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Bars where Pete has had a Drink (5,974 bars; 1,754 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:


Bars where Pete has had a drink

Thursday, June 19, 2014

#2214 - The Spur, Harrah, WA - 7/3/2013

Sitting across the street from a large building with a plaque saying it was once the largest potato warehouse in the northwest, the Spur Tavern has definitely been around for a while as well. The bartender informed me that the owner told her that it's been around since the 1890s. I haven't been able to find any historical evidence of this, however, and from the generous help of the folks at the Yakima Valley Museum, it appears that at least the name "Spur" probably originated some time after prohibition (which commenced Jan 1, 1916 across Washington state) and that the current building may have been constructed in the 1920s.

"The Northern Pacific Railroad does not extend service to the Harrah area until about 1916-1917; after which much mention is made of the line being a spur off the main line running through Wapato (a town to the east)—and the line soon ventures further west to pick up lumber and farm products in White Swan.  And talk is made of “spurs” (or probably dead end sidings)  used to load iced or refrigerated boxcars off the main spur.  So the Spur Tavern probably was named for that as it is just north of the tracks." (John Baule, personal correspondence, June 22, 2014)

"The building now known as The Spur Tavern was originally occupied by the Pastime Pool Hall opened in either 1925 or 1928 by Luther Rathburn, who subsequently sold out to Jim Meikle and Sam Russell.  The reason I say 1925 or 1928 is because the source mentions the opening was after a disastrous fire that nearly destroyed the town—there were two such fires, one in 1925 and one in 1928.  It does not confirm the building was built then, just that the business opened so it could have been a new building or it could have been just a new business."  (Ibid)

Baule also notes that there was no town in this location in the 1890s, though of course this does not categorically rule out the possibility of a saloon here.

Nowadays, at least, the Spur Tavern is a homey, western-themed dive bar, with horse shoe drawer handles, tattered taxidermy, and pictures of various cowboys, horses, and Budweiser girls on the wood paneled walls. It's a brick structure, with a small crenulated facade along the top (the history of virtually every old town across Washington state includes one or more disastrous fires destroying the downtown core between the 1880s and 1920s, with brick buildings replacing wooden ones after the fire).

Harrah was originally established as "Saluskin" in 1913, named for a local Indian chief who was none too pleased when it was renamed after a local rancher a few years later (and is said to have subsequently refer to it as "Thief Town"). I arrived there on a hot Saturday afternoon, and chatted with the small number of patrons in the cool respite at the Spur bar. Just before I headed out for the road, a very drunk native American fellow named Jeff walked up to me, punched me pretty good in the arm, gave me an approving nod, and walked out.
4 Martin Rd, Harrah, WA 98933 - (509) 848-2855               
Reviews: urbanspoon

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

#2213 - Van's 1885 Bar and Grill, Naches, WA - 7/3/2013

Naches, Washington is a central Washington town of about 800 people. It is named for the nearby Naches River, which in turn is said to be named for the native words for "turbulent water," formed by the confluence of the Little Naches and Bumping River flowing down the eastern slopes of the Cascades and eventually into the Yakima. Van's 1885 Bar and Grill was in the Van Ness family since 1944, and called "Van's Tavern" for most if not all of that time. I chatted with the current owner, Elliot Baker, and when I asked him how long the place had been his, without pause he told me "Seven years and three days."


Elliot had worked in sales for Montgomery Ward and worked in real estate. In addition to the desire to have his own place, he was tempted by the grand, antique, oak Brunswick bar, which he believes was constructed in 1885 (hence the bar name).  The bar is said to have been made for Schlitz, which supplied a Schlitz-only bar formerly across the street, below the brothel and also believed to have been sawed in half and this half put in its current location sometime in the 1940s. However, review of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender catalog clearly identifies this as their standard "Metropolitan" model. It could very well have been made in 1885, and most likely was manufactured in the Dubuque Iowa Brunswick factory. (For some reason these "sawed in half" stories have quite commonly grown around antique Brunswick bars, even though they are quite clearly the full bars advertised in the catalogs.)

The 1934 and 1935 Yakima Polk Guides list "The Tavern" and "The Past Time" tavern in Naches, but unfortunately do not include addresses, and I have no way to date the bar beyond the information Elliot has received re. the Van Ness family.

The bar might be seen as a neighborhood dive, but it is considerably larger than it appears from outside, and with the current food options, cleaning, and upgrading by Elliot it feels almost as much like a family restaurant -- at least on an afternoon like the one I visited.  Typical beers, cocktails, and pub food are available.

208 Naches Ave, Naches, WA 98937 - (509) 653-2257
Est. 1944? - Building constructed: 1921
Previous bars in this location: Van's Tavern
Video: yakimavalleyrisktakers

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

#2212 #S1151 - Teachers Lounge, Seattle - 7/2/2013

Update: Teacher's Lounge closed in Nov 2022

A couple who worked at the now-closed Copper Gate have carved out a small part of this 85-yo building to create a "gastro-teria" -- a craft cocktail bar in the form of a seventh grade classroom. Husband Perryn, who also recently worked at Cicchetti, creates some nice and creative cocktails, and with wife Desiree put together a nice menu from the small kitchen, complete with in-theme titles.

This is basically my neighborhood, and in addition to adding probably the second best cocktail bar after Oliver's Twist to the south, it contributes to a dandy little variety of bars on this single block, including the hipster-ish Gainsbourg, beer-ish Naked City, and epic dives the Baranof and Yen Wor.




8505 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 706-2880
Est. June 25, 2013 - Building constructed: 1929
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: teachersloungeseattle.com - facebook
Best articles: seattletimes - seattlemag
More articles: eater - thestranger - yelp

Saturday, June 14, 2014

#2211 - Harbour Public House, Bainbridge Island, WA - 7/1/2013

The Harbour Public House is almost hidden on the banks of Eagle Harbor, in log cabin-y remodel of an 1881 house in the old cannery district. The house was originally the home of Ambrose Grow, a civil war veteran who settled on the island, and it is now a pleasant pub with 15 Washington state microbrews on tap, 6 Washington wines on tap, and contemporary pub food with an emphasis on seafood. When the weather cooperates, the pub patio is a very nice place to enjoy a burger, oysters, or fish and chips, while making out the Seattle skyline over the masts of the sailboats moored in Eagle Bay.




231 Parfitt Way SW, Bainbridge Isle, WA 98110 - (206) 842-0969
Est. December 27th, 1991  - Building constructed: 1881
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: harbourpub.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - foodspotting - urbanspoon

#2210 - Hitchcock, Bainbridge Island, WA - 7/1/2013

Hitchcock is known much less for its bar than for owner/chef Brendan McGill's excellent, locally-source, daily menus. The menu is largely driven by the produce of local farmers, and McGill's interest in maximizing what he can make of it. E.g. he told the Seattle Times “People think you’re just trying to be weird with your smoked duck hearts or something, but we get some beautiful heritage breed ducks from an organic farm on the island. You have to use every single part for it to be economically possible to sell them.”



Hitchcock is named for McGill's wife's family, who first settled on Bainbridge Island in the 1890s. The short distance across Elliot Bay from downtown Seattle makes Bainbridge an attractive ferry ride and day trip, with many Seattleites making the trip expressly to dine in the restaurant. McGill's food and process are popular with both locals and tourists (e.g. he won the 2013 Food and Wine magazine’s 2013 People’s Best New Chef award).  Particularly recommended is the "name-your-price tasting menu," where you provide the chef how much you are interested in spending and some basic information on your taste preferences, and they prepare a surprise, multi-course meal to match.

The drink emphasis is on the wine list, and there is not quite as much inventiveness invested in the cocktails as in the meals, but the Hitchcock bar does offer some fairly high quality cocktails to go with the excellent food.

133 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 - (206) 201-3789
Est. 2010 - Building constructed: 1941
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: hitchcockrestaurant.com
Best Articles: seattletimes - littlemisslocavore - seattleweeklyseattletimes - gastrolust - seattlemetbainbridgereview
More articles: seattleiteheyprettything - dailymealseattlemaggayot - yelp - chowhound - thestranger

Friday, June 13, 2014

#2209 - Mick Kelly's Irish Pub, Burien - 6/26/2013

This is a fairly typical, large, American, Irish bar owned by Mick Purdy and Kelly Adrian. The food and drinks are not outstanding, but it's a friendly place, and I'm inclined to reward them with my business more after reading this is a review: "I also hate it when a restaurant thinks they should tell guests how to wear their baseball hats. I was told repeatedly that turning my cap backwards was not allowed."

435 SW 152nd St Seattle, WA 98166 - (206) 246-2473
Est. Sep 15, 2005 - Building constructed: 1948
Previous bars in this location: The Shaft
Web site:  mickkellysirishpubburien.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp

Sunday, June 08, 2014

#2208 - Ulysses Restaurant and Lounge, Tukwila - 6/26/2013

At age 25, Ulysses Kollias migrated from Kaloskopi Parnassidos, Greece, and at 36 he founded Ulysses Restaurant and Lounge in Tukwila, which has remained run by the family ever since. The emphasis seems a bit more on the lounge side of the business, with a fairly typical suburban bar serving up inexpensive drinks, karaoke, and televisions showing sports events.

16360 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, WA 98188 - (206) 243-1875
Est. 1978 - Building constructed: 1972
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp