#1659 #S982 - The Rock, Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits, Seattle - 12/31/2011

You will not be disappointed in Rock Wood if you know what it is. If you prefer good cocktails, you will definitely not find happiness in the sorority party style cocktail menu of the Rock bar, which one hopes reaches its nadir in "Jello Boosters" ("Rockstar Energy Drink, Booze, and Jello in a Syringe"). Yes, they do have "Spirits" right in the name, but you have a pretty good idea of just how seriously a bar takes their spirits when their drink ingredients include "booze."

 Similarly, if you are seeking a fine restaurant with distinctive pizza and food, you'd be well advised to turn around and head to Serious Pie or Delancey.

But that said, the Rock delivers reliably on exactly what it simply is -- a casual, family restaurant that leans toward young people, with a high number of vanilla menu options served in large portions, with modest prices, amidst a bit of Disney-esque decor. It is basically TGIFriday with a pizza and a "classic rock" theme -- as if Hard Rock Cafe had been ordered to merge with Applebees.

If this suits your tastes and mood, the food is reliable, with enough options that any reasonable person can find items to their tastes, and served by friendly people. The pizza is a bit doughy compared to most the city's wood fired options (which lean toward Neapolitan or New York style), and indeed, shows little evidence of the wood oven at all. But it is serviceable, and probably a good compromise between adults and children.

 This place is part of an ambitious chain that started in Tacoma, and is spreading through the Northwest, Colorado and Canada. I am a middle-aged male with no children, who eats out for most my meals, and prefers a little more adventure and expertise in my drinks and cuisine. Hence the I've-Had-Better rating. But for families -- particularly if you like TGIFridays and Applebees -- you will likely be quite pleased with Rock.

300 Roy Street #101, Seattle, WA 98109 - 206-254-4900
Est. 12/30/2011 - Building constructed: 2008
Previous bars in this location: None
therockwfp.com - gastrolust - yelp - eater

#1658 #S981 - The Burgundian, Seattle - 12/28/2011

Update: The Publican changed its name to The Burgundian in March 2012, in order to avoid a legal dispute with a Chicago bar with the same name.

It's remarkable what a difference can result from a bit of a reputation and the right product for the neighborhood.  I don't know how well they'll do over the long run, but on their first night open to the general public, the Publican was absolutely slammed.

The emphasis here is on beer, ala the owners' other locations, Bottleworks and Brouwer's Cafe.  But unlike the huge choice of Belgians at Brouwers, the Publican is focused on American micros (21 on tap) and includes a significant selection of tequilas and bourbons.  The food is primarily breakfast type meals, with a few burgers/sandwiches.  The service was friendly but clearly overwhelmed on this night, as people filled the tables, crowded the bar, stood and waited for spaces.  I'm eager to see how this place does in terms of a regular crowd and with a few of the opening kinks worked out.

Historical notes:  Most notably, this location hosted the Luau Polynesian Lounge from 1997 to 2010.  Between then and now, it was briefly the Pour House and then Bandolero.

2253 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Est. Dec 28, 2011 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location: The Luau, Pour House, Bandolero
publicanseattle.com - facebook - seattlepi - seattlebeernews - nwbeerguide -  thestranger - yelp

#1657 #S980 - Claire's Pantry, Seattle - 12/26/2011

Pretty much exactly what you would expect for a lounge in a place named "Claire's Pantry" -- including a median age of about 68.

12360 Lake City Way Northeast Seattle, WA 98125-5447 - (206) 365-4542

Previous bars in this location: None known
Building constructed: 1972
facebook - seattleweekly - yelp  - urbanspoon

#1656 #S979 - Polpetta, Seattle - 12/24/2011

 Polpetta was briefly the last of three incarnations of this Italian restaurant from Sicilian "Mama Enza" Sorrentino, before exiting due to price raises by the landlord. The Polpetta version focused on a less formal cuisine, emphasis on meatballs, and like the others had a small bar stocked primarily with wine.

2128 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 694-0055
Est. 2011 - Closed Dec 31, 2011
Previous bars in this location: Sorrentino Trattoria, Enza Cucina Siciliana
polpettaseattle.com - facebook - thestranger - queenannereview - eater - yelp

#1655 #S978 - MacLeod's Scottish Pub, Seattle - 12/23/2011

This seems like exactly the bar this space has been waiting for, and it already feels like this bar must have been here for 50 years.  The eccentric, triangular, brick structure -- a bit too elegant for the instant dive bar attempted by Harlow's -- is matched by a cozy, informally elegant interior.  They feature 50 types of whiskey with an emphasis on rare single-malt Scotch, and serve some generally high quality cocktails (I had a fine Red Hook -- rye, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino).

The bar is owned and run by Scotsman Allen Macleod, with "silent partners" Deming Maclise and James Weimann (owners of Bastille).

Historical notes:  A plaque outside the bar created by the Ballard Historical Society notes that Stephano Raggio originally built his as a three-story building featuring a crenellated turret, but the 3rd level was destroyed by fire and removed.  It was the Junction Building and originally housed the Junction Saloon on the ground floor.  The upper floors, originally business offices, were later converted to apartments.  I have found no other bars located in the building until Harlow's opened in Dec. 2010.

5200 Ballard Ave, Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 687-7115
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 1904
Previous bars in this location: The Junction Saloon, Harlow's Saloon
seattlemet - eater - myballard - yelp - seattleballard  - thestranger

#1654 #S977 - Volume, Seattle - 12/23/2011

Update: Volume closed May 3, 2015. The space subsequently hosted another club called "Stage."

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Volume is a new ultra lounge style nightclub, which means the standard sort of techno and hiphop music, VIP sections, and women with heels as long as their skirts.  It is a very young and primarily Asian crowd, and owned by the former owner of Aura.  The drinks are exactly what you would predict based on this.  But while the current club may be fairly unremarkable, it is located in what is probably the most storied bar space in Seattle, previous home of the Catwalk, the Casino, and the People's Theater.

Volume nightclub, Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA

The basement space is a remaining portion of the People's Theater, constructed in 1890, and the most notorious of Seattle's 19th century "box houses."  In these saloons with card rooms and theaters, women performers would serve drinks in between their stage acts, and if a patron was feeling particularly generous, the women would accompany them to curtained off boxes for more personalized services.  The People's Theater was eventually run by John Considine (AKA "Boss Sport"), who would battle it out for Seattle's theater and gambling audiences with such rivals as Alexander Pantages and Wyatt Earp (yes, THAT Wyatt Earp, who owned the Union Club on the next block).  He also battled Seattle Chief of Police William L. Meredith, a feud that culminated in a shootout in a drug store on 2nd and Yesler that left Meredith dead.

Considine would go on to establish theaters across the west and midwest, create the first popularly-priced vaudeville chain in the world*, co-found the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, and eventually move to Los Angeles and produce movies.  His lasting legacy to the Seattle bar and nightclub world was his leading role in establishing Seattle's "Tolerance Policy," a well-established system for paying off the police, which lasted through the 1960s.  It was this very tolerance policy that in the 1930s would allow the old People's Theater space to become the most famous open place for gay people on the west coast.

In 1930, Joseph Bellotti purchased the space, with John and Margaret Delevitti operating it, and it soon became a nationally known club for gays, unofficially known as "Madame Peabody's Dancing Academy for Young Ladies." With Delevitti paying off the police, men could dance openly with other men at The Casino (an impossibility in most other cities) and drag queens could remain largely unharrassed.  The Casino and the Double Header upstairs, which remains to this day, would attract gay visitors and various celebrities from around the country, including the likes of Rudolph Nureyev, Johnny Ray, Margot Fonteyn, and Tallulah Bankhead. The unrestrained Ms. Bankhead is cited by historical sources as entering the upper bar with her retinue, ringing a cow bell, and shouting to the assembled queens, "Avon calling all you beautiful motherf***ers!" To this day the cow bell remains hanging on the wall of the Double Header (which has a fairly compelling argument for being the oldest continually running gay bar in the United States).

Before it became the rather formulaic 21st century dance clubs Heaven and then Volume, the space also hosted The Catwalk from 1994 to 2005.  The Catwalk brought a modernized edge to the place's bawdy history, hosting various S&M and gothic events, as well as fetish fashion shows.

172 S Washington, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 467-1828
Est. Oct. 29, 2010 - Building constructed: 1890
Previous bars in this location: People's Theater, The Casino, The Catwalk, Heaven
volumeseattle.com - facebook - yelp
*Murray Morgan, "Skid Road", 1995 p149

#1653 #S976 - Underground Asian Fusion Bistro, Seattle - 12/23/2011

About 6 months ago the friendly Korean owner of the pan-Asian restaurant upstairs moved his business into the former space of Marcus's Martini Heaven, in a basement space of the old Yesler Building, constructed right after the Great Seattle Fire.  The current owner can advise on sake and has various ideas for getting building up the bar, but at this point he could very much use the help of someone like Marcus Charles on how to attract a night-time crowd.

88 Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 326-4800
Est. 2011 - Building constructed: 1890-1893
Previous bars in this location: Marcus's Martini Heaven
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