#977 - Kingfish Cafe, Seattle - 1/17/2010

Update: The Kingfish Cafe closed Jan 25, 2015

A pleasant place with great old photos. But not pleasant enough for an $8.50 Hendricks and tonic, and much more interesting cafe (southern food) than as a bar.


602 19th Ave E., Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 320-8757
Est. 1997 - Building constructed: 1909 - Closed Jan 25, 2015
Previous bars in this location: None known
thekingfishcafe.com - seattle pi - yelp - citysearch - the stranger

#976 - Barrio, Seattle - 1/17/2010

1420 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 -(206) 588-8105
barriorestaurant.com - seattletimes - yelp

#975 - Tower Tavern, Centralia, WA - 1/11/2010

114 S Tower Ave., Centralia, WA                    
Previous bars at this location: The Nimble Nickel (30s)

#974 - The Olympic Club, Centralia, WA - 1/11/2010

This is my favorite yet of the great old, preserved spaces in the McMennamins chain. It is said to have been built in 1908 and to remain "virtually unchanged from the time of its opulent remodel in 1913."  Originally named the Oxford Hotel and owned by "King of the Bootleggers, Jack Sciutto (the 1910 Lewis County Polk guide lists the owner as J. Schutto), over the years lured many a logger, miner, and rail worker to its billiard room, liquor, and welcoming working women in the rooms upstairs. (McMennamins)


(more photos)

112 N Tower Ave., Centralia, WA 98531 - (360) 736-5164
Est. 1908
mcmenamins.com - yelp - urbanspoon

#973 - Darrell's Tavern, Shoreline - 1/7/2010

I despaired of ever getting Darrell's on my list.  I made several trips hoping to find it open, to no avail (I could find no phone number and certainly no web site).  As I did my "research" in various bars around the neighborhood, I began to fill in the back story.  The owner, now in his 80s, who also collected cars and worked as a CPA in an office upstairs (and may or may not have lived up there for a while), had once had the place relatively thriving with the help of his gregarious Korean wife.  People told me his wife left him and the place started to dwindle, with the old guy not much caring about when he was open or closed, and probably well ready to retire at any rate.

So I was delighted to find it actually open on this night, and even more pleased to talk to Dan, the new owner, who is now combining a fine appreciation for the vintage 60s decor (he dropped nine grand into refurbishing and moving the sign out front alone) with some much needed upgrades, including a web site and soon live music.  "The place your dad used to drink," is how Dan describes it.  And while it's a little out of the way for most Seattlelites (just south of Aurora Village and Sky Nursery), it is well worth the trip.  Go out and support people keeping these great old bars alive.

18041 Aurora Ave N., Shoreline, WA
darrellstavern.com - seattle weekly

#972 - The Filling Station, Kingston, WA - 1/6/2010

The Filling Station (previously the Holding Lane Pub) seems to have the most character of the Kingston bars, and when I rolled in on a Wednesday afternoon the place was packed for Bingo Day. I slipped outside and had a nice chat with regular Jim beside the gas fireplace encased behind a custom-made grill with the owner's family coat of arms. Jim told me that a few years ago he got a DUI, said "fuck it," gave his farm to his daughter and bought a little house just across the street from the bars. Jim told me about some of the fights he'd seen at the bar, and about the time the bartender woman saved him from being beat up by three gay guys. "Just because they're gay doesn't mean they can't kick your ass," Jim told me. After chatting for a while, I thought I'd tell Jim about this bar project, and started with "I have a project from God, Jim ..." Jim winced a bit, cut me off to go refill his drink, and said, "I ain't much of a God guy." My glass was empty by that point too, so instead of trying to explain, I told Jim goodbye and headed down to the ferry dock.

11200 NE State Highway 104, Kingston, WA 98346 - (360) 297-7732               
Est. 1980
yelp

#971 - Kingston Inn, Kingston, WA - 2002 (OOO)

We went to this bar on the boat of our friends Eric and Tracy and met Jen and Jason there.  This was shortly after we discovered the remote control fart machine, which made it a long night for some.  Then the Kingston Inn burned down in September of 2005 (no fart devices were implicated).  The sign in the photo now resides in the Filling Station.