#1165 - Roanoke Inn, Mercer Island - 6/30/2010

What a swell place for the inhabitants of Mercer Island (those poor suffering bastards).  Originally built as a "chicken-dinner inn" in 1914 and named the "Grandfather Inn" by 1916, it has apparently served as a hotel, brothel, and speak-easy (with "illegal booze served in coffee mugs") in the interim before becoming a tavern sometime after prohibition.  Nowadays the food and liquor are pretty standard pub fare, but it's the setting that makes the Roanoke a fine place.  In contrast to the dreary, multi-use strip mall abodes of most other island businesses, the Roanoke has a cozy, almost lodge-like interior that makes it a fine place for wet weather, and an expansive set of outdoor patios for sunny days.  (And as if to emphasize the preppy surroundings, they'll loan you a croquet set in the Summer.)


1825 72nd Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 - (206) 232-0800
facebook - mihistory.org - examiner.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#1164 #S706 - In the Red Wine Bar, Seattle - 6/29/2010

"In The Red" (get it?) was designed as a wine, light plate, and coffee shop with affordable prices to reflect the post-financial collapse times.  One happy side effect of this is that it avoids the formulaic decor of most wine bars -- the modernist furniture and hanging halogen lights are replaced by a hodgepodge of collected chandeliers, a bar designed like a skateboard halfpipe, bar chairs from the Hit It Here Cafe, and a wainscot made of doors.  These all give it a much more comfortable personality.  And while I didn't see any at the relatively late hour that I dropped in, right now the entire place, including the bar, is open to children as well, though they are likely to portion off the bar area when they eventually get liquor.

Neither the food nor the wine selections are particularly interesting -- it appears most of both come directly from Trader Joe's -- but that's not really the point of In The Red.  It's more like a slightly more modern version of good diner, providing decent wine and lattes at a decent price.  I had the cheese plate and the (tomato-based) bruschetta, along with a Sawbuck Malbec and then a Substance Syrah.  Again, none of these were particularly remarkable, but they were agreeable, as was the conversation with co-owners Chad and Brian, though they were slightly exhausted from the recent opening festivities and long days.

6510 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 420-8992
intheredwinebar.com - queen anne news - seattlemet - thrillist - yelp

#1163 #S705 - Saffron Grill, Seattle - 6/27/2010

This seems like a nice Indian and Mediterranean restaurant, from the management of the well-regarded Cedars in the U District, and I do plan to come back for dinner.  As a bar it's quite mediocre.  They do have their own cocktail menu, though most the drinks tend to seem like what you'd find at a college bar, rather than balanced and finely crafted mixology we're getting all too used to these days.  If you're happy with beer and a bar setting without any particular character, it might do for you, as they apparently have 100 different imports available.

2132 N Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 417-0707
saffrongrillseattle.com - urbanspoon - the stranger - yelp

#1162 #S704 - Stanford's, Seattle - 6/27/2010

Stanford's is a fairly typical modern mall steakhouse sort of restaurant and lounge. The "work of art" cocktails are not in a league with this town's better practitioners, but I did quite enjoy the Huckleberry Raindrop (44 Degree North Mountain Huckleberry vodka, lemon sour, and rosemary infused simple syrup), and my belief that there is no bad cocktail with cucumber was ably supported by the Cucumber Mint Cooler (Beefeater, Stoli, cucumber, fresh lemon sour, and mint).

The dinner, too, was quite tasty -- I had the "Bronzed Cajun salmon" with a jalapeno-lime beurre blanc, and would recommend it. I'm not endeared to the chain feel of the place and I'm not going to be a regular, but if you wanted to go someplace that could satisfy some meat-and-potatoes company, you could do a lot worse than Stanford's.

401 Northeast Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125-6036 - (206) 834-6277
stanfords.com - urbanspoon -  yelp

#1161 #S703 - 2 Bit Saloon, Seattle - 6/26/2010

Update: The 2 Bit Saloon closed Sep 20, 2014.

---

There appears to have been a bar in this location since 1947, and named with some variation of "The Bit" since 1963. It is said to have originally been John's Offshore Tavern, although the listings I have found in the 1948 and 1960 city guides list it simply as John's Tavern.  For at least the last 15 years or so it has had a substantial music focus. It was a blues club under owner Drew Greer in the early to mid 2000s. By the time it came to my attention new ownership was playing a mixture of rockabilly and punk, but this version, owned by Ed Konek, closed down in Nov. 2009. It was acquired shortly thereafter by a woman who had been a bartender at the Funhouse, and resumed business as the "2 Bit Saloon" in May 2010, with a focus on hardcore and punk bands.

In addition to just being a fun place to go, it was nice to have this crammed little hardcore dive continuing to anchor near the south end of the rapidly gentrifying Ballard Avenue, but alas, it has now closed.

I confess to be confused about both the country tax records and my own notes about the age of the building, so I think for a history I shall simply go with this version, which the Gilman Park blog recovered from the web site for the previous Bit Tavern:

Bit Tavern token from tokencatalog.com

"Built in 1907, the 2 Bit Saloon building was originally a General Mercantile or store.  In 1947 it became a bar, called John’s Offshore Tavern.  The bar changed ownership and name in 1963, becoming The Bit Shagatha, which is apparently British slang for a whorehouse.  And news to me.  Bit shagatha?  Never heard of it.  And neither, apparently, has Google.  Perhaps it was a short-lived early 1960s thing or maybe the “two hippies” who renamed the bar were yanking somebody’s chain. 

Either way, apparently the liquor board “caught on” in 1966 and the owners were forced to change the name from The Bit Shagatha to The Bit Tavern.  In 1999, a new owner gained a full liquor license and changed the name to The Bit Saloon.  According to the Ballard News Tribune, the new owners changed the name to The 2 Bit Saloon when they reopened last year “to signify new ownership and because ‘2 Bit’ is a better known phrase.”  Sounds good to me and definitely better than Bit Shagatha."

4818 17th Avenue Northwest, Seattle, WA 98107 - 206-708-6917
Est. 2010 - Closed Sep 20, 2014 - Building constructed: 1907
Previous bars in this location: John's Tavern, The Bit Shagatha, The Bit Tavern
Web site: the2bitsaloon.com - facebook
Reviews: myballard - ballardnewstribune - gilmanpark - gilmanpark - eater - link - link

#1160 #S702 - May, Seattle - 6/26/2010

Update: May Restaurant and Lounge closed in November 2019

The lounge part of May Thai restaurant is not some squeezed in afterthought, but takes up the full ground floor.  May has some of the better Thai food in the city and I think hands down the coolest decor to eat it in.  The bar area downstairs does not quite have the character of the upper floor, where one feels like interrupting some hidden retreat for Buddhist monks, but it's colorful and elaborate.  The bar features some of their own specialty cocktails which are not bad.

1612 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 675-0037
maythaiseattle.com - seattle pi - seattle weekly - seattletimes - seattlemet - the stranger - yelp -

#1159 #S701 - Iron Bull, Seattle - 6/26/2010

Update: Iron Bull closed "for remodeling" in late 2016 and never reopened. It was replaced by the Octopus Bar, which relocated here from a just a few lots west.

---

Basically, the old Goldies with a few more TVs and some murals.  A neighborhood bar for watching sports and playing pool.

Historical Notes: This space has hosted a bar since at least 1935 (the building was constructed during prohibition in 1925). City guides list a bar owned by Chas. Wilson in '39, then the Checkerboard Tavern or just The Checkerboard from the 40s to the 60s, the Iron Bull by 1965, Goldies by the 90s until 2010, until the current owners, Gerald Simonsen and Bernie McGuire of the Rat and Raven, returned it to the Iron Bull later in 2010.



2121 45th N., Seattle, WA 98103
Est. 2010 - Building constructed 1925
Previous bars at this location: Checkboard Tavern, The Rat Hole Tavern, The Iron Bull, Goldies
theironbull.com - facebook - seattle weekly - yelp - the stranger