#2226 - Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA - 7/7/2013

Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

In 2005 new owners converted this historic dive to a cleaned up bar and grill with more contemporary pub food and cocktails. They refer to it as a "gastropub" which should be understood to mean nothing particularly fancy, but a large menu of restaurant quality food, definitely a cut above typical dive bar fare, with better than average burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and seafood options, along with fairly standard beers and cocktails. These are served by a friendly staff working in front of a nice, antique Brunswick-Balke-Collender back bar, and the place is said to be packed on weekend evenings.

The Bohemian, and former Rainier Wine House, in the current
location of the Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

Historical notes: The Facebook page claims that the location hosted the Rainier Wine House as far back as 1904, the Bohemian Bar shortly after that, and a Rainier Beer wholesale distribution site founded in 1913 -- and features a photograph of a wooden building featuring the "Rainier Wine House" and "Bohemian" signs. The current brick structure was built during state-wide prohibition in 1917. Wally Duchateau writes in the Enumclaw Courier Herald that it was a "a speakeasy in the 1920s, a card room in the 1930s and 40s and a favorite watering hole for loggers in the 1950s." However, in the Sigrid city directory for 1934, available in the Enumclaw Plateau Historical Museum a few blocks away, the location is already listed as the "Rainier Bar." Thus it is likely that the location returned to a licensed tavern very soon after the Federal Beer and Wine Revenue Act took effect in April 1933. Duchateau's description continues, "During the 1960s, it appealed to Enumclaw’s fledgling hippies and in the ‘70s it was home base for a few would-be punks and Cobain followers. In other words, it had always been a small-town alcove for fellows and gals who were, more or less, sort of rebellious, unorthodox, and a bit out of step with the local culture in general."

Bacon Cheeseburger, Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

It's a nice place to grab a beer or a meal, and it is pleasing to see them keeping the history alive with old photographs and other touches. But I do confess that I suspect I personally would have prefered the previous incarnation(s), given my fondness for dive bars and for scenes "a bit out of step with the local culture in general."

Brunswick-Balke-Collender antique bar at the Rainier Bar and
Grill in Enumclaw, WA

Close-up with added contrast of the Brunswick label on the
back bar at the Rainier Bar and Grill, Enumclaw, WA

1623 Cole St, Enumclaw, WA 98022 - (360) 825-6363
Est. 1934 or earlier (i.e. as a bar in the current building) - Building constructed: 1917
Previous bars in this location: Rainier Wine Co, Bohemian Bar
Web site: facebook
Reviews: urbanspoon - sportsandfood - yelp - patch

#2225 - Naches Tavern, Greenwater, WA - 7/7/2013

The Naches Tavern is said to have been built in 1919 and appears to have begun under that name during prohibition. A photo below is dated June 1926, and features what may be the current building, though substantially remodeled. The tavern is in the unincorporated community of Greenwater, which has a population of a little over 200, although you would never guess that many from the few mossy residences you can see from the road. It is pretty much the perfect mountain tavern, its log-cabin based structure entreating you from the road into the woody interior, with a large stone fireplace and various relics donated by locals collected on the walls. It sits at the eastern base of Chinook Pass, north of Mount Rainier, at the confluence of the Greenwater and White rivers, and welcomes a convivial mix of locals, snow boarders from Crystal Mountain, bikers, hikers and various roadtrippers. The food is pretty standard bar fare, and the drinks are dive bar standards. It is said that the entire town gathers there on Christmas for a communal party.

Naches Tavern, June 1926 - Tacoma Public Library

58411 Washington 410, Greenwater, WA 98022 - (360) 663-2267
Est. ? - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: hdrcreme - chinookscenicbyway - yelp - courierherald - dailysunnews - yahootravel - tripadvisor - urbanspoon - bikerfriendlybars - friendlymoth

#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