#1751 #S1020 - Restaurant Bea, Seattle - 4/17/2012

Update: Restaurant Bea closed July 12, 2013

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This homey Madrona space has hosted a series of highly regarded restaurants, with Cremant, June, and now Bea.  Restaurant Bea is the creation of Tom Black (Barking Frog, 35th St. Bistro) and Kate Perry (no, a different Kate Perry), and specializes in a rotating menu of upscale "comfort food." They have turned the bar around, extending it a bit, and opened up the kitchen -- which make getting their very good cocktails and food seem more direct and intimate.  I had two good cocktails -- The 34th Cocktail (bourbon, punt e mes, habanero, Angostura and celery bitters) and Jalisco Vieux Carre (rye, tequila, sweet vermouth, Bennedictine, Peychauds and Angostura).  The bacon-wrapped meatloaf was good and white bean soup was very tasty.

The vibe seemed a little stiff and self-conscious -- As long as they are embracing a sort of country theme, I'd enjoy it more if I could have both the fine food and cocktails and a little bit more raucous, with patrons louder and interacting with each other. But it's still a pleasant experience, particularly at the bar.

1423 34th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 812-2901
Est. March 30, 2012 - Closed July 12, 2013 - Building constructed: 1904
Previous bars in this location: June
Web site: restaurantbea.com - facebook
Reviews: seattleweekly - seattleite - seattleweekly - seattleweekly - thrillist - seattletimes - seattlemet - centraldistrictnews - eater - dailycandy - urbanspoon - yelp - thestranger

#1750 - Ski Inn, Enumclaw, WA - 4/14/2012

 This is one of those small-town bars that looks like a tiny dive from the outside, but upon entering your find it is actually pretty large, with hints of a relatively happening weekend evening scene.  The back bar is almost 50' long and "at one time was the longest continuous bar west of the Mississippi."* It is said to have been established in 1916, although I am not sure it was under the same name, and I do not know how soon it resumed as a bar after prohibition.  But it's obviously been around in something like its current form for quite a while, and offers a fairly standard neighborhood bar, in its liquor and beer selection, pull tabs, and Budweiser paraphernalia.

*Watering Holes of the Northwest, Michael Caldwell

1113 Griffin Ave, Enumclaw, WA 98022 - (360) 825-5267
Est. 1916

yelp - patch - insiderpages 

#1749 - Wilkeson Saloon, Wilkeson, WA - 4/14/2012

The Wilkeson Saloon is said to date back to the late 1890s, although the great fire of 1910 makes one question whether the current building dates back that far.  The owner informs me that the space was originally a pool hall and cigar shop, and that it was called the Eagle Tavern when it first became a bar.

In any case, the current incarnation, run by relatively new owners Sunny Bean and her husband Robert, has a bit more modern pub touches than the classic Pick'n'Shovel just up the street, and is a another friendly place to grab some basic bar food and beers.

521 Church St, Wilkeson, WA. 1 - (360) 761-7168
wilkesonsaloon.com - facebook - bikerfriendlybar

#1748 - Pick'n'Shovel, Wilkeson, WA - 4/14/2012

I've lost a few of my notes, and I hope to get back to this article with an age of the bar and of the building where the Pick'n'Shovel Restaurant and Bar resides, in Wilkeson, Wa.  Wilkeson is another old coal mining community in the Carbon River area.  In its heyday, it housed 3,000 people, but now the number is closer to 400.  It was established in 1870s and incorporated in 1909.  It features the oldest elementary school in the state, built in 1909.  Like so many northwest towns of the period of 1880-1920, Wilkeson suffered a great fire that devastated the core of the town -- in Wilkeson this was in 1910. It also features a welcoming arch over the main road through town, one of the few in the state that span a highway, which was constructed over SR 165 in the early 2000s, after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake seriously damaged the original, which had been constructed in 1925 a few blocks north of the current location.

Around the corner from the downtown area you can still see the a small row of what was once 160 coking ovens, which once cooked impurities out of coal to supply consumers more cleanly burning coal, until they were shut down in 1935 and most sold as salvage by  the Northern Pacific railroad in 1970.  The few that remain lie grown over and virtually hidden, the beer bottles and hints of furtive meetings lying inside.

Despite it's faded sign, you can't miss the Pick'n'Shovel.  You can't really miss anything in a place as small as the commercial part of Wilkeson, but you are aided further by the actual pick and shovel over the door. Inside is a long bar that parallels a long restaurant, and its the former that seems to do most the business.  This is presided over by "Mama" (Tami Macias) who has a tattoo of that name just in case you're not sure who is in charge.  Various rules and aphorism are posted, including the strict ban on arm wrestling ("Every single time it ends up in a fight," Mama explained to us).

527 Church St, Wilkeson, WA 98396 - (360) 829-6574
Website: facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#1747 - Yella Beak Saloon, Enumclaw, WA - 4/14/2012

Large bar in "the Claw" that caters to bikers

23525 SE 436th St Enumclaw, WA 98022 - 360-825-5500
Est. June 1, 2001

Web site: yellabeak.com - facebook
Reviews: bikerfriendlybar - yelp - patch

#1746 - Carbonado Saloon, Carbonado, WA - 4/14/2012

Carbonado (n) - an inferior dark diamond used in industry for drilling and polishing

It's difficult to know how old the Carbonado Saloon really is. But relying on the verbal history from some locals and a bit of deduction, it is believed that the building was constructed in 1878 and moved to its current location in 1889. The building has housed the town's post office, a barber shop, and a dentist's office.  It is believed to have been a bar since shortly after prohibition.  It was originally known as the "Canteen," then became the Carbonado Tavern and later Carbonado Saloon.

The town of Carbonado (say "car-bon-AIE-doh" not "car-bon-AH-doe"), is an old company town, just two miles past the old coke ovens of Wilkeson. The town is almost entirely residential now -- the saloon is the only business as far as I could tell, on a quite street among the 200 or so households and 600 residents, about 1,000 feet from the Carbon River. For half a century it was a thriving coal town, but with the Great Depression, the demand for low grade coal fell, the railroad closed, and the mining company sold houses, property, and buildings, eventually closing for good in 1974.

Jon and Amber, the current owners, been fixing up the place while honoring its history (Jon, at least, has lived in Carbonado all his life). There are a lot of large photos lining the walls, and shelves of various collectibles and dive bar knickknacks. They serve some good bar burgers, have a fairly standard offering of beers and liquor, and a large sunny back patio. They're gracious hosts and happy to talk about the place. For anyone who loves old bars it is well worth a trip (including stops in Wilkeson).

101 Pershing St, Carbonado, WA 98323 - (360) 829-4347
Est. 1930s - Building constructed: 1878 - Current location: 1889
Previous bars in this location:  The Canteen
Web site: facebook
Other links: - hmdb.org - yelp

#1745 - Blue Martini, Bellevue, WA - 4/11/2012

Blue Martini is a national chain with locations in places like Vegas and Ft. Lauderdale.  This one is in "The Bravern," a classic Bellevue complex of upscale shops and tony apartments, which is generally about as busy as a church on a Monday night. But BM pulls in a pretty reasonably sized crowd, and while it may go ridiculously  unmentioned among the attractions listed in some reviews, the star is obvious as soon as your server arrives. Hence when judging the food and drinks here it is only fair to bear in mind that these products are secondary -- everything at Blue Martini is secondary -- to the cleavage.  With that in mind, you might be a bit more patient with over-priced, over-sweet cocktails, which seem designed for 16-year-old girls.


If one diligently applies oneself, you *can* find a cocktail fit for non-teenagers (e.g. consider the Cucumber Martini), and if you arrive during happy hour you can get both food and drinks for an average club price, minus the considerable bosom tax that leaves mediocre drinks in the $15 range. The food is actually pretty good.  The cleavage is served in ample portions and in various appetizing presentations.  The place is fairly packed and lively with the after-work crowd, with live music starting most nights at 7:30.

House specialty of Blue Martini (photo from Blue Martini web site)

House specialty of Blue Martini (photo from Blue Martini web site)

700 110th Avenue Northeast #295 Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 451-2583
Est. year - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location:
Web site: bluemartinilounge.com
Reviews: link - thebellevuescene - link