#1141 #S687 - Columbia City Ale House, Seattle - 6/17/2010

From the folks who pretty much invented the grastropub in Seattle, The Columbia Ale House is the sister to the Hilltop and 74th Street.  That means they have very good food, excellent rotating specials and soups, and a very good selection of craft beers in a British pub sort of setting.

4914 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 723-5123
seattlealehouses.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1140 #S686 - Angie's Tavern, Seattle - 6/17/2010

Angie's is a classic neighborhood dive housed in a structure built in 1905 that has been home to a bar since shortly after prohibition, which is apparently closing after Saturday June 20 2010, as the state refuses to renew their liquor license.

The structure was originally a barber shop and pool room -- there were no saloons in the town at the time, as Columbia City was a "dry" town until it was annexed by Seattle in 1907.  It begins being listed under bars again in 1958 as Columbia Billards, then The Pink Poodle starting in 1960, and subsequently hosted bars named Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, and Bert-N-Anne's Tavern. It was renamed Angie's Tavern in 1985.

For many, Angie's happily preserved a bit of the old Columbia City, as the other side of the street became increasingly gentrified.  (The racial difference of patrons of the respective sides of Rainier Ave was fairly remarkable at the time).  I went on what seemed like the perfect night, catching the last half of game seven of the NBA championship.  The crowd seemed pretty evenly split between Celtics and Lakers fans, and I can't imagine that Staples Center was any louder than Angie's on that night.  ("Get your ass up off the ground!"  "Here they come!  Here they come!"  "It's irrelevant!  It's irrelevant!")

Angie's made Mike Seeley's list of Seattle's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars, and the state liquor board is refusing to renew the tavern's liquor license due to the number of problems with drugs, fights, and gunfire.  I don't know how much the existence of Angie's contributed to those problems, but it's a shame to see this place go. After the 2010 closure, the building was razed in August 2013.

4915 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 722-7771
Est. 1985 - Closed 2010 - Building constructed 1905
Previous bars at this location: Pink Poodle, Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, Bert-N-Anne's Tavern
seattle pi - uw digital collection - rainier valley post - the stranger - seattlecrime.com - yelp

#1136 #S683 - Laadla Lounge, Seattle - 6/14/2010

Now this is a swell dive bar.  It's super dark, even in the daytime, with cheap, strong drinks and decor that looks like it was obtained via some cousin in the Mafia.

Oh, and as the photograph shows, the men's room wallpaper is fabulous.

234 Fairview Ave N, seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 223-1980
Previous bars in this location: The Nine Tavern, Fairview Bar and Grill
laadlarestaurant.com - the stranger - seattle weekly - yelp

#1135 #S682 - Paddy Coyne's (SLU), Seattle - 6/14/2010

Update: The South Lake Union Paddy Coyne's changed its name to O’Máille’s Irish Pub in late 2015 and then closed in early 2016.

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One of the more likable Irish bars in the Seattle area.  It's moderately sized, but with enough corners and crannies to feel fairly intimate.  The "Irish Club" plaques include people like "Big Will" and "Tizzy Tom."

Unfortunately, they serve authentic Irish food, but there's enough liquor and good beer to get you through even that.

1190 Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109-5331 - (206) 405-1548
paddycoynes.net - seattle times - seattle pi - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1139 #S685 - Talarico's, Seattle - 6/16/2010

  
4718 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 937-3463               
Est. 2006? - Building constructed: 1950
Previous bars in this location: New Luck Toy (1950-2005)
talaricoswest.com - myspace - seattle times - the stranger - urbanspoon - yelp

#1138 #S684 - Maharaja, Seattle - 6/16/2010

4542 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 935-9443              
Est. 1989 - Building constructed: 1929
Previous bars in this location: Vann's Restaurant / The Discover Room (1934-1985)
maharajacuisineofindia.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1137 - Jerzy's Wine Bar, Redmond, WA - 6/16/2010

I'm not a big fan of wine bars, given that they tend to be pretty formulaic, and that you can buy a really good bottle of wine at any QFC. But Jerzy's Wine Bar and Bistro is a happy exception.

It seems to rise up like some red farmhouse accidentally dropped in the middle of an intersection, with signage that looks more like a suburban burger joint than a wine bar and European bistro.  Outside is a nice sort of tiki hut area that must be really pleasant in years when the Seattle area actually has some Spring weather.

There are, of course, lots of intriguing wines to choose from and the varied menu made it really challenging to narrow down my choice (I eventually ended up with a very tasty Croque Monsieur, with ham, Gruyere cheeses, and Bechamel sauce, and a Caprese salad). I don't make it down to these parts very often, but if I did, I think this would be a regular stop.

16727 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - (425) 861-5407
jerzyswinebar.com - urbanspoon - yelp