#1910 #S1079 - Marination Ma Kai, Seattle - 10/5/2012

Boozy shave ice! Why do some things that seem so obvious take so long to arrive to us? I can barely wait for a sunny day to take the water taxi from downtown Seattle across Elliot Bay to the new Marination Ma Kai ("ma kai" = "along the sea") in West Seattle and have me some boozy shaved ice!

The Marination Ma Kai is a small old waterfront fish and chips place that now hosts the people behind one of the most popular food trucks in Seattle. The food ranges from kimchi fried rice, to spam musubi, to tacos and quesadillas, to sliders with nunya sauce and pickled jalapenos. The bar is a very tiny affair -- six seats total -- from whence they serve some good beers and pretty good cocktails. Alas, the boozy shave ice was not available yet, and it was not optimal weather for it in any case, so I settled for a Jalapeno Fizz (quite good) and a "Mai Kai" (meh).

And I will be be back.

1660 Harbor Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126              
Est. Oct 4, 2012 - Building constructed: 1989
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: marinationmobile.com - facebook
Reviews: thesunbreak - seattleweekly - seattlemet - westseattleherald - westseattleblog - yelp

#1909 #S1078 - Flying Fish, Seattle - OOO

Continuing entries for bars previously visited but which I somehow did not get on this list at the time.

In 2010, James Beard award winning chef Chris Keff moved her 15-yo Belltown restaurant Flying Fish into the Terry/Mercer building in the burgeoning Allentown area around South Lake Union. The new space is bigger and brighter, the cocktails are reliable and the food is very good. Service is rather hit and miss.

300 Westlake Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 728-8595
Est. 2010 - Building constructed: 2006
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: flyingfishseattle.com - facebook  
Reviews: seattletimes - seattleweekly - eater - seattlemag - seattletimes (move) - tripadvisor - yelp

#1908 #S1077 - Salty's, Seattle - OOO

Continuing to add some bars that somehow did not make it onto the list previously.

Salty's on Alki is known for good seafood, an epic Sunday brunch buffet, and perhaps the best restaurant view in Seattle. (Founded by Gerry Kingen, who also owned the original Red Robin, and various other Seattle bars including the Blue Moon Tavern, the Warehouse, and places with names like " Lion O’Reilly’s and B.J. Monkeyshines" and "Boondock’s Sundeckers and Greenthumbs.")

1936 Harbor Ave SW Seattle, WA 98126 - (206) 937-1600
Est. 1985 - Building constructed: 1902
Previous bars in this location: Beach Broiler
Web site: saltys.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - seattledining - yelp

#1907 #S1076 - Lola, Seattle - OOO

More catching up on bars that I somehow missed getting onto the list previously.

Lola is chef Tom Douglas's Mediterranean venue. The cocktails are fairly good and the food is excellent, as always for a Douglas place. I haven't yet had them myself, but many people recommend the donuts.

Historical note: Somewhere at this address, I believe in the current Lola space, was Norm Brobow's "The Colony," known as one of Seattle's swankiest jazz joints in the 1950s.

2000 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-1430
Est. June 2004 - Building constructed: 1925
Previous bars in this location: The Colony?
Web site: tomdouglas.com - facebook  
Reviews:  - graciesfoodandfun - seattletimes - thestranger - seriouseats - seattleweekly - yelp

#1906 #S1075 - La Carta De Oaxaca, Seattle - OOO

This is to add the little bar in Oaxaca -- the original one, in Ballard -- which I somehow missed getting on the list before.

Oaxaca is perhaps the best Mexican food in the city and at most times you are bound to face a line before you get a seat at one of the communal tables. If you're lucky, there will be room in the tiny bar to catch a margarita while you wait. It is not a bar you would go to just to go to bar, but they do have pretty good margaritas while you are waiting for the excellent food. The food is served in small, tapas form, so you will want to select about three items, and make sure that you include the mole. (For the same great food with a bit more emphasis on the bar, see its sister restaurant on upper Queen Anne.)

Historical notes:  Oaxaca is in a building that is at least 112 years old and has hosted bars since at least shortly after prohibition. A bar owned by Joseph Brown is listed here in 1935. By the 40s, it was Chet's Log Cabin and by the late 40s and into the 60s the Alaska Log Cabin. In the late 60s and early 70s it was Fisherman's Inn, and by the late 70s and into the 80s it was Bebop, then the Barge Inn by 1985.

5431 Ballard Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 782-8722
Est. Nov 2003 - Building constructed: 1900 or earlier
Previous bars in this location: Barge Inn, Bebop's, Chet's Log Cabin, Alaska Log Cabin, Fisherman's Inn
Web site: lacartadeoaxaca.com - facebook
Best articles: natashareed - absolutelymonica - seattleweekly - thestranger - yelp  

#1905 #S1074 - Cal's Classic American, Seattle - 10/4/2012

Update: Cal's Lake Union closed on June 25, 2013

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Cal's Classic American Kitchen is a bit like an updated Applebees. That's not all bad -- the vintage clutter here is rugged, mid-century industrial and modern additions include a pour-your-own table tap where customers pay per ounce. It serves basically traditional American comfort food with a slight spin, plus a few good beers and whiskeys and a fairly straight-forward cocktail menu (but with lots of egg white).

The place, and it's predecessor in Kent, were name for Cal Chandler, the father of one of the owners (ex-Husky center Jeff Chandler) and founder of The Ram brewpubs. The ownership team also includes Shannon Galusha, former chef at Bastille, Veil, Campagne, etc., and ex-Boise State Bronco Matthew Schweitzer.

404 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - 206.209.3000                    
Est. Oct 22, 2012 - Closed June 25, 2013
Web site: calsclassic.com
Best articles: eater - bizjournals - seattlemet - thrillist (loud/sound) -  yelp

#1904 #S1073 - Rione XIII, Seattle - 9/26/2012

Another Seattle fine restaurant from Ethan Stowell, this one focused on classic Italian food and named for the "trendy" Trastevere area, or the 8th rione (district) of Rome.  The bar at Rione (ree-OH-nay) VIII is not one you would typically visit if you were not going in to eat, but does have some pretty good quality cocktails (I had a Boulevardier).

401 15th Avenue East Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 838-2878
Est. Aug 22, 2012 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: ethanstowellrestaurants.com - facebook   
Best articles: cornichon - seattleweekly - seattleite - seattletimes - seattlemag - seattlemag - eater - thestranger -  dailycandy - yelp

#1903 #S1072 - Soban Restaurant and Lounge, Seattle - 9/26/2012

In recent years, this spot across the street from the Convention Center has offered pan-Asian menus centered around first Vietnamese and now Korean dishes. As it evolved from "Bambuza" and "820 Pike Street" to Soban, they've put in a lot of work to attract an evening crowd. The place now has an actual bar, it DJ loft, karaoke, and the NFL package. Bartender Phi-Du was a friendly and enthusiastic host.

But the cocktails? Well, let's just say that it wasn't my demographic. To impress me with the bar, Phi-Du showed me what he thought might be the largest selection of flavored vodkas in the city. Good luck, but not a place for me.

820 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 219-5555             
Est. Sep 14, 2012 - Building constructed: 2003
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: so-ban.com - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - seattletimes - seattlepi - thrillist - yelp

#1902 #S1071 - Bambino's Pizzeria, Seattle - 9/23/2012

Bambino's has been selling very good, Neapolitan-style pizzas just up Cedar Street from the Five Point since 2005. But it did not have an actual bar until September 2012. Now you can sit at the gleaming pine bar and sample Bambino's large craft beer selection, including Pliny the Elder, along with their interesting range of pizzas.

401 Cedar Street Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 269-2222             
Est. Sep. 20, 2012 (bar), 2005 (restaurant) - Building constructed: 1927
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bambinosseattle.com - facebook  
Reviews: seattletimes - eater - seattlefoodster - seattlepi - thestranger - urbanspoon - yelp

#1901 - Royal Bear Pub, Algona - 9/22/2012

A quite large place, popular with the bikers, hosting live bands, and featuring 15 taps.

35731 W Valley Highway South Algona, WA 98001 - (253) 833-6686
Previous bars in this location: The Algona Tavern
Web site: theroyalbear.com
Reviews: bikerfriendlybars - yelp 

#1900 - Peterson Bros. 1111, Tacoma - 9/22/2012

Peterson Brothers' Eleven Eleven is a new bar and sandwich shop in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma. It was created and is run by twin brothers Robby and Justin Peterson, whose father is one of the owners of The Swiss, and who have learned the business through jobs there, at Hell's Kitchen, the Hotel Bar and Grill, Jazzbones, other Tacoma institutions. It is named for the address at 1111 11th -- and I felt a little foolish calling to see what time they opened -- 11am of course.

Robby and Justin are friendly and funny, and make you feel like you want to hang out there often. The bar was decorated to look like an old dive that feels like it has been in the neighborhood for decades. It includes a bar made by the brothers from wood salvaged from the old Nalley Pickle Factory, in "Nalley Valley." It attracts a pretty young and hipster-heavy crowd. In addition to a good selection of beers and spirits, the 1111 serves some excellent sandwiches and good soups.

One warning -- you may feel out of place if you do not have a substantial beard. The only person working there who did not have a big beard was the one female, and one of the guys told me they were working on how to get her one.







Historical Notes:  There has been a bar in this space off and on since at least soon after prohibition. City guides list a bar owned by Andrew Molberg in 1935. By 1960 it was Abe's Tavern, and by 1970 it was Michael Eleven Eleven Tavern (or a close variation on that).

1111 S 11th St, Tacoma, WA 98405 - (253) 284-1111
Est. June 27, 2012
Previous bars at this location: Michael's 1111, Abe's Tavern
Web site: facebook
Best Articles: tnt - weeklyvolcano - examiner - yelp

#1899 - Dawson's Bar and Grill, Tacoma - 9/21/2012

Hosting a middle-aged crowd, Dawson's is big on darts and features live music every Wednesday through Sunday with no cover.  Dawson's Tavern / Bar & Grill has been here since at least 1951.

5443 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 - (253) 476-1421
Web site: dawsonsbarandgrill.com - facebook  
Reviews: weeklyvolcano - themedallion - yelp

#1898 - Starlite Bar and Grill, Tacoma - 9/21/2012

The Starlite Lounge, Tacoma, WA

The faded signage and ornate entryway of the "Starlite Lounge" hint at some glossy past that make we wish I could find pictures and accounts of the place in whatever passed for its heyday. The exterior is now moss covered and dilapidated to the extent that it is hard to believe there is an active business inside. But there is, and the interior shows that some much needed remodeling and redecorating work is underway. Inside there are few hints of the old charm promised by the front of the place, and unfortunately the redocorating seems to be basically adding TVs and cheap Seahawks and Mariners paraphernalia, and embracing a sports bar theme -- in other words, taking the boring interior portion and making it even more boring.  I just hope the basic exterior survives the eviction of remaining  personality.

A segment of old wall paper, temporarily visible at the Starlite Lounge

5231 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 (253) 472-7299

#1897 - Sir C's Tavern, Tacoma - 9/21/2012

This was a return trip to tour the remaining diver bars of South Tacoma Way. One of our first stops was Sir C's, where friendly bartender Jesse enthusiastically gave us a tour.  I think Jesse's boyfriend's grandfather owns the place, but I may have that messed up.  Jesse said it's been around for about 10 years, and was previously Jerry's.  It's now a biker friendly bar and from the aroma on the back patio, was ahead of its time in recognizing Washington state initiative I-502.  Another classic little dive on this old strip.

Bartender Jesse with a regular at Sir C's Tavern, Tacoma

Historical notes:  City guides do indeed list Jerry's Tavern at this location from the 60s into the 90s.  By 1940 it was a tavern named "Squeek's Rondivoo" and by 1960 it was "Ed & Larry's Rendezvous."

6234 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 - (253) 474-7919
Previous bars in this location: Squeeks Rondivoo, Ed & Larry's Rendezvous, Jerry's Tavern