#1302 #S783 - Sweet Lou's, Seattle, WA - 11/26/2010

Sweet Lou's is the old Sundown Saloon, purchased and remodeled by Lou Brauer (opened in June 2010).  The features include a wall of photos of famous Lous and a couple classic little old lady bartenders.

It now has a more comfortable neighborhood bar sort of feel -- no black visqueen on the windows like the old days.  (And as sometimes happens in neighborhood bars, sometimes a patron gets a little liquored up and belligerent, as illustrated in the comments section of this phinneywood post.)

820 NW 85th St, Seattle, WA - 782-9690
sweet-lous.net - seattle weekly - phinneywood - beerblotter - the stranger

#1301 #S782 - Mel's Tavern, Seattle, WA - 11/25/2010

Update: Mel's closed in late 2012

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After a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house overlooking the I90 bridge across Lake Washington, we rolled the car southward on a slushy Rainier Avenue, hoping to find an open bar that was not already on my list.  Mel's Tavern did not look particularly promising. The OPEN sign was lit, but it looked completely dark inside.  When we walked in, the only person there was Mel himself, sitting under the few lights on behind the bar, with paperwork and his medications strewn out across the bar. But Mel's was open, and for a lover of old dive bars and old bar stories, it turned out to be an exceedingly agreeable nightcap.

Mel opened Mel's 41 years ago. He's owned some other places in town: He owned the Alaskan Bar on 1st Ave for a couple of years (but didn't own the land, which he describes as an important early lesson); and he owned the building that now houses Lottie's Lounge. That building was constructed in 1892 and was once the Hotel Dakota and then the Columbia Hotel, which hosted the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and other big names. But Mel wasn't aware of that -- it was the Bright Spot tavern when he bought it.

Mel remembers when there were five other bars in the area around his current place -- The Black Sheep, Friendly's, the Holiday Inn, Guy's.  Mel's Tavern itself is the sort of hodgepodge of miscellaneous parts, assembled over many years, that characterize any dive bar of real personality.  The rubber flooring under the bar stools is from Boeing Surplus and an old 747.  There are two old furnaces from estate sales that sound like someone kicking in the door when they kick on.  The big screen TV is from the auction of Ballard's Sunset Lanes.  A cubist sort of painting is there because his wife didn't like seeing it in their house.  The numerous large clocks on the walls were bought cheap in various places ("I got that one for five bucks at the Midway flea circus"); he gives them to Goodwill if he can't fix them.

Milton "Mel" Roe is 71 years old now, and he just re-opened the bar four weeks ago after a seven-month stay in a convalescent home after injuries from a fall from a ladder.  He moves achingly to retreive another beer from behind the bar, but notes "I'm getting around pretty good now."  He's had some other tough luck recently.  His two brothers died, and his wife is now in a nursing home.  He is on the edge of choking up each of the six or seven times he mentions his wife's state in our conversation.  "I think her days are numbered," he says, "I hope not."

But despite encroaching mortality and the darkness that enveloped us as we sat at the bar ("This place has a pretty big lighting bill," Mel explains), Mel's has always done pretty well for him.  And with his English teacher wife's brains and Mel's frugality and sturdy industriousness, they've done pretty well for their family, with multiple properties and three children with advanced degrees.  There's a house in Mexico where his sister now lives, one two blocks from Lake Washington with a large swimming pool, and an apartment above the bar that Mel himself built and where he now stays since it's harder for him to get around these days.

And the bars have helped Mel and his family go some places.  He sold a lot next door years ago to help put his son through medical school (his son is now the team doctor for the Cleveland Cavaliers).  After selling the Bright Spot, he rode a tug boat around the world -- to Australia, around the Cape of Good Hope, on to Europe.  He hopes to soon visit a Samoan friend he met in the Air Force.  And he hopes his daughter, who now works for Microsoft in Belgium, will be able to make it back for Christmas like she thought she would.

He even holds out hope that he'll see his wife out of the nursery home sometime.  "I think she's in there for good," he says, clenching his face just a little.  "I hope not."

Before we leave, Mel quizzes us on the odd, cubist painting he rescued from his wife's disdain.  "Can you tell what it is?" he asks us.  We walk closer to examine the jumble of triangular, painted shapes, trying in vain to discern the distorted subject matter.  But with the darkness of the room, and fatigue setting in after a lavish dinner, we both give up and have to ask him for the answer.

"It's anything you want to be," says Mel.


5717 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
Seattle Weekly

#1300 - Plan B, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

1305 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
myspace - barfly - mercury - yelp

#1299 - Cellar Bar, Ringler's Annex, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

Ringler's Annex, Al's Den, Portland, OR

A nifty little bar, AKA "Al's Den," in the basement of Ringler's Annex and the Crystal Hotel, a location where Portland gambling king Al Winter managed his operation.

1223 S.W. Stark, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 525-0520
web site - portlandground - chooselocal - yelp

#1298 - Clyde Common, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

Very nice cocktails.

1014 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 228-3333
clydecommon.com - tripadvisor - mercury - yelp

#1297 - Huber's, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

Considered Portland's oldest restaurant and saloon, Hubert's dates its birth to 1879 when it started as the Bureau Saloon in a location at SW 1st and Morrison. Frank Huber was hired there as a bartender in 1884, and became the owner by 1888. The business changed its name to Huber's and moved to moved to 281 SW Washington in 1895, then moved to its current location in 1911.

In addition to the beautiful interior in the Oregon Pioneer Building (nee Builder's Exchange Building), Huber's is known for its turkey dinners and Spanish Coffees.


411 Southwest 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204 - (503) 228-5686
Est. 1911, 1895 in a previous location
hubers.com

#1296 - Rocco's Bar, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

931 SW Oak, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 223-9835
roccosbar.com - facebook - yelp

#1295 - Mother's Bistro, Portland OR - 11/21/2010

A nice (and popular) place, especially for breakfast, but with some decent cocktails.  Our server was great.

212 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97204 - (503) 464-1122
mothersbistro.com - urbanspoon - yelp

#1294 - Bo Asian Bistro, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

A bar from Bo Kline, the Typhoon! chef.  Happily, I think they are no just Bo Asian Bistro and have given the "Restobar" a rest.

400 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 222-2688
bobistro.com - citysearch - yelp

#1293 - Tugboat Brewing Co, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

This is a nifty little nautical-themed brewpub.  Nice beers, nice crowd, and very comfortable.

711 SW Ankeny St, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 226-2508
web site - barfly - yelp

#1292 - Someday Lounge, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

125 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209-3811 - (503) 248-1030
somedaylounge.com - yelp

#1291 - Portland City Grill, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

Not my favorite kind of crowd, but a nice view of the city.

111 Southwest 5th Ave #3000, Portland, OR 97204-3633 - (503) 450-0030
portlandcitygrill.com - yelp

#1290 - Saucebox, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

214 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205-3724 - (503) 241-3393
saucebox.com - yelp

#1289 - Palm Court, Benson Hotel, Portland OR - 11/20/2010

A nice, low-key lounge in an old historic hotel.  The servers were good and they were happy to tell you about the history of the 1912 building -- the presidents who have stayed there, the columns carved from one giant piece of rare Circassian walnut, the coo-coo clock which was the first piece added to the hotel.

Simon Benson himself was a teetotaler, but Jonah the bartender serves up some very good cocktails.  My favorite was the Chupacabra (Jalapeno, cilantro, lime, Hornitos, citrus liqueur).

309 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205 - (503) 228-2000
bensonhotel.com -  yelp

#1288 #S781 - Japonessa, Seattle, WA - 11/17/2010

I'm not a sushi fan, so I can't judge Japonessa Sushi Cocina -- although sushi fans I know seem to like it quite a bit.  The bar is okay, but not likely to pull you in if you're not there for the food.

The name means "Japanese lady" in Spanish, and reflects the "90% Japanese, 10% Latin fusion" food, from folks associated with Wasabi Bistro and Kushibar.

1400 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 971-7979
japonessa.com - facebook - seattlemet - seattle weekly - yelp

#1287 #S780 - La Puerta, Seattle, WA - 11/15/2010

Update: La Puerta closed in August 2012

No frills Mexican food, from the place that ran for years where Quinn's now stands.  Quinn's has much better food and drinks, but it can't replace that late night diner feel that the old location had.  Of course the new incarnation in the mall doesn't have that either.

the stranger - yelp
401 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 324-6211

#1286 #S779 - Highline, Seattle, WA - 11/15/2010

Good beers, very good sandwiches, and some interesting infusions, from the owners of Squid and Ink.  You probably won't even notice that it's vegan.

And of course the best thing about this place is that it displaces the gawdawful Club Lagoon.

210 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 328-7837
highlineseattle.com - the stranger - chs - yelp

#1285 - Palomino, Bellevue WA - 11/15/2010

#1284 #S778 - Perche No, Seattle, WA - 11/14/2010

Update: Perche No is closing Dec 18, 2019

This is a very interesting place.  They moved from a cramped little space on Queen Anne to a somewhat ostentatious, two-story, new building behind Kidd Valley in Wallingford (replacing a beautiful old brick home, BTW).  It is an Italian restaurant run by a Chinese couple, David and Lily Kong.  David is the chef, while Lily makes her way around and chats with the guests.  She talked about missing the opera performers coming into the old location on their breaks, and how they had a limo that would take customers to the Highlands just to see the view.

Unlike the old location, the new Percho no ("Why not?") has a dedicated bar area -- with a two-story high ceiling and chandelier made of wine glasses.  The cocktails are pedestrian, but they have a large selection of wine (there was a wine tasting wrapping up upstairs when I visited), and better than average Italian food.

1319 N 49th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 547-0222
Est. Aug 2006 - Closed Dec 18, 2019 - Building constructed 2006
perchenopastaandvino.com - culinary fool -  surly gourmand - seattle foodster - yelp

#1283 #S777 - Pan Africa Market, Seattle, WA - 11/12/2010

Update: Pan Africa Market closed April 14, 2012; plan to re-open across the street.

The drinks here are not particularly interesting, but it's well worth it if you are hungry. Our meals were both very good and we coveted those of our neighbors at the bar.  There are better cocktail options, but it's on my short list for favorite places to eat downtown.

1521 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 652-2461
panafricamarket.com - seattle times - seattle pi - the stranger - yelp