#1262 - Fish Tale Brew Pub, Olympia, WA - 10/18/2010

A not-so-micro brewpub from a nice micro-brewery, now located in the Skoog Building.  (The location may not be that remarkable -- I just really like the name "Skoog Building.")  Good beer, good food, some good art and lots of terrible art on the walls (I'm hoping it was from the local middle school).

515 Jefferson St SE, Olympia, WA 98501-1467 - (360) 943-3650
fishbrewing.com - facebook - beer advocate - olympiatraveler - yelp 

#1261 - Eastside Club , Olympia, WA - 10/18/2010

The Eastside Club has been open here since at least 1939, with a closure in 1959 due to the Great Olympia Train Wreck. It appears to have begun in the current China Clipper location shortly after prohibition (at least by 1934, while the current location hosted "Randy's Place"). Its history casually covers the walls in old photos, newspaper articles, and other artifacts.  It has a good and broad (36 taps) selection of beer, and bartenders who seem happy to be there.  It has some of the typical back-of-the-bar paraphernalia, although the coaster art includes contributions by Linda Berry and Matt Groening. 

It has a hole in the wall where you can order food from the restaurant next door, a laundromat in back, and whiteboard art where the artist gradually ages the drawing of beer truck as summer turns to fall.  It's the most likable in a stretch of very likable bars.

410 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501-1109 - (360) 357-9985
theeastsideclub.com - facebook - beer advocate - seattle pi -  yelp

#1260 - Jake's on 4th Ave, Olympia, WA - 10/18/2010

311 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501 - (360) 956-3247
myspace - best of western wa - gaycities - yelp

#1259 - Luigi's Italian, Ocean Park, WA - 10/17/2010

1201 Bay Ave, Ocean Park, WA 98640 - (360) 665-3174
facebook - urban spoon - yelp

#1258 - The Lost Roo, Long Beach, WA - 10/15/2010

This is in a large space that I remember as Nick's West, and was the Sore Thumb Tavern some time before that.  As Nick's it was barn-like with the feel of the main attraction in a small, seasonal resort town. 

As the Lost Roo, there's nothing specifically bad about it -- the service is nice and they even serve a tasty, localized Long Beach Island Tea (with cranberries).  But the place just feels much more big, clean and corporate than anyone with a soul would want in a small beach town.

1700 S Pacific Highway, Long Beach, WA 98631 - (360) 642-4329
lostroo.com - coast weekend - chinook observer - tripadvisor.ca - yelp

#1257 - McCoy's Tavern, Olympia, WA - 10/14/2010

McCoy's Tavern is a grand old dive on a block full of bars.  I chatted about the place with current owner, Ian, a real-life Lebowski-style Dude.  Ian was a substitute teacher for a while, but "it was not my bag."  The bar is fairly large, with a pleasantly aging clutter of bric-a-brac on the walls and regular customers on the stools.

Ian thought the bar dates back to '47, or maybe '52, but city guides list it as "Frank's Place" at least until 1954 -- it was Frank's Place since at least 1936. A Korean War vet bought it from McCoy in the 60s, and owned with only a brief exception until he sold it to Ian about 10 years ago.  The bar abides.

418 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501-1109 - (360) 352-0696
- yelp - weekly volcano

#1256 - China Clipper, Olympia, WA - 10/14/2010

402 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501-1109 - (360) 943-6300
Previous bars at this location: East Side Club (1934)
myspace - yelp

#1255 - Le Voyeur, Olympia, WA - 10/14/2010

This place is well summarized by The Stranger:

"Le Voyeur offers vegan-friendly food, drunk-friendly drinks, and punk-friendly entertainment. It's also a good spot for some Olympian people-watching, as college kids and townies mix with K Records royalty and traveling crusties. Check the bathroom graffiti for some of the best radical political dialogue in town."

404 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501-1109 - (360) 943-5710
web site - the stranger - yelp

#1254 #S759 - Jimmy's on Broadway, Seattle - 10/11/2010

At first glance you may assume that this is just a soul-less, cookie cutter hotel bar, with no particular character and no reason for anyone to go, unless they're staying at the hotel and there's a massive downpour outside.  In this case, first glance would be pretty accurate.


1046 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134-1206 - (206) 204-9700
jimmysonbroadway - the stranger - yelp

#1252 #S757 - La Bete, Seattle - 10/8/2010

Update: La Bete closed Aug 16, 2014

1802 Bellevue Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 329-4047
Est. 2010 - Closed Aug 16,2014 - Building constructed 1925
labeteseattle.com - facebook - seattle times - seattle weekly - yelp

#1251 #S756 - Twilight Exit, Seattle - 10/7/2010

I've previously noted my affection for any bar with an alley entrance, and the Twilight Exit builds on that with a funky, retro interior and a large, beach-themed back patio (in the middle of the Central District, no less).  The drinks are very much the basics, but the attraction is the atmosphere, with vintage lamps covering the ceiling, kitschy art on the walls and objects laminated into the table tops.

Owner Stephan Mollman was force to move out of the previous location at 2020 E Madison due to redevelopment plans by new property owners.  He battled with the local school district for a bit over hours, and eventually reached a compromise, which explains why the Twilight opens only at 4:00pm most days.

2514 E Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 324-7462
twilightexit.com - facebook - seattle weekly - the stranger - yelp

#1250 #S755 - Vince's Italian Restaurant (Rainier Valley), Seattle - 10/7/2010

Update:  Vince's is closing in March 2011.

This is an old school (and just plain old, est. 1957) Italian place with a bar that serves nothing fancy to an interesting mix of neighborhood characters.  I had some spaghetti and gin and tonics and chatted with Roger, who remembers the door man at the Casino checking people through the sliding peephole, and who was at Shelley's Leg the night it burned down.  Roger likes dive bars ("the ones with Christmas lights up in April"), and has some colorful stories based on spending portions of his past life as he dealer.  A few years ago he had part of his tongue removed due to cancer, which leaves him sounding a little drunk when he is not.  If this place was a little closer to me, I'd be coming back now and then.

8824 Renton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 722-2116
Est. 1957 - Closed 2011
vincesitalian.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1249 #S754 - Book Bindery, Seattle - 10/6/2010

This old warehouse around the south end of the Fremont Bridge now houses not only an upscale restaurant, but also a craft distillery and winery, with barrels visible through restaurant windows. Chef Shaun McCrain comes with experience "all around the world including Les Elysees du Vernet in Paris, Per Se, Thomas Keller's lovely New York fine dining house, and Michael Mina, a two Michelin starred restaurant in San Francisco." (seattle mag). Manager Patric Gabre-Kidan partnered with Ethan Stowell in the creation of Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolf.

Little wonder then that the food was very good. I wanted to work through every item on the appetizer on the (changing) dinner menu, but we settled for the compressed watermelon and heirloom tomato with bacon lardons, and then followed with the pan-seared halibut entree, all  very tasty. The cocktails were not quite in the creative league with the food, but quite passable. I had a Moscow Mule and an Old Pal (rye, sweet vermouth, campari).

It's hard to find if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, and inside there is a nice sized bar and clean-looking restaurant decor, with that view of the wine barrels as the most striking feature. The service was indulging and nice, and well worth the bit of a hunt it took to find the entrance. It's a very fine choice when you're in the mood for something a little fancy.

198 Nickerson St, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 283-2665
bookbinderyrestaurant.com - seattle met - seattle mag - yelp

#1248 #S753 - Pintxo, Seattle - 10/1/2010

Update: Pintxo moved to 2219 4th in 2017, then closed in March of 2020

Pintxo (Photos are from the 2219 4th location)

Tasty tapas much like previous resident Txori's, with some fairly good drinks and the same somewhat hidden little patio section.

Est. 2010 - Moved 2017 - Closed March 2020 - Building constructed 1910
2207 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-4042
pintxoseattle.com - facebook - seattle times - yelp

#1247 - 520 Bar & Grill, Bellevue, WA - 10/1/2010

This is a standard modern sports bar with standard modern sports bar food and populated by standard Bellevue  type people.  But one thing that does give the place a little character is the substantial and pleasant patio to one side of place.

10146 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 450-0520
520barandgrill.com -  facebook - yelp

#1246 - Monsoon East, Bellevue, WA - 10/1/2010

Sister restaurant to Seattle's Monsoon, this place has pretty good drinks, pretty good food, and judging from the reviews, though not my own experience, often absurdly slow service.

10245 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 635-1112
monsoonrestaurants.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1245 #S752 - Hunger, Seattle - 9/17/2010

Update:  This location closed May 12, 2012, and Hunger moved to the former location of Dad Watson's in Fremont.

Wow, this was one of the best cocktail experiences I've ever had. I stumbled into this place as a little break from the crowd during the last night of the Buckaroo Tavern, and what a great surprise it was.  With it's cozy, almost hidden location and distinct lack of PR, I don't know when I would have otherwise found the place, but I'm delighted that I did.

The (Mediterranean) tapas are very good (I had the prawn bruschetta and the boar sliders) and the cocktails were pretty nigh perfect. My drinks were a Velvet Bullfighter (agave tequila, cucumber, raspberry honey) and a Bartoloni (green Chartreuse, habenero blended bitters), which were both excellent. But Bartender Cory also gave me a small sample of each of their other featured cocktails as he made them for other customers.  Like any really good bartender, Cory quickly got a read on my tastes (and based on them went so far as to serve me something other than what I ordered, to my considerable gratitude).  But the small samples throughout the night demonstrated that entire cocktail menu is very strong, and Hunger has immediately leaped into my top choices for a fine drink or two.

4256 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 402-4854
hungerseattle.com - facebook - seattleweekly - seattle weekly - seattlemag.com - yelp

#1244 #S751- Royal Booze & Burritos, Seattle - 9/27/2010

I hadn't heard about this place until I started reading about the noise complaints.  I mentioned this in a pleasant chat with bartender Sonya and she described having to reassure some concerned customers that publicity about too much noise is hardly a threat to a bar's well-being.

Sonya said that the place doesn't usually start to get busy until about 9:30 and I was there around dinner time, so I can't really speak for the crowd or vibe yet.  But the food is better than average Mexican food, the drinks have some pretty decent options (try the Mango Margarita, which has a little more kick than it sounds like), and the decor and big patio give it the feel of a bar you might find in Scottsdale or Miami, but not Seattle's University Ave.

5211 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
facebook - yelp - the stranger -

#1243 - Dockside Grill, Suquamish, WA - 9/26/2010

Not be confused with the upscale "Dockside Grill" on Sequim Bay, this "Dockside" is a much more blue collar bar and restaurant.  Despite certain references to it as the "Darkside" by locals, this apparently represents a step up from the previous Troller Tavern.  The owners (who also own the Main Street Ale House in Kingston and the Olympic Timberhouse in Quilcene) were inspired to make the changes by a fine and 80-day suspension of the Troller's liquor license.

The location is now more of a family restaurant, though still featuring a bar and smoking patio.  The drinks are pretty much the standards and the food has a bit more variety than the average pub.

7234 NE Parkway, Suquamish, WA 98392
pnwlocalnews - kitsap sun

#1242 #S750 - Thirsty Fish, Seattle - 9/25/2010

"It's usually not like this," the bartender volunteered with no prompting from me, "It's usually mellow."  That would be a nice change from the screaming 22-year-olds with sideways baseball caps, apparently assembled for a birthday party.  The liquor choices and decor are both pretty limited and spartan, but this is positioned as a sports bar, which appears to simply mean that it has several TVs and mediocre food.  But the bartenders are friendly and likable, which can go a long way, so I plan to keep an eye on how it develops and come back when there's not a group of beginning drinkers trying too hard to leave an impression of being cool partiers.

Historical Notes:  This is the new bar in the location of the recently closed Acorn Eatery. The building was constructed in 1927 and it's hosted a bar since at least 1948.  Then and for many years afterward, including at least until 1980, it was known as Nicky's Holman Road Tavern or simply Nicky's Tavern.  By 1994 it was Atlantic Street Pizza and Comedy Stop, by 1999 it was the Ridge Pub and re-opened in 2001 as the Acorn Eatery, which closed in 2010.





9041 Holman Rd NW, Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 782-1999   
Est. 2010 - Building constructed: 1927           
Previous bars at this location: Nicky's Tavern, Atlantic Street Pizza & Comedy, The Ridge Pub, Acorn Eatery
thethirstyfish.net - myballard - yelp - thrillist