#919 - The Cuff, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 10/4/2009

(Brian P. photo -- The resemblance may not seem so remarkable in this pic as it was taken before I took my shirt off.)

So I went to The Cuff and had a Top Shelf Electric Ice Tea and I still didn't contract gay, as far as I can tell. I'm beginning to think that it doesn't spread quite as easily as Rev. Pat Robertson has led me to believe.

Anyway, I had an entirely inaccurate impression of The Cuff: I was thinking it was a relatively small, leather bar, and of course it's a large, varied, multilevel place (I guess that's why they call it the "Cuff Complex"). And I have it on good authority that the next time I get a Top Shelf Electric Ice Tea it should be from the back patio.

1533 13th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 323-1525
Est. March 23, 1993
cuffcomplex.com - seattle weekly - gay cities - the stranger

#918 - Pony, Seattle (Capitol Hill) - 10/4/2009

Pony is like a gay "Cha Cha" -- a bar designed from day one to be a dive (although one of our party repeatedly insisted it was not a dive but rather a "shanty"). As nouveau dives go, it's a fairly good one, with its odd angles giving it character and its ship-like patio giving it an odd sense of command of Capitol Hill.

1221 E Madison St., Seattle, WA 98122
the stranger - yelp - stranger pics (NSFW)

#917 - Hamburger Harry's, Seattle (Ballard) - 10/3/2009

Hamburger Harry's closed in late 2013

2409 NW Market St., Seattle, WA 98138 - (206) 297-8000
Est. 2008 - Closed Sep or Oct 2014 - Building constructed 1950
Previous bars in this location: Sea Breeze
yelp - myballard - the stranger

#916 - Moshi Moshi Sushi, Seattle (Ballard) - 10/3/2009

If you assume the lounge was something of an afterthought for this sushi bar, you will be pleasantly surprised if not stunned at the deep and creative list of house cocktails created by Erik Carlson. On a tip from itinerant cocktail connoisseur Rocky, every drink that our party tried was tasty and artfully balanced.

The decor of Moshi does not have quite the dark warmth and feeling of age that I prefer in a great bar, but it certainly isn't boring -- the interior is dominated by a fairly spectacular LED Sakura tree. I think I'll have to check out the crowd on a few more nights to know if I'd move this from my recommended list to my highest recommendations. But if you want a choice of interesting and finely made cocktails this is as good a choice as you're going to find.

5324 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 971-7424
moshiseattle.com - seattle times - yelp - daily candy - the stranger

#915 - Copper Cart Cafe, Seattle - 10/1/2009

Update:  The Copper Cart closed in 2012, briefly became the Empire Lounge, then the Ampersand, then a marijuana shop.

Why we need a bar that feels exactly like Spitfire three blocks from Spitfire is not abundantly clear to me. In fact, it's not clear to me why we need any warehouse sports bars blasting techno. But the happy hour appetizers were actually quite good, the drinks were serviceable, and the bartender (Zar?) was pretty cool. So if you're hungry, and you're wearing your untucked, striped dress shirt and your hair product, it's probably a pretty good place to go.

113 Bell St., Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 239-0830
Est. July 2009 - Closed 2012 - Building constructed 1930
coppercartcafe.com - facebook - the stranger - yelp - seattle weekly

#914 - Little Red Bistro, Seattle - 9/30/2009

The Little Red Studio is a whole different conversation, but strictly as a wine bar the Little Red Bistro is charming and fine.

400 Dexter Ave N. (between Harrison & Republican), Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 328-4758
littleredbistro.com - facebook - yelp

#913 - Bathtub Gin & Co., Seattle - 9/30/2009

A cozy, little speakeasy hidden off a Belltown alley, Bathtub Gin & Co. has a limited but fine cocktail menu and various romantic nooks and crannies. This is probably the most pleasant bar in Belltown just to sit in, and with the fairly high quality drinks clinch the case. It's not easy to find though, and no doubt the neighbors on 2nd Avenue are amused by the confused looks of people trying to get into the locked door of the apartment building where it is housed.

2205 2nd Ave. (between Blanchard&nbsp& Bell) Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 728-6069
yelp - the stranger - seattle magazine - seattle weekly