#1440 #S878 - 106 Pine, Seattle - 5/15/2011

A wine shop and tasting room extension from Michel and Valerie Brotman, the folks behind Chocolate Box, across 1st Avenue from the Pike Place Market.  The folks here are friendly and knowledgeable about northwest wines, and host urban wine tours of the city.


106 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 - 206 443-1106
Est. April 2010 - Building constructed: 1909
106pine.com - seattleweekly - thestranger - yelp

#1439 #S877 - Paratii Craft Bar, Seattle - 5/14/2011

Update: Paratii Craft Bar closed Feb 15, 2013

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A new Brazilian bar and restaurant from Samir Hassan, who previously established All Nations Sports Bar and Samba.  Of course that means cachaca and caipirinhas, but in this case it also means a good range of well-executed cocktails.  I had a tasty "Flirting With Spring" (gin, blanc vermouth, vanilla liqueur, blood orange liqueur, mint, cinnamon, , Chamomile citrust bitters) and"Sam's Cuba Libre."

There are some quite good traditional Brazilian dishes (the chef is Kal Gellein, previously of Kallaloo in Columbia City), but the emphasis is on the cocktails. The decor has multiple nods to Ballard's shipping traditions, items crafted or refurbished by the owner.  

5463 Leary Ave NW, Seattle, Washington 98107 - (206) 420-7406
Est. May 4, 2011 - Building constructed: 1950 - Closed Sep 15, 2013
paratiicraftbar.com - seattleweekly - seattlemet - urbanspoon - yelp

#1438 #S876 - Cure, Seattle - 5/11/2011

A nice little wine and cheese joint tucked across the alley from the tennis courts at Cal Anderson park.  We had some nice combinations of Prosciutto di Parma, Piave cheese, tomato jam, speck, Carmody cheese, spicy pickled vegetables, pepper jelly and cream cheese.


1641 Nagle Pl, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 568-5475
Est. May 11, 2011
cureseattle.com - eater - thestranger - yelp

#1437 #S875 - Little Water Cantina, Seattle - 5/10/2011

Quite good Mexican food and tasty cocktails in a LEED-certified location with a sunny patio overlooking Lake Union. The retail spaces in these big condo developments along Eastlake leave me a bit cold, but the Little Water manages to establish some quirky personality inside.

2865 Eastlake Ave. E, Seattle, WA - (206) 397-4940
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 2008 (greater condo bldg)
littlewatercantina.com - facebook - seattleweekly - seattletimes - seattleweekly - eater - seattlemet - thestranger - yelp

#1436 #S874 - Le Bon Ton Roule, Seattle - 5/9/2011

Update: Le Bon Ton Roule closed on Dec 2 and was re-opened as El Borracho Del Norte.

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This is a great addition to the neighborhood and city.  It's a New Orleans style roadhouse themed restaurant, with a nice patio, and on most days has styles of music that you can't hear many places.  BTW, the phonetic spelling (Bon "Ton" rather than "Temps") is intended to stress that they are cajun and creole, not French.

This was recently "Claudio's," "Bourbon and Barbeque" and then "The Treehouse."  I'm not aware of what it was before recent times but King County records say the structure is remarkably old -- built in 1900 (which means 1900 or earlier, since records usually listed that year for any stucture built up to and including that year).

Le Bon Ton Roule, Seattle

4332 Leary Way NW, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 297-8888
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 1900
lebontonroule.com - facebook - dishtip - thestranger - seattle weekly - thrillist - yelp

#1435 #S873 - Maya's Mexican Cantina, Seattle - 5/7/2011

You have to like an American Mexican joint with a huge menu and a small subsection titled "Mexican dishes."

9447 Rainier Ave. S Seattle, WA. 98178 - 206-725-5510
Est. 1979 - Building constructed: 1947
mayasrestaurant.com - seattletimes - yelp - urbanspoon  

#1434 - Sky Ultra Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 5/5/2011

Update: The Sky Ultra Lounge closed in April 2012

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Oh sweet jeeziz, no. Nothing personal or anything, but if you look at the pictures on this place's web site and have even the slightest urge to go here, we probably just won't be hanging out together much.

550 106th Ave NE, Ste 300, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 453-4300
skyultralounge.com - facebook - yelp

#1433 #S872 - Urban Enoteca, Seattle - 5/3/2011

Update: Urban Enoteca closed Jan 3, 2013

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A huge place one would expect to find in the rolling hills of central Washington rather than tucked under a bridge amidst the warehouses of the SoDo area.  Urban Enoteca has a fine restaurant, a very large tasting room, and a couple grand, additional rooms for special events.  I had the Lamb Crudo (Chimichurri, red onion, Castelventrano olives), the Nuts and Cheese (Candied walnut and blue cheese spread crostini) and a syrah that I forget.

4130 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 - (206) 467-9463
Est. December 2010 - Closed Jan 3, 2012
urbanenoteca.com - seattlemet - winepeeps - komonews - yelp - seattlemag

#1432 - Pete's Club Tavern, Carnation, WA - 4/30/2011

Pete's has gone under various names (apparently it's "The Pete" to locals, but going under "Pete's Club," "Pete's Grill & Pub," etc. etc.).  Pete's is a large place that caters to bikers but attracts all types of people.  I have read that it was established in 1910, but I have also read some conflicting information, and have found no primary sources or reliable historical references. However King county tax records confirm that the building itself dates to 1910.
4640 Tolt Ave., Carnation, WA, 98014 - (425) 333-4300
Est. year - Building constructed: 1910
link - Don Lovett - yelp - urban spoon

#1431 - Fall City Roadhouse, Fall City, WA - 4/30/2011

The Fall City Roadhouse is a standard American diner with an open bar area and seven rooms for lodgers on the second floor. The building hast hosted businesses since 1916 (the upper rooms since 1931) and in 1990 the exterior was used for the roadhouse in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" and "Fire Walk With Me."  The building was the "Colonial Inn" at the time (and since 1966).  Previously it was the "Riverside Tavern."

4200 Preston Fall City Rd SE, Fall City, WA 98024 - (425) 222-4800
Est. 2008 - Building constructed: 1916
fcroadhouse.com - seattletimes - yelp

#1430 - Last Frontier Saloon, Fall City, WA - 4/30/2011

The Last Frontier Saloon is actually a tavern (no hard liquor) with a ton of history and a commensurately large collection of oddball decor and memorabilia. It is on the very location of the town's founding, a trading post established in 1869, and where bars have subsequently been located  since before prohibition. Here's the brief section on it published in Jack Kelley's massive "Jack's History of Fall City" in 2006:

"The Last Frontier Saloon, currently owned by Alan Lind, is a beer parlor rather than a saloon because it doesn't carry hard liquor. This building replaced the Pioneer Saloon (torn down in 1929 when the road was widened) and was constructed by Edna Cheney in 1930. It was leased to Lars Johansen, who later turned it into a beer parlor. In about 1946 it was owned by Harry Read for a number of years; an owner by the name of Talkington called it Talk's Tavern in the mid-50s."

The bar has a small kitchen serving burgers and steaks and a fairly sizable patio out back that sometimes hosts musical events.  For whatever reason, the patio is dominated by a large mural of The Three Stooges, by Evan Jones.   And while it's on a somewhat touristy thoroughfare from Seattle to Snoqualmie Falls, happily the bar is generally full of older locals.


33813 SE Redmond-Fall City Rd, Fall City, WA 98024 - (425) 222-5640
Est. ? - Building constructed: 1930
seattle weekly -  yelp  

#1429 - Pandora Cellars, Carnation, WA - 4/30/2011

32305 NE 8th St, Carnation, WA 98014 - 206-227-5929
pandoracellars.com - facebook

#1428 #S871 - A Pizza Mart (downtown), Seattle - 4/28/2011

Update: This location closed Dec 31, 2017 and relocated across the street at 925 Stewart.

Like the U District version, the downtown A-Pizza Mart has a surprisingly lively little bar scene, with more character than you would guess from the exterior. The pizza and cocktails are not outstanding, but they are a little better than average.

910 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 903-8500

apizzamartseattle.com - yelp

#1427 #S870 - Sambar, Seattle - 4/26/2011

Update: Sambar (and Le Gourmand) closed in 2012.

Sambar is a tiny bar with no discernible sign, and attached to the back of Le Gourmand french restaurant.  The cocktails, crafted by Jay Kuehner are very good (I started with the Nocturne -- scotch, smoked black tea liqueur, caramel water, and orange bitters).  It serves fine food from the associated restaurant, and in summer has a patio that Providence Cicero describes as "like drinking in Monet's garden."

425 NW Market St., Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 781-4883
Est. 2004 (Le Gourmand 1985) - Building constructed: 1926
sambarseattle.com - seattletimes - monappetit - thestranger - seattleweekly - yelp

#1426 - PF Chang, Bellevue, WA - 4/25/2011

525 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 637-3582

#1425 #S869 - La Luna, Seattle - 4/25/2011

Update: La Luna closed in August 2015

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The former Opal and Flow Lounge space now hosts a romantic Mexican bar and restaurant, with good tapas, including some killer scallops, and fine margaritas.

2 Boston St, Seattle, Washington 98109 - (206) 282-2511
Est. April 2011 - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars at this location: Opal, Flow Lounge
lalunaseattle.com - chowhound- seattle weekly - yelp

#1424 #S868 - Brave Horse Tavern, Seattle - 4/24/2011

Update: Brave Horse closed temporarily in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, then announced permanent closure as of July 15, 2020.

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A new tavern in the historic Terry Building by Tom Douglas.  There are 26 good beers on tap, including the house beers brewed by Schooner Exact. There are lots of good food choices, but the emphasis is on the fresh baked pretzels.

310 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 971-0717
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 1915 - Closed July 15, 2020
bravehorsetavern.com - seattletimes - link

#1423 #S867 - Lunchbox Laboratory, Seattle - 4/22/2011

There is a fairly standard sized bar here, but this place is all about the monstrously-sized burgers.  Yes they do have a number of original drinks "straight from our mad scientists!"  But judging from their cocktail menu output, their team of scientists was apparently comprised primarily of  junior high school girls.

There is the "Kryptonite Shot" (Green Apple Jolly Rancher infused vodka), the "Astronauts Mimoso" (champagne topped with Tang), and you can do a good enough job guessing what goes into the  "Grape Ade" and "Barbie's Bana-tini."

So if it's not a good choice for a cocktail if you are over 16, but if you don't want to have to eat again for a week, or enjoy a real challenge as to how to actually fit your burger into your mouth, it's a fine option.

1253 Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 621-1090
Est. Jan 2011 (originally opened in early 2008 at 7302-1/2 15th Avenue N.W)
Previous bars at this location: Southlake Grill
lunchboxlaboratory.com - facebook - seattletimes - seattletimes 2 - seattlemet - thestranger