#1586 #S946 - Local Vine (U Village), Seattle - 10/21/2011

Local Vine has a terrific array of choices (100 wines by the glass), a few interesting cocktails, and their goal is laudable -- "a place where you can hang out the way you would in a coffee shop while learning about or just enjoying wine." In addition, the servers are very nice. But this location is in the middle of the University Village shopping mall, which is about as far as humanly possible from the setting in which I would like to sit back and enjoy a glass of wine. It would be like going to the middle of GameWorks to do yoga.

So I would never make this my choice for a drink (beginning with the extensive hunt for a parking space) if I was not already in the shopping center. But it's a nice little stop if you have already had the misfortune of being there.


2620 NE University Village St, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 527-6222
Est. Oct. 13, 2011
thelocalvine.com - facebook - seattlemet - seattlemet - yelp

#1585 #S945 - Delancey, Seattle - 10/20/2011

As a bar Delancey is simply a friendly suburban neighborhood joint where you can get a good glass of wine.  So it doesn't get the a highest recommendation on this bar blog, and it's not recommended that you go (and probably wait) when you are simply seeking a bar.  Bur of course the main attraction of the place is the pizza, which has been praised by all kinds of local critics as well as the New York Times and other remote sources that know their pizza.

The accompaniments are also quite good -- I had a delicious Jersey salad, with a glass of PR Corsini Docetto blend, before the sausage pizza (tomato sauce, fresh and aged mozzarella, Grana, housemade sausage).  Delancey pizzas are thin crust and wood-fired, and I prefer them to the certified authentic Neapolitan style pizza of Via Tribulani or Tutta Bella, where the crust and pie tend to become goopy in the center.  Also, the ingredients on the Delancey pies seem a tad better to me (though I still give a slight edge to Serious Pie here).

You'll often have a wait but it's well worth it.

Historical notes:  While I've found no previous bars listed at the 1415 address, the "Pantry at Delancey," which is behind the pizzeria and hosts dinner parties and classes, is listed at 1417.  This leads me to believe that at least a portion, if not all, of the street-facing Delancey was the previous location of several bars listed under the 1417 address.  These include the "West Seventieth Street Tavern" from the 40s into the 60s, "Sam's Place Tavern" in the 70s, the "Guardsman Tavern" in the 90s, Don & Ila's by 1975 and Burt and Flo's Tavern by 1977.  The brick building of which Delancey is a part was constructed in 1926.


1415 Northwest 70th Street, Seattle, WA 98117-5340 - (206) 838-1960
Est. Aug 2009 - Building constructed: 1926
Previous bars at this location:  West Seventieth St. Tavern, Sam's Place Tavern, Guardsman Tavern, Don & Ila's Tavern
delanceyseattle.com - nytimes - gastronomyblog - seriouseats - seriouseats - seattlepi - yelp

#1584 #S944 - Cafe Campagne, Seattle - 10/19/2011

French bistro cuisine with a tiny bit of a bar.


1600 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 728-2233
Est. 1994
campagnerestaurant.com - facebook - foodpluswines - seattleweekly - seattleite - seattlemag - seattledining - gayot - zagat - yelp

#1583 #S943 - Marche, Seattle - 10/19/2011

Update: Marche closed Feb 28, 2014

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The long time Seattle institution Campagne has been remodeled into a somewhat more relaxed format under owner/chef Daisley Gordon. (Cafe Campagne remains downstairs.) The white table clothes and wall between restaurant and bar are gone, and the menu offers more diversions from the central French theme.  The bar offers some interesting cocktails and, of course, wines (with some more adventuresome by-the-glass offerings thanks to the preserving powers of their new Enomatic preserver.

86 Pine Street Seattle, WA 98101-1531 - (206) 728-2800
Est. Oct 7, 2011
marcheseattle.com - facebook - seattleweekly - yelp

#1582 #S942 - C.C.Attles, Seattle - 10/18/2011

People go to CC Attles for the people at CC Attles, not for the unique decor or a fine cocktail.  So there are a lot of people very happy to see the much liked bear bar back in action.  But for the sake of variety, it's sad to see someplace as different as Café Metropolitain replaced with a remodel as utterly boring as CC's.

Café Metropolitain was by no means a great bar.  But it took the space in one more of those boring condos-above / retail-below buildings steadily diminishing the character from our neighborhoods, and turned it into something unique and surprising. One walked under the condos and into a Disney-like slice of Paris streets at night, with a fountain, cobblestones, and string lights.

CC's pours dive bar style cocktails (poorly made, but cheap and strong), and tries to replace the patio of the old location with, essentially, a hallway at the side of the room. If you want to have a night out with burly, gay men, CC's still seems to be one of your better choices, and the owner promises "no attitude." I'm obviously not in their target demographic, and perhaps boring and plain decor (with the exception of a large, plaster, Tom of Finland style figure) is just the right complement for a neighborhood bear bar that resents attitude. But speaking strictly from the personal tastes of someone who rather "collects" bars and likes to feel a strong, unique character, no matter what kind of bar it is, a little more attitude might have gone a long way.

1701 E Olive Way Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 726-0565
Est. June 11, 2011 (relocated from 1501 E Madison)  - Building constructed: 1993
Other bars at this location: Café Metropolitain  (Henry's Off Broadway in a previous building)
ccattles.net (NSFW) - facebook - thestranger -  yelp

#1581 #S941 - Shop Agora, Seattle - 10/18/2011

Unlike its sister Mediterranean deli in Phinney, the Capitol Hill version has a small wine bar and restaurant in back.  The food is excellent (I had the Pastitsio, which was very tasty, but wanted to try every item I saw served to the others around me, and a glass of Gouleyant Cahors malbec).  It's not a go-to place for a bar, but it is a fine stop for lunch or dinner.

346 15th Ave. E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 322-1103
Est. Aug 3, 2011 - Building constructed: 2001
Other bars at this location:  None
theshopagora.com - facebook - seattlemet - thestranger - yelp

#1580 #S940 - Hilliard's Beer, Seattle - 10/14/2011

Hilliards was acquired by Odin Brewing in 2016 and the taproom at this location phased out. The space has been adquired by Lagunitas.

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The Hilliard's tasting room comprises a small bar, some wooden cable drum tables, and a few concrete seats tucked in the corner of a pretty sizable brewing warehouse in Ballard.  Ambitious new brewers Ryan Hilliard and Adam Merkl, who plan to skip the microbrew stage and go straight to regional brewers, covet the other half of the building, which currently hosts practices by a roller derby team.  Their self-financed facilities produce brews in 450 gallon lots and they can their beer with a machine that produces 24 cans a minute.

The owners are amiable and enjoyable to converse with.  They are carving a niche in the craft beer business by skipping the usual IPAs and starting with brews like an amber and a saison, and with large runs in cans.  The cans are very attractive, and the brewing facilities themselves are a great makeover of a dilapidated old auto warehouse.  It's large and industrial, but they pay attention to details, from the hops, to the cans, to the paint.

On Saturdays, you can also grab some dinner from visiting food trucks from the likes of Skillet, Snout & Co., and WhereYaAtMatt. 


1550 NW 49th Street, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 465-0078
Est. Oct. 7, 2011   Building constructed: 1947
hilliardsbeer.com - fueledbybeer - seattlemag - seattlebeernews - seattlemet - thestranger - yelp