#2388 #S1201 - Millers Guild, Seattle - 12/30/2013

Update: Owners announced the closure of Miller's Guild, due primarily to the COVID pandemic, in May 2021.

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Miller's Guild is about meat and wood and fire. The source of the fire -- and virtually all of the food, including vegetables -- is a 9-foot, wood-fire grill, which is the center of gravity of the place. And it can get hot:

It's so hot that those working it wear welder aprons (and gloves)—a lesson learned after realizing that cotton t-shirts heat up intensely. (In fact, the original idea of shirts with decals was ditched when the plastic started melting onto the cooks' bodies.) It's so hot that workers are limited to just two days per week on the hot side of the grill. It's so hot that chef Jason Wilson jokes that his biggest challenge is "stocking up on lotion and ChapStick." (Serious Eats)

The master of this fire is Jason Wilson, chef-owner of Seattle's highly regarded Crush. But while Crush serves delicate dishes in the homey rooms of an old bungalow, Miller's is virtually its atavistic opposite. The menus of both are driven by locally sources ingredients, but the focus of Miller's is a nose-to-tail butchery, including 75-day dry-aged beef, all prepared over the open flames. Both places also serve creative and very nice cocktails, and at Miller's the wood theme includes 13 casks of oak-barrel-aged cocktails over the bar. You won't go wrong with any of the choices here, although you should be prepared to pay upscale prices.

612 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 443-3363
Est. Dec 17, 2013 - Building constructed: 1926
Previous bars in this location: Red Fin
Web site: millersguild.com  - facebook
Articles ranked: seriouseats - olivalazer - seattlemet - seattlemag - seattleweekly - iheartfoodndrink - alittlebiteoflife - seattletimes - thestranger - komonews - eater - yelp - tripadvisor

#2387 - Marlarkey's Sports Grill, Issaquah, WA - 12/29/2013

A pretty typical white suburban strip mall sports bar, Malarkey's has a large menu of standard sports pub food (burgers, steaks, salads, sandwiches, fried foods) and is a pretty fun place to watch a Seahawks game.

1025 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 392-6356
Est. 2004 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: Sam Malone's Pub and Eatery
Web site: malarkys.net - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2386 - Pine Lake Ale House, Sammamish, WA - 12/29/2013

Even if it were not set in a small community set alongside a lake of the same name, the "Pine Lake Ale House" would evoke images of a lodgey building amidst tall trees sloping toward a crystal clear lake, no? Well, not so much. But you do have a fair view of the Safeway across the parking lot.

Even the sign on the building looks generic here. But they do have a good selection of beers, with a menu of fairly typical contemporary pub food.

640 228th Ave NE, Sammamish, WA 98074 (425) 898-9099
Est. 2001 - Building constructed: 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: pinelakealehouse.com - facebook 
Reviews: issaquahpress - chroniccravings - yelp - tripadvisor

#2385 - The Log Cabin, Lacey, WA - 12/28/2013

There's no hint of logs at the Lacey Log Cabin -- just rows of blue glowing pulltab bins like aquariums at a pet store, the standard beer corporation paraphernalia, and the occasional van coming through the wall. They do have a good mix of ages and gender, and all the suburban strip mall bar basics.

7035 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 - (360) 438-3651
Reviews: yelp

#2384 - The All In, Onalaska, WA - 12/28/2013

The only bar in Onalaska, Washington, the All In (often spelled "All Inn") is a fairly large place with a broad range of ages. The animal heads and fishing lures tell you that you're headed toward the mountains, and the beer and food selection are classic local bar fare. We chatted with bartender Dee (who presumably is the one who makes this 'the home of the "Dee" Burger,' as announced by the sign out front).

1783 Washington 508, Onalaska, WA 98570 - (360) 978-4631
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#2383 - Brown Shack Tavern, Salkum, WA - 12/28/2013

Salkum Washington is an unincorporated community of about 700 people just north of the Cowlitz River, between I-5 and the Mt. Rainier National Park. It is said to be named for the Cowlitz tribe's word for "boiling water," inspired by the roiling waters of Mill Creek. The business community of Salkum appears to be one grocery store and the Brown Shack Tavern, the latter greeting you with a handpainted hillbilly sort of sign and an asymmetric gabled roof extended to cover a small expansion. Inside you can see the shape of the original gambrel roof, with the later expansion clearly demarcated by unpainted particleboard.

I believe it was bartender Shannon who told me that the bar had been here since 1920, though it would not have been a licensed bar at that time. Another sign that the place may have started out as a soda fountain is the eye-catching back bar, which features a plate reading "L.A. Becker" -- an early 20th century manufacturer of soda fountain equipment. I'd love to get some solid information on when it became a licensed bar.

Nowadays, as you probably expect for the only bar in tiny town, it is a little bit of everything for everybody. Lots of old folks, but also young, pull tabs, karaoke, live music and dancing, and sometimes even a male stripper for the Salkum ladies. On the customer side, the formica bar top is worn all the way through wood simulating color. It is one of a dwindling number of true taverns (beer and wine only) and on this visit I spotted an 86 List with 5 names on it. Since then a new owner took control in the following July, so perhaps "Miss Kitty," "Donny (Sandy's husband)" and the other three folks have a chance to start afresh.

155 Salkum Heights Dr, Salkum, WA 98582 - (360) 985-2603
Web site: facebook
Reviews: roadtrippers

#2382 - Frank's Hide Away, Winlock, WA - 12/28/2013

There's not much unique in the physical place that is Frank's Hide Away, it's a typical small town dive, with Marilyn Monroe and James Dean prints, a lot of corporate beer paraphernalia, various Seahawks signs, and a small batch of mostly male, baseball cap wearing locals. The cocktails could lead one to question whether you're in bar or a candy store, with names like "Jolly Rancher" and "Gummi Bear." But one unmistakably unique feature is the snippet of conversations you occasionally overhear from some of the old folks there:

"They got robots now. You can't teach robots feelings. You go to shake their hand and they'll fucking crunch your hand."  

"There's no wind on the moon."

Stay safe from the robots, folks.

108 E Walnut St, Winlock, WA 98596 - (360) 785-0331                    
10 tc, 8 mc, 7bc, 0bbc