#1339 #S803 - Magnolia Village Pub, Seattle - 1/11/2011

I chatted with Joel Stedman, who had been the owner for about a month at this point, about his new place and the upgrades he is gradually making to this neighborhood sports bar.  Nice folks working there, good beer selection, decent pub food, good neighborhood feel.

3221 W McGraw St, Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 285-9756
magnolia-villagepub.com - facebook - magnoliavoice - the stranger - yelp

#1338 #S802 - Swirl Wine Bar, Seattle - 1/11/2011

A pleasant little wine bar in Magnolia.  I had a Don Tiburci Malbec blend, some truffled popcorn, and a very pleasant conversation about Seattle bars with Annie, the owner, and Aaron, the bassist/customer.

3217 West McGraw St, Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 327-9221
swirlmagnolia.com - seattle weekly - yelp - where.com

#1337 - The Spot Off Main, Bellevue, WA - 1/10/2011

20 103rd Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 646-6434
thespotoffmain.com - yelp

#1336 #S801 - Quoin (Revel), Seattle - 1/5/2011

Quoin ("coin") is the bar section of the new restaurant Revel, from Joule's Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi.  I have yet to try the Korean street food inspired restaurant, but the bar makes some high quality cocktails.

403 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-2040
revelseattle.com - gruman-nicoll.com - seattle met - thrillist - seattlest - yelp

#1334 #S799 - Bing's, Seattle - 1/3/2011

Update: Bing's closed in August 2019

Since 1999, Bing's Bar and Grill, AKA Bing's Bodacious Burgers, has been selling somewhat upscaled diner food (or "comfort food," if you prefer) in Magnolia. It's a pleasant, casual place to have a drink and some dinner, particularly -- as was not the case on this visit -- on a warm afternoon when the patio is open.

4200 East Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112-3237

4200 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 323-8623
bingsbarandgrill.com - dogjaunt - yelp

#1333 #S798 - Needle and Thread, Seattle - 12/31/2010

If you pick up a phone at Tavern Law, you can be admitted into the "secret" bar upstairs, Needle and Thread. You go through the bank vault, wind up the narrow, woody stairs, past old photographs of naughty ladies, and enter into a sort of lavish, 19th century den of iniquity. The food is from the kitchen downstairs, which is to say, it is as good as anywhere in the city, and the cocktails, as below, are marvelous (although it was the upstairs bar that made GQ's list of best cocktail bars in the country).

Best not to order a particular drink here, but rather give your bartender some basic parameters and let him create something lovely. Tavern Law and its sister restaurant Spur are my favorite Seattle dining experiences and cocktail bars, and the cozy N&T is the best space to enjoy them.

1406 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 322-9734
seattle weekly - gq - yelp

#1332 #S797 - Local Vine (Capitol Hill), Seattle - 12/31/2010

The new Capitol Hill location of the award-winning Bellevue wine bar, with some nice food and cocktails.  I had a Blueberry Tea (ammaretto, Grand Marnier, Earl Gray tea).

1410 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 257-5653

thelocalvine.com - seattlepi - thestranger - yelp