#1534 #S909 - Trago Cocina and Lounge, Seattle - 8/5/2011

Azteca, slightly updated for the striped shirt frat boy crowd.

701 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 623-2949
Est. July 2011
Previous bars at this location:  The Green Tavern, Outback Steakhouse
tragoseattle.com - facebook - thrillist - thestranger - yelp

#1533 #S908 - Splash Lounge, Seattle - 8/4/2011

Update:  Splash Lounge closed in January 2012

This near lounge and restaurant from Brian Fetty and Frank Leung in the old V Bar space has good Mediterranean and Asian fusion plates and decent cocktails.  It's a little too Belltown/Amber/Vegas/DList Magazine for my personal tastes, but still an improvement.

2122 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 269-2122
Est. Sep 29, 2011 - Building constructed: 1926
Other bars in this location:  V Bar, Saito's Japanese Cafe & Bar
splashseattle.com - facebook - seattlepi - belltownpeople - thestranger - seattlelite - yelp

#1532 #S907 - Pop Kitchen + Bar, Seattle - 8/2/2011

 Pop Kitchen + Bar is a great upgrade to the restaurant and lounge inside the Experience Music Project.  It is run by Cameron Reed Concepts, who do Chandy's Natural Cafe at Microsoft Commons and Soups On! downtown.  The food is interesting, upscale takes on American classics, and is very good.  They were doing tests with the new heirloom tomato pie, and so I got to sample this dish free, and it was excellent.  I also had a very good Pepito sandwich, and an enjoyable chat with the bartenders about bars in the Seattle area.

325 5th Avenue North (inside EMP), Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 770-2777
Est. July 22, 2011 - Building constructed: 2000
popkitchenseattle.com - facebook - dailycandy - seattlemet - thestranger - cbslocal - yelp

#1531 - Lit Cigar Lounge, Snoqualmie, WA - 7/30/2011

If you're going to do the casino experience, then this is the type of bar you want -- a bit ostentatious, a bit swanky, a bit intimate -- with overstuffed chairs and over-contented people puffing cigars and sipping bourbon.


37500 SE North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, WA 98065 - (425) 888-1234
Est. Nov. 6, 2008
snocasino.com - facebook - puff.com

#1530 - Club Sno - Snoqualmie Casino Lounge, Snoqualmie, WA - 7/30/2011

Not my kind of crowd, not my kind of vibe, not great cocktails, but worth a visit for the view.

37500 Southeast North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, WA 98065 - (425) 888-1234
Est. Nov. 6, 2008
snocasino.com - seattleweekly - seattlepi - voiceplaces - yelp

#1529 #S906 - Fine Diner, Seattle - 7/30/2011

"Fine Diner International Cuisine" was a strange placed that was open for just 2 months in the space of the former Seattle Crab Co. and the short-lived La Bera Cafe.  The space now hosts Patty's Eggnest.

The Fine Diner was an odd affair.  The decor was very sparse -- big, blank, green walls; and when we visited, there was a portable stereo blaring 70s hits (e.g. "We Will Rock You").  The food was of generous portions and reasonably good, though not what one would typically envision from the phrase "fine dining."  Cocktails were of the most basic sort. 

It's regrettable when someone's new business doesn't work out, but in some cases it's less surprising than others.



1000 NE Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125 - (206) 364-3463
Est. July 12, 2011, Closed Sep. 2011 - Building constructed: year
mapleleaflife - mapleleaflife - pinehurstseattle - yelp

#1528 - The Sports Page Grill and Bar, Snohomish, WA - 7/23/2011

Update: The Sports Page was replaced in this location by the 907 Grill in 2012

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The Sports Page Grill and Bar apparently now goes by Snohomish Spirits and Sports, says it was established in 2010, but that is only the start under the new owners.  It has live music and is packed and lively on Friday and Saturday nights.

907 1st St, Snohomish, WA 98290 - (360) 568-8202

snohomishspiritsandsports.com - yelp - yahoo

#1527 - Fred's Rivertown Alehouse, Snohomish, WA - 7/23/2011

1114 1st Street, Snohomish, WA 98290-2911 - (360) 568-5820s
Est. July 1994 (Formerly "Fred's Tavern")
Previous bars in this location: The Log Cabin (1930s)
fredsrivertownalehouse.com - beeradvocate -  yelp

#1526 - The Repp, Snohomish, WA - 7/23/2011

(Formerly Sebastion's)

924 1st Street, Snohomish, WA 98290 - (360) 568-3928

therepp.com - facebook - myspace - c-spot - yelp

#1526 #S905 - Asian 1, Seattle - 7/23/2011

Update: This location of Asian 1 closed in 2012.

Not a bad place to eat. Not a good place to drink.

13231 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 417-8088
Est. June 2011
Other bars at this location: Outback Steakhouse
asian1.us - facebook - thestranger - yelp

#1525 #S904 - Kathy's Pizza, Grill and Sports Bar, Seattle - 7/23/2011

Update: Kathy's closed in late 2015.

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Kathy's is a large bar and restaurant in the former All Nations Soccer Bar space -- what was once Seattle's first Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. The woman who waited on me was not Kathy but Michelle, whose brother is the owner and was married to Kathy, recently passed away. The family run homage to Kathy serves pretty standard pub or family diner style food to a crowd of neighborhood sports fans.


930 N. 130th St, Seattle, WA 98133 - 206-829-9251
Est. Feb 2011 - Building constructed: 1968
Previous bars at this location:  All Nations Sports Bar, Mr. Bill's
kathyspizzagrillandsportsbar.com - facebook - yelp

#1524 #S903 - The Forge Lounge, Seattle - 7/21/2011

 The Forge Lounge sits in a small space off the pedestrian overpass to the ferry dock along Marion.  Established by two firefighters, it has an industrial, working-man theme.  But it doesn't serve the Bud Lites and fried food of your average blue-collar dive bar.  Instead it has creative sandwiches and cocktails, and a funky, intimate vibe which fits brilliantly into the old waterfront.  Having a bar with this much personality is certainly a welcome addition to the downtown area.

65 Marion St., Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 623-5107
Est. June 24, 2011 - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars at this location:  None found
theforgelounge.com - facebook - seattlemag - seattleweekly - thrillist (video) - thestranger - yelp

#1523 - Cypress Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 7/20/2011

600 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 - 425-638-1000
starwoodhotels.com - facebook - culinaryfool -  yelp

#1522 #S902 - Pizzeria 22, Seattle - 7/18/2011

 Cary Kemp worked in a pizzeria on Via Tribulani in Naples, then helped launch the the Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza trend in Seattle.  He's recently had a mobile Neapolitan oven, and now he has a place of his own in West Seattle, around the corner from Yen Wor Village, and it is very much in the VT mold (including some of the dramatic Mt. Vesuvius paintings that briefly graced the Via Tribulani in the Crocodile).

4213 SW College St, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 687-7701
Est. June 27, 2011 - Building constructed: 1908
pizzeria22.com - facebook - seattleweekly - westseattleherald - westseattleblog - seattletimes - eater - urbanspoon - yelp

#1521 - Market Street Pub, Chehalis, WA - 7/18/2011

Market Street Pub and Grill, Chehalis, WA

The Facebook page says that the Market Street Pub was established in 1994, but city guides list it under that name for several years before that. During the 80s it was home to the Smoke Shop Tavern, which had been in operation in multiple other locations on Market Blvd since shortly after prohibition. One would guess that the Smoke Shop and its long history were the source of the grand, antique Brunswick-Balke-Collender back bar, which may be the "Empire" model, and is somewhat similar to the bar in The Shire, around the block, and even more similar to a smaller piece in the Central Saloon in Seattle.  The building now hosting the pub has a couple historic markers on the front exterior dating construction back to 1918.

Brunswick-Balke-Collender antique bar
Market Street Pub, Chehalis, WA

523 North Market Boulevard, Chehalis, WA 98532-2109 -(360) 748-6777
Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars in this location: Smoke Shop Tavern
web site: facebook  
yelp - urbanspoon

#1520 - Billy Ray's Neighborhood Dive, Portland OR - 7/18/2011

 Billy Ray's has two fairly distinct parts.  The ground floor is a pretty classic dive bar, the kind that caters to oldtimers and hipsters at the same time.  But once you ascend the stairs to the second floor, you're suddenly in the game room of your childhood friend with the coolest dad -- decked out in video games, old couches, and paintings of scary clowns and other odd creatures.

2216 NE M L King Blvd, Portland, OR 97255 - (503) 287-7254

barfly - mercury - urbandrinks - yelp

#1519 - The Chapel Pub, Portland OR - 7/18/2011

 As they do, McMenamins remodeled a great old building here into a nice neighborhood pub -- in this case what was previously the "Little Chapel of the Chimes," nee "Wilson-Chambers Mortuary," a former funeral home in Portland's Piedmont neighborhood.  There is a sort of vestibule, a main room with a bar, a couple additional rooms and a nice patio (the upper floor is McMenamin's headquarters).  It may seem a little formulaic at times, but God bless 'em for saving and restoring all these great old spaces for the northwest public.

If you've ever been to a McMenamin's, you know what you're in for.  If you have not been to a McMenamin's, expect some pretty good beers brewed by the company, some funky artwork and decor, and better than average pub food.

430 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217 - (503) 286-0372
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 1932
mcmenamins.com - beeradvocate - tripadvisor -  barfly - yelp

#1518 - Mock Crest Tavern, Portland OR - 7/17/2011

3435 N. Lombard, Portland, OR 97217 - (503) 283-5014
Est. 1947
mockcrest.com - facebook - mercury -  barfly - yelp

#1517 - The Twilight Room, Portland OR - 7/17/2011

 The Twighlight Room is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year, but that's only under the current management.  It is said to have been established in the late 40s and owner Doug Penner was a bartender here himself going back to 1949.  He and his twin brother purchased the bar in 1961, and over the following years expanded it four times, incorporating a former barbershop, refrigeration shop, and insurance business.

So it is now a pretty large place, and a comfortable neighborhood bar for both college students and local old timers.

5242 North Lombard Street, Portland, OR 97203 - (503) 283-5091
Est. late 40s
thetwilightroom.com - facebook - oregonlive - wweek - barfly - yelp

#1516 - Kenton Station, Portland OR - 7/16/2011

8303 North Denver Avenue, Portland, OR 97217-6707 - (503) 286-9242
kentonstationportland.com - facebook -  mercury - barfly - yelp