#2394 #S1206 - The Fenix, Seattle - 1/11/2014

The Fenix rises in Seattle for the 6th time, this one at
124 S. Washington, previous locale of the Last Supper Club

Update: This version of the Fenix closed sometime in June or July 2014.

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This short-lived version in the former Last Supper Club space was the sixth incarnation of Rick Wyatt's Fenix club in Seattle, and not quite as epic as a couple of its predecessors. The one indelible memory I will retain of this one was watching the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII there. So rather than recount the relatively unremarkable life of this one, I thought I'd take a quick look at Seattle Fenix history, and some of my visits there over the years.

As best I can reassemble it, the Fenix locations have been:

• 1992-1993 - The Fenix Cafe, 111 Yesler (subsequently the Bohemian, now Trinity)
• 1993-2001 - The Fenix Underground, 323 2nd Ave (formerly Hollywood Underground, below what is now 88 Keys)
• 1994-2001 - The Fenix Above Ground, 313/315 2nd Ave 
• 2003-2006 - The New Fenix, 109 S. Washington (now Swannies)
• 2006-2007 - Fenix SoDo, 1700 1st Ave S. (previously Premier, now Showbox SoDo)
• 2014 - The Fenix, 124 S. Washington (previously Last Supper Club, now Box House Saloon)

Jubilant Seahawks fans celebrate Seattle's first Super Bowl win
at the Fenix, Feb 2, 2014

The Fenix Cafe was primarily a blues club, and some of the following versions were to some extent, although the styles of music and events exploded into any number of themes, from funk to rockabilly to goth industrial. Wyatt partnered with Mike Galloway, Mike Lagervall and John Corbett (who played the DJ on "Northern Exposure" and was a regular at the Fenix Cafe) to open the Fenix Underground in the basement space of the former Hollywood Underground, opening on New Year's Eve 1992 with Duffy Bishop and the Rhythm Dogs. A year later they took the ground level space next door and turned it into the Fenix Above Ground. These lasted until the building was severely damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

Ambyr and friend, at the original Fenix in Seattle for the
Siouxsie Sioux show, May 10, 1999

These were a terrific place to see shows -- big enough to get some great international acts, but maintaining a very intimate feel, and pulsing with energy; for acts that I've seen several other places, the Fenix shows were almost always my favorites. Some of my best memories there were Einsturzende Neubauten, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Siouxsie Sioux, Sky Cries Mary, the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, and the Genitorturers. Some other fine nights were the gothy events of fashion, music, and various vendors, such as the Christmas Balls or Bazaar Events. The Neubauten show in December 1998 was particularly meaningful to me. I had recently gone to see an event in Key Arena with several bands I liked, including Garbage and Hole, where I had been utterly, interminably bored. I was approaching 40 and despaired that perhaps rock music would just never be exciting to me again. So the Neubauten show was a thrilling revelation -- not only an electric show, but clarifying that it was not the music but rather the arena-sized venues that had lost me.

The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, Fenix Underground
Oct. 31, 1998

After the disastrous earthquake, Wyatt and Lagervall re-opened the Fenix in another multi-level space in Pioneer Square in May 2003. Here too I have memories of many great shows and events, but my favorites were the "Moonday" nights -- costume balls on the Mondays closest to a full moon, each with a theme based on a color and/or a particular tarot card. A few of the many shows I enjoyed here were Hate Dept., Ministry, Hanzel und Gretyl, My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult, Go Like Hell, Betty X, Bozo Porno Circus, the Genitorturers, and Drag Strip Riot.

Bozo Porno Circus, at the New Fenix, May 26, 2003
 

I also saw several bands I liked at the SoDo location of the Fenix, but this was never the fun space that the others were, and to this day I wince a little when a band I like is booked for the big, boring, concrete floored rectangle that is now Showbox SoDo. Similarly, the abortive attempt to rise from the ashes in the much smaller space formerly occupied by the Last Supper Club didn't seem very distinguished or much of attraction to me -- though who knows what would have developed if it had live more than half a year. But over the years I've had many a memorable night at these clubs, and if the Fenix rises again, I'll be there.

The gal on the left snatched my camera and took this selfie
at the New Fenix in 2003

"Moonday," May 2003 at the New Fenix

"Moonday," The New Fenix, Seattle

Cinco de Mayo 2006, at the New Fenix, Seattle

124 S Washington St, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 748-9975
Est. Dec 31, 2013 - Closed June/July 2014 - Building constructed: 1909
Previous bars in this location: The Last Supper Club, Dutch Ned's, Borderline Saloon
Subsequent bar: Box House Saloon
Web site: facebook
Reviews: edshawentertainment - dancemusicnw - examiner - king5 (video)

#2393 #S1205 - Cantina De San Patricio, Seattle - 1/8/2014

With a name and them celebrating the Irishmen and other Europeans who defected from the U.S. and allied themselves with the Mexican army in the Mexican-American war, the Cantina De San Patricio sits in the Pike Place Market complex (in the former "Post" space). There it serves tourists and locals better than average American Mexican food and better than average magaritas in a better than average Mexican restaurant space.

1914 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 443-2150                              
Est. Nov 2013 - Building constructed: 1914
Previous bars in this location: Post
Web site: cantinadesanpatricio.com - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - seattledining - yelp

#2392 #S1204 - Triumph, Seattle - 1/7/2014

It's difficult for me to feel a lot of intimacy from bars tucked in the massive concrete structures of new condo buildings. But if the buildings are going to be there, I suppose it's nice to have some places where you can grab a very nice glass of wine and some tasty small plates here virtually in the shadow of the Space Needle and Seattle Center. The owners of Triumph, two sommeliers and a chef, have mitigated the concrete behemoth -- the Expo building from Burkheimer Management and Essex Property Trust -- with some nice wood, friendly service, 300+ wine choices, and some unique and tasty cocktails. And bacon -- at least on this night. That is, while bacon is not a theme of the place, tonight I enjoyed a Bacon Old Fashioned to go with my Bacon Clams. Yum.

114 Republican St, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 420-1791
Est. Aug 29, 2013 - Building constructed: 2012
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: triumphbar.com - facebook
Reviews: eater - seattlemag - seattlemet - yelp - thestranger - tripadvisor

#2391 #S1203 - Eureka!, Seattle - 1/6/2014

One yelper observes, apparently without irony, "The University District Shopping Center creates a nice environment and ambiance." If you don't cringe at that, or at chain restaurants that attract a preppy, mall-shopper sort of crowd, then this is one of a number of nice new food and drink options that opened at U Village in 2013. It's not the ambiance for me, but if you can get past that, this California "Burger Bar" chain has some very nice whiskey options, 40 mostly local craft beers on tap, and some quite tasty burgers and other food choices. And the staff are both nice and knowledgable -- virtually everyone who works there is a Cicerone-certified beer server.


2614 NE 46th St, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 812-9655
Est. Nov 25, 2013
Previous bars in this location: Sonrisa
Web site: eurekarestaurantgroup.com  - uvillage.com - facebook
Reviews: washingtonbeerblog - eater - seattlemet - yelp - tripadvisor - thestranger

#2390 #S1202 - Bill's Off Greenwood, Seattle - 1/4/2014

Update: This location of Bill's closed in June 2016 and was sold to the owners of Bleachers Pub, who were forced out of their location for a city park.

After 32 years as a stolid, unpresumptuous pizza joint on Capitol Hill, Bill's Off Broadway was forced to move out for the construction of yet another mixed use condo building with retail on the ground floor -- the kind of building, that is, that are fulfilling increased demand for living space on the hill while simultaneously eliminating the large chunks of the character that made it attractive in the first place. Bill's eventually moved back into the new building, but the owners first looked for a space in the neighborhood that they could temporarily occupy. Failing that -- in part because of the competition from other businesses being forced out of their homes by big development projects -- they eventually found this new location in Greenwood, which they now maintain even after they reopened in the new building in their old Capitol Hill space.

This Bill's is more errantly a sports bar, with more TVs and pennants, and with tables, booths and walls constructed from the bleachers and gymnasium floor of Battleground High in Vancouver. It seems to have basically the same menu -- nothing fancy, but pretty fair pizza and bar food and a friendly, comfortable vibe for watching games.

8560 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 708-1400
Est. Oct 17, 2013 - Closed June 2016 - Building constructed: 1937
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: billsongreenwood.com - facebook
Reviews: link - myeverettnews - yelp - tripadvisor - untappd

#2389 - Bison Creek Pizza, Burien, WA - 1/1/2014

Bison Creek Pizza, Burien, WA

The grand old bar in Bison Creek Pizza features a plate reading "Bison Creek Dude Ranch -1891." The Bison Creek Dude Ranch was established in Montana in the 1920s, starting under a different name. A long-time worker at the restaurant told me that the original owner used to say that he got the bar from Butte, Montana, but that he later corrected his story and told her he actually obtained it in Tacoma. As there is no "Bison Creek" that I know of in Washington, I suspected that this came from the Montana dude ranch, though I did not know whether to think that the "1891" is the actual age of the bar or an old timey affectation for the ranch (established during prohibition).

A note from Keith Schauf help clarify the dude ranch portion of the story:

"I own Bison Creek Dude Ranch and my parents owned it back in the late 1960's, when Rod Cross and Tim Davis worked for Glacier Park Company at the East Glacier Park Lodge.  They enjoyed coming out to Bison Creek Ranch to go horse back riding for for dining.  Often they organized groups of people to come to Bison Creek.  The original ranch was established in the early 1900's actually before prohibition, but it was established under the name of the Broken Arrow Ranch.  It was in the 1940's when the name was changed to Bison Creek.  When Rod and Tim moved to Seattle to open their business they were trying to decide what to call their business.  What they told my parents was that the place where they remembered having the most fun was at Bison Creek Dude Ranch and so named their business Bison Creek Pizza.  I have no idea where the bar came from.  Bison Creek never had a bar.  It allowed guests dining there to bring their own alcohol.  At one time Rod and Tim had three Bison Creek Pizza locations. I would guess the sign may very well be something Rod and Tim had made." (Keith Schauf, personal correspondence, Jan 2, 2014)

In any case, Bison Creek Pizza debuted in West Seattle in 1975 and expanded to this location, in what for many years had been the Burien Theater, in 1977. In between Bison Creek and the theater, the location briefly housed Big Bob's Pipe Dream Restaurant, a 300-seat, multi-tier pizza restaurant that included the large, four-manual 1918 Wurlitzer organ from the Coliseum Theater, which the KING-TV owners sold to Bob White for $1.

Today Bison Creek is no longer run by the original ownership, but continues as a fairly standard, old school, neighborhood pizza joint. It's best to stay away from the cocktails, with options one would imagine seeing on a cocktail menu at a Chuck E. Cheese, were legal to openly market liquor to 10-year-olds (Jolly Rancher Passion Fruit Punch, Skittles, Red Hots, Red Vines, Pineapple-Orange, etc. etc.) But it's a good enough stop for some pizza and beer, and if you haven't seen the back bar, that alone is worth a trip.

630 SW 153rd St, Burien, WA 98166 - (206) 244-8825
Est. 1977 - Building constructed: 1957
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bisoncreekpizza.com - facebook
Reviews: b-townblog - yelp - tripadvisor

#2388 #S1201 - Millers Guild, Seattle - 12/30/2013

Update: Owners announced the closure of Miller's Guild, due primarily to the COVID pandemic, in May 2021.

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Miller's Guild is about meat and wood and fire. The source of the fire -- and virtually all of the food, including vegetables -- is a 9-foot, wood-fire grill, which is the center of gravity of the place. And it can get hot:

It's so hot that those working it wear welder aprons (and gloves)—a lesson learned after realizing that cotton t-shirts heat up intensely. (In fact, the original idea of shirts with decals was ditched when the plastic started melting onto the cooks' bodies.) It's so hot that workers are limited to just two days per week on the hot side of the grill. It's so hot that chef Jason Wilson jokes that his biggest challenge is "stocking up on lotion and ChapStick." (Serious Eats)

The master of this fire is Jason Wilson, chef-owner of Seattle's highly regarded Crush. But while Crush serves delicate dishes in the homey rooms of an old bungalow, Miller's is virtually its atavistic opposite. The menus of both are driven by locally sources ingredients, but the focus of Miller's is a nose-to-tail butchery, including 75-day dry-aged beef, all prepared over the open flames. Both places also serve creative and very nice cocktails, and at Miller's the wood theme includes 13 casks of oak-barrel-aged cocktails over the bar. You won't go wrong with any of the choices here, although you should be prepared to pay upscale prices.

612 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 443-3363
Est. Dec 17, 2013 - Building constructed: 1926
Previous bars in this location: Red Fin
Web site: millersguild.com  - facebook
Articles ranked: seriouseats - olivalazer - seattlemet - seattlemag - seattleweekly - iheartfoodndrink - alittlebiteoflife - seattletimes - thestranger - komonews - eater - yelp - tripadvisor

#2387 - Marlarkey's Sports Grill, Issaquah, WA - 12/29/2013

A pretty typical white suburban strip mall sports bar, Malarkey's has a large menu of standard sports pub food (burgers, steaks, salads, sandwiches, fried foods) and is a pretty fun place to watch a Seahawks game.

1025 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 392-6356
Est. 2004 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: Sam Malone's Pub and Eatery
Web site: malarkys.net - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2386 - Pine Lake Ale House, Sammamish, WA - 12/29/2013

Even if it were not set in a small community set alongside a lake of the same name, the "Pine Lake Ale House" would evoke images of a lodgey building amidst tall trees sloping toward a crystal clear lake, no? Well, not so much. But you do have a fair view of the Safeway across the parking lot.

Even the sign on the building looks generic here. But they do have a good selection of beers, with a menu of fairly typical contemporary pub food.

640 228th Ave NE, Sammamish, WA 98074 (425) 898-9099
Est. 2001 - Building constructed: 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: pinelakealehouse.com - facebook 
Reviews: issaquahpress - chroniccravings - yelp - tripadvisor

#2385 - The Log Cabin, Lacey, WA - 12/28/2013

There's no hint of logs at the Lacey Log Cabin -- just rows of blue glowing pulltab bins like aquariums at a pet store, the standard beer corporation paraphernalia, and the occasional van coming through the wall. They do have a good mix of ages and gender, and all the suburban strip mall bar basics.

7035 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 - (360) 438-3651
Reviews: yelp

#2384 - The All In, Onalaska, WA - 12/28/2013

The only bar in Onalaska, Washington, the All In (often spelled "All Inn") is a fairly large place with a broad range of ages. The animal heads and fishing lures tell you that you're headed toward the mountains, and the beer and food selection are classic local bar fare. We chatted with bartender Dee (who presumably is the one who makes this 'the home of the "Dee" Burger,' as announced by the sign out front).

1783 Washington 508, Onalaska, WA 98570 - (360) 978-4631
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#2383 - Brown Shack Tavern, Salkum, WA - 12/28/2013

Salkum Washington is an unincorporated community of about 700 people just north of the Cowlitz River, between I-5 and the Mt. Rainier National Park. It is said to be named for the Cowlitz tribe's word for "boiling water," inspired by the roiling waters of Mill Creek. The business community of Salkum appears to be one grocery store and the Brown Shack Tavern, the latter greeting you with a handpainted hillbilly sort of sign and an asymmetric gabled roof extended to cover a small expansion. Inside you can see the shape of the original gambrel roof, with the later expansion clearly demarcated by unpainted particleboard.

I believe it was bartender Shannon who told me that the bar had been here since 1920, though it would not have been a licensed bar at that time. Another sign that the place may have started out as a soda fountain is the eye-catching back bar, which features a plate reading "L.A. Becker" -- an early 20th century manufacturer of soda fountain equipment. I'd love to get some solid information on when it became a licensed bar.

Nowadays, as you probably expect for the only bar in tiny town, it is a little bit of everything for everybody. Lots of old folks, but also young, pull tabs, karaoke, live music and dancing, and sometimes even a male stripper for the Salkum ladies. On the customer side, the formica bar top is worn all the way through wood simulating color. It is one of a dwindling number of true taverns (beer and wine only) and on this visit I spotted an 86 List with 5 names on it. Since then a new owner took control in the following July, so perhaps "Miss Kitty," "Donny (Sandy's husband)" and the other three folks have a chance to start afresh.

155 Salkum Heights Dr, Salkum, WA 98582 - (360) 985-2603
Web site: facebook
Reviews: roadtrippers

#2382 - Frank's Hide Away, Winlock, WA - 12/28/2013

There's not much unique in the physical place that is Frank's Hide Away, it's a typical small town dive, with Marilyn Monroe and James Dean prints, a lot of corporate beer paraphernalia, various Seahawks signs, and a small batch of mostly male, baseball cap wearing locals. The cocktails could lead one to question whether you're in bar or a candy store, with names like "Jolly Rancher" and "Gummi Bear." But one unmistakably unique feature is the snippet of conversations you occasionally overhear from some of the old folks there:

"They got robots now. You can't teach robots feelings. You go to shake their hand and they'll fucking crunch your hand."  

"There's no wind on the moon."

Stay safe from the robots, folks.

108 E Walnut St, Winlock, WA 98596 - (360) 785-0331                    
10 tc, 8 mc, 7bc, 0bbc