#2280 #S1171 - Olaf's, Seattle - 9/12/2013

Long-time locals can't help but have mixed feelings about Olaf's, a neighborhood bar inspired by the March 2013 closure of The Viking after 63 years, and taking the place of the endearingly vulgar Copper Gate, which closed exactly two months later after 67 years just up the street. It's nice to see a local gin mill with personality in one of these old spaces, but one has to lament the departure of the viking ship bar, its vintage porn sail, and the lewd dioramas. Dismantling the ship bar seems like a crime, but if one can put the past behind and look at Olaf's as if it was starting tabula rasa, it's a nice little joint.

The sign out front manages a multiple part tribute to old Seattle, with letters shaped like Olympia Beer logo spelling out the name of the cartoon version of a viking. It's too brightly lit, too vibrant and healthy to really be an homage to old dives like The Viking, but it shares their suburban neighborhood vibe. It has a very simple menu -- a couple sandwiches, a couple burgers, and corn dogs -- but unusually well, as one might expect when the owners' resumes included Stumbling Goat, Ma'ono, and Le Gourmand.  What remains is the Pussy Room, named for its vaginal entry hall (and now apparently referred to as "the red room" or "the womb room"), gussied up a bit. And they have added a room of pinball machines, surrounded by murals by Narboo, a break from the hordes of Henry works that crowd north Seattle.  There are ten rotating taps of good beers and some decent cocktails as well. Maybe in ten years I won't keep looking for the ship bar every time I step in.



6301 24th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 297-6122
Est. Aug 31, 2013 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location: The Copper Gate
Web site: facebook
Reviews: ballardnewstribune - thestranger - norway.com - eater - myballard - yelp - kelseykristinalarson

#2279 - Bar N9ne, Port Angeles, WA - 9/7/2013

Bar N9NE, Port Angeles, WA

Bar N9ne is a funky, homey place that hosts a range of characters, "Disco Stew" doing karaoke, live music, and serves significantly better than average bar food late. When we were there on a cold Saturday evening there were people playing cards and girls arriving by skateboard. The menu seems to lead with pizza, but ranges from some nice salads to bruschetta to pineapple chicken curry. It seems like a fun place and it seems like if I came back a couple times I'd probably want to add it to my highest recommended list.



Historical Notes: There have been many bars at this location over the years, but my records for the Port Angeles area are very spotty. The first bar I've found listed at the address is the Annex Tavern, which was there by 1939 and into the 40s. By 1959 the Colonial Inn is listed, and in 1969 it became Pieces of Eight. In between those two it appears to have been The Office and The Silver Dollar Bar, and at some point the Tugboat Saloon. In 1980 the Pub Tavern is listed at the address. Much later on (by 2000) it was Lid's Tavern, then Crazy Fish Baja and Beyond and Lyre's Club before Bar N9NE.

229 W 1st St, Port Angeles, WA 98362 - (360) 797-1999
Est. May 2010
Previous bars in this location: Annex Tavern, Colonial Inn, Pub Tavern, Pieces of Eight, Silver Dollar Bar, The Office, Tugboat Saloon, Lyre's Club, Crazy Fish Baja and Beyond, Pieces of Eight
Web site: barn9nepa.com - facebook
Reviews: peninsuladailynews - tripadvisor - yelp

#2278 - Mill Creek Bar and Grill, Forks, WA - 9/7/2013

Up until about a decade ago, before the era of sparkly, teenage vampires, if someone knew Forks, Washington at all, it was probably as the rainiest town in the contiguous United States, with an average of 212 days a year of precipitation. If not, they probably knew it for the rain forest, or perhaps for the timber industry that once dominated the local culture. Then Stephenie Meyer wrote her Twilight series, set largely in the town, Forks tourism trebled, and teenage vampires have ruled ever since.




That doesn't mean the economy was necessarily booming, and by the time we visited the Mill Creek Bar and Grill it was the only bar left in town. And it would close three weeks later.

New owners have remodeled and reopened it as "Blakeslee's Bar and Grill. We've not been since this happened, but I don't imagine it is that much changed, with the exception of eliminating the family-friendly restaurant section and making the entire place a bar (generally a welcome kind of change in my book). It's a fairly large place, with a sizable dance floor, karaoke, cover bands, bar food, Fireball shots and candy colored cocktails. It's not one of my favorite bars in the state, but every town needs a gathering place where local folks can dry out and unwind, and that has to be even more sharply felt when it's raining or snowing 212 days a year.


1222 S Forks Ave, Forks, WA 98331
Est. 2008 - Closed Sep 30, 2013
Web site: facebook - blog
Reviews: yelp

#2277 - Porthole Pub, Ocean Shores, WA - 9/7/2013

The Porthole appears to be the go-to bar in Ocean Shores (and the only one open past 10pm). It has the little-bit-of-everything suburban strip mall bar sort of setting -- flavored vodka drinks, jello shots, karaoke, some live music, pull tabs, cafe style foods (with various seafood options, of course), and a pretty fair sized crowd of friendly drunk people. On one wall there is a mural of a shipwreck that features many of the locals and regulars ($40 to have yourself added).

893 Point Brown Ave NW Ocean Shores, WA 98569 - (360) 289-4469
Est. 2000
Web site: portholeoceanshores.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon

#2276 - Red Genie Pizza, Ocean Shores, WA - 9/7/2013

This is a pleasant enough place, with old saws and artifacts on the well and decent pizza. In the back, under the Men sign, is the lounge, which again, seems fine for a pizza stop, though if you are looking specifically for a bar, you might look to some the livelier nearby bars like the Porthole.

766 Ocean Shores Blvd NW, Ocean Shores, WA 98569 - (360) 289-8144
Web site: facebook
Reviews: tripadvisor - rooseveltcabin - yelp - urbanspoon

#2275 - The Pirate's Cove Pub, Ocean Shores, WA - 9/7/2013

For me, it is debatable whether any joint that closes at 10pm on weekend evenings should be considered a legitimate bar. But the Pirate's Cove is a lively place, with a nice mix of locals and tourists drinking and laughing before they turn off the lights so early, so I suppose they squeak by. In the meantime, you can get some typical dive bar sorts of cocktails, with burgers and other fairly standard bar food, in a nautical theme decor.

798 Ocean Shores Blvd NW Ocean Shores, WA 98569 - (360) 289-4400
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2274 - Porter Saloon, Elma, WA - 9/7/2013

AKA Porter Creek Saloon, the only bar between Oakville and Elma has been around for a very long time, but its beginnings are unclear. Kay Lee, the current owner, believes it was established, as the "Porter Saloon," in 1919, with the physical bar purchased in the 30s, and that it is the "second oldest bar in the state of Washington." But that would have been during statewide prohibition -- so it seems unlikely that it would have been established with an "Saloon" name in that period (let alone a liquor license) -- and numerous bars across the state make the claim to being the first or second liquor license after prohibition. A newspaper article in the bar contains an interview with previous owner Opal Butterfield, who says she purchased the place with her husband in 1935.  Grays Harbour Polk Guides show one bar in Porter in 1937 owned by Ed Butterfield, and one in 1935 owned by A.B. Miller.

Wikipedia says that "Porter Saloon was re-built" in 1925, a year after a fire destroyed it and much of the town. The Wikipedia article adds that "When it re-opened in 1933 following the repeal of Prohibition, it was one of the first establishments to receive a liquor license in the State of Washington," but contains no references. Thus with no primary references, my best guess from what I've found so far is that there was some kind of business built here in 1919, it burned down in 1924, and was rebuilt in 1925, it became a tavern in Dec. 1933, has been the Porter Saloon for many years, and in the last few years has had a quite remarkable remodel by Ms. Lee.

3 Porter Creek Rd, Elma, WA 98541 - (360) 482-4443
Est. 1933? - Building constructed: 1925
Reviews: yelp