some patrons among today's eclectic crowd of primarily townsfolk, bikers and tourists swear they share bar stools with spirits. The back room of the Pioneeris a mini-museum, filled with memorabilia of Gable and Lombard, historic framed newspaper front pages and old bottles. In the bar area, the original pot-bellied stove stills heats the building. Over the years, the Pioneer Saloon's charm has made it a popular spot for filmmakers. The town of Goodsprings was originally know as Good's Spring after its founder Joseph Good. Joseph Good settled in the area in the 1860's mainly because of the rich under ground spring. Many of the Cottonwood trees found in Goodsprings were originally planted by Mr. Good.

Goodsprings, Nevada became a booming Mining town in the early 1900s when the Yellow Pine Mine was established as well as the Fayle Hotel, the General Mercantile and yes the World Famous Pioneer Saloon. Next to the Pioneer Saloon is the Goodsprings General Store. This was at one time the Goodsprings Cafe and it is said that George Fayle built the Goodsprings Cafe first and lived in it while he built the Pioneer Saloon. Later in 1915 across from the Pioneer Saloon Mr. Fayle built a General Store and Icehouse. The store burned down in 1966 but the icehouse and a storage room still stand to this day." 

310 NV-161, Goodsprings, NV 89019 - (702) 874-9362                                             
Est. 1913
Web site: pioneersaloon.info - facebook
Articles ranked: bluerevelation - reviewjournal - bucketlistbars video - culturetrip - daytrippen - roadsideamerica - huffpo - kensphotogallery - travelnevada - yelp - tripadvisor - atlasobscura - mydigimag - vegasoffroadtours  

#3387 - Finca La Roja, Vinales, Cuba - 11/3/2017

After a few excellent days in Havanna, Trista and I and the other six friends on our Cuba trip piled into a huge, classic "taxi colectivo" and rode for three hours to Vinales in the province of Pinar del Rio, the westernmost and most rural province of Cuba and source of the finest tobacco in the world. Just outside of Vinales we spotted the "Finca la Roya" ("red farm") bar and restaurant, which seemed impossibly romantic, with its thatched roofed barns and homes amidst the rolling, lush landscape, limestone "mogote" mounds in distance, and a man plowing the rich red soil behind to oxen. We would be back.

So after settling down in our "casa particular" and spending the first evening in the town of Vinales, the following day we rented scooters and headed out for parts unknown, but not most definitely to include tracking back to Finca la Roya for a cocktail and lunch. We were the only customers and the open patio gave us some great views of the valley and, much to Trista's happiness, a menagerie of chickens, ducks, dogs and more critters.

The drinks and food were pretty good, but our favorite part of the visit was the setting and the family, including when 3rd generation tobacco farmer Don Alfredo, who spoke no English, led us down into the barn and demonstrated his artisan cigar rolling skills. But then again this is one of the places where nothing I could write could possibly add much meaningful description to the pictures.

Dan Afredo, rolling a cigar for us (Trista photo)

KM 24 Carretera a Vinales, Vinales 22400, Cuba - +53 48 69539

#3128 - Daphnes Bar, Edmonds, WA - 12/22/2016

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted about this lovely bar before now, but in the meantime it has only strengthened its position as probably my favorite bar in the greater Seattle area. As anyone who has ever been there will know, this is largely due to the tiny, intimate space, partially to the reliably fine cocktails produced, and in no small part due to the rollicking character of its star bartender Desmond "Dez" van Rensburg.

There is no pining about the "Seattle Freeze" in Daphnes. If you're one of the dozen or so people to get a seat in the tiny 250' square former barber shop tucked within the 1923 Edmonds Theater building, you're not only elbow to elbow with other patrons, you are quickly pulled into the conversation, likely introduced to the others, and perhaps given a nickname (I was "Big Dog"). At times it can feel like tiny local joint off a side street in Paris, and at other times like you are joining a rickety traveling carnival. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the cocktail menu always features a few of my favorites (Old Pal, Negroni, Corpse Reviver #2, Sazerac) and anything you order is well made.

If you're visiting or living in Seattle, it's easy to overlook Daphnes, some 15 to 20 miles or so out of town -- and that's fine with me as it keeps the frequently full space from being completely overrun. And I am certainly not beyond choosing a route home on our road trips that includes the Edmonds ferry, simply because it affords a stop there.

Daphnes was opened in 2006 by Brian Taylor and Louise Favier, who have also owned other restaurants in western Washington (Jack Murphy's, Daphnes Fairhaven) and in New York (Pencil Factory Bar). They moved back to New York in the summer of 2013, and sold all Washington businesses except Daphnes Edmonds. I fervently hope that the bar, and Dez, continue on for many, many years.

415 1/2 Main St, Edmonds, WA 98020                                             
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 1923
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: heraldnet - komonews - heraldnet - seattlerealestatehelp - yelp - tripadvisor - culturetrip - myedmondsnews  

#3801 - Croke Park (Whitey's), Boston, MA - 6/24/2019

Danny and Danny at Whitey's / Croke Park, Boston MA

In preparing for a visit to Boston I'd read about at least three bars that were touted as the best dive bar in the city, and at Croke Park, AKA Whitey's, in Southie, I finally believed it.

The first "testimonial" cited on the bar's own web site begins this way:

"I don’t want to say this is the worst bar in the world because I’ve never been to places like Bangladesh, Rwanda, or Haiti. But I can say with 100% certainty that this place is, by far, the worst bar in Boston. I’ve been to crackhouses where I’ve felt safer. Also, that had less crack. Seriously, at no point did I feel like I wasn’t about to be stabbed by the locals."

I was not there at a time of day where I would enjoy that sort of scene, but it still impressed me as a welcome dive, with the sort of character accrued over time, and a few characters who provided lively conversation. In particular I met two fellows named Danny, both locals, both born in Ireland, and one of them the owner of the bar. Owner Danny had a very different worldview from mine, but that didn't stop us from having a quite enjoyable -- and fairly long -- bar conversation. Indeed, I went well beyond my planned one drink when customer Danny kept buying another round because he wanted to see the conversation continue.

As expected from a classic dive, the bartenders deliver generous pours for an inexpensive price, and while the exterior features a surprisingly fresh coat of paint, inside the walls are covered with the names of doodles of patrons over the years. I don't know if they like this or not, but Esquire named it one of the top bars in the country. If you like true dive bars with a rugged personality this is a must stop when you are in the area.

268 W Broadway, Boston, MA 02127 - (617) 606-5971                              
Web site: crokeparkwhiteys.com
Articles: onlyinyourstate - esquire - yelp - timeout - bostonherald - roadtrippers - universalhub - universalhub - lonelyplanet - eater - nytimes