#2247 - The Hideaway Cardroom, Shoreline, WA - 7/27/2013

Update: The Hideway is now closed, and was replaced by The Hidden Door in 2020.

This modest, ordinary place is one of the older locations for a bar in the Seattle area. There was a Hideaway Beer Parlor listed at 12505 Aurora in 1934 and it appears to have moved to this address by 1935. It appears to have been established in its current form of bar and cardroom in 1976, sitting conveniently just across the street from the Seattle city limits and regulations. It is now dominated by the 7 poker tables, filled with men of all ages and a few little old ladies. The American-Chinese food values are quite good -- e.g. you can get a massive bowl of soup for $3.

14525 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133 - (206) 361-9393
Est. 1935 - Building constructed: 1917
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: hideawaycasino.com
Reviews: yelp - themogh

#2246 - Maddox Grill and Bar, Lynnwood, WA - 7/27/2013

Update: Maddox Grill closed in May 2014

Previously in a small space in Richmond Beach, this version of the Maddox Grill opened in 2014, server American comfort food in a Denny's-like setting along Highway 99.

18411 Washington 99, Lynnwood, WA 98037 - (425) 778-2223
Est. 2004 - Closed May 2014
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: maddoxgrill.com - facebook
Reviews: link - yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon

#2245 - Shots n Scores, Lynnwood, WA - 7/27/2013

Lynnwood, north of Seattle, is the 30th largest city in the state of Washington, and I consider it to be the largest city in the state without a single interesting bar. I'm referring to the physical places, food, and drinks, and lots of very boring bar locations can be quite enjoyable because of the fun and interesting people who come there, so I am not ruling that out. But I prefer a  place with character -- ANY kind of character -- that adds some kind of personal touch and distinguishes it from hundreds of other bars across the country.

Lynnwood's bars are mostly chains and seems determined to squeeze out what little remaining character there is -- e.g. minimizing the nautical theme of Daverthumps and at least the interesting name of "None Of Your Business" and replacing them with cookie cutter BSSBs (Banal Suburban Sports Bars). The most remarkable feature of BSSBs is that they have no remarkable feature. Like hundreds of other BSSBs, they generally include the following:

• All or virtually all decorations and wall hangings are corporate paraphernalia -- Budweiser, NASCAR, etc.  No personal items, local photos, etc.
• Pulltab bins
• Standard bar food - fried foods, burgers, salads, maybe pizzas and tacos.
• Lots of televisions and beer company sports decor.
• Regular karaoke
• A good selection of beers
• Cocktails that appear to be designed for sorority girls - flavored vodkas, super sweet, Fireball shots, jello shots
• A Facebook page dominated by photos from Halloween
• A majority of customers wearing baseball caps, often backwards
• A hastily carved out smoking area in back, with plastic furniture
• Usually in the outer parts of cities, or in medium-sized towns, often in a strip mall

Again, the most important part of a bar is probably the people there, so bar settings with no personality can sometimes be a great bar stop if they attract a fun and unusual crowd. I went at the wrong time of day to know if that's the case with Shots and Scores, so maybe I'd be surprised.

17711 Washington 99, Lynnwood, WA 98037 - (425) 742-0861
Est. 2012 or 2013 - Building constructed: 1945
Previous bars in this location: None of Your Business, Inn Tavern
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2244 #S1156 - Alibi Room Greenwood, Seattle - 7/26/2013

This new instance of the Alibi Room in a small Greenwood strip mall does not have the sexy space of the original off a cobblestone alley under Pike Place Market, but it's definitely a nice addition for people like me who live nearby. They have decent cocktails, good wood-fired pizzas and some simple but very tasty appetizers, including their apple and brie plate.

10406 Holman Rd NW, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 783-4880
Est. July 24, 2013 - Building constructed: 1988
Previous bars in this location: Snoose Junction (Part Dieu)
Web site: greenwoodalibi.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp - phinneywood

#2243 - Bake's Place, Bellevue, WA - 7/25/2013

Downtown Bellevue seems like an odd place for a jazz club, and Bake's is in an odd part of downtown Bellevue.  It's away from any considerable foot traffic and away from the malls, but still in the business core at the foot of a pedestrian 8-floor office building. It's not the sort of space that attracts people who don't know where they are going, but that doesn't appear to be a major problem for Craig Baker, who's been pulling fairly large crowds in for music performances in various other unlikely venues, including his basement and the Washougal, WA Grange Hall.

It's pretty sedate when the music is not playing, but that may not be a problem as virtually every evening it morphs into a swanky, relaxed yet formal jazz club, or sometimes blues, R&B or Latin music. It quite intentionally has a vibe similar to Seattle's Jazz Alley, with a crowd and space that emphasize listening to the musicians rather than a steady road of chit chat. The food and cocktails are better than average, and after much negotiation they've become able to use the patio of the building, which is one of the nicer lunch spots in the area on sunny afternoons.

155 108th Ave NE #110, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 454-2776
Est. May 11, 2012 - Building constructed 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bakesplacebellevue.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - seattletimes - thebellevuescene - yelp

#2242 - Rendezvous Tavern, Port Orchard, WA - 7/25/2013

The Rendezvous is a pretty prosaic bar in a small town shopping center, in a space that's held a number of restaurants and bars over the last 46 years. It opened in 2011, replacing the Voodoo Lounge and removing the VIP section and stripper pole.  They serve standard American pub food -- salads, burgers, hot wings, etc. -- have a reasonable selection of beers, and serve their share of jello shots and candy drinks. It's a medium-sized place that hosts both live bands and, of course, karaoke.  Among the positive elements, one local yelps, "... its never over crowded, or filled with tweakers. so that's a mega bonus in Port Orchard."

There are a couple uncommon touches in the place, and as I was taking a picture of one -- a kegerator with some nice pinstriping, the bartender approached me. "I see you taking pictures," she said, "What are your pictures for?  You should really ask before taking pictures." I told her about my blog, and also asked what she thought could have been a bad intention or unwanted outcome of someone taking a pictures of the bar. She told me that "People sometimes use our name to represent things that it's not." I mentioned that I was surprised that this was a big problem for a bar in the South Park Village Shopping Center, but she affirmed that it was. Go figure.

1750 Village Ln SE, Port Orchard, Washington - (360) 443-2545
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 1968
Previous bars in this location: Shooterz, Voodoo Lounge, Captain K's, Giotto's
Web site: facebook - westsoundnightout
Reviews: yelp

#2241 - Pine Tree Inn, Shelton, WA - 7/25/2013

The Pine Tree Inn was established in 1957 and is said to be the oldest restaurant in Shelton, an old logging town near the southeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. "It used to be Wilson's, going back to the 20s, I was told by Mel, a regular who has been coming here since about 1960. The bar portion of the Pine Tree is the sort of dive that attracts bikers and elderly locals during the day, eating diner food, drinking coffee and beer, then a younger crowd at night drinking fireball shots and candy-flavored cocktails. Behind the bar, hidden by pulltab bins, caked in dust, and long neglected, is what once was a fine diorama scene with a working waterfall and a model train circling the tracks.  I'd presume this was installed by Alfred Munoz, who I believe founded the place in '57, and it remained working at least into the 60s. A TripAdvisor reviewer who grew up in the area describes the earlier days:

"It is located on the corner of 1st and Railroad. Highway 101, before the Shelton bypass was built, ran right along 1st Street, so this place was ready to serve up the traveler's meals. In addition, it is located only a few blocks from the big sawmill plant in town, so lots of loggers came in here. When I was a child, we were not permitted to go there due to the rough logger crowd. Later, in the late 60's they had GoGo dancers in the bar (which my brother peeked in the window to see)." (rubbertgator, tripadvisor)

The place can still be rough around the edges, and some of the locals are decidedly not fans of the current ownership, as can be seen in some detail at the BoycottThePineTree facebook page, e.g. a former owner posting 'You must be proud of the business you run, as Alfred and I did for many years..we cleaned the place up, run off most of the ''riff-raff'' and ran a good business after that..what happened makes me sick to my stomach!! You have to be there to make sure it runs right, and not let the help run it into the ''DUMP''..'

It's dirty, with patrons who can be gruff to outsiders, and the scent of pot continually wafting in from the smoking tent out back. But at least it's still there. For fans of old dives, it might be regrettable that no one has bothered to even dust the old train layout for many years. But then again, if someone had aggressively cleaned the place up, the faux mountains and waterfalls that take up space more conveniently occupied by pulltabs and cigarettes, the place probably wouldn't have much character, and I would never have had this glimpse of what the old place used to be.

102 S 1st St Shelton, WA 98584 - (360) 426-2604              
Est. 1957
Web site: pinetreeshelton.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon