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Bars where Pete has had a Drink (5,608 bars; 1,754 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:


Bars where Pete has had a drink

Saturday, February 27, 2010

#994 - The Bar, Seattle - 2/25/2010

"The Bar," an extension of Olympia Pizza that recently opened in the old Sonic Boom space next door, adds another good choice to a great little bar strip that includes Liberty and 22 Doors just a few steps away.  In addition to some pretty good cocktails, The Bar features the beautiful, old, Austrian Mahogany bar from the J&M Cafe, sure to be one of the oldest (physical) bars in Seattle (shipped to U.S. in the 1890s).

516 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
yelp

Friday, February 19, 2010

#993 - The Goose Pub, Bellevue, WA - 2/19/2010

I'm not particularly fond of Bellevue, and I've previously posted my opinion on utterly banal sports bars. But for some reason the Goose Pub'n'Eatery, while it's not about to make any of my favorite lists, seemed substantially more pleasant than usual. Maybe it was because it was lunchtime, or because of the non-Bellevueish, non-sportsbarish people there. Or maybe it was just sitting down the bar from an elderly regular called "Tiny," drinking his mini-pitcher of Mountain Dew. When I asked the friendly woman working the bar about him, she said, "Tiny? Oh yes, he's quite the regular." Then added, "He's quite the dirty little old man too."


The way she said this made it seem charming, not disturbing, so I just left it at that.

12001 NE 12th St Ste 90, Bellevue, WA 98005 - (425) 454-1554
goosepub.com - citysearch - yelp

Monday, February 15, 2010

#992 - Wayne's World Tavern, Seattle - 2/13/2010

So here's one of several reasons I will not be going back to Wayne's World Tavern: On this particular night, I was by myself and had things to do and only wanted to get one drink and go. They have Manny's on tap, so I order a pint. Keep in mind that this is a dive bar south of Boeing Field, not a New York airport bar or El Bulli. The bartender apologetically explained that pints were $6!  But mini-pitchers, she added, were only $7.

 So I'm all for heavy drinking, but what kind of dive bar won't sell beer in any increments smaller than 32 ounces? Do they get kickbacks from the Tukwila PD for each DUI? "She [the owner] says that pints are hard to pour," the bartender explains.

1832 S 120th Street, Seattle, WA 98168 - (206) 433-8658
yelp

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Cactus, Boise, ID - 1979?

This is an entry for one of the bars already included in my starting list for this project and one of the earlier bars I've been to in my life.  I couldn't find how it was, but it was an old bar when I turned legal, and remains perhaps Boise's quintessential dive bar.

517 W Main St Boise, ID 83702 - 208-342-9732
boise weekly -sneaky sunday best dives - nile guide - yelp

Monday, February 08, 2010

#991 - Capital Grille, Seattle - 2/6/2010

This is a fine, dry-aged steakhouse on par with the Met and El Gaucho, and with some pleasantly non-standard drinks.  The infused (peach?) vodka was very pleasant and the Hemingway Daiquiri was delicious.  This is part of a national chain but it's pleasantly localized by large paintings of various Seattle celebrities and business luminaries (we sat facing Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee in business attire).  The prices are pretty standard for an upscale steakhouse -- $35 to $42 for the entrees you'll want (ala carte) -- and proportions of most steaks and sides are huge.  It also has one of the city's best crab cocktails (10 legs for $21). Judging strictly as a bar, I still give El Gaucho a slight nod for the rat pack, romantic ambiance, and I give an ever so slight edge to the crab cocktail at The Met. But I'll prefer the Capital when I am looking for an interesting cocktail.

1301 4th Ave., Seattle 98101 - (206) 382-0900                                            
thecapitalgrille.com - seattle times - seattle foodster - seattle magazine - yelp

#990 - Finn MacCool's, Seattle - 2/7/2010

Finn MacCool's, Seattle, WA

4217 University Way., Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 675-0885               
finnmaccools.com - the stranger - yelp

Thursday, February 04, 2010

#989 - Unicorn (and Narwhal), Seattle - 2/2/2010

Like the bastard drug child of Shorty's and Pony, Unicorn features a wild French circus and mounted animal head decor that makes one's head spin with wonder at what kind of spectacle awaits when they open the basement.  The drinks are pretty standard (I was told that a cocktail menu is on the way) and the food -- well let's just say that "Unicorn Balls" were a little more adventure than I was seeking on this night.  But by all means, come in for the show. ((more pics)


1118 East Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 555-1000
Est. Jan 29, 2010 - Narwhal (basement) opened June 28, 2012 - Building constructed: 1916
Previous bars at this location: Spag's Tavern, Satellite Lounge
unicornseattle.com - the stranger - capitol hill blog - yelp

#988 - Mustard Seed Too, Bellevue, WA - 2/2/2010

Just read the yelp reviews of this place by native Bellevueites.  If you feel like you have anything in common with those people, then this blog is probably not for you.

1428 156th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue, WA 98007-4414 - (425) 746-8852
mustardseedgrill.com - yelp

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

#987 - Chasers, Lynnwood, WA - 2/1/2010

Chasers Grill and Lounge is apparently a large improvement on the previous bar in this location, and it tries, with mixed success, to be a bit upscale.  But it is still very much a suburban strip mall bar, despite the prints depicting much classier and more interesting settings and customers.

15620 Hwy 99, Lynnwood, WA 98087 - (425) 745-0777
chaserslounge.com - myspace - yelp

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

#986 - Orient Express, Seattle - 1/28/2010

The drinks are pedestrian at best, and the food (Chinese/Thai/American) did not seem remarkable, but of course what you go to the Orient Express for is the setting. It occupies the seven old time railroad cars that once hosted Andy's Diner. It's a strangely compelling combination of elegant old railcar decor and sloppily assembled Chinese-American restaurant signage, and features various nooks and crannies such as a private karaoke room and a surprising upstairs performance area.

2963 4th Ave S., Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 682-0683
yelp - the stranger - seattle weekly

#985 - Carlsbad Tavern, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/25/2006 (OOO)

How could I have forgotten to list this place?  A nifty little spot with good Mexican food and margaritas.

(more photos)

3313 N Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 970-8164
carlsbadtavern.com - yelp

Sunday, January 24, 2010

#983 - Louie's, Seattle (Ballard) - 1/23/2010

Update: Louie's Cuisine of China closed on June 29, 2014


The Louie family have been running Seattle restaurants since the 1930s, and this one seems to serve the bland form of Chinese food that is popular with elderly white people.  But the elaborate decor and old school bar make it worth a visit.

In a previous post I opined that lounges attached to Chinese restaurants are widely bifurcated into "classic" types and "slipshod" types. The lounge at Louie's Cuisine of China was recommended as a good classic type. And indeed it is, with a very nice decor, though with a curiously limited set of baseball memorabilia somewhat conflicting with the theme, a limited, standard bar menu, and a nice little set of regulars.

The latter, on the Saturday afternoon I dropped by, including a 60-ish man with a white mohawk, and a large guy in a Hawaiian shirt who brought his prized meatloaf in thinking it was meatloaf contest night. "I worked all day on that," the guy said, "Look at my presentation!" It turns out that the meatloaf contest is next Sunday.



5100 15th Avenue Northwest, Seattle, WA 98107-3899 - (206) 782-8855
Est. ? (1976?) - Closed June 29, 2014 - Building constructed: 1976
louiescuisine.comyelp - citysearch

#982 - Faire Gallery Cafe, Seattle - 1/22/2010

Update: Faire closed June 8, 2012

Faire Gallery Café (from the French verb "faire" or "to make") hosts rotating art displays, live jazz, and other forms of live music, and a small but nice menu of food and drinks.

1351 East Olive Way, Seattle WA - (206) 652-0781
Est. March 2006 - Closed June 2012
fairegallerycafe.com - myspace - yelp - seattle weekly - seattlepi

The Living Room, Seattle - 1/22/2010

Update: The Living Room closed August 2012

The Living Room, which opened on Halloween 2009, has a very lovely and relaxing, two-level decor, and very good cocktails. There is a limited food menu, but the focus is the drinks, created by owner, local artist, and bartender Monika Proffitt. This is one of the better places in the area to have a drink and some conversation, and given the current embarrassment of riches along Olive Way, that is saying something considerable.

(Note: I have not incremented the number on this entry because I accidentally listed the Living Room in my starting set of bars, probably due to confusion with the Sitting Room.)

1355 East Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 708-6021
Est. Oct. 2009 - Closed Aug 28, 2012
thelivingroombar.com - seattle weekly - the stranger - seattlemet - yelp

Thursday, January 21, 2010

#981 - Bandits, Seattle - 1/20/2010

Update: Bandits closed in Summer 2018


Sort of a neighborhood bar where you don't expect a neighborhood bar.  The drinks and decor were pretty unremarkable, but the tamales get multiple rave reviews.

159 Denny Way, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 443-5447
Est. Dec 27, 2007 - Closed 2018 - Building constructed 2005
banditsbar.com - myspace - yelp - citysearch - the stranger

#980 - La Isla, Seattle (Ballard) - 1/20/2010

Update: La Isla was closed by fire on Oct 7, 2019

I'm not sure if they do this every happy hour, but when I stumbled in they had $2 mohitos!  Of course they also have Seattle's most extensive rum menu.  (They have also had more than their share of major league ballplayers drop in.)  Viva Puerto Rico! 

2320 NW Market St., Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 789-0516
laislaseattle.com  - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp - citysearch - seattle weekly

#979 -Hudson, Seattle - 1/20/2010

This is a cool little place with good cocktails and very good food (I had the sliders and they were excellent).  I'll definitely be coming back, for breakfast as well as the cocktails and dinner.  It's located in the Georgetown area under a big haunted house sign that's been up for two years and which I personally hope is up for another 50.

5000 East Marginal Way S., Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 767-4777
hudsonseattle.com - seattle weekly - seattle weekly 2 - seattle times - yelp

#978 - The Eagle, Seattle - 1/17/2010

As in most large cities, Seattle's "Eagle" is a leather bar, roughly in the mold of Tom's Saloon in Hamburg. But again like most other large cities, it's considerably less edgy and the crowd more diverse than when gay life was less broadly accepted in the general public. Since it is not exactly designed with people like me in mind, rather than opine upon it, I'm going to list a few quotes I came across in the yelp reviews:

Apparently, I missed its glory days:  "The sling is gone, no free pool table, sex is not allowed and a 5$ cover for an empty bar filled with trolls." 

"The DJ leaves alot to be desired. It's a little Asian guy who wears 2 baseball hats at once. I may be a little bias, but I played much hotter music than he does. I was out on the patio one Saturday night and swore I could hear "sail away" by Enya. On a Saturday night?!! Fire him!!!"  (Okay, this is probably terrible prejudice, but I'm 100% behind firing anyone who wears two baseball caps at once.)

"The windows are blacked out, there is no sign marking it as a legitimate establishment, it kind of smells like urine, and there is a "swing" in the corner."

"Just then, a man with white toothpick legs, above-the-knees denim shorts, and a loose wife-beater tank top burst out the door and onto the sidewalk as if there'd been an explosion inside. He had dark hair, glasses, and a mustache that looked so much like a caterpillar that I thought it would crawl around.  Linda peeked in the door before it closed again. "Oh you couldn't even handle it, honey!" the man said to Linda."

"The Horror."  (That's the complete review.)

Historical notes: The Eagle dates its origin to 1980, which is not the year it was first named The Eagle, but rather the year it was purchased by James Allen Veres and Lance L. Hughes, who purchased the "Le Chateau" lounge and began it's transition to a gay leather bar. They renamed it the "J&L Saloon" in the early 80s, and "The Eagle" later that decade. The space has hosted bars since at least the 40s. It was called the "East Pike Tavern" from the mid 40s to late 50s, then was "Gordy's Tavern" by 1959, became "The Piker" around 1965, then "The Odyssey" by 1968 and through most of the 70s, and Kelly's Ring Side Pub in 1979.


314 E Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 621-7591
Web site: seattleeagle.com
Articles: capitolhillseattle - yelp - the stranger

#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