#1320 - Bis on Main, Bellevue, WA - 12/17/2010

10213 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 455-2033
bisonmain.com - the stranger - yelp

#1319 - Wild Ginger, Bellevue, WA - 12/14/2010

11020 NE 6th St Ste 90, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 495-8889
wildginger.net - seattle times - yelp

#1318 - The Pumphouse, Bellevue, WA - 12/14/2010

Just across 405 from downtown Bellevue you step into the Pumphouse and it's like suddenly you're nowhere near Bellevue.  The decor isn't Bellevue, the staff isn't Bellevue and the clientelle are not Bellevue.

No augmented breasts and white striped shirts, just a blue collar crowd eating burgers and drinking big steins of beer.  It's as if you stepped over the highway and into Sequim.

11802 NE 8th St, Bellevue, WA 98005 - (425) 455-4110
Previous bars in this location: Lon's Place (1950s)
pumphousebellevue.com - yelp

#1317 #S791 - Harlow's Saloon, Seattle - 12/13/2010

Update: Harlow's closed in Sep. 2011

A new divey bar from the owners of Moshi Moshi and Bricco.  It's in a great space and successfully feels like regulars have been hanging in it for 50 years.

5200 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 327-9804
Est. Dec 2010 - Closed Sep 2011
facebook - seattle weekly - yelp - seattleballard

#1316 #S790 - Five Corner Market, Seattle - 12/13/2010

Update: Five Corner Market closed April 12, 2011

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With the old Lombardi's location and chef Sam Crannell from Quinn’s and Oddfellows, the 5 Corner Market brings offers some reasonable cocktails and quite good food.  They were still working on a cocktail menu when we dropped in, and they are supposed to be heavy on bourbon-based drinks, so I'll definitely have to give the bar (which has moved downstairs) another try soon.

2200 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 816-3310
Est. Dec. 2010; closed April 12, 2011
5cornermarket.com - thrillist - myballard - gastrolust - yelp

#1315 - Boom Noodle, Bellevue, WA - 12/13/2010

504 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 453-6094
boomnoodle.com - seattletimes - yelp

#1314 - The Mukilteo Lodge, Mukilteo, WA - 12/10/2010

Nice, big, woody, lodgy sports bar

7928 Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo, WA 98275 - (425) 374-3333
mukilteolodge.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1313 - Amici Bistro, Mukilteo, WA - 12/10/2010

8004 Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo, WA 98275-2653 - (425) 438-9544
yelp

#1312 - Seastar, Bellevue, WA - 12/9/2010

Fancy seafood from John Howie (and part-owner Gary Payton)

205 108th Avenue NE #100, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 456-0010
seastarrestaurant.com - seattlepi - seattletimes - yelp

#1311 #S789 - The Blue Glass, WA - 12/8/2010

The Blue Glass, which opened 12/2/2010 in the location that previously housed Tigertail, is owned by Dan Cowan, of the Tractor Tavern.  It is a very different vibe, but still comfortable, and with some nice cocktails and food.

I had a Maple Rye Old Fashioned (Old Overholt rye, maple syrup, cherry and orange soda), and a very nice pork tenderloin sandwich (carmelized apple, onion, fennel).



704 NW 65th St., Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 420-1631
Est. Dec 2, 2010 - Building constructed: 1938
Previous bars at this location:  Tigertail
theblueglass.net - facebook - myballard - yelp

#1310 - Ristorante Luciano, Bellevue, WA - 12/7/2010

515 Bellevue Square # A, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 283-5877
ristoranteluciano.com

#1309 - Z'Teja's Southwestern Grill, Bellevue, WA - 12/6/2010

To close January 26, 2013.


535 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 467-5911
ztejas.com

#1308 #S788 - Marjorie, Seattle, WA - 12/4/2010

After five years in Belltown (in a portion of the space that now comprises Buckley's), Marjorie re-opened in an intimate space Capitol Hill in 2010.  But the place feels like it should be in some shady, remote corner, rather than embedded in a new condo building -- better to be preserved for appreciative regulars.

We had a couple pleasant cocktails, a nice chat with Donna the owner, and also customer Ellie.

1412 East Union St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 441-9842
marjorierestaurant.com - seattle weekly - seattle times - yelp

#1307 #S787 - Grim's, Seattle, WA - 12/4/2010

This was the soft opened of Grim's, a new place with a slightly steampunk decor in the former space of Grey Gallery, and we didn't get much of a chance to sample what will be their "intoxicant" menu.

Downstairs is a large space with communal tables and attached seats that swing in circular motions around them.  Upstairs is the more intimate Butterfly Lounge, walls glowing with jar after jar of butterflies.

Grim's is the latest Capitol Hill restaurant from Laura Olson, and a very different vibe than Po Dog and Auto Battery.  It's nice to look at, but I'll have to return to judge the cocktails and menu.

1512 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 324-7467
grimseattle.com - facebook - capitolhillseattle - yelp

#1306 - Parlor Ultralounge, Bellevue, WA - 12/2/2010

700 Bellevue Way NE 3rd Floor, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 289-7000
parlorlive.com

#1322 #S792 - Barge Bar, Madison Park Conservatory, Seattle - 12/21/2010

Update: Madison Park Conservatory closed Feb 15, 2014

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Yet another upscale restaurant for the east end of Madison, this one just off the beach.  In the Barge Bar upstairs, I took bartender Keara's suggestion and had the braised Wagyu crossrib, and holy smokes, it's good.

Also had two quite tasty cocktails, starting with the El Conservadero (Cazadores Reposado, jalapeno tequila blanco, lime, agave, and beer topper) and following with a Brooklyn 46 (Makers 46, Dolin Dry vermouth, Averna, maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters).  Nice location, nice drinks,and very nice food.

1927 43rd Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 324 9701
Est. Nov 27, 2010 - Closed Feb 15, 2014 - Building constructed 1927
Previous bars in this location: None known 
madisonparkconservatory.com - seattle weekly - madisonparkblogger - seattle times - patmybutter- sassycitygirl - yelp

#1321 - McCormick and Schmick's, Bellevue, WA - 12/21/2010

700 Bellevue Way NE, Suite 115, Bellevue, WA 98004-5046 - (425) 454-2606
mccormickandschmicks.com

#1305 #S786 - Bar Myx, Seattle, WA - 11/30/2010

Update: Bar Myx closed in 2011

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Lest there be any doubt about what kind of crowd this new "video bar" in the Revyue location caters to, it was created by the promoters of "Fruits in Suits" and the night we dropped in they were in the middle of a "Glee" marathon.  The bartender didn't know what a Sazerac was, but was prompt and nice.

2810 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 588-1834
Est. 2010 - Closed 2011 - Building constructed 2001
barmyx.com - facebook -  yelp

#1304 #S785 - Seatown Seabar, Seattle, WA - 11/30/2010

The Seatown Snack Bar (or Seabar and Rotisserie) is a less formal sister to Etta's next door.  It has some pretty good cocktails -- I had a Hootenanny (Barbancourt rum, Market Spice Tea syrup, and citrus) and Gotham (Bulliet, Punt e mes, and Fee's brothers bitters).     The only slightly unsettling features are the paintings on the bathroom walls, which may lead you to think you have accidentally stumbled into preschool daycare facility.

The ambiance is not one of a warm bar, but rather like an extension of the Pike Place Market, and it will benefit greatly from the return of summer weather (warm evenings, that is, when the throngs of tourists have died down).  Along with the drinks, I also had the single best sandwich I have ever tasted in my life.  But when you consider that it had crab and bacon and Tom Douglas, well obviously that's just not fair to all the other sandwiches.


tomdouglas.com - seattle weekly - seattle times -

#1303 #S784 - Amaani Lounge, Seattle, WA - 11/27/2010

Joe Mabel photo, via Wikimedia

Update:  This venue and the King Cat Theater closed in August 2012, and the building was later razed.

This is the lounge added by Arif Amaani in 2008 to the King Cat Theater, which opened as a movie theater in 1974 and currently hosts various events from Bollywood movies to musical shows, including the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Skrillex, Wilco, Foo Fighters, Mudhoney, Melvins, Ray Davies, Todd Rundgren, Taj Mahal, Gregg Allman, Insane Clown Posse, and GWAR).



2130 Sixth Ave., Seattle - 206-448-2829
kingcattheater.com - seattletimes