#726 - Kurrent, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 11/11/2008

Kurrent closed in November 2010

#725 - Spring Hill, Seattle (West Seattle) - 11/9/2008

 Update: 2/27/2012:  Since the night of this visit, Spring Hill upgraded their cocktail game to a fantastic degree, and then on Feb 8, 2012 changed their emphasis to Hawaiian and their name to Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky.
 
This relatively new place (6 mos. old) looks like a fine restaurant. But this list is about bars, and the bar here is an afterthought.

#724 - Poggie Tavern, Seattle (West Seattle) - 11/9/2008

I suddenly felt like I was in a tavern in the mountains in Idaho. A classic dive, with guys with big beards and gals with big hair. The large bartender, in levis suspenders and plaid shirt said of a just-departed patron, "He's a character. But ain't we all?"

Indeed.

Historical notes: There has been a bar in the location of West Seattle's Poggie Tavern since at
least 1934, and it has been "The Poggie Inn" or Tavern since at least 1936. However, it appears that the previous structure was replaced with the current one in 1970.

4717 California Avenue Southwest Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 937-2165
Est. 1936 OE - Building constructed 1970
Other bars in this location: None

#723 - The Corner Pocket, Seattle (West Seattle) - 11/9/2008

Update: The Corner Pocket closed Dec 2, 2016, when the owner Michael Eugene Main was arrested for routinely selling cocaine in the bar.

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In 1979 brothers Dave and Jerry Norberg converted an old bomb shelter into an upscale wine and beer tavern called "The Alasks Pipeline." This lasted into the 90s, when it briefly became the "California Underground," before the "Corner Pocket," which remains today.

The current version is nothing special to look at, but I like the downstairs location and I liked the people hanging out there. I might give this my Great Dive rating if the Poggie Tavern weren't right down the street.

4302 Southwest Alaska Street #204, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 933-0320
Previous bars in this location: The California Underground, Alaska Pipeline

#722 - Shadow Land, Seattle (West Seattle) - 11/9/2008

I almost gave this my Highly Recommended rating, based on the magnificent sign, the bartender Jay, and the one cocktail I had -- a bartender's muddled choice which is informally, if not that appetizingly, called the "Plumber's Crack." But the place was pretty dead when I went there on a Sunday evening, and I couldn't get any sense for what the vibe and crowd are like when it's busy. I must revisit soon on a Friday or Saturday evening.

4458 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 420-3817
Est. Nov 28, 2007 - Building constructed: 1948
Previous bars at this location: None known
shadowlandwest.com

#721 - Elliot Bay Brewery, Seattle (West Seattle) - 11/9/2008

Try the Dry Hopped IPA, which immediately hopped onto my favorite beers list (along with Manny's Pale and Diamond Knot Industrial).

It finally occurred to me, as it must have to many others, that West Seattle is Seattle's Portland. They've very nicely mixed in the new with the old, like a small town with an inexplicable amount of variation. And the 4400-4700 stretch of California Ave. is the best and most varied set of drinking establishments in the city, from the ultra-swanky Ama Ama, to the hip and funky West 5, from the young people's dive at the Corner Pocket, to the classic older folks' dive at Poggie Tavern. And Elliot Bay Brewery is one of a number of nice places in between

4720 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA - (206) 932-8695           
Est. July 11, 1997 - Building constructed: 1932
Previous bars in this location: California & Alaska Street Brewing Co.
Web site: elliotbaybrewing.com

#720 - Naked City, Seattle (Greenwood) - 10/30/2008

Another great addition to the Greenwood area for beer lovers, with a broad range of rotating taps.

BTW, this makes 100 new bars in 2008.