#1253 #S758 - Gaudi, Seattle - 10/10/2010

Update: Gaudi closed Oct 1, 2016

---

Gaudi is a very pleasant neighborhood Spanish tapas restaurant and bar, run by the husband and wife team who previously ran a restaurant in Barcelona.  Wife Jo works the front and bar, and created the stained glass pieces on the wall between bar and front room.  Husband Joan is the chef and created the drawings that adorn the menu.

Unfortunately I misplaced my notes and waited way too long to write up this summary of my experience to recall the specific dishes I had.  But I do recall being very pleased with each of the tapas, and having a very pleasant conversation with Jo. The vibe is relaxed and unhurried, with Jo letting you taste various Spanish wines, unless you prefer sangria or a classic cocktail.  It is definitely on my list of places to re-visit.

3410 NE 55th St, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 527-3400
Est. Jan 2007 - Building constructed: 1931
gaudiseattle.com - seattle times - seattle weekly - yelp

#1241 #S749 - Venom, Seattle - 9/24/2010

Update: Venom closed Sep. 2, 2011.

Not that I stood out as an old white guy with no striped shirt and no product in my hair, but a young black woman who was a total stranger stepped up to me and told me she was "really proud of me" for showing up in the place.

As one yelper put it, "This place is about as close as it gets to the Jersey Shore here in the Pacific Northwest.  At least the Asian version."

2218 Western Ave #100, Seattle, WA 98121-3629 - (206) 448-8887
Previous bars at this location: Baccano, Club Medusa
venomseattle.com (warning: sound) - facebook - the stranger - yelp

#1240 #S748 - The Bourbon Bar - 9/24/2010

The Bourbon Bar just opened in August 2010 in conjunction with the refurbished Columbia City Theater, and the owners managed to snag Kim Warnick (of the Fastbacks and Visqueen) from the Cha Cha.  One might expect that a bar opened in the midst a cocktail boom and named "Bourbon Bar" would have a mind-blowing array of whiskeys, and some of the city's leading mixologists devoted to them.  The Bourbon Bar is not that, although they do have a moderate selection of whiskeys and whiskey-based cocktails, which may not be particularly well made, esp. if you are in the middle of a surge of customers waiting to get into a neighboring show.  But while the drinks are only average, it does have a pleasantly dark and woody decor and usually a pleasant crowd.

4916 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 420-8285
columbiacitytheater.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#1239 #S747 - Columbia City Theater - 9/24/2010

The drinks are extremely limited here, but it's a very fine place for hearing music.  (Fortunately you can also bring in drinks from the adjacent Bourbon Bar.)  The recently remodeled and re-opened, historic space was constructed in 1920 (though it is often described as dating to 1917), and is said to have the first stage that Jimi Hendrix played on (while playing blues for Garfield High School).

It also shared action with the big Seattle swing and jazz scenes that once centered around Jackson St, hosting the likes of Fats Waller, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington.  The acoustics are quite pleasant and it has a quite interesting lineup of bands put together by Kevin Sur.

4916 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98127 - (206) 723-0088
columbiacitytheater.com - facebook - seattle historical sites - seattle pi - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1238 #S746 - Tutta Bella (Columbia City) - 9/24/2010

4918 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98118 - 206.721.3501
tuttabella.com - yelp

#1237 #S745 - Last Stop Lounge (Endolyne Joe's) - 9/21/2010

Endolyne Joe's is the West Seattle operation of the Chow Foods group, which also operates the Five Spot in Queen Anne and the Hi-Life in Ballard.  If you've been to either of those, you have a basic idea of what you'll get with Joe's and the Last Stop Lounge inside -- good food and a comfortable bar, with undistinguished drinks. 

After trying their Dark and Stormy and a Manhattan, I would recommend you go there for breakfast or dinner, but save your cocktail money for someplace like the Feedback Lounge.

9261 45th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136 - (206) 937-5637
chowfoods.com - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1236 #S744 - Big Mario's - 9/15/2010

Most the interest that Mario's holds is from the vibe of the relatively low-key Capitol Hill crowd it attracts with its nothing-fancy, New York style pizza and bar.  Mario himself brings carries the cred for a such a joint, having migrated from Naples and slung pizza in the various burroughs of New York.  But the place is actually owned by Mike McConnell, who also owns Via Tribunali and Caffe Vita.

The place looks and feels like it's been operating in a college neighborhood for 50 or 60 years (they have jager on tap and sell 40-ounce bottles of Olde English).  The cocktails are nothing special, but they have a good selection of beers and sell tasty slices until 4am Thursdays through Saturdays.

1009 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 922-3875
bigmariosnewyorkpizza.com - facebook - all consuming - seattle weekly - the stranger - seattle met - seattle times - yelp

#1235 #S743 - Waid's Haitian Cuisine & Lounge - 9/15/2010

Update: Waid's closed June 29, 2014

---

For a Seattle restaurant/bar, Waid's is otherworldly.  It's not just the Haitian food and the worldly variety of music; it's how the the space rises unexpectedly around a Central District corner, and the outsized personality of the man himself (e.g. check out the gorgeous wedding photos on his myspace page).

We had the tasty Ekrevis Lakay ("Using their love for cooking, my fabulous chefs have managed to make lobster out of shrimp (so typically Haitian). Sautéed in shallots, garlic and bathed in coconut milk which produces a curry like sauce that will carry you away to an island that is so dear to me"),  a mango-rita, and a shot or two suggested by the owner/host.

Waid's is currently embroiled in a fight for its liquor license and survival.  This is a great shame, as the place is not only a unique and lovely bar but, in the words of 'LaTanya Horace, who works for a Seattle nonprofit called Neighborhood House that helps immigrants and refugees. "It has become the community center for the biggest, most random and diverse group of cultures you could imagine."'

The unusual reach of the place is also evidenced by the groups that meet there.  "A staggeringly diverse array of groups relies on Waid's as a place to meet and hold fundraisers. To name a few: doctors from Harborview Medical Center; swing-dance groups; the Environmental Law Society at Seattle U; the Jua Lekundu Foundation (for Tanzania); Seattle's Burning Man crowd; Planned Parenthood; a Gay Pride group; a belly-dancing society; a Harley biker club; and African-American fashion designers." (ibid).

With luck, Waid's will still be open when you're reading this and for several years to come.  But if you're not sure, and have never been there, you should check it out quickly.

1212 E Jefferson St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 328-6493
Est. 2006 - Closed June 29, 2014 - Building constructed 1977
Previous bars in this location: None known
waidshouse.com (warning: sound) - facebook - myspace - blog - seattle weekly - yelp

#1234 #S742 - King St. Bar & Oven - 9/15/2010

The Seattle Times describes this place as having a "sports-lounge atmo with antique-y touches."  If you use words like "atmo" and "antique-y," then maybe this is a swell place for you.  It offers nothing of interest to me -- the decor, drinks, and food are all utterly boring. But I do commend the owners for shutting down the nightclub portion which brought in large crowds and not a small amount of morons and fights.

170 S King St., Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 749-9890
kingstreetbar.com - facebook - seattle pi - seattle times - yelp

#1233 - Cedar Inn, Olympia, WA - 9/15/2010

9030 Martin Way E, Olympia, WA - Tel: (360) 459-5509
yelp

#1232 - Log Cabin Bar & Grill, Shelton WA - 9/15/2010

Shelton is a town with a number of great old bars, and perhaps the liveliest and oldest is the Log Cabin Bar & Grill. New owner Lori showed me photos not only of the remodeling and fixing they did, but also old shots from the 20s and thereabouts, when the place was a filling station as well as the Ray Mitchell Tavern, on a dirt road.

Lori believes it was a tavern even before December 1933 (i.e. before prohibition ended) -- and who knows, maybe it was?  I do not know when it became known as the "Log Cabin," but it was sometime before 1960.

The attitude at the Log Cabin is brassy, from the menu boards above the bar to the bartenders.  The liquor is pretty much the basics, and the food offerings include affordable steaks and fried sides including "Ugly Sticks" and "Fried Worms."

The "Boys" and "Girls" rooms are in a separate log shack out the back door. The place was fairly buzzing when I went, which was not a typical busy hour for bars.  It seems like a pretty fun place and its great to see someone revitalizing it.

(more photos)

1749 Olympic Hwy S, Shelton, WA 98584 - (360) 427-5646
facebook - yelp -

#1231 - Ernie's Fir Cone, Shelton WA - 9/15/2010

Conversation snippet from Ernie's:
Bartender 1: "I'm going to be thirty."
Bartender 2: "I remember thirty."
Bartender 1: "Well if my birthday goes right, I will NOT remember thirty."

The Fir Cone, now Ernie's Fir Cone, is yet another fine old bar in Shelton -- and a bit of a competitive shuffleboard hub.  The drinks are cheap but generous pours and the bartenders are nice (and Ernie admits he hires women only).  There was an interesting mix of customers the day I dropped in, some appearing rather professorial, and including an old coot of at least 80 in a plaid shirt playing pool with a 20-ish gal in a plaid shirt.

I had a nice chat with Wendell, who doesn't drink, but still hangs out there, and who told me about how the bars crowded the downtown streets back when he was a boy and the town was a thriving logging community (which it was from approximately 1855 to 1975).  The annual Forest Festivale parade was epic, back in the day, Wendell told me, until they clamped down on it due to excessive drunkedness.

When asked what to do in Shelton of today, Fnarf responded, "Probably the most entertaining thing you can do is to to the Wal-Mart up on the plateau and watch the 18-year-old girls with three kids and their mulletted, jams-wearing boyfriends shopping for shotgun shells and cases of soda."  But it seems like you could have some pretty pleasant evenings if you avoid that outer corporate development that has happily left the old downtown area largely intact, and stick to the old bars like the Fir Cone.

I do not know the age of Earnie's, but a tavern and cigar shop named "Smith's Cigar Store" is listed at this address in 1960.

(Second picture = Shelton ca. 1925, University of Washington Digital Collections)


114 W Cota St, Shelton, WA 98584 - (360) 426-2221
Previous bars in this location: Smith's Cigar Store (1960s)
yelp

#1230 - Bob's Tavern, Shelton WA - 9/14/2010

Bob's Tavern is a classic old dive, apparently established in 1942. Contrary to popular opinion, the bartender Dottie has not been there even longer, though she has been there for 30 years, and at 71, can still do a crackerjack job trading friendly barbs with the customers. And it has not been "Bob's" for all of that time -- e.g. the 1960 city guide lists "George's Tavern" at this location.

In addition to Dottie, the bar interior is dominated by a semi-circular bar, and the outside by a large painting of a chicken. The drinks are pretty standard, and the patrons pleasant and humorous,often with a card game going on in the afternoon.

320 S 1st St, Shelton, WA 98584 - (360) 427-9940
Previous bars in this location: George's Tavern (1960s)
yelp

#1229 - Golden Pheasant, Shelton WA - 9/14/2010

Update:  By my visit in May 2014, the Golden Pheasant had closed, and been replaces by a private Moose Lodge.

---

The Golden Pheasant, which is down the road a piece from downtown Shelton and just north of Golden Pheasant Auto Wrecking, was my first clue to the series of antique bars in the area. The main sign is maybe 30 yards west, along highway 101, and can give the illusion that the tavern is actually located in a small storage shed.

Once they got over their suspicions of a city slicker taking photos of the place, the patrons and staff were both quite friendly. In between noting how stupid various projects on the local roads and parks were (they assumed each one was "an Obama thing"), they informed me about the other bars in town and the old bowling alley with floors that shifted when the tide came in.

There's nothing fancy about the drinks, but they are quite reasonably priced and options do include several microbrews on tap.

The bar, I am told, has been around since 1939, though "Uncle Elmer was probably selling liquor someplace" well before prohibition was ended. Some of the patrons recalled when he used to have outboard motors attached to the bar as he worked on them. When I noted that the freezer door looked like it dated back to the origin of the place, they informed me that it was older than that, as it had been relocated here from the city morgue.

930 W Golden Pheasant Rd, Shelton, WA 98584 - (360) 426-2808

#1228 - Starlight Lounge, Shelton WA - 9/14/2010

I took a small trip to Shelton, WA to pick up a craigslisted bearskin rug, and decided to have lunch and a drink at the Little Creek Casino, across the street from the designated bear rug exchange point.  I had never been to Shelton before, and would not have wasted precious drinking time among the lifeless casino denizens had I any idea of what a rich supply of fine, historic old bars the town featured.  I paid a tiny amount ($2.25) for an even tinier gin and tonic -- in one of those micro juice glasses that senior citizens are used to for exotic rarities like orange juice.  In fact, as I later discovered, it was Senior Citizens Day at the casino, which probably took the average customer age up several years over the usual 80.  And even though it was a lazy weekday afternoon, the place was packed, though I suspect it emptied considerably just before the O'Reilly Factor.

In any case, the town of Shelton is populated with several lovely old bars surviving from the 30s and 40s, when a booming logging industry filled a long string of bars along First Street (and a bowling alley on the river, whose angles would change as the tide came in).  So if you ever find yourself in those parts, don't make the same mistake I did -- head straight for the bars with history and character (and characters), and don't waste time and liver space on the gawdawful casino bars.

91 West, Highway 108, Shelton, WA - (800) 667-7711
little-creek.com

#1227 #741 Sonrisa, Seattle - 9/13/2010

Update: Sonrisa closed in mid-year 2013

---

Again, I'm not particularly fond of bars in malls. But Sonrisa has substantially better than average Mexican food and the Magarita Die Infierno is very tasty.

2614 NE 46th St, Seattle, WA 98105 (U Village) - (206) 524-2242
Est. 2007 - Closed 2013
Previous bars in this location: None known
Subsequent bars in this location: Eureka
sonrisamodernmex.com - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1226 #740 Viola!, Seattle - 9/12/2010

2805 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 322-5460
Est. 2004 - Building constructed 1925
Previous bars in this location: None known
voilabistrot.com - seattlepi - seattle times - the stranger

#1225 #739 Luc, Seattle - 9/12/2010

Update: Luc to close Aug 28, 2021

Luc is the new, more casual (and less expensive) sister restaurant to Rover's, the James Beard award wining French restaurant from Thierry Rautureau ("the Chef in the Hat"), in a klatch of fancy schmancy French cafes in Madison Valley, of which Rover's is the fanciest schmanciest.  There are even James Beard references in the Luc mens' room graffiti.

Luc, named after the chef's father, was largely funded by selling advance gift cards (Rautureau says he got the idea from Barack Obama).  It is about evenly split between restaurant and bar portion.

I had a nice Manhattan with Punt e Mes in lieu of the regular rosso vermouth, and a fantastic salmon BLT sandwich that I wish was not a special so I could count on having it again.


2800 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 328-6645
thechefinthehat.com - seattlemagazine - seattle times - seattle met - seattle weekly - seattle weekly 2 - the stranger - citysearch - yelp

#1224 - Papa's Pub & Grill, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: Papa's closed on Feb 5, 2012

Papa's (formerly Brewsky's) is just a few doors down from the Locker Room, and at least on the night that I went, it had a much more diverse and likable crowd.  Like pretty much any really good dive bar, it had cheap drinks, a mix of ethnicities, lots of blue collar folk, and some cocky little old ladies.

9635 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
the stranger

#1223 - The Locker Room, White Center, WA - 9/11/2010

Update: The locker room was seriously damaged by a fire on April 21, 2021. Before it was reopened, it was totally destroyed by a second fire -- apparently caused by discarded smoking material -- on the morning of Sep 13, 2021.

---

White Center's "Locker Room" was included in Mike Seeley's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars in Seattle (presumably in the top 7 now, as three others have gone out of business in the past 6 months) and The Stranger calls it "feared by locals."  So what is it doing with a rack of Avon catalogs in the window?

On the Saturday night that I went the street was filled with police cars, but the drama was coming from elsewhere -- the liquor-less Evo dance club up the street seems to have been the source of all the excitement and police attention in recent months.

The Locker Room, on the other hand, just had a bunch of heavyset people singing karaoke.

Historical notes:  There was a bar in this building at least as far back as the 30s, with a beer parlor, Glen's Rendezvous, owned by Glen C. Stevens listed in the 1937 and 1939 city guides. It may go back near the end of prohibition, as the building was constructed in 1933. By 1960 it was the J&W Tavern (J&W Saloon by 1980) and by 1990 it was the Locker Room.

9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106-2828 9633 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106 - (206) 762-9805
Building constructed: 1933
Previous bars in this location: Glen's Rendezvoux, J&W Saloon/Tavern
seattle weekly - yelp