#1353 #S816 - Maneki Hannya Room, Seattle - 1/28/2011

Maneki has been in the current building since the owners returned from internment, but the business is 107 years old.  It recieved the James Beard award as one "America's Classics."  It is, of course, Seattle's oldest sushi bar, and while there is always a line, the sake choices in the Hannya Room lounge will fortify you for the wait.

304 6th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 622-2631
Est. 1904, Current location since 1946; Building constructed: 1914
manekirestaurant.com - seattle weekly - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1352 #S815 - Santolea, Seattle - 1/27/2011

Santolea closed Feb 2011

501 N. 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 453-4350
Est. May 2010; Closed Feb 2011; Building constructed: 1927
yelp - youtube

#1351 #S814 - Showa, Seattle - 1/27/2011

Update: Showa closed in Feb 24, 2013

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Very good izakaya (Japanese small bites) with pretty good cocktails in a cozy, interesting space.

701 N 36th St Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 388-3913
Est. Nov. 2010 - Closed Feb 2013 - Building constructed: 2001
showafremont.com - the stranger - seattletimes - seattlemag - yelp

#1350 #S813 - Woodsky's, Seattle - 1/27/2011

A sort of ski lodge inspired quick substitute for the short-lived Sinners and Saints.

303 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-9662
Est. Jan 2011 - Closed Jan 22, 2019 - Building constructed 1900 or earlier
facebook - fremont universe - thrillist (sound) - yelp - the stranger

#1349 #S812 - Local 360, Seattle - 1/26/2011

Local 360 is a new place in the old Flying Fish space from Marcus Charles, currently the main owner of JuJu and the Crocodile Cafe, and previous owner of Marcus's Martini Heaven, Bad JuJu, Spitfire, Neumos, and Jack's Roadhouse.  Local 360 is very different from all of those; it is so progressive it uses a ".org" domain name and has a manifesto.

The theme is sustainability, and hence the name, which signifies their goal of getting 90% of their ingredients from within a 360 mile radius of the restaurant.  The actual bar is tiny (3 or 4 seats*, as I recall), and at the times we have visited (this particular visit was the first night they had dinner available), there was not yet a cocktail menu or any particularly interesting featured drinks.  That may well change with their focus on craft, local products, and in the meantime, the food is more than good enough to bring you in.

Historical notes: This location has hosted Seattle bars for over 120 years. The current building was constructed in 1930, but the "C.R. Hammond Saloon" was located at this address by 1890, and the current building hosted the Liberty Tavern from at least the late 1940s into the 1980s. (Before moving here, the Liberty operated in space that was recently "Kelly's" and is now the "Acquabar.") In 1995 Christine Keff turned the space into the Flying Fish, which it remained for 15 years before the Fish relocated to South Lake Union.

Historical notes:  This location has housed bars since the 19th century, including the California Wine House up until prohibition. The current building, constructed in 1930, housed the Liberty Tavern from the 40s into the 80s, and Flying Fish from 1995 through 2010.

*Since this writing the bar has been expanded.

2234 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-9360                  
Est. 1/26/2011 Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location:  CR Hammond Saloon, The Lexington, Liberty Tavern, Flying Fish
local360.org - seattle pi - komo - the stranger - yelp

#1348 - Mariposa, Bellevue, WA - 1/26/2011

This is the cafe in a famous old department store that preserves old school recipes for what people now call "comfort food."  As far as the bar goes, it is strictly mundane, but the food, quite surprisingly, became some of my favorite in downtown Bellevue -- a place with no shortage of good options for very good food despite the mall-ish surroundings.

You start with a tiny, complementary cup of the chicken broth.  But the chicken broth is really good.  I had a quite good triple grilled cheese sandwich with an excellent soup du jour, and then looked lustily at the slow braised pot roast.

It's not a place you'll go for a cocktail or the atmosphere, but the food merits a wider audience than the Bravern Neiman's shoppers.

11111 NE 8th St, 2nd Fl - Neiman Marcus, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 452-3333
neimanmarcus.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#1347 #S811 - Tango, Seattle - 1/23/2011

Update: Tango closed July 1, 2019.

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The bar at Tango Restaurant and Lounge has some pleasant cocktail choices, and we had a nice chat with Brian the bartender, who scraped up some food for us after the kitchen closed.  I've not yet tasted the Iberian entrees, but it's definitely worth stopping in for a cocktail or two.

1100 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 583-0382
Opened: April 2000 - Building constructed: 1908 - Closed July 1, 2019
tangorestaurant.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp