#1675 #S998 - Amber Den, Seattle - 2/6/2012

Update: Amber Den was closed on June 16, 2012, and retooled into Nick's Off Market.

This place serves a small but pretty good selection of local wines and beers, with various tasty small plates.  It's too bad that it's located in a condo building, and feels like a hotel lobby fern bar.

1556 Northwest 56th Street Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 783-0131
Est. Feb, 2012 - Closed Jun 16, 2012 - Building constructed: 2000
Previous bars in this location: None
amberdenseattle.com - facebook - thestranger - ballardnewstribune - myballard - eater - yelp

#1674 #S997 - The Kraken, Seattle - 2/4/2012

Update: The Kraken closed March 4, 2023, after the new developers that purchased the building did not want them occupying it.

The Kraken is a moderate re-make of the Galway Arms, with some of the employees having become owners.  Part of the redecorating included modifying the stenciled ships on the wall to now include the squid arms of kraken wrapping around the vessels.  It's a fun, small place with character and characters, fairly good beers choices and food, and punk-ish live bands.

5257 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - 206 522-5334
Est. Jan 1, 2012 - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: Galway Arms
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#1673 #S996 - Mioposto (Cece Pocket Bar), Seattle - 2/4/2012

Mioposto is a friendly neighborhood cafe in a nice 80-yo brick building in the Mt. Baker neighborhood from the Seattle Eats portion of the Chow Foods breakup.  It is family-friendly, so if you'd rather have a peaceful drink and/or meal without noisy children, I'd recommend going in the later evening hours (not too late, though, they close at 11:00).  That said, it is well worth the wait.

 They remodeled in late 2011 and reopened with a small cocktail bar, which they call "Cece" (Italian for chickpea, inspired by the small size).  The drinks are good and the food, from the appetizers to the wood-fired pizzas to the desserts, was all quite tasty.  In addition, we had super friendly from everyone we interacted with (which was, I think pretty much all the staff working that night from, including the cook), including when we did things like deciding to change where we were sitting.

3601 South McClellan Street, Seattle, WA 98144 - (206) 760-3400
Bar Est. Dec. 2011 - Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location: None known
miopostopizza.com - seattle-eats - seattlemet - seattletimes - seattleweekly - gayot - seattlemag - urbanspoon - yelp

#1672 #S995 - The Wurst Place, Seattle - 2/3/2012

The Wurst Place has a sort of warehouse type of feel, like some brewpubs, with high ceilings, lots of wood, and fairly goofy artwork on the walls. And like a brewpub, it has a large selection of interesting beers on tap, with the emphasis on Belgian. But unlike a brewpub, it has a large selection of unusual sausages -- including rattlesnake and smoked elk with jalapeno.

I attended on opening night, and there definitely some bugs to be worked out.

 These seemed to stymie them a bit more than necessary, e.g. it seemed to take an inordinately long time for them to figure out that they could forgo the non-working iPad-based credit card processing and at least take orders from people with cash. But the servers were all helpful and enthusiastic, which gives me faith in the service long term. The range of beers and sausages definitely makes this worth a visit.

510 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98102 - (206) 223-5528
Est. Feb 3, 2012 - Building constructed: 1919
Previous bars in this location: None known
thewurstplace.com - facebook - eater - beeradvocate - yelp - dailycandy 

#1671 #S994 - Super Deli Mart, Seattle - 2/1/2012

 "Super Deli Mart" may not sound like much of a bar, and it is simply a small section of convenience store, but like Chuck's 85th St., it is a mecca for beer lovers. It was one of very few Seattle locations to have poured Pliny the Younger, it has a huge selection of bottles and a few high quality taps, and at least when we went, it had a entertaining and engaging set of characters squeezed into the wooden table and counter.  It draws hundreds for some of its tasting events.

9051 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 - (206) 937-1442        
Est. 2009 (as bar) - Building constructed: 1977
Previous bars in this location: None known
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#1670 #S993 - Rosita (Rosie's Cantina), Seattle - 1/30/2012

Fairly typical American Mexican food and drinks in the cantina, just off Greenlake. They also feature massive portions and a nice, neighborly feel.

7210 Woodlawn Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98115-5336 - (206) 523-3031
Est. 1979 - Building constructed: 1948
Previous bars in this location: None known
rositasrestaurant.com - seattleweekly - yelp

#1669 #S992 - Henry and Oscar's, Seattle - 1/27/2012

Update: Henry and Oscar's closed in Nov. 2013

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Henry and Oscar's is a "lodge inspired supper club" with brown alligator skin vinyl wallpaper, antler chandeliers, monogrammed glasses for regulars, and updated American steakhouse classic dishes.  It is owned by Mark and Katie Stern of the Big Picture, somewhat redolent of El Gaucho, and named for Mark's two grandfathers.  The template was mid-century New York clubs like the Pump Room and Toots Shor's.  It has a somewhat formal but comfortable vibe, with the lounge and fire place in front, and dining areas behind.  The cocktails and food are both above average, and the patrons tend to be engaging and happily free of the Amber sort of crowd that one often associates with Belltown.

2525 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 448-2444
Est. Jan 25, 2012 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: Shallots Bar & Bistro
henryandoscars.com - facebook - thrillist - seattlemag - seattlepi - slightly pickled - thestranger -  eater - yelp - urbanspoon