#1349 #S812 - Local 360, Seattle - 1/26/2011

Local 360 is a new place in the old Flying Fish space from Marcus Charles, currently the main owner of JuJu and the Crocodile Cafe, and previous owner of Marcus's Martini Heaven, Bad JuJu, Spitfire, Neumos, and Jack's Roadhouse.  Local 360 is very different from all of those; it is so progressive it uses a ".org" domain name and has a manifesto.

The theme is sustainability, and hence the name, which signifies their goal of getting 90% of their ingredients from within a 360 mile radius of the restaurant.  The actual bar is tiny (3 or 4 seats*, as I recall), and at the times we have visited (this particular visit was the first night they had dinner available), there was not yet a cocktail menu or any particularly interesting featured drinks.  That may well change with their focus on craft, local products, and in the meantime, the food is more than good enough to bring you in.

Historical notes: This location has hosted Seattle bars for over 120 years. The current building was constructed in 1930, but the "C.R. Hammond Saloon" was located at this address by 1890, and the current building hosted the Liberty Tavern from at least the late 1940s into the 1980s. (Before moving here, the Liberty operated in space that was recently "Kelly's" and is now the "Acquabar.") In 1995 Christine Keff turned the space into the Flying Fish, which it remained for 15 years before the Fish relocated to South Lake Union.

Historical notes:  This location has housed bars since the 19th century, including the California Wine House up until prohibition. The current building, constructed in 1930, housed the Liberty Tavern from the 40s into the 80s, and Flying Fish from 1995 through 2010.

*Since this writing the bar has been expanded.

2234 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-9360                  
Est. 1/26/2011 Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location:  CR Hammond Saloon, The Lexington, Liberty Tavern, Flying Fish
local360.org - seattle pi - komo - the stranger - yelp

#1348 - Mariposa, Bellevue, WA - 1/26/2011

This is the cafe in a famous old department store that preserves old school recipes for what people now call "comfort food."  As far as the bar goes, it is strictly mundane, but the food, quite surprisingly, became some of my favorite in downtown Bellevue -- a place with no shortage of good options for very good food despite the mall-ish surroundings.

You start with a tiny, complementary cup of the chicken broth.  But the chicken broth is really good.  I had a quite good triple grilled cheese sandwich with an excellent soup du jour, and then looked lustily at the slow braised pot roast.

It's not a place you'll go for a cocktail or the atmosphere, but the food merits a wider audience than the Bravern Neiman's shoppers.

11111 NE 8th St, 2nd Fl - Neiman Marcus, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 452-3333
neimanmarcus.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#1347 #S811 - Tango, Seattle - 1/23/2011

Update: Tango closed July 1, 2019.

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The bar at Tango Restaurant and Lounge has some pleasant cocktail choices, and we had a nice chat with Brian the bartender, who scraped up some food for us after the kitchen closed.  I've not yet tasted the Iberian entrees, but it's definitely worth stopping in for a cocktail or two.

1100 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 583-0382
Opened: April 2000 - Building constructed: 1908 - Closed July 1, 2019
tangorestaurant.com - facebook - seattle times - the stranger - yelp

#1346 #S810 - Dope Burger, Seattle - 1/23/2011

2228 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-3309
Opened: Jan 2011- Closed May 2011
dopeburgerseattle.com - seattle weekly - yelp

#1345 #S809 - Oskar's Kitchen / Bubble Room, Seattle - 1/20/2011

Update: Oskar's Kitchen closed July 18, 2015

This bar owned by ex-Sonic star Sean Kemp opened in 2010 in the previous location of the Ascada Bistro (Perche No, before that), just up from Peso's.  I haven't noticed anything all that remarkable in the food or drinks, but at least they are efficient, with the bar run by Kyriakos Kyrkos ("KK").  Kemp often roams the room and chats with guests.


621 1/2 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - 206.402.3375
oskarskitchen.com - seattleweekly - the stranger - yelp

#1344 #S808 - Lucy, Seattle - 1/19/2011

Lucy, which is named after our 3.2 million year-old Australopithecus afarensis relative, is a quite good little Ethiopian restaurant.  But as for the bar, they appear to still be learning the basics of the craft.

10002 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133 (Oaktree Plaza) - (206) 402-3058
lucy-ethiopia.com - yelp - culturemob

#1343 #S807 - Julia's on Broadway, Seattle - 1/17/2011

 Julia's is over the top gay Broadway, with drag shows, portraits of Barbara Steisand and Lady Gaga, and cocktails named "Totally Gay" and "Getting Married AKA Stupid."  This location has hosted a bar since at least 1939, when it was the Checkerboard Tavern.  In 1945 it was purchased by the great Husky runningback and longtime NFL player and re-named "Ernie Steele's," maintaining the name of the "Checkboard Room" for the bar.  From 1991 through 2001 it was Ileen's.

300 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 860-1818
Est. 2002; Building constructed: 1909
juliasrestaurantseattle.com - seattle times - seattle weekly - Ernie Steele's facebook - yelp