#1226 #740 Viola!, Seattle - 9/12/2010

2805 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 322-5460
Est. 2004 - Building constructed 1925
Previous bars in this location: None known
voilabistrot.com - seattlepi - seattle times - the stranger

#1225 #739 Luc, Seattle - 9/12/2010

Update: Luc to close Aug 28, 2021

Luc is the new, more casual (and less expensive) sister restaurant to Rover's, the James Beard award wining French restaurant from Thierry Rautureau ("the Chef in the Hat"), in a klatch of fancy schmancy French cafes in Madison Valley, of which Rover's is the fanciest schmanciest.  There are even James Beard references in the Luc mens' room graffiti.

Luc, named after the chef's father, was largely funded by selling advance gift cards (Rautureau says he got the idea from Barack Obama).  It is about evenly split between restaurant and bar portion.

I had a nice Manhattan with Punt e Mes in lieu of the regular rosso vermouth, and a fantastic salmon BLT sandwich that I wish was not a special so I could count on having it again.


2800 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 328-6645
thechefinthehat.com - seattlemagazine - seattle times - seattle met - seattle weekly - seattle weekly 2 - the stranger - citysearch - yelp

#1224 - Papa's Pub & Grill, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: Papa's closed on Feb 5, 2012

Papa's (formerly Brewsky's) is just a few doors down from the Locker Room, and at least on the night that I went, it had a much more diverse and likable crowd.  Like pretty much any really good dive bar, it had cheap drinks, a mix of ethnicities, lots of blue collar folk, and some cocky little old ladies.

9635 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
the stranger

#1223 - The Locker Room, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: The locker room was seriously damaged by a fire on April 21, 2021. Before it was reopened, it was totally destroyed by a second fire -- apparently caused by discarded smoking material -- on the morning of Sep 13, 2021.

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White Center's "Locker Room" was included in Mike Seeley's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars in Seattle (presumably in the top 7 now, as three others have gone out of business in the past 6 months) and The Stranger calls it "feared by locals."  So what is it doing with a rack of Avon catalogs in the window?

On the Saturday night that I went the street was filled with police cars, but the drama was coming from elsewhere -- the liquor-less Evo dance club up the street seems to have been the source of all the excitement and police attention in recent months.

The Locker Room, on the other hand, just had a bunch of heavyset people singing karaoke.

Historical notes:  There was a bar in this building at least as far back as the 30s, with a beer parlor, Glen's Rendezvous, owned by Glen C. Stevens listed in the 1937 and 1939 city guides. It may go back near the end of prohibition, as the building was constructed in 1933. By 1960 it was the J&W Tavern (J&W Saloon by 1980) and by 1990 it was the Locker Room.

9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106-2828 9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106 - (206) 762-9805
Building constructed: 1933
Previous bars in this location: Glen's Rendezvoux, J&W Saloon/Tavern
seattle weekly - yelp

#1222 #738 - Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Seattle - 9/10/2010

This is a fairly classic jazz club, featuring large paintings of various jazz players from the old Pete's Poop Deck.  You go here for the music, not the cocktails (which are pretty pedestrian).  It was started in the U District in 1979 in what was around the nadir for the jazz scene in Seattle -- a city that once had a rollicking after hours scene that featured 34 jazz nightclubs just along Jackson St between 1st and 14th Avenues, and the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, and Patti Bown bouncing from club to club.  The current Jazz Alley location is swankier than the previous one, with small tables, two levels, and a dinner option.  They tend to get the bigger names in the related genres, and they claim to now be the third longest running jazz bar/nightclub in the country.

2033 6th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-9729
jazzalley.com - myspace - seattle weekly - urbanspoon - yelp
For a good description of the history of Seattle's jazz/swing/bebop scene, see Paul de Barros's Jackson Street After Hours

#1221 #S738 - 35th Street Bistro, Seattle - 9/9/2010

Update: The 35th Street Bistro closed Nov. 29, 2012

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This is the French/European bistro in the old Still Life space, with a small separate bar room offering better than average cocktails and appetizers.  I had a Drunken Cherry Manhattan (Makers with cherry juice in lieu of bitters), and a 35th Street Martini (vodka muddled with fresh seasonal fruit and simple syrup) and liked them both.

709 N. 35th St., Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-9850
Est. 2004 - Building constructed 1909 - Closed Nov 2012
35bistro.com - yelp

#1220 #S737 - Enza Cucina Siciliana, Seattle - 9/8/2010

This is an Sicilian restaurant, formerly Sorrentino, presided over by Mamma Enza, a classic Italian lady with big, Jacki-O glasses and a tendency to tell you exactly what she thinks.  The bar is small and doesn't offer anything particularly interesting beyond the wine.  But if you're in the mood for some good Italian food and a nice glass of vino, I suggest going in off hours so you'll have a better chance of engaging Ms. Enza in various conversations.

While I was there, her mushroom provider came in, and had trouble convincing her that his delivery was a large as he said it was ("That'sa not'a five pounds").  A bit later, as he stood there eating gelato, she tells me, "Last week he sell'a me truffles.  But truffles not good.  But (sigh), he'sa muh friend."

enzaseattle.com - yelp

#1219 #S736 - The Ram (Northgate), Seattle - 9/7/2010

I'm not a fan of big corporate sportsbars/brewpubs -- particularly when they're in big shopping malls.  But I will say that bartender Brandon made the drinks and this visit enjoyable.

401 NE Northgate Way #1102 (Northgate Mall), Seattle, WA 98125-8538 - (206) 364-8000
theram.com - yelp

#1218 #S735 - Scorecard Bar and Grill, Seattle - 9/2/2010

This place is fairly new, but the style is strictly old school -- it's a bit like stepping into 1975.  There are old school drinks (rum and cokes) being consumed, old school bar food being served, and old school gals working the bar who call every customer "Babe" or "Hon."  And apparently everyone in the place smokes (odd how often that goes together with "sports" bars).

Despite the name, the sports theme doesn't appear to go any deeper than any typical suburban, strip-mall bar.  The interior is fairly large and utterly devoid of any charm or character, but there do appear to be some real characters among the customers and staff.

543 NE Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125-6155 - (206) 367-2620
yelp

#1217 #S734 - Staple and Fancy, Seattle - 9/2/2010

Staple and Fancy Mercantile is the newest restaurant from Ethan Stowell and crew, with much of the staff coming from the recently deceased Union (and Ethan himself often in the kitchen).  The bar is fairly small and the place is usually packed, like all ES joints.  But the interior is more warm and pleasant of Stowell's restaurants, and one can have a cocktail while hovering for an open bar seat.  I started with a very nice "De la Louisianne" (rye, Benedictine and Pastis), which made hovering quite bearable. A sweet cream ricotta with heirloom tomato appetizer, a second cocktail (a "Caliana" -- gin, Aperol, grapefruit and soda), and some pleasant company at the bar made the wait well worth it.

4739 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 789-1200
ethanstowellrestaurants.com - seattle times - crosscut - seattle weekly -  the stranger

#1216 #S733 - Auto Battery, Seattle - 9/1/2010

Auto Battery, from the people behind Po' Dog next door, has a few vestiges of the past captured in its name, which prevents the new Capitol Hill sports bar from being totally generic. But its not very far from that, and will not be of any particular interest to anyone who hankers for anything beyond a beer and sports on TV.

1009 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 322-2886
facebook - seattlemet - yelp

#1215 #S732 - Anchovies and Olives, Seattle - 9/1/2010

Update: Anchovies and Olives closed Dec 31, 2017.

Sharing dinner items with three friends provided a pretty good sampling of the food here, which generally lived up to expectations (or as close as reasonable, given outsized accolades such as being in Bon Appetit's best ten restaurants in America).  I didn't like it as much as I've enjoyed other Ethan Stowell places, but I'm not personally a fan of oysters or raw seafoods, so I am probably not one of the better judges of the menu.

The drinks -- some classics and some designed by bartender Kiara -- were better than average, but the bar section is a bit too appertaining and the ambiance of the entire place a bit too open and condo for me to consider it highly when one is looking strictly for a bar.

1550 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 838-8080
ethanstowellrestaurants.com - seattle weekly - seattle foodies - thestranger - yelp

#1214 #S731 - Bandolero, Seattle - 8/31/2010

Update:  Bandolero closed around Oct. 3, 2011

The latest incarnation of the "Pour House," in the old Luau space.  This version seems more likable than the PH.  The Mexican food and drinks were both above average and Ryan the bartender was efficient and funny.

2253 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 633-5828
bandoleroseattle.com - seattlepi - thrillist - yelp

#1213 - The Dresden Room, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

The Dresden Room is a must-see, old school, Rat-Pack-style Los Angeles icon due to Marty & Elayne.  I missed their signature version of "Stayin' Alive," but I did catch much of their act, including various snippets of patter between Marty and our table ("Is Seattle in a different time zone?"). 

The Dresden has been around since 1954, and although they seem like they've been there even longer, Marty and Elayne have been regulars since 1982.  I couldn't put it any better than Laura B., on yelp, "Marty & Elaine are fantastic - timeless LA legends - well maybe not so timeless."

1760 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - (323) 665-4294
thedresden.com - "Swingers" scene - time - newyorkerinhollywood - yelp

#1212 - Cuba Libre, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

1745 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - (323) 661-5900
yelp - citysearch

#1211 - The Bahooka, Rosemead CA - 8/24/2010

Update: The Bahooka closed in March 2013

This may be my favorite tiki bar I've ever been to.  Yes, the Mai Kai is grand, and perhaps holds an edge thanks to the gardens.  But inside Bahooka Ribs & Grog has the dark, ramshackle, non-corporate vibe that I love in a tiki bar.

The food is fairly plain and the drinks do not compete with the best tiki joints (though they are better than average), but the fact that there is nothing fancy about their food somehow makes it all the more likable.

Then, of course, there are the aquariums (over 100 of them) and the alluring feeling of being lost in the labyrinth hold of a sunken ship.  Each booth is surrounded by fish and seafaring paraphernalia, dark and woody with the tables hanging by a large iron chain.

It is out of the way enough to have a shack ("bahooka") feel to it from the outside, and the small bar, where a turtle paddles under your drinks, preserves the vibe of an old neighborhood joint.

I love this place.

(More photos)

4501 Rosemead Boulevard, Rosemead, CA 91770-1476 - (626) 285-1241
Est. 1967 - Closed March 2013
bahooka.com - critiki - myspace - facebook - tikizone - yelp

#1210 - El Compadre, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

7408 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 874-7924
elcompadrerestaurant.com (cheesy music & web graphics warning) - yelp

#1209 - Angels and Kings, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Peter Gronquist sculpture at Angels and Kings, Los Angeles, CA

Swanky club by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz.

Angels and Kings, Los Angeles, CA

  

1708 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 - (323) 468-8815
angelsandkings.com - 944 - yelp

#1208 - L'Scorpion, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

215 Tequilas in a now well familiar format (Seattlelites think "Matador").  Had some good tequila and met a cool Austrian couple there (who seemed impressed that I knew Einsturzende Neubauten).

6679 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028 - (323) 464-3026
scorpionhollywood.com - myspace - yelp

#1207 - Kubar, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Kubar Mediterranean Cafe & Hookah Bar

6669 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-6220 - (323) 962-5555
kubarrestaurant.com - facebook - yelp