#518 - Ebb'n'Flow (U-District) - 12/30/06

Update: Ebb'n'Flow closed in 2007

Nice.

2114 North 45th Street  Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-6313

#517 - Smash (U-District) - 12/30/06

Generic, nice but boring wine bar.

1401 North 45th Street  Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-3232

#516 - Marco Polo Bar & Grill, Seattle - 12/5/06

Est. 1950
5613 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 762-3964
http://www.marcopolopub.com

#515 - 611 Supreme, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 12/2/06

611 East Pine Street Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 328-0292
Bar established: 2002 - Restaurant established: 1997 - Building constructed: 1916 - Closed: May 17, 2014
611supreme.com  - yelp 

#514 - Outlaws, Portland - (out of order)

http://www.outlawsbar.com/

#513 - O Lounge, Seattle (Queen Anne) - 10/26/2006

Update:  The O Lounge (and Orrapin Noodle Experience restaurant) closed in 2007

Small and nice. A good shift of gears from the Paragon.

2208 Queen Anne Ave, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 352-6594
Est. 1996 - Closed: 2007
Previous bars in this location: None known
Subsequent bars in this location: How To Cook A Wolf
theolounge.net - yelp

#512 - Sloppy Joes, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 10/7/2006

#511 - Lulu's Bait Shack, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 10/7/2006

#510 - The Elbow Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 10/7/2006

#509 - The Bahia Cabana, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 10/5/2006

Fun. I've only been there during Hukilau tiki events so it's been wild when I've been there, but the gals working the bar lead me to believe it's a swell place generally.

#508 - DiVino, Seattle (Ballard) - 9/1/2006

Update:  Closed 2010

A growing number of wine bars was all but inevitable with Ballard's changing demographics. This swanky, modernist bar opened five days ago and is a nice stop on a crawl down Ballard Ave.

Est. Aug. 27, 2006 - Closed 2010 - Building constructed: 1904 (Kutzner Block)
5310 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 297-0143
divinoseattle.com - seattletimes - yelp

#507 - Hooverville, Seattle - 8/25/2006

Very pleasant and comfortable bar, with the casual hip and historical feel of SoDo bars.

1721 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 264-2428
Est. 2005 - Building constucted: 1927
Previous bars at this location: None known
hoovervillebar.com - facebook - thestranger - yelp

#506 - Dukes - Alki, Seattle - 8/25/2006

Update: Dukes Alki closed April 3, 2025

Dependable seafood, a great evening on the upper patio with the calypso/reggae band playing and the smell of fire pits drifting in from the beach.

2516 Alki Avenue Southwest Seattle, Washington 98116 - (206) 937-6100
Est. 2001 - Building constructed: 1995
dukeschowderhouse.com

#505 - White Eagle Saloon, Portland - 6/23/2006

White Eagle Saloon, Portland, OR - c.1905

White Eagle Saloon - One of Portland's oldest bars, now in familiar McMenamins decor and hosting some well known names in folk and blues type musical artists. "Famous for its nightly live music tradition and unlikely truths of record-breaking tequila consumption, ladies of the evening, Shanghai tunnels and residents of a rather more spectral nature ...," it's said to be not only haunted by hostile to psychics. I can state uneqivocably that my psychic powers were NOT effective in the place.






836 N Russell St, Portland, OR 97227 - (503) 282-6810
Est. 1905
Articles: beerchaser

#504 - Über, Seattle (Aurora) - 7/2/2006

A nifty, tiny little bar with a large selection of mostly German beers on tap and a 3-page list of bottles. The name comes from their positioning as an affordable source of cases and kegs of quality beer. A small space but with a gas fire in the middle of one table and bartenders careful to serve various brews in the correct style of glass. For beer connoiseurs, a nice addition to small but mighty Duck Island, and a 4th fun bar in this small area on Aurora just north of Greenlake.

7517 Aurora Ave N., Seattle, WA 98103-4747 - (206) 782-2337
Est. June 26, 2006 - Building constructed: 1920
uberbier.com - slashfood - beer advocate - yelp - the stranger - seattleweekly - seattle weekly

#503 - Legends Bar (Rock n Roll Pizza), Portland - 6/3/2006

This bar is behind chain link fence from the main room of Rock'n'Roll Pizza, the unlikely-named metal central of PDX. On at least this night, the boys had far more make-up than the girls, and the girls far more tattoos than the boys.

#502 - Dixie Tavern, Portland (Old Town) - 6/3/2006

Currently one of the standard Coyote Ugly clones that every city now has one or two of. 

Est. 2005

32 NW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97209 - (503) 234-9431

#501 - The Boiler Room, Portland (Old Town) - 6/3/2006

Not a bad little place if you're in the mood to deal with karaoke.

#500 - Pala Lounge, Portland (Old Town) - 6/3/2006

Pala Lounge - Fairly swanky, with Balmese antiques and a nice loungey bar off the main room. I liked it.

#499 - Amazon, Portland (Old Town) - 6/3/2006

Unremarkable upstairs bar in Old Town. It seemed like they were just starting to get things off the ground and trying hard to build a scene when I went. More karaoke on a weekend for now though.

#498 - The Spot Sports Grill, Renton - 5/29/2006

Start be envisioning an absolutely generic sports bar. Okay, you're done.

4224 E Valley Rd, Renton, WA 98057 - (425) 251-8053
Est. 1962

#497 - The Hukilau, San Francisco - 3/12/2006

Not much tiki to speak of at the Hukilau. In fact, there didn't seem to be a tiki in the place. The feel is of a college haunt for beer drinking and burgers, with only a passing nod toward the tiki theme. The drinks came with umbrellas in the straws, rather than fruit garnish.

(Last two bars posted out of order because I forgot about them from SF trip.)

Est. 2002 - Closed 2012
5 Masonic Ave, San Francisco, CA

#496 - The Fish Bowl, San Francisco - 3/12/2006

#495 - Lobo Saloon, Seattle (Eastlake) - 5/12/2006

433 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 223-9204
Closed 2007 - Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars at this location: Green Tavern (1945 into the 60s), Mister Ed's Tavern (70s)
Subsequent bars at this location: Victory Lounge
yelp

#494 - LO_FI Performance Gallery, Seattle (Eastlake) - 5/12/2006

429 Eastlake Avenue Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 254-2824
Previous bars in this location: None known

Building constructed: 1918
thelofi.net - citysearch - yelp

#493 - 9 lb. Hammer, Seattle (Georgetown) - 5/13/2006

Bookish, shabby wonder.

6009 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 762-3373                        
Previous bars at this location: None known
ninepoundhammer.com - yelp

#492 - Jules Maes, Seattle (Georgetown) - 5/13/2006

Jules Maes Saloon, Seattle, WA

Update: Jules Maes closed in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, then was pronounced permanently closed in June 2020 due to a rent increase described by owners as unsustainable.

However, it then reopened on Jan 12, 2021 under new management.

---

Jules Maes Saloon - Georgetown and its SoDo surroundings are now, with zero doubt, the coolest neighborhood in Seattle. The "new Ballard" was once a little premature, but it now underestimates the area. E.g. the Rainier Cold Storage building across the street** from Jules front door, which makes you believe you can't possibly be in Seattle -- or for that matter, the west coast.

Jules is in a space constructed in 1898 and which first hosted a saloon in 1907*, and few places in the country retain the flavor of the term "Saloon" any better. To be reborn with this level of shabby grandeur -- a big, late night roadhouse that creates the place to be in the middle of nowhere -- reminds one of the excitement that precedes the gentrification and inevitable of neighborhoods of character in wealthy cities.

It also features a beautiful Brunswick back bar -- the same "The Record" model seen in the Pastime Saloon in Castle Rock, WA, the Whistle Stop Ale House in Renton, WA, and the Rainier Bar and Grill in Enumclaw, WA.

This particular visit was on the night of the CD release from The Bad Things, so it was unusually rife with history -- rockabilly heels and tattoos mixing with the 30's clothing of the acid folkies that follow the Things. Georgetown is like being in an entirely different city, and this night was an entirely different era.

* Historical Notes: See Seattle's Oldest Bars
  5919 Airport Way South Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 957-7766

Est. 1936 (Jules Maes' bar in this location) - Building constructed: 1898
First bar in this location: 1907
julesmaes.com - seattleite - thestranger - seattleweekly - gregorspub - yelp

#491 - Mona's Bistro, Seattle (Green Lake) - 5/12/2006

Update: Mona's closed in April or May 2013

6421 Latona Avenue Northeast Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 526-1188
Est. 1995 - Building constructed: 1907
Previous bars at this location: None known
monasseattle.com -  seattlemet - thestranger - gayot - yelp

#490 - Jai Thai, Seattle (Belltown) - 5/9/2006

Update: This location is now closed.

Jai Thai: Not good in any way.

2132 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 770-7884
Previous bars in this location:  Il Gambero / Volare Room
Subsequent bars in this location: Cellars

jaithai.com/belltown.htm - yelp

#489 - Black Bottle - Seattle (Belltown) - 5/2/2006

 Good wine and food and very affordable.

2600 1st Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-1500
Est. July 26, 2005 - Building constructed: 1903
Previous bars at this location: Two Dagos from Texas
blackbottleseattle.com - seattletimes - thestranger - yelp - zagat

#488 - Galerias, 611 Lounge, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 4/24/2006

Update:  Galerias and the attached 611 Lounge were closed by a large fire on Nov. 17, 2011

A pleasant conversation with Jack, a 72-year neighborhood veteran.


611 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102
galeriasgourmet.com

#487 - The Back Door Pub, Seattle (Lake City) - 4/18/2006

Smoking ban? What smoking ban?

12330 Lake City Way Northeast Seattle, WA 98125 - (206) 364-2642
Previous bars at this location: Jim's Tavern (by 1945 into the 60s), Ed Delby's Tavern (70s)
Building constructed: 1927
voiceplaces - yelp

#486 - The Bungalow, Scottsdale AZ - 3/17/2006

#485 - The Billet Bar, Scottsdale AZ - 3/16/2006

#484 - The Library, Tempe AZ - 3/16/2006

#483 - 6, Scottsdale AZ - 3/13/2006

#482 - Tumbleweeds, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/13/2006

#481 - The Comet Club, San Francisco - 3/11/2006

#480 - Balboa Cafe, San Francisco - 3/11/2006

#479 - The Grove, San Francisco - 3/11/2006

#478 - Lowells Seafood and Spirits, Burlingame, CA - 3/11/2006

#477 - Cassidy's, San Francisco - 3/10/2006

An Irish-themed dive, but too little Irish and too little divey to make the great dive bar list. However, about 30 seconds after I sat down, a patron threw his empty pint glass at the bartender, who was on the phone, yelled something about a "want a fucking beer," and stormed out, melodramatically flinging a bunch of change at the wall as he stomped on out the front door. So a plus for entertainment.

#476 - Club Hide (The Foundery) - 3/10/2006

Unlike Obscure Curio, this was a real goth night with real goth people. Unfortunately, it was only about ten people, on all three floors.

#475 - The Stud, San Francisco - 3/10/2006

The ads for "The Obscure Curio" made it look like a monthly goth event at a normally gay venue. As it turned out, it was just a DJ playing goth music at a gay club. ("Not that there's anything wrong with that.")

But since gays don't like goth, it was also super boring. There were six people there, and they were wearing blue jeans. When you can't even get gays to dress in theme, you're in a bad way.

#474 - The Tonga Room - 3/10/2006

Excellent. I would rate the Tonga Room a very close second to the Mai Kai, and I can't understand why more isn't made of it by west coast tiki folk. Not only is the general decor close the Mai Kai, but the rain storms every half hour and the band -- though it's neither an exotica band nor a very good band -- coming out on a boat in the middle of the pool -- this is top rank tiki escapism.

#473 - The Bus Stop, San Francisco - 3/9/2006

An old bar -- Since 1900, the signs say -- and in the evenings crammed with attractive women. Unfortunately, it's also crammed with everything you hate in a bar.

#472 - Bayside Sports Bar & Grill, San Francisco - 3/9/2006

1787 Union St., San Francisco, CA 94123 - (415) 673-1565

#471 - The Blue Light, San Francisco - 3/9/2006

#470 - The Marina Lounge, San Francisco - 3/9/2006

A small Boston Southie bar transported to San Francisco. Blue collar, North Beach Italians insulting each other and using "fucking" as every third word. Complete with a patron whom the bartender and other customers openly wish (I couldn't tell how seriously) would leave. "Did Richie leave?" "Nah, he just went to the bathroom." "Ah, fuck, I was hoping he committed suicide." "You should just paint 'Men's Room' over the back door." I like the place.

#469 - Trader Vics, Bellevue - 3/8/2006

Closed August 24, 2008