Update: Spur closed on April 14, 2016
Spur is a fairly average looking bar with no really outstanding physical personality. But what makes it one of my highest recommendations is that every frickin' cocktail and every damn food item I've ever tried there has been fantastic. It's neither super pricey nor cheap, but if you go at Happy Hour (5-7pm Sun-Thurs, 11pm-1:30am Mon-Sat) you can get a couple dishes of some of the better food you've ever had and two or three really interesting and tasty cocktails for around $40. You won't know how great a deal that is until you actually taste it.
113 Blanchard, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 728-6706
Est. 2008 - Closed April 14, 2016 - Building constructed 1927
spurseattle.com - blog - facebook
seattle times - seattle weekly - yelp - maureen clancy - starchefs - the stranger
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
#887 - Al's Tavern, Seattle - 9/6/2009
Okay, I'm knocking off two bars that I was 95% sure I'd been to before a few times, but wasn't certain until I verified them from inside. Al's has been around since 1940, and has a classic, neighborhood bar, poorly rendered but oozing with local personality mural on the back wall. It's a quite pleasant neighborhood dive.
Est. 1940 (also listed as Smithy's Tavern that year)
2303 N 45th St., Seattle, WA 98103 - 206-545-9959
seattle weekly - citysearch - yelp - the stranger
Est. 1940 (also listed as Smithy's Tavern that year)
2303 N 45th St., Seattle, WA 98103 - 206-545-9959
seattle weekly - citysearch - yelp - the stranger
Sunday, September 06, 2009
#886 - Jersey's, Shoreline, WA - 9/6/2009
In 1980, Dick Oldham bought a sputtering new bar across from the Kingdome parking lot called "Stanley's Ticker Tape," and renamed it "Sneakers." Of course, "sports bars" had existed for many, many decades in various cities, but Oldham did some things that few if any other bars in the country had done at the time. He got the idea to put televisions everywhere -- 10 TVs, so that patrons could follow simultaneous games and see them from anywhere in the joint. When lineman Reggie McKenzie was traded to the Seahawks, he flew in a chef to teach Oldham's crew how to make spicy chicken wings like they did back in Buffalo, NY (hence, "Buffalo Wings"). And he very actively collected an idiosyncratic set of memorabilia and autographs from local players/patrons and players from around the country. Sneakers (sold in 1996 and now "Sluggers") was often listed as one of the best sports bars in the nation.
Little did Oldham suspect, one must assume, that he was helping to invent one of the most ubiquitous and most boring bar themes across America.
Jersey's is one of these -- one of any number in every city and town. It has the TVs, the sports artifacts, and that essential set of old geezers carrying on as if they know much better than those yahoos actually filling the coaching and management jobs. But the space has no personality, let alone the appealing quirkiness of Sneakers' 15-foot-wide confines. And in sharp contrast to the personality of the Sneakers collection, the entire decor looks like it came from one trip to the mall, plus the blow-up props and posters from beer distributors. And they add pretty much every checkbox item for the current cookie-cutter sports bars -- the pulltabs, the plastic, electronic darts games, and the contraption of various disco lights hanging from the rafters for some godforsaken dance night.
I don't mean to single out Jersey's -- the food is fine, the liquor is the liquor, and there is nothing particularly out of sorts about the place. But that's exactly my problem with Jersey's -- exactly my problem with all of these places. A bar needs a personality, and decorating structures that could just as well be an Applebees with framed jerseys from a memorabilia store and football decorations from Budweiser is just no substitute for that.
1306 N 175th St (a block east of Aurora), Shoreline, WA 98133 - (206) 546-4054
jerseysgreatfood.com - yelp
#885 - Ricky's Bar & Grill, Shoreline, WA - 9/6/2009
Update: Ricky's closed in 2011.
632 N Richmond Beach Dr. (Richmond Beach Shopping Center, between N 3rd Ave & N 8th Ave) Shoreline, WA 98177 - (206) 546-4847
Est. 2008? - Closed 2011
yelp
#884 - Richmond Beach Grill House, Shoreline, WA - 9/6/2009
Update: Richmond Beach Grill House closed in 2010
This seems like a pleasant enough little complex for families, but I would not recommend going out of your way for the lounge.
1430 NW Richmond Beach Rd., Shoreline, WA 98177 - 206-533-1500
Previous bars in this location: Arden Inn Tavern (1970s)
Subsequent bars in this location: Swannies on the Alley
mygrillhouse.com - spinalley.com - yelp
Saturday, September 05, 2009
#883 - The War Room, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 9/2/2009
Meh. Even the rooftop deck, which should have been a nice respite from the top 40 style music, was compromised by watching a mouse dart back and forth across the floor. Obviously not my kind of crowd, but the bartenders were cool, and they did have a slideshow showing much more interesting club people than their patrons.
The War Room is closing Nov. 30, 2009722 E Pike St. Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 328-7666
thewarroomseattle.com - yelp - citysearch - the stranger - seattle weekly
#882 - Maharaja, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 9/2/2009
Update: The Maharaja closed Dec 31, 2010
I have it on good authority -- and yelpers confirm -- that it is a fine dive bar in the back of this establishment (the food, the bathrooms -- not so much). It was completely dead on the early Friday evening that I attended, so I obviously haven't seen it in top form. If you're on Capitol Hill and want a bar with stiff, basic drinks without the Capitol Hill prices, it seems like a reasonable choice. And the web site is, um, remarkable.
720 E Pike St, Seattle - (206) 320-0334
Closed Dec 31, 2010
seattlemaharaja.com - yelp - the stranger
Thursday, September 03, 2009
#881 - Captain Black's, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 9/2/2009
If this were any place besides the embarrassment of bar riches area of Capitol Hill, I'd immediately give it my highest rating. The food gets mixed reviews and it's not the place you'd want to go for a really interesting cocktail, but if you're just drinking and it's just the basics, there aren't many better places in town. The small porch in front, the homey remodeled bungalow interior, and especially the large porch in back make this seem like a really nice resort town bar -- but with a more likable crowd.
129 Belmont Ave, Seattle, WA 98102-5602 - (206) 327-9549
captainblacksseattle.com - the stranger - yelp - urbanspoon - seattle weekly
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
#880 - Tavern Law, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 9/2/2009
My first impression of the much hyped Tavern Law was negative. After all, it was supposed to be a prime example of the new speakeasy trend, so what was it doing with a prominent sign out front identifying the place (even though anyone who even casually follows Seattle foodie and bar news knew exactly where it was)? I later realized that the speakeasy was hidden inside the public bar.
The space is nice, with lots of quirky angles, and the drinks and the food are absolutely lovely.
Thanks to (customer) Naomi for an enjoyable an informative conversation, and thanks to the TL/Spur crew for a great salmon and risotto and cocktails. I will very definitely be back.
Try the: Monkey Gland
1406 12th Ave (between Union St & Pike St), Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 322-9734
tavernlaw.com - blog - facebook - seattle times - yelp - seattlest
Friday, August 28, 2009
#879 - Lucid, Seattle (U-District) - 8/27/2009
Update: Lucid closed at the end of September 2015.This is a very happening little jazz club, surprisingly downbeat, cozy, and hip for a U District bar. For me, Lucid and Cafe Racer give the district its first destination bars -- i.e. ones you'd repeatedly leave other parts of town and travel a distance just to experience for a while. It's a classic-feeling, intimate space that feels like lounging in your hip friend's basement, with musical talent wandering in and playing into the ongoing sets. It is run by the multifaceted philanthropist David Pierre-Louis, who interned at NASA, and works on progress for the people of Haiti, where his parents were born.
Est. 2008 - Closed Sep 2015 - Building constructed 1999
5241 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 369-3248
Monday, August 24, 2009
#876 - The Caroline Tavern, Seattle (Lake City) - 8/24/2009
The Caroline is a nifty little neighborhood place that's been operating in the middle of nowhere since prohibition. It is said to have once been visited by Will Rogers, and now caters -- as one imagines it always has -- to a pleasant cross-section of ages, ethnic groups, and subcultures.Historical notes: There is no doubt that the Caroline is one of the 20 to 30 oldest bars in Seattle. The Caroline itself includes mentions of a start date in 1933, and this Seattle PI blog entry states that "The Polk directory shows the Caroline at that address at least as early as 1937." However, I'm pretty confident that this is mistaken, and that while the bar may possibly date back to 1933, it was at a location on Victory Way (now Lake City Way) until approx. 1940.
In the late 30s and early 40s the Caroline was owned by Mrs. Mary McNulty. The 1937 Seattle Polk guide includes no mention of the Caroline or McNulty, but the 1936 through 1939 telephone directories list the Caroline Tavern or a tavern under Mary McNulty at 12341 Victory Way (now Lake City Way). The buildings currently around this address date back to the 40s, so this structure probably no longer exists. Then in 1940 the telephone directories and eventually the Polk Guide begin to list the Caroline Tavern, Mary McNulty, or both at the current address. It is not unusual for Seattle directories of the time to be missing bars that are so far out from downtown, and I would not at all be surprised to see the that the Caroline does indeed date back to 1933 (although not likely at the current address). However until I see this from some primary source, I will list it as "1936 or earlier."
13702 15th Ave NE., Seattle, WA 98125-3102 - (206) 362-9879
Est. 1940 or earlier at this address, 1936 or earlier at previous address
pi lake city blog - yelp - the stranger
Sunday, August 23, 2009
#873 - Tony Starlight's, Portland - 8/8/2009
3728 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland OR 97232
tonystarlight.com - myspace - portland tribune - willamette week - neighborhood notes - barflymag - yelp
#872 - Dancing Bare, Portland - 8/7/2009
Of course I did not go here voluntarily. It was those horrid Portland TikiKon people who dragged us in, and I just had to suffer.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
#871 - Kenton Club, Portland, OR - 8/7/2009
The Kenton Club is a very nice neighborhood spot with good live music, no cover, and an amiable mix of hipsters and grizzled, white-bearded oldsters. The "world famous" part apparently comes from its use in the Racquel Welch movie "Kansas City Bombers." I visited the KC during the secret crawl portion of TikiKon VII Speakeasy event, and while we didn't exactly fit in, the back patio was quite welcoming.2025 N Kilpatrick St., Portland, OR 97217 - (503) 285-3718
myspace - yelp
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