#1099 #S647 - Clever Bottle, Seattle - 5/8/2010

Update: Clever Bottle closed in Feb. 2017

First of all, one must be clever -- or at least persistent -- to find Clever Bottle, as the facade is quite subtle and there are now three places that share an address of 2222 2nd Ave.  I'm not sure that Belltown really needs another wine bar, but this is a pleasant, somewhat rustic, little place that benefits from the contrast with neighbors Shorty's and the Lava Lounge.  I had a pleasant conversation with Katie the bartender, and they are currently applying for a liquor license to expand their cocktails beyond the wine-based current offerings.

2222 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 915-2220
Est. 2010 - Closed Feb 2017 - Building constructed: 1923
cleverbottle.com - seattlemet - yelp

#1098 #S646 - Delicatus, Seattle - 5/8/2010

This is a new (6 weeks old), somewhat upscale deli in a Pioneer Square building that pre-dates the great fire (where Longhorn BBQ previously resided).  In back there is a small bar, which nevertheless services some very nice drinks.  I had a very tasty bourbon orange julep, made by Mike Klotz, co-owner with Derek Shankland, both of whom recently worked at Oceanaire.

With breads from Essential Baking, produce from Franks, and meat from Zoes, Delicatus ("del-li-KOT-uhs") is said to be built on "the simple concept that people in the greater Seattle area deserve a better sandwich."  Their web site claims that Delicatus is "an authentic, cross-cultural delicatessen built on the traditional principles of European immigrants while incorporating the vast diversity of resources unique to the Pacific Northwest."  I was only stopping in for one quick drink on my visit, but I will definitely be back to try the food.

103 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 623-3780
delicatusseattle.com - seattlemet - yelp - seattlepi - the stranger

#1097 #S6454 - Taqueria Tequila, Seattle - 5/7/2010

301 NW 85th St, Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 784-4699
seattle weekly - yelp - the stranger

#1096 #S644 - Kaname Izakaya & Schochu Bar, Seattle - 5/6/2010

I'm not much of a sake man, so I had a Lime Chuhai (Tamara shochu, lime, and soda). It was, as expected, a bit candy-like for my tastes, but it's a nice little place for Japanese food.

610 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 682-1828
kaname-izakaya.com - seattle weekly - seattle times -

#1095 #S643 - Table In Gallery (TIG), Seattle - 5/6/2010

Update: This location of TIG closed sometime after mid-2014. It reopened in the U-District in 2016

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Table In Gallery, or TIG Asian Tapas Bar, is a pan-Asian restaurant and bar, that even the bartender tells me "hardly anyone knows about" in the historic Pioneer Building in the middle of the touristy part of Pioneer Square.  It's next door to the old Doc Maynard's (now Zasu nightclub) in a red-bricked space that was the home of the Horseshoe Saloon in 1898, the Alaska Club in the late 40s, and more recently a grocery store and then empty for a spell, until the TIG folks opened about two and a half years ago.

The food gets mixed reviews, my dinner was average, and the bar serves the basics.  I've seen two web sites associated with the place, both of which currently belong to completely different businesses (perhaps that has some relationship to why so few people know about it?).

614 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 332-0844
yelp - the stranger -

#1094 #S642 - Roosevelt Ale House, Seattle - 5/4/2010

Update: The Roosevelt Ale House closed after a fire the night of Friday Dec 15. While it originally intended to reopen, but eventually announced that they were dropping these efforts after disputes with their insurance provider.

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The Roosevelt Ale House is still owned by the folks who ran The Jones there before, and the new incarnation was basically achieved with a lot of subtraction.  There is less intimacy, fewer seats, less ambitious food, and a of course a bland name replacing the chic one.  There are relatively few beer choices on tap for an "ale house," but there is a large selection of bottles.  A pool table was added, consistent with the owners' goal of converting from a romantic vibe to more of a friendly, local sports bar.  This apparently was done largely to cut down on time and expenses.

Of course this approach basically relinquishes the ability of the physical surroundings to create any sort of personality and whether it becomes and enjoyable place or not depends strictly on what kind of regulars decide to frequent the joint, so the jury is still out.  One hopes that the owners recognize that success in the friendly local approach means not just providing more basic pub food, but dropping the attitude that would occasionally lead to some comically bad service (the kitchen had no problem making you wait 40 minutes for a hamburger if they felt like entertaining a couple friends).  I personally would have preferred The Jones with friendly, efficient service, but I wish them well on the new approach.

8824 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 527-5480
rooseveltalehouse.com - facebook - seattletimes - yelp

#1093 - Pup Room (Poodle Dog Restaurant), Fife - 5/4/2010

I finally made it to the Pup Room, and it is everything a vintage lounge should be -- dark wood, a large fireplace, animals jutting from the walls (the sconces, in this case), and a bartender and customers that seem like they've been there since the day it opened.  Indeed, Kathy, the bartender, was two days away from her 25th anniversary working for the Poodle Dog and Pup Room, and she filled me in on some of the history.

The Poodle Dog restaurant was started in 1933, originally in railcars, and still serves classic greasy spoon diner food.  A bar was added in the 1940s, the building was torn down and replaced in 1949, and the structure that currently houses the Pup Room lounge in the 1960s.  Since then Louis Armstrong and Glen Miller have played in this lounge, and one can only imagine how much greater it was to see them in this setting than to see the parade of warmed-over stars who today march through the soul-less casino down the road.

Mike Shea, congratulated on winning a wager that he could
walk 4.6 miles from Tacoma to Fife in under an hour, after a
dispute arising from the 1937 Cooks & Waiters Bunion Derby
Poodle Dog, 1938 (Tacoma Public Library photo)

1522 54th Ave E, Tacoma, WA 98424 - (253) 922-6161)
weeklyvolcano - waymarking - yelp