#1297 - Huber's, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

Considered Portland's oldest restaurant and saloon, Hubert's dates its birth to 1879 when it started as the Bureau Saloon in a location at SW 1st and Morrison. Frank Huber was hired there as a bartender in 1884, and became the owner by 1888. The business changed its name to Huber's and moved to moved to 281 SW Washington in 1895, then moved to its current location in 1911.

In addition to the beautiful interior in the Oregon Pioneer Building (nee Builder's Exchange Building), Huber's is known for its turkey dinners and Spanish Coffees.


411 Southwest 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204 - (503) 228-5686
Est. 1911, 1895 in a previous location
hubers.com

#1296 - Rocco's Bar, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

931 SW Oak, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 223-9835
roccosbar.com - facebook - yelp

#1295 - Mother's Bistro, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

A nice (and popular) place, especially for breakfast, but with some decent cocktails.  Our server was great.

212 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97204 - (503) 464-1122
mothersbistro.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1294 - Bo Asian Bistro, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

A bar from Bo Kline, the Typhoon! chef.  Happily, I think they are no just Bo Asian Bistro and have given the "Restobar" a rest.

400 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 222-2688
bobistro.com - citysearch - yelp

#1293 - Tugboat Brewing Co, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

This is a nifty little nautical-themed brewpub.  Nice beers, nice crowd, and very comfortable.

711 SW Ankeny St, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 226-2508
web site - barfly - yelp

#1292 - Someday Lounge, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

125 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209-3811 - (503) 248-1030
somedaylounge.com - yelp

#1291 - Portland City Grill, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

Not my favorite kind of crowd, but a nice view of the city.

111 Southwest 5th Ave #3000, Portland, OR 97204-3633 - (503) 450-0030
portlandcitygrill.com - yelp

#1290 - Saucebox, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

214 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205-3724 - (503) 241-3393
saucebox.com - yelp

#1289 - Palm Court, Benson Hotel, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

A nice, low-key lounge in an old historic hotel.  The servers were good and they were happy to tell you about the history of the 1912 building -- the presidents who have stayed there, the columns carved from one giant piece of rare Circassian walnut, the coo-coo clock which was the first piece added to the hotel.

Simon Benson himself was a teetotaler, but Jonah the bartender serves up some very good cocktails.  My favorite was the Chupacabra (Jalapeno, cilantro, lime, Hornitos, citrus liqueur).

309 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 228-2000
bensonhotel.com -  yelp

#1288 #S781 - Japonessa, Seattle, WA - 11/17/2010

I'm not a sushi fan, so I can't judge Japonessa Sushi Cocina -- although sushi fans I know seem to like it quite a bit.  The bar is okay, but not likely to pull you in if you're not there for the food.

The name means "Japanese lady" in Spanish, and reflects the "90% Japanese, 10% Latin fusion" food, from folks associated with Wasabi Bistro and Kushibar.

1400 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 971-7979
japonessa.com - facebook - seattlemet - seattle weekly - yelp

#1287 #S780 - La Puerta, Seattle, WA - 11/15/2010

Update: La Puerta closed in August 2012

No frills Mexican food, from the place that ran for years where Quinn's now stands.  Quinn's has much better food and drinks, but it can't replace that late night diner feel that the old location had.  Of course the new incarnation in the mall doesn't have that either.

the stranger - yelp
401 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 324-6211

#1286 #S779 - Highline, Seattle, WA - 11/15/2010

Good beers, very good sandwiches, and some interesting infusions, from the owners of Squid and Ink.  You probably won't even notice that it's vegan.

And of course the best thing about this place is that it displaces the gawdawful Club Lagoon.

210 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 328-7837
highlineseattle.com - the stranger - chs - yelp

#1285 - Palomino, Bellevue WA - 11/15/2010

#1284 #S778 - Perche No, Seattle, WA - 11/14/2010

Update: Perche No is closing Dec 18, 2019

This is a very interesting place.  They moved from a cramped little space on Queen Anne to a somewhat ostentatious, two-story, new building behind Kidd Valley in Wallingford (replacing a beautiful old brick home, BTW).  It is an Italian restaurant run by a Chinese couple, David and Lily Kong.  David is the chef, while Lily makes her way around and chats with the guests.  She talked about missing the opera performers coming into the old location on their breaks, and how they had a limo that would take customers to the Highlands just to see the view.

Unlike the old location, the new Percho no ("Why not?") has a dedicated bar area -- with a two-story high ceiling and chandelier made of wine glasses.  The cocktails are pedestrian, but they have a large selection of wine (there was a wine tasting wrapping up upstairs when I visited), and better than average Italian food.

1319 N 49th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-0222
Est. Aug 2006 - Closed Dec 18, 2019 - Building constructed 2006
perchenopastaandvino.com - culinary fool -  surly gourmand - seattle foodster - yelp

#1283 #S777 - Pan Africa Market, Seattle, WA - 11/12/2010

Update: Pan Africa Market closed April 14, 2012; plan to re-open across the street.

The drinks here are not particularly interesting, but it's well worth it if you are hungry. Our meals were both very good and we coveted those of our neighbors at the bar.  There are better cocktail options, but it's on my short list for favorite places to eat downtown.

1521 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 652-2461
panafricamarket.com - seattle times - seattle pi - the stranger - yelp

#1282 #S776 - Easy Joe's, Seattle, WA - 11/10/2010

Update: Easy Joe's closed in October 2011, and is said to be reopening in the future at 1st and Cherry in Pioneer Square.

This place just opened nine days ago and doesn't yet have a cocktail menu. They do have pretty decent diner/comfort food (I had the Sloppy Joe).

2359 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 325-1233
easyjoes.com - chs - the stranger - yelp

#1281 #S775 - Dilettante Martini Bar, Seattle, WA - 11/9/2010

Update: Dilettante closed Jan 2017.



A fine place for women who feel like they deserve a splurge and that there is no such thing as a too-sweet cocktail.



538 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 329-6463
Est. 2008 - Closed Jan 2017
Web site: dilettante.com
Reviews:  the stranger - chs -  yelp

#1280 #S774 - Poppy, Seattle, WA - 11/9/2010

I had no idea what Poppy was before I popped in, other than a bar to add to this list where I could probably get some decent food.  Well now Poppy  is  one of my top 5 or so places to eat in Seattle. 

While the tapas boom is great for tasting several dishes in a single visit, it can start to get very costly fast if you're hungry.  At Poppy, long-time Herb Garden chef Jerry Traunfeld borrows the "Thali" (large platter) concept from India, and serves 7 to 10 pretty excellent different bites at a time.

The cocktails are good too.  I had a tasty Papi Delicious (tequila, curacao, red bell pepper, jalapenos, lime and mint) and a Six Twenty Two (rye, Amarao Nonino, rhurbarb, and Angostura bitters).  The decor is a little open and cold for a bar, but the food and drinks will definitely keep this high on my list of dinner choices.


622 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 324-1108
poppyseattle.com - seattle pi - seattletimes - seattletimes 2 - the stranger - seattle weekly - yelp

#1279 #S773 - The Counter, Seattle, WA - 11/7/2010

Update: The Counter closed in March 2012.

There is a bar (counter?) at The Counter, and there's liquor, but it's pretty minimal after the beer.  But of course people go there for the food porn monster burgers, not a fine cocktail.

4609 14th Avenue, NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 706-0311
thecounterburger.com (sound/flash) - seattle times - urbanspoon photos - the stranger - myballard - yelp

#1278 - Maggiano's Little Italy, Bellevue, WA - 11/5/2010

Old school American Italian food, like your (non-Italian) grandparents like to eat.  Order a pasta dish, get a second one free to take home.

10455 Northeast 8th St, Bellevue, WA 98004-4346 - (425) 519-6476
maggianos.com - yelp