#2224 - Wood Shed Restaurant and Lounge, Naches, WA - 7/7/2013

Lest you be concerned about the hustle and bustle of downtown Naches, rest assured that the "Wood Shed Restaurant and Lounge at Eagle Rock Resort" is a good 10 miles upriver the actual town. And the "resort" is two small cabins and 5 RV hookups. This bar and restaurant, joined to a grocery store along Highway 410, is pretty much what you look for in a roadside joint, serving a range of comfort food, dive bar basic drinks, and hosting a small gathering of bikers, tourists and locals (two of the latter were describing coming upon a rattlesnake in their shop the previous morning). I had a gin and tonic and a leisurely chat with bartender Mark, who hails from West Seattle.

8590 State Route 410, Naches, Washington - (509) 658-2100
Web site: woodshedateaglerock.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - urbanspoon - tripadvisor - discoveryakimavalley

#2223 - Old Town Pump, Union Gap, WA - 7/7/2013

"The city of Union Gap was originally named Yakima and was officially incorporated on November 23, 1883. When bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in December 1884, over 100 buildings were moved with rollers and horse teams to the nearby site of the depot. The new city was dubbed North Yakima. In 1918 North Yakima was changed to simply Yakima, and the original town to the south was named Union Gap." (Wikipedia)

The Old Town Pump does have an old pump in it, but everything else is newish, except for the customers and staff. However it does appear to date back to about 1960, and it looks like it has been very substantially remodeled after the old tavern was shut down in 2010. It has an old timey, wood exterior but is more like a cafe inside, serving up pretty standard drinks and pub food.

3716 Main St, Union Gap, WA 98903 - (509) 452-2864
Est. c.1960
Web site: facebook
Reviews: link - kimatv - urbanspoon

#2222 - The Main Event, Baker City, OR - 7/7/2013

Baker City Oregon sits alongside I-84 in northeast Oregon and features one of the better preserved historic portions of a town in the area. Within the 42 acre historic district there are about 60 to 70 structures that date back between the 1880s and 1915, and inside one of them is the bar and diner called the Main Event. Said to have been an old smoke shop back in the 1890s, it is a long space, with an old bar down one side, serving a classic diner menu and dive bar style drinks in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

1929 Main St, Baker City, OR 97814 - (541) 523-6988
Previous bars in this location: Cattle Kate's
Web site: facebook
Reviews: pubsbardives - yelp - tripadvisor

#2221 - Silly Birch, Boise, ID - 7/6/2013

Something like a frat house basement, Silly Birch has 14 microbrews, video games, jello shots, and lots of twenty-ish guys in backwards baseball caps. It is relaxed and open during the day, and a slightly less packed version of the popular 6th and Main bars on Friday and Saturday evenings.

507 W Main St, Boise, ID 83702 - (208) 345-2505
Est. Aug 31, 2012 - Building constructed: 1945
Previous bars in this location: The Hangar, Mack and Charlies
Web site: sillybirch.com - facebook
Reviews: boiseweekly

#2220 - China Blue, Boise, ID - 7/6/2013

People have been drinking in this space since it was built in 1906, constructed by the Boise Turnverein and Harmony Society to provide a social center for German immigrants, singing "Die Wacht am Rhine" (Stand Guard at the Rhine) as they lay the cornerstone. And there the society, established in Boise in 1870, hosted theatrical and musical events, as well as gymnastics including "turning" (twirling dumbells) for a couple decades, until people of German descent began to be ostracized during World War I, and they decided to close the center, sandblasting the name off the front entrance.

Idaho State Historical Society photo

In the intervening years it is said to have hosted a print shop, a 7th Day Adventist church, a strip club, a WWII Air Force office, and a number of bars and restaurants. In 1969 Rod Davidson and Chas Allan purchased it, filled it with antiques and memorabilia including brass lights from the Idaho state house and a grand Brunswick oak bar, and helped revitalize this old portion of Boise, and it's now flourishing nightlife scene.

Nowadays it is an oontz-oontz techno and hiphop bar, complete with VIP section and several bars, including one inside the women's room. It is owned and run by Ted Challenger, who also owns Dirty Little Roddy's down below and the Main Street Bistro.

100 S 6th St, Boise, ID 83702 - (208) 338-6604
Est. 2003 - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: Old Boise Saloon (1969-1973), Joe's All American Grill
Web site: facebook - oldboise
Reviews: boiseweekly - djcoregon - boiseghost - yelp

#2219 - Dirty Little Roddy's, Boise, ID - 7/6/2013

After trying to explain some of the types of bars I like most to my ex-cop cousin, he immediately pops out his cell phone, calls a friend still on the force, and asks him what bar in town is the most likely one to get into trouble. His friend answers probably Dirty Little Roddy's or China Blue, so later in the evening I drop by. Given the frat party atmosphere, I can see how these places would lead to the sort of scuffles and various sorts of illegitimate business that would draw an inordinate amount of police attention, but it would not be accurate to call it a rough crowd. I need to work on my descriptions a bit.

Roddy's is in the basement of the historic, old Boise Turnverein building, and with its sister bar China Blue upstairs it sells more liquor than any bar in Idaho (or at least it did this for much of its existence). It's western themed, but like a 1970s western theme, with peanuts on the floor, a mechanical bull, a DJ, drunk college girls, and lots of guys with backwards baseball caps. To class it up a bit, they have bikini bull ride events, pantsless St. Pattys Day, and door prizes for best breast augmentation surgery.

It's a fun place, if you're in the mood for that sort of thing (and if you are, make sure and take a cab home).

100 S 6th St (basement), Boise, ID 83702 - (208) 338-6604
Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: Joe's Down Under
Web site: facebook - oldboise
Reviews: link - boiseweekly - yelp - boisebarguide - urbandrinks

#2218 - Cricket's Bar and Grill, Boise, ID - 7/6/2013

A bare bones biker and college kid bar.

1228 S Oakland Ave, Boise, ID 83706 - (208) 344-6235
Est. March 12, 1990 - Building constructed: 1957
Web site: facebook
Reviews: boiseweekly - yelp