#1554 #S920 - Orcas Landing, Seattle -9/20/2011

Update: Orcas Landing closed in July 2012

This is a new Hillman City bar from Laurie Lusko, the displaced owner of the Beacon Hill Pub (now Bar del Corso).  This night was a slow one and I ate bruschetta and chatted about bars of Seattle past with Mary Lou, who has owned area restaurants and on this night was working for tips for her friend the owner.  There's nothing particularly remarkable about this place, the drinks, or the food, but it seems like a reasonably nice neighborhood joint.

5609 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 402-4034
Est. 2011 - Closed: July 2012 - Building constructed: 1915
Other bars at this address:  None known
facebook - seattlemag - seattleweekly - newpubbistro - yelp

#1553 #S919 - Velvet, Seattle -9/14/2011

Velvet is an event space in a 100-year-old wooden warehouse just south of the ballparks.  It is decorated in the style of a 19th century bordello and has a nice big bar and some basic cocktails.  This was the first night of the "Velvet stage," which I think means it was the first night for the Velvet bar (this night featuring the dark neo-cabaret of the Blackmoor Travelling Picture Show).

1701 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA - 206 380-9576           
Est. Sep. 14, 2011 - Building constructed: 1910
velvetstage.com - facebook

#1552 - Hollywood Tavern, Woodinville, WA - 9/17/2011

Update: Alas, the atavistic and almost bewildering joy of turning the bend from the lavish lawns of contemporary Woodinville wineries and stumbling upon this ramshackle dive with the beat up "Tavern" sign turned out to be just too incongruent to last. The sign remains, but the cabin-like space where Mabel Niemen served up Olys to a blue collar crowd is remodeled almost beyond recognition, into an upscale home of modern cuisine served up by Josh Henderson, who first made a name for himself with his Skillet food truck. Beside it stretches a large, new warehouse hosting the Woodinville Whiskey distillery.

To be sure, the drinks and food are light years better, and the space, said to be modeled on Napa Valley's "Taylor’s Refresher" has some nice, quirky touches, including horseshoe throwing in front, and a fire pit patio in back. In addition to the old Tavern sign, there are some references here and there to the old place -- paint-by-number paintings, and a framed tavern token collection. I quite enjoyed my Oil Change (Woodinville Whiskey Rye, Meletti amaro, root beer bitters), and I'm sure there are more nice options among the drinks designed by Maggie Savarino (Madison Park Conservatory). And looking at the dishes of various updated comfort foods being served to folks around us, I looked forward to coming back when I have not just had dinner, and having some Ancho Chile Tots, with their braised pork bits, cilantro, ancho lime crema and toasted pepitas.

If it had to go, I'm glad they preserved as much of it as they did, and that they replaced it with a joint that I want to go to repeatedly. But I will miss the pure impertinence of the old dive around the corner from Chateau St. Michelle.

14508 Woodinville Redmond Rd, Woodinville, WA 98072-9092 - 425 610-7730
Est. Late 1947 - Upscale version est. Nov 12, 2013 - Building constructed: Late 1923
Web site: thehollywoodtavern.com - facebook
Articles: seattletimes - seattlemag - 425magazine - eatinseattle - thestranger - prnewswire - yelp - seattlemet - seattlemet - woodinvillewhiskeyco - woodinvillepatch

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Just around the corner from the courtly wine country of Woodinville, WA is a tiny old bar with a small neon sign reading simply "Tavern."  The place is inexplicably named the Hollywood Tavern, although until the early 90s it was "Mabel's Tavern" and the latter name is still commonly used to clarify the location.  The building opened as The Homestead Grocery (and gas station) in the early 1920s, and in the 40s was sold to Mabel Newman, who converted into a tavern.
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 There's a parking lot where Mabel's house used to be, and the bar itself contains many pieces of paraphernalia from Olympia Beer, the current owner's favorite.  It is a true tavern (no liquor, just beer and wine) and has a pleasant set of old regulars on the stools

14508 Woodinville Redmond Rd, Woodinville, WA 98072-9092 - (425) 488-0630
Articles on old version: woodinville.patch - woodinville.patch - kcls (woodinville history) - yelp

#1551 #S918 - Coterie, Seattle -9/14/2011

Update: On the evening of Sep 29, 2013, Coterie closed as a public bar and was used only for special events for a few years until Cursed Oak opened in its space in November 2016

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There was not a lot of tension over whether I'd like to food or cocktails in this new restaurant in the old location of Restaurant Zoe.  It's another place by Brian McCracken and Dana Tough, after Spur and Tavern Law, my favorite stop for cocktails or fine food in Seattle.  The emphasis is on the bar in those other two, but it's a smaller part of this one.  We had some tasty cod fritters and mac & cheese to go with a Seelback, a sazerac, and a third drink of no name with aquavit and celery bitters (the third came as a challenge to bartender Jerry to make a nice drink with an aquavit base).

It was all very tasty, as I expected.  However if you are looking primarily for a bar, this space is less intimate and darkly comfortable than Spur and Tavern Law, despite an intriguing wall of live ferns.  But it's great to have more options from these two guys.

2137 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 956-8000
Est. Sep 13, 2011 - Building constructed: 1927
Other bars at this location: Restaurant Zoe
thecoterieroom.com - facebook - tossedsaladsandscrambledeggs - seattletimes - seattletimes - eater.com - thestranger - yelp

#1550 #S917 - Bar Del Corso, Seattle - 9/10/2011

I was sad to see the long-running Beacon Hill Pub close before I could ever make it (the owner moved to open Orcas Landing).  But holy smokes, Jerry Corso has turned this into one of the city's best neighborhood pizzerias and restaurants. We sat at the end of the bar and watched delicious looking dish after delicious looking dish coming out.  It's no secret either -- though it is a reasonably sized place, you can expect to have a fairly long wait any day of the week if you go anywhere close to the dinner hour.

But it's worth it.

I put BDC in my personal top 4 pizza stops in Seattle (along with downtown's Serious Pie, Wallingford's Delancey, and West Seattle's Phoenicia).  We had the Salame Piccante pizza (tomato, salame, mozzarella, roasted peppers and grana).  But the salads and appetizers are as good or better.  We enjoyed the Suppli al Telefono (Roman street food: fried risotto balls and mozzarella) and I had the best heirloom tomato / Caprese salad I've ever had in my life (heirloom tomatoes and burrata with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic must, basic and coarse see salt).

The bar is good as well.  I had an Old Perry Manhattan Redux (sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, Angostura bitters), but it is the food that will make you lust to return.



3057 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 - (206) 395-2069
Est. July 12, 2011 - Building constructed: 1926
Other bars at this location: There have been bars her since at least 1939,  and it was the Beacon Hill Pub from at least 1948 until 2010
bardelcorso.com - facebook - seattletimes - seattletimes - seattleweekly - thestranger - eater.com - yelp

#1549 - East Side Bar and Grill, Bellevue, WA - 9/6/2011

Um, no.

625 116th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue, WA 98004-5207 - (425) 455-9444
coasthotels.com - yelp

#1548 #S916 - Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium, Seattle -9/5/2011

Update: Canon was named as having the "world's best drink selection" at the 2013 Tales of the Cocktail.

After a sunny day at Bumbershoot we just thought we'd give dropping by the new place a shot, and as luck would have it, Jamie had decided to open for the night, with little advance warning, to test things out.  The place is a very cozy place to have a cocktail with all the dark wood, impressive selections of spirits, punch bowl, and various cocktail accoutrements.

I had a "Canon Cocktail" (rye and Ramazotti with Cointreau foam) which was excellent, followed by another great rye-based drink that I forget from the "Roulette" selection (name your spirit and let the bartender improvise -- something I would have done in any case, but is now formalized on the menu). My companion, not quite the fan of whiskey-based drinks as I, opted for a peach Rickey, and was happy to find a well-balanced, not too sweet option, as you might fear from lesser hands.

We also tried the pork burgers, which come on Asian style buns and are bookended by a little toy cannon.  The 100-item menu was not yet available, but I am very much looking forward to going back often and working my way through it.

After this visit we learned that, in addition to the talented bartenders already working there, Jamie has recruited the legendary Murray Stenson to the bar -- which seems like the perfect balance of interested drinkers and limited size that would be perfect for him.  In any case, this has to already be considered one of the top cocktail destinations in Seattle, and indeed, in the cocktail world, while at the same time retaining the intimate, specialist, offbeat sort of vibe such that it is not over-run by boring people.  It's obviously not much of an insight to discover that this is great bar, but experience confirms that there's no denying that for lovers of bourbon and finely balanced cocktails, it doesn't get any better than this.

928 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Est. Sep 2011 - Building constructred: 1920
Other bars at this location:  Licorous
canonseattle.com - facebook - seattlemet - thestranger - eater - seattleweekly - yelp

#1547 #S915 - Phinney Market Pub and Eatery, Seattle - 8/27/2011

Phinney Market Pub ceiling

Update: The Phinney Market Pub and Eatery closed at the end of July 2018.

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Phinney Market Pub, named after the grocery store that preceded it in the space, is intended to be a nice breakfast and coffee stop in the mornings, a family-friendly dinner stop in the early evenings, and a bar later.  As the "family friendly" might hint, this is not the place you want to go for a peaceful evening before your neighbors have put their toddlers to bed.  Indeed it seems virtually designed to augment the wailing of spoiled yuppie children.  But if you want a nice place where you can take your wailing kid -- or if you can wait until after bedtime, it is a pleasant place with fairly good food and cocktails, and a cool aunt's sort of decor.

5918 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 219-9105
Est. Aug 2011 - Closed July 2018 - Building constructed: 1920

phinneymarketpub.com - facebook - seattletimes - thestranger - eater - inwardfacinggirl - yelp

#1546 #S914 - The Chieftain, Seattle - 8/26/2011

The Chieftain is a comfortable, Irish bar from the people behind Finn MacCool's and McGilvra's. The name is an homage to Irish history, the Irish folk group, and the old mascot of Seattle University, all at the same time.  It provides a a more blue-collar and student-friendly bar than the fine cocktail selling neighbors Canon and Ba Bar, and provides a bit of balance to what became, in the second half of 2011, a great little stretch of bars along 12th Ave.

But the reason I was most eager to visit the bar is not so evident -- it is one of the more historic bar locations in Seattle, having once hosted the extravagant Doc Hamilton's Barbecue Pit, "the most famous of the prohibition hangouts, Seattle's equivalent of the Cotton Club."  Here is a bit of description from Paul DeBarros's Jackson Street After Hours:

"Doc opened his first speakeasy at 1017 1/2 E. Union, and later operated The Ranch, on highway 99 just north of the King County line.  The Pit was elegant.  Limousines lined the curb out front, while Seattle's social elect, including the mayor, ducked in and out of the club.  Downstairs was the action -- roulette and an all-night dice game.  Should there be a raid, the Barbecue Pit was prepared.  A complete alarm system of bells, bars, and pulleys, snaked through the building.  A button convenient to the cashier at the lunch counter was wired to a buzzer at the triple-barred doors of the cabaret basement."


908 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 324-4100
Est. Aug 19, 2011 - Building constructed: 1926
Other bars at this location: Doc Hamilton's, The 908 Club, Habibi
capitolhillseattle - seattleweekly - thrillist -  seattlemet - seattlemet - facebook - su-spectator - yelp - thestranger

#1545 #S913 - Emerald Grill, Seattle - 8/23/2011

My guess is that about 99.9% of bargoers in Seattle would ask, "Where on earth is the Emerald Grill?"  It is a fairly unremarkable bar (with the exception of sexy bartender Sarah) in the Holiday Inn where Aurora approaches Belltown, remodeled to remove any bit of soul the space might have once had.



211 Dexter Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109-5105 - (206) 694-0070
Est. 2000? - Building constructed: 2000
holidayinn.com - facebook - yelp - urbanspoon

#1544 - The Aero Club, San Diego, CA - 8/22/2011

 The Aero Club is a great old dive bar established by a lady pilot in 1947. The bar is off the beaten track, near the San Diego airport and spotted from I5 or various rental car agencies. It was strictly beer and wine until recently, but now it has a massive array of liquors, including 350 whiskeys and 130 vodkas.  Who needs 130 vodkas?  Who cares, the impressive array of bottles and sturdy shelves augment the fighter pilot theme.  That theme is take quite seriously, BTW, with murals, models, a propeller clock and propeller fence out front.

3365 India Street, San Diego, CA 92103 - (619) 297-7211
Est. 1947
aeroclubbar.com - facebook - specialissima flickr - yelp - tripadvisor - beeradvocate

#1543 - Wave House, San Diego, CA - 8/22/2011

3125 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109 - (858) 228-9283
Est. 1981
wavehousesandiego.com -  facebook - yelp  - tripadvisor

#1542 - 710 Beach Club, San Diego, CA - 8/22/2011

710 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109 - (858) 483-7844
Est. year - Building constructed: year
710bc.com - yelp - sandiegoclubs - thefeast

#1541 - Lahaina Beach House, San Diego, CA - 8/22/2011

710 Oliver Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109-5017 - (858) 270-3888
yelp - yahoo - discoversd  - iwannagothere 

#1540 - Fred's Mexican Cafe, San Diego, CA - 8/21/2011

2470 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110 - (619) 858-8226
fredsmexicancafe.com - yelp - sandiegan  

#1539 - Riviera Supper Club & Turquoise Room, La Mesa, CA - 8/20/2011

When the Turf Supper Club closed, the owners moved to this larger, swankier location, formerly the Habana Cuban Restaurant. It retains the grill-it-yourself steaks, and the Turquoise Room lounge makes full use of the swanky old mid-century lights and decor from when it was a steak house in the 40s. The food is good, ample, and quite affordable, and the drinks are serviceable. The aesthetics are not to be missed.

7777 University Ave., La Mesa, CA 91942 - (619) 713-6777
Est. 2008 - Building constructed: year
rivierasupperclub.com - facebook - patch.com - yelp - thefeast

#1538 - Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge, Bellevue, WA - 8/17/2011

Update: Grand Cru closed in November 2012; later replaced by 1 Hundred Bistro and later Bar Code.

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The name includes "mixology" and they've published wistful claims of a "Bellevue's Hottest Cocktail Lounge: and "full service cocktail bar with the best drink list in Bellevue." Thankfully, there are much better cocktails to be had in Bellevue (try Naga Lounge in Chantanee or Lot #3).  Some of their text also claims a "selection of dishes inspired by culinary traditions."  What exactly does that exclude?

But while there is little art to their cocktails, it is the "cru" part of the name that is operative here, as it is really much more of a wine bar. In the past they have even offered free meals on certain nights of the week.  It is very Bellevue-ish -- modern commercial decor at the base of a condo building. It is not long on personality, but it is not a bad stop for a glass of wine and upscale American dishes (inspired by culinary traditions).
1020 108th Ave NE, Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004 - 425-455-4278
Est. 2009 ("Mixologie" added Aug 2010) - Building constructed: 2009
grandcrulounge.com - facebook - urbanspoon - yelp - komonews - gayot - bellevuebusinessjournal

#1537 #S912 - Taverna Mazi, Seattle - 8/16/2011

Update: Taverna Mazi closed in late 2013 or early 2014

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A new Greek restaurant and bar from Demetri Georgakopoulos, previously from Porta Greek Taverna and Porta by the Market.  Mazi serves some reasonably good cocktails and some of the better Greek food in the city, in a romantic yet neighborly setting.

3426 NE 55th St, Seattle, WA 98105 - 206-829-9440
Est. Aug 4, 2011
Other bars at this location:  None known
tavernamazi.com - facebook - seattleweekly - yelp

#1536 #S911 - Wing Central, Seattle - 8/6/2011

4524 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 634-9464
Est. Jan 5, 2011 - Building constructed: 1953
wingcentral.net - facebook - udistrictdaily - seattleweekly - thestranger - yelp

#1535 #S910 - Detention, Seattle - 8/6/2011

Update: Detention closed in December 2011

This is a new bar from the owners of Po' Dog (and Grim's, Auto Battery).  It has a limited menu -- it started out as another Po' Dog, but reduced the food menu to focus on the drinks.  It is designed for students and the cocktail menu shows it, with a list of terrible drinks, for people who just want some candy taste to overwhelm the spirits.  If you're over 23 years-old and/or have much experience drinking outside of frat parties, I'd move on.

4736 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98107 - 206-525-0366
Est. Aug 4, 2011- Closed Dec. 2011 - Building constructed: 1929
Other bars at this location:  None known
uwdetention.com - facebook - thrillist - eater - yelp