#2647 - Tower Lanes Bar, Tacoma, WA - 11/1/2014

Tower Lanes, Tacoma, WA
(Photo via Google Street View)

As surprising as it may seem, what brought us to Tower Lanes was not the lounge, with its mouthwatering Bud Lite, $1.50 jello shots, or even the $2.50 pudding shots. That's all fine, assuming you don't fly into a rage if they don't let you sing karaoke over the PA system. It was not even the mini-Dennys-like diner and its tantalizing senior menu. Rather it was what happens in the evening (they are open 24 hours), as the the main lights go out on the mini golf course for glow-in-the-dark putt putt.

Established in 1957, this classic mid-century bowling alley and entertainment center was decaying to the point where people were saying your budget for the evening should include the auto insurance deductible you'd pay out of pocket after your car was broken into. Then on Aug 1, 2008 it was purchased by a new group of owners that included local bowling luminaries Jeanne Norton Naccorato (more than 20 perfect 300 games and more than 10 national titles) and Bob Hanson, the first person to roll 12 straight strikes at this very location. The new owners cleaned it up and turned it back into a family friendly place where the customers are no longer afraid to go into the bathrooms.

6323 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406 - (253) 564-8853
Est. 1957
Web site: towerlanes.net - facebook
Reviews: tnt - yelp - tripadvisor - bowling2u   

#2646 - Harmon Brewery and Restaurant, Tacoma, WA - 11/1/2014

Harmon Restaurant, Tacoma, WA

There are basically two types of brewpubs: The informal taproom is a space is carved out of the brewery area and parking lot, where you sit at cable spool tables or picnic tables, and snack on bowls of pretzels or items from food trucks. The other type is a formal restaurant, where the brew works are visible but not prominent, there is a usually lot of shiny laquered wood, maybe a fireplace, and often a lodge theme. The menus of formal brewpubs typically contain a broad array of modern pub foods -- steaks, sandwiches, tacos, burgers, soups and seafood.

The Harmon Brewery and Restaurant on Tacoma's Pacific Avenue is decidedly the latter, as are their three "Hub" locations in the area, and even the Harmon Tap Room is really in this model. This one is in what is now called Tacoma's "brewery district," but there were no breweries here when the owners moved into the historic 1909 Harmon funiture building on the crumbling edge of Tacoma. The revival since then in the neighborhood and the city has been pretty remarkable, perhaps even too remarkable for many, as Tacoma has recently become one of the top few highest rising housing markets in the country.

But hats off to owners Pat Nagle and Carole Holder for opening the first microbrewery and first new businesses here in 1997. The city was a long ways from their days as the top producer of furniture east of the Mississippi. This part of the old building now has something of a ski lodge theme, with pleasant exposed brick and high ceilinged interior. The menu is much in line with the formal brewpub model with steaks and salads and burgers and wings and tacos and chicken strips. In addition to the companies fine selection of beers, the also offer wine a speciality cocktails that lean heavily on fruits and herbs.

1938 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 - (253) 383-2739
Est. Sep 1997 - Building constructed: 1909
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: harmonbrewingco.com - facebook
Reviews: washingtonbeerblog - peaksandpints - yelp - tripadvisor - brewpublic 

#2645 - Unicorn Sports Bar, Ruston, WA - 11/1/2014

Unicorn Sports Bar, Ruston, WA

The Unicorn is unique. Virtually hidden in a residential neighborhood less than a half mile up from the waters of Commencement Bay and just south of Point Defiance Park, the Unicorn resides in a stolid brick building that looks much as one would expect for a place that served the smelter workers and blue collar workmen who relaxed here in the mid 20th century. It was the much less inscrutably named "Seaview Tavern" when it opened here in 1934, and remained into the mid 70s. By the late 70s it was known as the equally self-explanatory name of "The Brick," before becoming the "Unicorn Tavern" at some point in the 1980s.

No longer strictly a "tavern," that part of the title now lies half-heartedly obfuscated with an inadequate layer of paint on the outer facade. Virtually all neighborhood bars want to be a "sports bar" now, and the Unicorn has embraced the name and the flatscreen televisions, but thankfully left the decades-worn concrete floors and the unexpected water feature, behind moss-flecked, copper-barked cherry trees tucked around the edge of the building.

View of Commencement Bay from the Unicorn Sports Bar

Inside it is just the sort of working class mishmash you would expect and hope for. Silver dollars lacquered into the bar with the names of customers from the mid 80s; the old smoke eaters, the corporate beer paraphernalia, the mix of craft and big corporate beers, and the old geezers raising eyebrows at the outsiders, but happy to regale you with their stories.

There's also a  young-ish, well regarded bartender named Darrel, whom we did not meet, but we learned he has won best bartender in western Washington several years running. Darrel is "legendary" according to some of the locals, and one year the winner of the Unicorn Halloween contest was a patron dressed as Darrel. I don't even know for sure that he still works there at this point, but if he does, I'd like to see him in action on a busy Saturday night. In any case, the Unicorn is well worth a few return trips.

5302 N 49th St, Ruston, WA 98407 - (253) 752-5939               
Previous bars in this location: Seaview Tavern, The Brick
Web site: facebook
Reviews: northwestmilitary - yelp - tnt 

#2644 - Stuck Junction Saloon, Sumner, WA - 10/25/2014

The name Stuck Junction, the original name of the village that would become Sumner, the use of "saloon," and the signage all hint at an old west theme, but the vibe of the place is more of a typical suburban sports bar or something more akin to an Applebees. They made a pretty good mohito, and have a sizable menu of contemporary American pub food.

The location has a fairly long history of bars, with the Mint Club here in the 40s, the Turf Tavern in the 50s through the 70s, Sharkey's from the 80s into the 2000s, then briefly The Silo and then Bottomz Up, before becoming Stuck Junction in March of 2014.


1005 Main St, Sumner, WA 98390 - (253) 826-4408
Est. March 20, 2014
Previous bars in this location: The Mint Club, Turf Tavern, Sharkey's, Bottomz Up
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#2643 - Bumpy's, Puyallup, WA - 10/25/2014

Bumpy's Puyallup, WA

Bumpy's is a lively little dive, packed with locals even in the early day, and festooned with classic dive bar touches like pull tabs and handwritten signs on fluorescent paper. It's also a popular local lunch spot, with a range of hot dogs, burgers and pizzas and at some prices that can't be beat, including specials like $2 for two tacos on Taco Tuesdays and $5 pizzas on Sundays. As for drinks, you can get a double pour for $5.

The building appears to have been constructed circa 1946 and hosted a bar pretty much that entire time. From the 40s to the 70s at least, it was Bill's Tavern. In the 80s it was the Irish Eyes Tavern and in the 90s just the "Eyes Tavern," and the eyes remain on the neon sign today.

116 E Main Ave, Puyallup, WA 98372 - (253) 841-2931
Est. 2004
Previous bars in this location: Bill's Tavern, Irish Eyes Tavern, Eyes Tavern
Web site: bumpys.net - facebook
Reviews: northwestmilitary - yelp - tripadvisor  - windemerepc - blackfive - untappd 

#2642 - Scotty's Grub and Pub, Puyallup, WA - 10/25/2014

Scotty's Grub & Pub, Puyallup, WA

Owner Dave "Scotty" Scott dropped me a line noting that he had purchased the "2 J's Tavern" in 2012 and reluctantly changed the name to "Scotty's." The 2 J's appears to have been operating continuouslyh at this location since 1933, in a building constructed in 1890 and origionally hosting the Valley Drug Store. Scott was informed by the former mayor that this would be the oldest running business in Puyallup if he retained the 2 J's name, but a rename was felt necessary as part of seven month clean-up, remodel, and re-branding in an effort to save the place from a decaying physical strucfture and an unhealthy clientele.

Scotty's is now a comfortable neighborhood joint, cleaned up and modernized but still a bit on the divey side, with a decent selection of beers and sweetly flavored cocktail specials. Although the space is narrow, Scott added a kitchen, which serves pretty good versions of classive pub food, with an emphasis on burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads. The bar also hosts live music with an emphasis on metal. I do still wish he'd kept the old name, but I'm grateful to Scott for keeping a bar alive in this fine old building.

215 N Meridian St, Puyallup, WA 98371 - (253) 268-0246               
Est. May 3, 2013 - Building constructed: 1890
Previous bars in this location: 2J's (1933-2012)
Web site: scottysgrubandpub.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - patch 

#2641 - Flyers, Oak Harbor, WA - 10/18/2014

Flyers is a brewpub and restaurant in Oak Harbor Washington, toward the north end of Whidbey Island. It has a large menu of old and new pub food choices -- steaks, sandwiches, wings, tacos, oysters, seafood, jambalaya, calamari, old fashioned pot roast. You could also choose the six pattie "Old 666" burger for $39 -- or free if you can finish it in 30 minutes along with a pound of frieds and 16oz drink. Flyers has a military theme and brew several award winning beers.

32295 Washington 20, Oak Harbor, WA 98277 - (360) 675-5858
Est. 2005
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: eatatflyers.com - facebook
Articles ranked: fueledbybeer - washingtonbeer - seattlebeernews - yelp - tripadvisor - beeradvocate - ratebeer