#1672 #S995 - The Wurst Place, Seattle - 2/3/2012

The Wurst Place has a sort of warehouse type of feel, like some brewpubs, with high ceilings, lots of wood, and fairly goofy artwork on the walls. And like a brewpub, it has a large selection of interesting beers on tap, with the emphasis on Belgian. But unlike a brewpub, it has a large selection of unusual sausages -- including rattlesnake and smoked elk with jalapeno.

I attended on opening night, and there definitely some bugs to be worked out.

 These seemed to stymie them a bit more than necessary, e.g. it seemed to take an inordinately long time for them to figure out that they could forgo the non-working iPad-based credit card processing and at least take orders from people with cash. But the servers were all helpful and enthusiastic, which gives me faith in the service long term. The range of beers and sausages definitely makes this worth a visit.

510 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 223-5528
Est. Feb 3, 2012 - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: None known
thewurstplace.com - facebook - eater - beeradvocate - yelp - dailycandy 

#1671 #S994 - Super Deli Mart, Seattle - 2/1/2012

 "Super Deli Mart" may not sound like much of a bar, and it is simply a small section of convenience store, but like Chuck's 85th St., it is a mecca for beer lovers. It was one of very few Seattle locations to have poured Pliny the Younger, it has a huge selection of bottles and a few high quality taps, and at least when we went, it had a entertaining and engaging set of characters squeezed into the wooden table and counter.  It draws hundreds for some of its tasting events.

9051 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 - (206) 937-1442        
Est. 2009 (as bar) - Building constructed: 1977
Previous bars in this location: None known
twitter - theatlantic - seattleweekly - westseattleblog - seattlemet - westseattlefunblog - yelp

#1670 #S993 - Rosita (Rosie's Cantina), Seattle - 1/30/2012

Fairly typical American Mexican food and drinks in the cantina, just off Greenlake. They also feature massive portions and a nice, neighborly feel.

7210 Woodlawn Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98115-5336 - (206) 523-3031
Est. 1979 - Building constructed: 1948
Previous bars in this location: None known
rositasrestaurant.com - seattleweekly - yelp

#1669 #S992 - Henry and Oscar's, Seattle - 1/27/2012

Update: Henry and Oscar's closed in Nov. 2013

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Henry and Oscar's is a "lodge inspired supper club" with brown alligator skin vinyl wallpaper, antler chandeliers, monogrammed glasses for regulars, and updated American steakhouse classic dishes.  It is owned by Mark and Katie Stern of the Big Picture, somewhat redolent of El Gaucho, and named for Mark's two grandfathers.  The template was mid-century New York clubs like the Pump Room and Toots Shor's.  It has a somewhat formal but comfortable vibe, with the lounge and fire place in front, and dining areas behind.  The cocktails and food are both above average, and the patrons tend to be engaging and happily free of the Amber sort of crowd that one often associates with Belltown.

2525 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 448-2444
Est. Jan 25, 2012 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: Shallots Bar & Bistro
henryandoscars.com - facebook - thrillist - seattlemag - seattlepi - slightly pickled - thestranger -  eater - yelp - urbanspoon

#1668 #S991 - Neptune Theater, Seattle - 1/25/2012

A historic Seattle movie theater, which first opened Wednesday, November 16, 1921, was let go by the art movie chain Landmark Theaters.  The local STG group, which manages the Paramount and Moore theaters, signed a long term lease for the location in Feb 2011 and remodeled it slightly into a venue for live music and other performances.

The bar in the back of the main floor is not exactly one you pine to go to when you're not attending a show.  But of course the bar is not the main consideration here, and it's great to see this historic place maintained, and with a pretty attractive set of performances (we've seen Tim Minchin, Concrete Blonde, Norm MacDonald, and Demetri Martin there, among others).  It also happily inherits the features of an old movie theater that most live venues lack -- a sloping floor, and ample seating.  They occasionally have issues with heat, but it's one of the better places in the city to see a show.

1303 Northeast 45th Street Seattle, WA 98105-4502 - (206) 781-5755
Est. Sep 25, 2011 - Building constructed: 1921
Previous bars in this location: None known
web site  - seattlepi - seattletimes - yelp

#1667 #S990 - Pete's Fremont Fire Pit, Seattle - 1/24/2012

Update: Pete's Fremont FIre Pit closed sometime in the third quarter of 2013.

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The theme here is classic Fremont weirdness, with items from the Solstice parade and signage like a back bar at Archie McPhee's.  The barbecue struck me as mediocre, but serviceable, and the help is very friendly.  Pete, the owner, also owns Roxy's and the Backdoor at Roxy's across the street (his son informed me that he proposed calling the latter "Roxy's in the Rear," but this may have been just to needle his wife).  The bar is fairly limited.

The vibe of a place like this only seems to work if you attract an equivalent sort of eclectic regular patrons.  I'll be very interested to see if that happens.

501 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 453-3667
Est. Dec 4, 2011 - Building constructed: 1927
Previous bars in this location: Santolea
facebook - fremocentrist - thrillist - thestranger - fremontuniverse - yelp

#1666 #S989 - Bitterroot BBQ, Seattle - 1/23/2012

"BBQ. Beer. Bourbon. Ballard."  Sounds good to me.

These guys took the old ugly Acme Stamp building and created a  woody, narrow barbecue joint.  The meats are dry rubbed, and served with a variety of sauces at your table.  Sandwiches come on pretzel rolls from Tall Grass Bakery. Down the long hallway of salvaged barn wood is a cozy back bar, with a few additional tables.

The cocktails were not overly impressive -- my iced tea drink was a bit of a watery mess. But they have many good beer and bourbon choices.

5239 Ballard Avenue Northwest Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 920-4196
Est. Jan 18, 2012 - Building constructed: 1900 or earlier
Previous bars in this location: None known
bitterrootbbq.com - facebook - seattlemet - myballard - dailycandy - seattleweekly - yelp - eater - thestranger