#2240 - Bull Pen, Seatac, WA - 7/23/2013

Update: After a fire in August 2016, the Bull Pen Facebook page announced that they would be closed for "3 to 8 months" for repairs. However it has remained closed several months longer than that.

The Spanish style building and various references to bulls make this feel like a Mexican restaurant, but inside it is one of those medium-sized, suburban, neighborhood bars that caters to desires to the desires of the locals.  That means American bar food (steaks, burgers, fried food, breakfast), dive bar drinks, a nice selection of beers along with crappy ones, and above all, sports on TVs and karaoke every night.

City guide records of these suburban areas are spotty, but at least briefly a bar called The Camel Rider operated here in the mid 60s.

Don Liberty established the Bull Pen in 1981 and has owned the place ever since. He and wife Margaret previously owned Liberto's restaurant in Tukwila, and briefly expanded into the Bull Pen II in the old Flame Tavern location in Burien (now Fiesta del Mar).

20011 International Blvd SeaTac, WA 98198 - (206) 824-4070
Est. 1981 - Building constructed: 1938
Previous bars in this location: The Camel Rider
Web site: bullpenseattle - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp - urbanspoon - seattlesouthside

#2239 #1155 - Star Brass Lounge, Seattle - 7/20/2013

Scott Horrell, who already has given the area 9lb Hammer, Loretta's, and Square Knot, has added another classic Georgetown bar.  A great old building across from the old Rainier Brewery, lots of exposed brick, collections of mid-century decor (e.g. lamps, ashtrays), good quality American comfort food, and a relaxed, hip clientele all seem to perfectly reiterate the spirit of the neighborhood.

Some history of the building from the owner:  "From 1904 to 1964 it was the Airport Way Hotel. Downstairs, it housed the Palace Tavern. It was for some time the Volunteers of America Industrial Store and the Wallace Transfer. And of course, it was the home of Star Brass Works, which now lends its name to the lounge downstairs! We have named our main gallery the Palace Gallery in honor of the old tavern."

5813A Airport Way South, Seattle, Washington 98108                
Est. April 2013 - Building constructed: 1905
Previous bars in this location: Palace Tavern
Web site: facebook
Reviews: link - yelp - tripadvisor -  talktothemanager - thestranger

#2238 #1154 - Stoneburner, Seattle - 7/19/2013

Stoneburner is on the ground floor of new, fancy "Hotel Ballard" constructed by the owners of the Ballard Inn and the Olympic Athletic Club. The facade of the new hotel was designed by local architects Gordon Lagerquist and Gene Morris and it is said that they "included a handmade stucco and sandstone and wood panels to ensure that the hotel’s façade featured a similar feel to that of the historic Ballard Avenue buildings surrounding it." (MyBallard)  If this is an accurate and sincere description of their intention, one can hardly imagine a more unmitigated failure. Not that it doesn't look nice or luxurious, but some folks who love both the history and the current revitalization of this great old avenue wish that they had indeed created something that fit in with the surrounding buildings and looked a little less like a French embassy.

The restaurant too, is very non-old-Ballard, but in a much more pleasant way. You seem to be entering through a massive wine barrel, and the art deco bar seems like it's been around for a hundred years. It is the latest, instantly popular restaurant from James Weiman and Deming Maclise, who have already establish large and constantly packed Seattle restaurants with pronounced thematic designs: "Bastille" (French) and "Macleod's (Scottish) in Ballard, and "Poquitos" (Mexican) and Von Trapps / Rhein Haus (Bavarian) on Capitol Hill. The bar includes a pressed tin ceiling reclaimed from an old schoolhouse and wood reclaimed from an Italian Embassy in Buenos Aires. It includes cocktails from the estimable Erik Carlson, and an Italian themed menu from the chef who gives it its name.  I had a couple excellent cocktails improvised by bartender Tyler. It is airy and especially nice during warm days when the large windows are open. It is yet another of an exploding number of great places to eat and drink in what is increasingly difficult to discern as an old Scandinavian shipping town.

5214 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, Washington 98107 - (206) 695-2051
Est. 2013 - Building constructed: 2012
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: stoneburnerseattle.com - facebook
Articles Ranked: seattlemet - eater - seattletimes - seattlemag - seattleweekly - eatinseattle - thrillist - thestranger - yelp

#2237 #1153 - Asgard Tavern, Seattle - 7/18/2013

Update: Odin Brewing closed the Asgard Tavern as of Jan 1, 2015 (a new taproom was opened in Tukwila, WA the previous year).

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A relaxed little tasting room for the Odin Brewing microbrews, in the Fremont area, just off the Burke-Gilman trail.

1300 N Northlake Way, Seattle, Washington 98103 - (206) 762-3909
Est. June 20, 2013 - Building constructed: 1999
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: blog - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - yelp - thrillist - washingtonbeerblog - tripadvisor

#2236 - Aloha Tavern, Pacific Beach, WA - 7/15/2013

Aloha Tavern, Pacific Beach, Washington

Fairly often I get tips on good bars to visit from chatting with the locals at other good bars, and when a couple at the Green Lantern at Copalis Beach told us about the Aloha Tavern, it seemed like it would be worth a bit of a detour. And indeed, as you round a bend on North Beach Road, about three miles south of Moclips and a mile east of the ocean, and see the old sign and the weathered beach house decor suddenly pop into view, you instantly know it was well worth it.

Buzz, the Aloha Tavern, Pacific Beach, WA

It's hard to say for sure how old the place is. We were told the building was constructed in 1903, served as a bunk house for workers at the Aloha Shake Mill that used be across the road, and was moved across the street in the 1920s. But an old real estate listing describes it as being built in 1937, and that's what the county tax records say as well. In any case it's plenty old, and it now looks just like you would want a beach house or an ocean coast bar to look, with lots of old wood and years of eccentric objects collected around the place.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Lloyd the owner, and served by Buzz, who was there with his dog Josie. It's the sort of place and time where Lloyd will go to his house to get you a cigarette, and Buzz will inform you that they're all out of Corona "because Jim's sister was here the other night." It's also the sort of area where the local "shake rats" celebrate Kelper's Day each Labor Day weekend, and where everyone seems to have a nickname. Local "Hippie Bruce" once explained to Seattle Times writer that 'Nobody has a last name. There's a guy who just wanted to be Bob, but even he is "Ordinary Bob."'

I happened to be wandering around outside when two dowdy Jehovah's Witnesses had just dropped by Buzz's trailer around back of the bar, but they had no interest in saving him, or any of the rest of us, if it meant stepping inside the bar. I could try to tell you more about the bar, but if the photos alone don't make you want to visit the place yourself, like the Jehovah's Witness ladies, we probably don't have a lot of common interests anyway.

2990 Ocean Beach Rd, Pacific Beach, WA 98571 - (360) 276-4723
Building constructed: 1937
Links: nerdseyeview - sale (cached)

#2235 - Green Lantern Tavern, Copalis Beach, WA - 7/15/2013

Green Lantern Pub, Copalis Beach, WA

The Green Lantern Tavern/Pub lies across the street from the southernmost point of the Copalis River, and about 2,000 feet from the Pacific Ocean, and the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula. In 1805, Lewis and Clark estimated the population of Copalis Indians here at 200 in 10 houses. It is now home to about 350 people, but swells to 1,500 during the few days a year when people can legally dig for its famous razor clams.

The Green Lantern is a homey, medium-sized bar filled mostly with locals and long-time regulars, mixed with tourists during the summer months. I haven't much narrowed down how old the bar is -- I've seen a comment that it's been around since the 1930s (the building was constructed during prohibition) -- but one of the locals told me that this was not always the current name, and in fact the building was previously red. It's a nice bar serving diner comfort food, and the feeling that it seems to pop up in the middle of nowhere adds to the attraction.

Green Lantern Pub, Copalis Beach, WA

Green Lantern Pub, Copalis Beach, WA

3119 Washington 109, Copalis Beach, WA 98535 - (360) 289-2297
Est. ? - Building constructed: 1916
Web site: facebook
Reviews: fodors - tripadvisor - walkaboutwithwheels

#2234 - The Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA - 7/15/2013

The Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA

The Pourhouse and the building in Aberdeen, Washington that has housed it, have had some remarkable history. It was constructed in 1897, it is believed to be the oldest wood structure in Aberdeen, it is the only public location that Nirvana played in their home town, and at this writing it appears to be going through a wild legal brewhaha with some, well, let's just call them "colorful" characters.

The Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA

A 2012 Daily World article says of the building: "It is 115 years old, according to country records, and survived “Black Friday,” the citywide Aberdeen fire of 1903 that ignited two blocks south of The Pourhouse but stopped at Wishkah Street. It was believed to have been a house before that time, and later was a beauty salon during Prohibition. When Prohibition ended in 1933, it operated briefly as a restaurant before becoming a “beer parlor” named the Golden West Tavern, the name it kept until the mid-1960s."

Happier days at The Pourhouese, Aberdeen, WA

At the time of this article the Pourhouse had been closed for three years and was being very nicely remodeled by new owner Tyler Tollefson, preserving the long back bar and adding some nice reclaimed wood to the walls. "There’s actually another floor under the one that’s there now, and the old logger pegged boots are all over," Tollefson noted in the article. He also explained that the music in the re-opened bar would be "mostly classic rock, blues, country and jazz."

The place was named "The Pourhouse" in 1980, and has long been a center of live, original music in the small lumber town. It is claimed that Nirvana performed there three times, with the best documented show on Dec 21, 1988, with Kurt Cobain and Kris Novoselic playing Beatles cover songs there after a show in nearby Hoquiam. Novoselic and possibly Cobain also played there with the Melvin's Buzz Osbourne in September 1986 as the "Stiff Woodies."

"Condition 3" "peaceful protest" at the Pourhouse
(Pourhouse Facebook photo)

The current soap opera over the bar began a few months after Tollefson leased the place to Jacob Cuzdey starting Jan 31, 2014. From an article in The Daily World and the bar's Facebook page maintained by Cuzdey, this is my best attempt to piece it together:  Cuzdey's core business practices apparently did not encompass paying his taxes and eventually would unhappily lead to not being able to pay his lease, employees or liquor license. These facts came to the attention of the bar owners when he informed them that the city had directed him to start paying off the four separate tax liens on the business before worrying about their rent. The owners apparently were not pleased, and sued to get control of the business back. This was accompanied by much melodrama, e.g.  "Two women allegedly punched Cuzdey and others in front of witnesses just after midnight on April 26 in a dispute over the bar" and "Cuzdey claims police stood by on April 28 as the couple and others allegedly took items from the bar that Cuzdey says belong to him." (DailyWorld)

Weapon instructions from the manager of the
Pourhouse, Aberdeen, WA (Facebook)

These events appear to have inspired Cuzdey and two of his friends to stage a "peaceful protest" in front of the bar, with semi-automatic weapons slung over their chests, one in head-to-toe camouflage fatigues, and signs featuring a diatribe about the police chief, mayor, and FREEDOM. The Facebook page featuring photos of the protesters clarifies that this is a "Condition 3" (magazine inserted, no round in chamber, bolt/slide forward, weapon on safe, hammer down) and "AC Yellow" ("relaxed alert") exercise in Freedom protecting. A number of Facebook commenters noted that this was not exactly helpful in convincing people you're a rational person, but Cuzdey countered that he can't "hide in the shadows" while he is being "raped" by the Aberdeen government. It would appear that the building owners wrested control of the sandwich boards shortly after that, as the following day the signs read "Saving the Pourhouse" and "We (heart) Our Mayor."


One does hope that just enough sanity is eventually restored that this bar can be preserved and reopened. In addition to the history, it's a nice little joint in the shadow of the Wishkah River Bridge.


506 E Wishkah St Aberdeen, WA 98520 - (360) 533-4461
Est. 1980 - Building constructed: 1897
Previous bars in this location: Golden West Tavern (30s-60s)
Web site: facebook
Reviews: thedailyworld - thedailyworld - yelp - tripadvisor - link