#1224 - Papa's Pub & Grill, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: Papa's closed on Feb 5, 2012

Papa's (formerly Brewsky's) is just a few doors down from the Locker Room, and at least on the night that I went, it had a much more diverse and likable crowd.  Like pretty much any really good dive bar, it had cheap drinks, a mix of ethnicities, lots of blue collar folk, and some cocky little old ladies.

9635 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
the stranger

#1223 - The Locker Room, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: The locker room was seriously damaged by a fire on April 21, 2021. Before it was reopened, it was totally destroyed by a second fire -- apparently caused by discarded smoking material -- on the morning of Sep 13, 2021.

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White Center's "Locker Room" was included in Mike Seeley's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars in Seattle (presumably in the top 7 now, as three others have gone out of business in the past 6 months) and The Stranger calls it "feared by locals."  So what is it doing with a rack of Avon catalogs in the window?

On the Saturday night that I went the street was filled with police cars, but the drama was coming from elsewhere -- the liquor-less Evo dance club up the street seems to have been the source of all the excitement and police attention in recent months.

The Locker Room, on the other hand, just had a bunch of heavyset people singing karaoke.

Historical notes:  There was a bar in this building at least as far back as the 30s, with a beer parlor, Glen's Rendezvous, owned by Glen C. Stevens listed in the 1937 and 1939 city guides. It may go back near the end of prohibition, as the building was constructed in 1933. By 1960 it was the J&W Tavern (J&W Saloon by 1980) and by 1990 it was the Locker Room.

9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106-2828 9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106 - (206) 762-9805
Building constructed: 1933
Previous bars in this location: Glen's Rendezvoux, J&W Saloon/Tavern
seattle weekly - yelp

#1222 #738 - Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Seattle - 9/10/2010

This is a fairly classic jazz club, featuring large paintings of various jazz players from the old Pete's Poop Deck.  You go here for the music, not the cocktails (which are pretty pedestrian).  It was started in the U District in 1979 in what was around the nadir for the jazz scene in Seattle -- a city that once had a rollicking after hours scene that featured 34 jazz nightclubs just along Jackson St between 1st and 14th Avenues, and the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, and Patti Bown bouncing from club to club.  The current Jazz Alley location is swankier than the previous one, with small tables, two levels, and a dinner option.  They tend to get the bigger names in the related genres, and they claim to now be the third longest running jazz bar/nightclub in the country.

2033 6th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-9729
jazzalley.com - myspace - seattle weekly - urbanspoon - yelp
For a good description of the history of Seattle's jazz/swing/bebop scene, see Paul de Barros's Jackson Street After Hours

#1221 #S738 - 35th Street Bistro, Seattle - 9/9/2010

Update: The 35th Street Bistro closed Nov. 29, 2012

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This is the French/European bistro in the old Still Life space, with a small separate bar room offering better than average cocktails and appetizers.  I had a Drunken Cherry Manhattan (Makers with cherry juice in lieu of bitters), and a 35th Street Martini (vodka muddled with fresh seasonal fruit and simple syrup) and liked them both.

709 N. 35th St., Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-9850
Est. 2004 - Building constructed 1909 - Closed Nov 2012
35bistro.com - yelp

#1220 #S737 - Enza Cucina Siciliana, Seattle - 9/8/2010

This is an Sicilian restaurant, formerly Sorrentino, presided over by Mamma Enza, a classic Italian lady with big, Jacki-O glasses and a tendency to tell you exactly what she thinks.  The bar is small and doesn't offer anything particularly interesting beyond the wine.  But if you're in the mood for some good Italian food and a nice glass of vino, I suggest going in off hours so you'll have a better chance of engaging Ms. Enza in various conversations.

While I was there, her mushroom provider came in, and had trouble convincing her that his delivery was a large as he said it was ("That'sa not'a five pounds").  A bit later, as he stood there eating gelato, she tells me, "Last week he sell'a me truffles.  But truffles not good.  But (sigh), he'sa muh friend."

enzaseattle.com - yelp

#1219 #S736 - The Ram (Northgate), Seattle - 9/7/2010

I'm not a fan of big corporate sportsbars/brewpubs -- particularly when they're in big shopping malls.  But I will say that bartender Brandon made the drinks and this visit enjoyable.

401 NE Northgate Way #1102 (Northgate Mall), Seattle, WA 98125-8538 - (206) 364-8000
theram.com - yelp

#1218 #S735 - Scorecard Bar and Grill, Seattle - 9/2/2010

This place is fairly new, but the style is strictly old school -- it's a bit like stepping into 1975.  There are old school drinks (rum and cokes) being consumed, old school bar food being served, and old school gals working the bar who call every customer "Babe" or "Hon."  And apparently everyone in the place smokes (odd how often that goes together with "sports" bars).

Despite the name, the sports theme doesn't appear to go any deeper than any typical suburban, strip-mall bar.  The interior is fairly large and utterly devoid of any charm or character, but there do appear to be some real characters among the customers and staff.

543 NE Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125-6155 - (206) 367-2620
yelp