#1125 #S673 - Kristos, Seattle - 6/2/2010

Update: Changed name to Ship Canal Grill in 2011

Kristo's is a pretty swanky place hidden under the I5 bridge around the corner from the old Eastlake Red Robin. The bar is pretty standard, and the menu is a mix of Greek and American standbys.  I had one of the "gourmet pizzas," and while I'm not sure what was gourmet about it (Serious Pie would seem to fit that description a bit better), it was quite tasty.

The staff were friendly, as was Kristo himself, who has a long history in local bars and resautrants including Suni's (Greek in Shoreline), the Back Door in Lake City, and the old "Appointment" downtown.  It's a nice place that the neighbors in the area are fortunate to have nearby.  They have an upstairs area for private parties and events and will sometimes host music, fashion shows, etc.

As I went on a lazy, sunny afternoon, I now must check it out on a weekend evening, when the place has the buzz of a few more patrons and the romantic interior is no doubt at its best.

3218 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 588-8885
kristoseastlake.com - the stranger - seattletimes - yelp

#1124 #S672 - The Ram, Seattle - 5/31/2010

The Ram is a large, heartless sports bar, pretty much devoid of any character or charm, located in a congested shopping mall, and catering to people who are still learning to drink (it's about 80% UW students). This makes it not much of an attraction for me, but I did amuse myself by engaging in various wagers with my neighbor at the bar on the two snockered guys on the other side. But such wagers aside, if for some reason you want to drink with students at a UW sports bar, and you don't belong to a fraternity, I'd recommend heading a little bit further north to the Duchess.

2650 University Village, Seattle, WA 98105 - 206-525-3565
theram.com - the stranger - urban drinks - yelp

#1123 #S671 - Daniels (Lake Union), Seattle - 5/31/2010

I generally don't have high expectations for bars in steakhouses, but I extended my visit at Daniels Lake Union beyond the planned quick lunch.  This was thanks to some great conversation with customer Tim, the bartender Nick, and the fact that Daniels, like many upscale restaurants over the past 2 to 3 years, have seriously upgraded their game in cocktails.

809 Fairview Place N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 621-8262
schwartzbros.com - seattle times - the stranger - yelp - seattle pi

#1122 #S670 - Carmelita, Seattle - 5/30/2010

Update: Carmelita has announced they will close after Sep 29, 2013.

If I made every decision based on the morality of the situation, of course I would not waste money on selfish indulgences like cocktails and this list would not exist.  Fortunately for the project, I'm not that moral, and for similar reasons, I am not a vegetarian.  I can't dispute the ethical superiority of being one, I'm just a little too selfish to give up the great joy of burned animal flesh.

This is why I'd never been to Carmelita, the very popular vegetarian restaurant in my neighborhood.  I thought about it many times, but it would just never win out when right across the street at the 74th St. Ale House I could get a juicy salmon sandwich or one of the best soups of the day in the city, often containing little treats like Cascioppo Brothers chorizo or strips sliced from the thigh of some chicken who probably never did anybody any harm.

And while I knew Carmelita served some of their own invented cocktails, I didn't even know if they had a bar, so until this day I never even bothered to stop in for a drink.  That, from a purely selfish point of view, was a big mistake.

Carmelita serves some really good cocktails.  They're neck and neck with Oliver's Twist and Stumbling Goat for the best in the neighborhood.  The Seattle Times called them one of the best happy hour in the north end and The Stranger called them "Seattle's highest-minded vegetarian restaurant," and those both appear to be on the money.  The cocktail menu includes seasonal ingredients in several tasty options, but I went for the "Mr. Carmelita" (Rye, Punt e Mes, Amaro Nonino, Angostura bitters – served up), and it was excellent (it appears to be the bartender's favorite as well, though not as popular with the customers as some of the other options).

So as long as I remain immoral enough to spend a portion of my money on  luxuries like cocktails while other people in the world are suffering, I'm planning on going to Carmelita with much more regularity.

7314 Greenwood Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103-5042 - (206) 706-7703‎
carmelita.net - seattle times - seattle pi - seattle weekly - seattle magazine - the stranger - yelp

#1121 #S669 - Tarasco, Seattle - 5/30/2010

Tarasco is one of those restaurant / bars that pops up unexpectedly in the middle of a residential neighborhood.  It is nominally Mexican -- with orange and yellow walls and a couple sombreros hanging from one wall.

And it has some fairly cool signage with a martini glass brand on the flank or replacing the eye of a Bull.  But as a bar -- or as a personality -- there's just not a lot of there there.

seattle weekly - yelp
1452 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 782-1485

#1120 #S668 - Heads or Tails, Seattle - 5/29/2010

Update: Heads or Tails closed Jan 1, 2017.

This place has upgraded from a trash heap to a typical suburban dive.  Its previous incarnation, as the "Lazy Fish Saloon," was depressing in almost every way.  There were stacks of plywood and trash leaning against the interior walls, and 2 or 3 drunks from Aurora Ave leaning toward a fight.  Even the name was a bit shabby and dishonest -- there was a basically a foot-long fish in a two-foot-long tank:  You try being anything but "lazy" being confined in such a space.

The location is said to have hosted bars going back to 1934, although tax records date the building back to 1955, and three people were murdered here in 1994 when it was the "Far Western Pub and Grill."

The new place has cleaned up considerably, adding a back porch area (although granted, this was mainly for the smokers) and the standard dive ingredients -- diner type food, pulltabs, karaoke, and fliers for the local social clubs and semi-pro sports teams ("Seattle Stallions Football," "Ballard Elks Car Show," "9 Ways to Destroy Your Eagles Aerie").  The result seems to be a substantially larger crowd -- and I mean that in more ways than just a higher number of people. At least they must think the food is pretty dang good.

Mind you, all this doesn't mean that you still don't find the occasional dead body in the parking lot ...

12534 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 440-3288
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Previous bars at this location:  Herb's Tavern (60s to 80s), Baluga's Tavern (80s), Rex Pub & Grill (90s), Far Western Pub (mid 90s), Ima's Smokehouse Pub (1995), Bitter Lake Pub (2000s), Dawg Tagz (2000s), Lazy Fish Saloon

#1119 #S667 - Circa Grill & Ale House, Seattle - 5/29/2010

This is a little place popular with neighborhood families for it's slightly upscale comfort food.  There is nothing particularly remarkable about the bar, and the selection of beers on tap is pretty small for a place with "Ale House" in their title (although they do have Manny's, which always makes the selection okay in my book), and they have some nice cocktails.

2605 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 923-1102
circawestseattle.com - seattle pi - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp