#1216 #S733 - Auto Battery, Seattle - 9/1/2010

Auto Battery, from the people behind Po' Dog next door, has a few vestiges of the past captured in its name, which prevents the new Capitol Hill sports bar from being totally generic. But its not very far from that, and will not be of any particular interest to anyone who hankers for anything beyond a beer and sports on TV.

1009 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 322-2886
facebook - seattlemet - yelp

#1215 #S732 - Anchovies and Olives, Seattle - 9/1/2010

Update: Anchovies and Olives closed Dec 31, 2017.

Sharing dinner items with three friends provided a pretty good sampling of the food here, which generally lived up to expectations (or as close as reasonable, given outsized accolades such as being in Bon Appetit's best ten restaurants in America).  I didn't like it as much as I've enjoyed other Ethan Stowell places, but I'm not personally a fan of oysters or raw seafoods, so I am probably not one of the better judges of the menu.

The drinks -- some classics and some designed by bartender Kiara -- were better than average, but the bar section is a bit too appertaining and the ambiance of the entire place a bit too open and condo for me to consider it highly when one is looking strictly for a bar.

1550 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 838-8080
ethanstowellrestaurants.com - seattle weekly - seattle foodies - thestranger - yelp

#1214 #S731 - Bandolero, Seattle - 8/31/2010

Update:  Bandolero closed around Oct. 3, 2011

The latest incarnation of the "Pour House," in the old Luau space.  This version seems more likable than the PH.  The Mexican food and drinks were both above average and Ryan the bartender was efficient and funny.

2253 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 633-5828
bandoleroseattle.com - seattlepi - thrillist - yelp

#1213 - The Dresden Room, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

The Dresden Room is a must-see, old school, Rat-Pack-style Los Angeles icon due to Marty & Elayne.  I missed their signature version of "Stayin' Alive," but I did catch much of their act, including various snippets of patter between Marty and our table ("Is Seattle in a different time zone?"). 

The Dresden has been around since 1954, and although they seem like they've been there even longer, Marty and Elayne have been regulars since 1982.  I couldn't put it any better than Laura B., on yelp, "Marty & Elaine are fantastic - timeless LA legends - well maybe not so timeless."

1760 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - (323) 665-4294
thedresden.com - "Swingers" scene - time - newyorkerinhollywood - yelp

#1212 - Cuba Libre, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

1745 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - (323) 661-5900
yelp - citysearch

#1211 - The Bahooka, Rosemead CA - 8/24/2010

Update: The Bahooka closed in March 2013

This may be my favorite tiki bar I've ever been to.  Yes, the Mai Kai is grand, and perhaps holds an edge thanks to the gardens.  But inside Bahooka Ribs & Grog has the dark, ramshackle, non-corporate vibe that I love in a tiki bar.

The food is fairly plain and the drinks do not compete with the best tiki joints (though they are better than average), but the fact that there is nothing fancy about their food somehow makes it all the more likable.

Then, of course, there are the aquariums (over 100 of them) and the alluring feeling of being lost in the labyrinth hold of a sunken ship.  Each booth is surrounded by fish and seafaring paraphernalia, dark and woody with the tables hanging by a large iron chain.

It is out of the way enough to have a shack ("bahooka") feel to it from the outside, and the small bar, where a turtle paddles under your drinks, preserves the vibe of an old neighborhood joint.

I love this place.

(More photos)

4501 Rosemead Boulevard, Rosemead, CA 91770-1476 - (626) 285-1241
Est. 1967 - Closed March 2013
bahooka.com - critiki - myspace - facebook - tikizone - yelp

#1210 - El Compadre, Los Angeles - 8/24/2010

7408 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 874-7924
elcompadrerestaurant.com (cheesy music & web graphics warning) - yelp

#1209 - Angels and Kings, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Peter Gronquist sculpture at Angels and Kings, Los Angeles, CA

Swanky club by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz.

Angels and Kings, Los Angeles, CA

  

1708 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 - (323) 468-8815
angelsandkings.com - 944 - yelp

#1208 - L'Scorpion, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

215 Tequilas in a now well familiar format (Seattlelites think "Matador").  Had some good tequila and met a cool Austrian couple there (who seemed impressed that I knew Einsturzende Neubauten).

6679 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028 - (323) 464-3026
scorpionhollywood.com - myspace - yelp

#1207 - Kubar, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Kubar Mediterranean Cafe & Hookah Bar

6669 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-6220 - (323) 962-5555
kubarrestaurant.com - facebook - yelp

#1206 - Te'Kila, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Bartender Elena, from Te'Kila

A new place with Mexican food, cocktails, 100 and some tequila choices, and in the Hollywood spirit, a $300 burrito option.

6541 Hollywood Blvd; Hollywood, CA - 323.960.2404
eater.com - savoryhunter - thrillist - yelp

#1205 - Five O Four, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

I happened upon the soft opening of this New Orleans style restaurant and bar, and chatted with Roger, one of the owners.  All the seating is on an outdoor patio, with the exception of a single table.  I know it's not quite the weather one associates with it, but I wish Seattle had at least one place with the rows of daquiri machines like this (and so many bars in the south).


6541 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA -(323) 960-0224
five0four.com - savoryhunter - yelp

#1204 - Power House, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

This bar has been around since at least the early 50s and guestofaguest calls it "By far the diviest and most random bar to grace Los Angeles."

1714 North Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028-4404 - (323) 463-9438
facebook - citysearch - yelp - zagat

#1203 - The Woods, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Don't be put off by the strip-mall location -- this is a swanky place with a dark, woodsy interior and a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe, somewhat redolent of the Doug Fir in Portland.

There are antler chandeliers, a starlight ceiling, woody and rocky decor, reasonably good cocktails, and a small, cool crowd.

1533 North La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 876-6612
vintagebargroup.com - citysearch - yelp  - zagat

#1202 - Ye Coach and Horses, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

I was very lucky to be able to visit the historic Ye Coach And Horses bar a couple times on this trip, as it was served an eviction notice on July 1 and likely will have to shut it's doors in a few weeks.  This British-themed bar was established in 1937 (although for a period it was called "Viva Tirado" and had a Mexican theme), and Peter the bartender told me it is the third oldest in the Hollywood area.

Naturally it has stories of hosting various celebrities, from John Barrymore Sr. to Drew Barrymore, from Alfred Hitchcock and Richard Burton to Quentin Tarantino writing notes for "Pulp Fiction" on bar napkins.  Jim Morrison used to hang around when his girlfriend worked there, and Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris, and Kevin Spacey have all tipped a cup inside its dark interior.

The generations of celebrity stories notwithstanding, the charm of the C&H is its gritty ordinariness -- not at all the kind of bar you think of in West Hollywood, but a fine, old neighborhood dive.  It's of a comfortably moderate size, with high gabled ceilings and tudor style upper walls, and high-backed seats of crimson naugahyde.  It's a damn shame such a fine old place has to close its doors after 74 years.

7617 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 876-6900
facebook - myspace - KTLA video - franklinavenue - laist - lakompany - eater.com - yelp

#1201 - Frankie's New York, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Pretty much exactly what you'd expect when you hear the name ...

7228 Melrose Ave, Hollywood, Ca 90038 - 323-937-2801
frankiesonmelrose.com - yelp

#1200 - Village Idiot, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

I had an "Idiot's Cup #1" (Tru Lemon organic vodka, Pimm's, cucumber, lemon-lime soda), which was okay, but was also as close as I've yet come to a debunking of my theory that there are no bad cocktails that include cucumber.  (St. Germain seems to be another "always good cocktail" ingredient.)

7383 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90189 - (323) 655-3331
villageidiotla.com - la weekly - tripadvisor - yelp

#1199 - Club Monte Cristo, Los Angeles - 8/22/2010

This is a large, somewhat hidden space on the third floor of a Koreatown warehouse, where at night the music rattles the windows of the World Vision Full Gospel Church and other small businesses below.  The main room is a dance floor surrounded by couches and armchairs, though there are usually just as many people out on the capacious open patio.

 Obviously the vibe varies with the particular event -- I attended the Malediction Society gothic night, with DJ Amanda Jones, but where cameras were not allowed (with the exception of the house photographers).

3102 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 - (213) 252-9343
citysearch - yelp - ladead gallery

#1198 - Encinitas Ale House, Encinitas CA - 8/22/2010

A good selection of beers (I had a tasty Mongo Double IPA, from Port Brewing) and monster hamburgers with various high quality beefs.

1044 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 - (760) 943-7180
encinitasalehouse.com - facebook - beer advocate - yelp

#1197 - Barra Barra Saloon, San Diego - 8/21/2010

A fairly cool (in both senses of the word) space with pretty good magaritas.

4016 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110-2743 - (619) 291-3200
plazadelpasado - yelp