#1069 #S626 - Crown Hill Pub, Seattle - 4/7/2010

Update: The Crown Hill Pub closed after the death of long term owner Hope Greebaum in 2015.

A neighborhood dive where the bartender knew everyone by name (except me). Martina, the bartender, alternates between serving up Olympia and chatting on the phone ("Hi. I'm doing fine. Who am I speaking? I am making my dollar.") Another partner talks about his last time at the pub, when someone wanted to trade his '96 Ford F150 pickup for his cadillac (in all my visits to bars, no one's ever made me a serious offer to trade cars).

There has been a bar in this location since at least 1940, when the Polk guide lists a bar owned by Theo. Woelfert. Shortly thereafter it was briefly Johnny Olson's Tavern. From 1955 to 1959 it is listed as Sportsmen's Tavern, then the Terminal Tavern or Glaser's Terminal Tavern from 1961 to 1980. It is listed as Sidewinder in the early 80s, then the Water Hole from the late 80s to the mid 90s. I'm not sure when it became Crown Hill Pub but it was sometime between 1995 and 2000.




8511 15th Ave NW, Seattle, Washington 98117
Building constructed: 1927
Previous bars at this location: Johnny Olson's Tavern, Sportsmen's Tavern, Terminal Tavern, Sidewinder, The Water Hole
seattlest -

#1068 #S625 - Saltoro, Seattle - 4/7/2010

This virtually hidden place, with a nondescript facade on a fairly boring stretch of Broadview road, has a nice surprise when you walk inside. There's a warm, woody decor with a large fireplace, and a fine menu of cocktails and food. Managed by the same people who run Bick's, this shares the good food while providing a more romantic setting.

14053 Greenwood Ave N., Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 365-6025
seattetimes - seattlepi - thestranger  - yelp

#1067 #S624 - Bisato, Seattle - 3/17/2010

Update: Bisato will close October 14, 2012

Good cichetti style small plates and pretty good drinks (although the eponymous Bisato Cocktail was overly sweet).  A very Belltown-ish addition to Belltown, in the old Lampreia space, by the same owner/award-winning-chef, Scott Carsberg.

2400 1st Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 443-3301
bisato.com - facebook - yelp - seattletimes

#1066 - Cantina Due (Hyatt Regency), Scottsdale, AZ - 3/29/2010

The web site claims that here you can experience "the quintessential cocktail...the best of the best."  That was not my experience, but the real reason you go here is for the water garden and luxurious views of this grand hotel.

7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road Scottsdale, AZ. 85258 - 480-444-1234
hyatt.com -

#1065 - Cafe ZuZu (Valley Ho), Scottsdale, AZ - 3/28/2010

Cafe ZuZu maintains the midcentury-modern theme of the Valley Ho, and while the bar vibe seemed fairly restrained, it makes a nice neighbor to Trader Vic's.

6850 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 421-7997
hotelvalleyho.com - azcentral - chowhound - yelp

#1064 - Grazie, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/28/2010

A pleasant little wine bar and pizzeria.

6952 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 663-9797
grazie.us - azcentral - yelp

#1063 - The Grapevine, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/28/2010

This place has three distinct sections/personalities -- each of which has a crowd that helps put the "old" in Old Town Scottsdale. On entering there is a family Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, with the standard fountain and paintings of grape vines. Upstairs there is nice patio bar, which seems to draw mostly tourists. And in the back room of the lower portion there is a divey karaoke bar, which seems to be all long-time regulars.

4013 N Brown Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 994-1792
yelp - metromix

#1062 - Acua, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

7144 E Stetson Dr., Ste 250, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 949-9000
acuaaz.com - newtimes - yelp

#1061 - Estate House, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

A cool, tri-level space with a breezy patio on the upper floor.

7134 E Stetson Dr., Ste 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 970-4099
estatehouseaz.com - chowhound - yelp

#1060 - Devil's Martini, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

4175 N Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 947-4873
devilsmartini.com - yelp

#1059 - Mabel's on Main, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

Mabel's on Main (formerly Mabel Murphy's) is a nice speakeasy themed lounge with very good cocktails and gourmet small plates (by chef and owner Aaron May). Nicki (sp?) the bartender (pictured) really knows her stuff, and was a great help with the cocktail suggestions.

But the star of the place is the hidden room (partially shown in pic).  Pull on a certain book and a section of the bookcase swings out to reveal a plush room complete with a one-way mirror to watch people in the bar.

7018 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 946-0363
mabelsonmain.com - newtimes - newtimes - yelp - chowhound

#1058 - The Rusty Spur, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

The Rusty Spur is a fairly genuine honky tonk in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale.   It's in a structure built in 1921 and became a saloon back in1958 (claiming to be the oldest Saloon in Scottsdale).  It serves as "the destination of choice for the Hashknife Pony Express riders after completing the 200 mile relay ride over the grueling, mountainous trail from Holbrook to Scottsdale."

The house band -- the Psychobilly Rodeo Band -- told the audience "It's kinda crowded tonight, so if you're not gonna tip, we'd appreciate it if you got your cheap asses outta here."

7245 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 425-7787
rustyspursaloon.com - yelp - newtimes

#1057 - Old Town Tavern, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

7320 E Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 945-2882
oldtowntavernaz.com - facebook - myspace - yelp

#1056 - Red Bar (Mondrian), Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

A fairly swanky bar, with multiple levels and outdoor features, in a quite swanky motel, but not a lot of personality as far as I can tell.

Mondrian Hotel Scottsdale, 7353 E Indian School Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 444-0549
metromix - azcentral - yelp

#1055 - Buffalo Chip Saloon, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Wow.  The Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse is another huge, western-themed place with a big patio with picnic tables and fire pits.  I have to give it the edge over Harold's, Greasewood Flat, and the Horny Toad -- how many bars do you know that feature real bull riding?

On Friday's the Buffalo Chip also features an all-you-can-eat fish fry (walleye,  lake perch, cod and catfish) and a huge barbacue option with brisket, sausages and such in big vats. 

Of course it attracts the standard Cave Creek crowd of cowboys, bikers, retiree, and tourists, but I also liked the people and conversations here best. In the picture with me is Jerry and his wife from Illinois, and Jimmy, who served in WWII before the services were integrated, retired from the auto industry and moved out here, and at 80 still rides his horse virtually every day.

Paul the bartender was very cool, and around the corner was an older woman with a huge wedding ring, beat-up cowboy hat, and heavy mascara saying into her phone, "Zoe, it's grandma.  I'm at a bar."

Good food, decent drinks, good crowd, live music and dancing 7 nights a week -- I plan to make this a staple of my Arizona trips.

6811 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-9118
buffalochipsaloon.com - newtimes - yelp - azcentral

#1054 - Harold's Corral, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Harold's Corral is another big, western themed place in Cave Creek, and dates itself back to 1935, when Johnny Walker opened the Corral Bar to serve workers building the Bartlett Dam. In 1950 it was purchased by local character Harold Gavagan, which led to keeping lions and tigers in back and visits by various celebrities. Currently it is owned by some displaced Steelers fans, and serves as a gathering point for Steeler rooters who moved away from the midwest cold, just as the Buffalo Chip caters to Packers fans.

Did I say big? Harold's seats 800 (600 inside and 200 on the outside patio). It has great happy hour prices -- my gin and tonic was $2. Nowadays it is full of the standard Cave Creek cross section of cowboys, bikers, retirees, and tourists.

6895 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-1906
haroldscorral.com - azcentral - yelp

#1053 - The Horny Toad, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Note to self: Next Spring Training trip, reserve a room for a night or two in Cave Creek. It's a really fun little town.

6738 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-9542
thehornytoad.com - yelp - newtimes - metromix - azcentral

#1052 - Hoot & Howl, Goodyear, AZ - 3/25/2010

55 N Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338 - (623) 932-3580
yelp

#1051 - Dirty Dogg Saloon, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

The Dirty Dogg is a biker bar where scantily clad servers literally swing from the ceilings to the tunes of butt rock music (AC/DC, Kid Rock, etc.), in routines well practiced to take advantage of the very limited space.  But despite the very watchable athleticism of the staff (swinging hulahoops upside down, timing swings to lock lips with other girls, etc.), the action really gets going when numerous female customers get in on the act (and the staff are quick with scissors to convince them to add to the prodigious collection of panties hanging from the ceiling).

You're not allowed to take pictures (and several bouncers are watching like hawks and quick to pounce if  your phone takes aim), but there are ample (NSFW) examples on the flickr page and youtube, if you're curious.

10409 N Scottsdale Rd., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 - (480) 368-8095
dirtydoggsaloon.com - flickr - newtimes - yelp

#1050 - Greasewood Flat, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

Greasewood Flat is something else.  It's technically in Scottsdale, but not before you drive away from the clusters of night clubs and golf courses, out through the desert to a 120-year-old bunkhouse that used to be the main stagecoach stop between Fort McDowell and Phoenix.

The center is a large open area with rows of picnic tables and lots of fire pits blazing away.  The bar is the basics and the food is burgers and chili (don't go hungry -- you'll get that way during the comically long wait for food).  But the reason to go is for the (largely authentic) old west setting.

Greasewood also has live music (country of course) and dancing, and is popular with both the biker crowd and families.  There's lots of stuff to look at, a great desert sunset view, and the communal arrangement of picnic tables is conducive to striking up conversations.

27500 N Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ 85250 - (480) 585-9430
greasewoodflat.net - culinaryfool - azcentral - yelp - newtimes