#1779 - The Beach Tavern, Tacoma - 5/14/2012

The Beach Tavern opened in mid-1934, a half a year after prohibition, where it must have had a fine view as the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge danced itself to pieces. It has a genuine beach bar feel -- medium sized open spaces decorated with seafaring gimcracks, hosting a wide range of ages and a good set of local characters. It is set across from Titlow Beach, where divers find huge barnacles, wolf eels, buffalo sculpins, plumose anemones,  and Pacific Octopuses with ten foot arm spans. The drinks are pretty much the basics, and the food the sort of burgers and fish and chips items that you would expect. It's got a nice vibe -- it feels like summer, but with just enough cranky people around to not feel too touristy.

8612 6th Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98465 - (253) 564-9984
Est. 1934

Web site: thebeachtaverninc.com - facebook
Reviews: weeklyvolcano - urbanspoon - yelp

#1778 #S1027 - The Beer Authority, Seattle - 5/15/2012

Like Greenwood's Chuck's 85th St. Market and West Seattle's Super Deli Mart, Lake City's Beer Authority has turned a small retain space into a beer Mecca by combining a huge selection of well selected beers with a small number of taps and a friendly, tiny bar. Actually, the B.A. is a bit more like Bottleworks in Wallingford, since rather than being carved out of a convenience store, it is dedicated entirely to beer. The shop was established in March/April of 2009, and as the original owners decided to spend some more time with their kids they signed a couple partners include Burc McFarlen, who installed the taps and bar. It now pulls in a small but dedicated group of beer-loving patrons.


12716 Lake City Way NE Suite A Seattle, WA 98125 - (206) 417-9629
Est. March 2009 as bottleshop; taps installed late 2010 - Building constructed 2001
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: blog
Reviews: beeradvocate - yelp

#1777 - The Islander, Mercer Island - 5/13/2012

7440 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 - (206) 232-6676


Web site: the-islander.com - facebook 
Previous bars in this location: Bluenose Pub
Reviews: yelp - patch - urbanspoon - tripadvisor

#1776 #S1026 - Queen Margherita, Seattle - 5/16/2012

The bar at Queen Margherita ever so barely qualifies at a bar by my definition. But it does have a small bar where people sit and drink wine. And while most people go there for the (very good) wood-fired, Neapolitan style pizza, another reason to sit at the bar is to watch the work in the open kitchen, as well as the very friendly folks who own and work at the place interacting with customers.

3111 W McGraw St # 103 Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 548-4908
Est. Sep. 10, 2010 - Building constructed: 1974
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: queenmargheritaseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: gastrolust - natashareed - eater - seattletimes - seattleweekly - yelp - magnoliavoice - thestranger

#1775 - Stan's Bar-B-Q, Issaquah, WA - 5/12/2012

I love barbeque -- who doesn't love barbeque? -- but my favorite barbeque is Kansas City style. Oh how I miss the sweet sauce of Ribbins down in Ballard. So I've been eager for some time to try out Stan's. In case you forget where he's from, Stan has decorated the place with Kansas City Chief memorabilia.

The bar, as you might expect, is basically beer and very basic cocktails.  They have eight pretty good beers on tap, but the spirits are dominated by vodka and especially flavored vodkas -- like many a suburban dive catering to clients more interested in the effects of their drinks than the tastes.

Sam's actually has a variety of BBQ styles, with three sauces, served separately, to choose from. I had the Commander and Chief sandwich -- beef brisket with smoked ham -- and as usual in my first stop in a place I tried their beans and potato salad.  All of these were pretty good, and served by some friendly folks, but alas, it was not the can't-wait-to-go-back ecstasy of the old Ribbins. I would describe it as a very nice stop if you're in the area, but not necessarily worth going out of your way.

58 Front Street North Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 392-4551
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 1888 (Oddfellow's Hall)
Web site: stansbarbq.com - facebook
Reviews: seattleweekly - urbanspoon - yelp - issaquahpress

#1774 - Issaquah Brewhouse, Issaquah, WA - 5/12/2012

The Issaquah Brewhouse was an idependent brewpub that was acquired by Rogue Ales in 2000, but still makes several of its previous brews as well, including Bullfrog Ale, Menage-a-Frog, Rye Frog, MacFrog, and Hippie Frog. It has several good beer choices on tap, fairly standard brewpub food, and a odd-shaped space shaped by various expansions and some old coal train rails.

35 West Sunset Way Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 557-1911
Est. 1994 (2000 - Rogue acquisition) 
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: rogue.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - beeradvocate - urbanspoon - beerme - yelp

#1773 - H&H Tavern, Issaquah, WA - 5/12/2012

The H&H Tavern is one of the oldest couple dozen bars in Washington state, apparently established in 1910, in a building constructed in the 1890s. It is now a classic rural town dive bar with old, amateur murals and taxidermied fish surviving amidst the more contemporary pull tab boxes and corporate beer paraphernalia.

91 Front St N, Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 392-3031
Est. 1910 - Building constructed: 1890s (originally Schomber's Bakery)
Previous bars in this location: None known
yelp  - rantandrave 

#1772 #S1025 - Cha:n, Seattle - 5/11/2012

Chan (or Cha:n) is a tiny new Korean fusion place in the courtyard of the Inn at the Market. The restaurant comes from Heong Soon Park, owner of the adjacent Italian bistro Bacco. Pretty much everything about Chan is tiny: the space is tiny (38 seats), the bar is tinier, and the food is served in small plates.

The bar has a couple interesting offerings, incorporating soju, but the selection of spirits is, again, tiny. I did not eat on this visit, and some foodies have complained that the offerings tend to be a bit more bland that traditional Korean, but it seems like a nice place to sample a good number of Korean-based dishes that at least looked good to me.



86 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 443-5443
Est. April 30, 2012 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: chanseattle.com - facebook 
Reviews: seattlemet - almostfittoeat - sexyfood - cornichon - gastrolust - yelp

#1771 #S1024 - The Neighbor Lady, Seattle - 4/30/2012

The Neighbor Lady is a new bar from Stephan Mollmann and Shira Bray, owner and bartender respectively of the Twilight Exit. It is a heavily remodeled space in the location of the old Thompson's Point of View, soul food cafe and lounge. Thompson's was probably the last bar in Seattle where you could generally count on being the only white person there, a sad but inevitable victim of growing gentrification and racial change in Seattle's Central District.

I happened to be in the area and stumbled across it open before it's official opening date, but much of the menu and most the drinks were available. The owners did a handsome job of remodeling and redecorating the space, with dark wood, wine-colored damask wallpaper and wainscoting.  The physical configuration inside is completely different, with the intimate, often crowded bar area walls removed and a larger, open space devoted to drinkers. It has a Victorian house of ill repute sort of decor, apparently modeled on such an institution of the same name that the owner admired in Amsterdam.

 The menu is focused on vegetarian items, being constructed by Meagan Lass, a former chef at Cafe Flora. The drinks are much more redolent of a steady neighborhood dive, focused on the basics and generally poured with a heavy hand.

2308 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 695-2072
Est. May 1, 2012 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location:  Thompson's Point of View
Web site: facebook

Reviews: seattletimes - thestranger - seattlemet - seattleweekly - centraldistrictnews - eater - eater - yelp

#1770 #S1023 - Red Papaya, Seattle - 4/29/2012

Update: Red Papaya closed in mid 2017.

---

The former Signature has been re-made into an ale house decor with 18 taps.  The food remains Vietnamese-centric and they have some very good appetizers at very good prices.  There seems to have been a fairly wholesale change in staff, and while I don't know enough about the old place or the new one to really compare them well, the bartender I had at the new version (Brent, I believe) was a much better one than I had at the old place. I can't think of a better indicator than that.

530 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 283-6614
Est. April 18, 2012 - Building constructed: 1950 - Closed 2017
Previous bars in this location: Nonna Maria, Moxie, The Signature
Web site: redpapayaales.com - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - washingtonbeerblog - seattlemet - yelp

#1769 - Anchor Inn, Anacortes, WA - 4/28/2012

An old fisherman once told me that if you go into a bar named "The Anchor" in any place from Alaska to the Florida Keys, you are looking for a fight.

I think those days are pretty much over. The Anchor in Everett held true for many years, but is now a slightly more gentrified paean to the working man. The Anchor Inn in Anacortes may or may not meet that definition -- we stopped by on a lazy afternoon when there was a tiny number of barely moving patrons.

That changed, however, after about twenty minutes, when the riders on the "Bus To Nowhere" -- about 45 of them -- suddenly descended on the place. The BTN is organized annually by two Marysville bars, and rather than nowhere exactly, it goes to a series of bars unknown to the participants and perhaps to the driver as well. This was the 7th bar stop of the BTN so far, and most of them were still drinking heartily although a few victims lay passed out on the bus. The two employees did an admiral job keeping up with the crowd.

The Anchor Inn itself is fairly indistinguishable inside from a hundred other neighborhood dives. It's still a bit smokey, and apparently the new owner has greatly enhanced the drink choices by adding both liquor and some beers on tap besides Bud and Bud Lite. We were informed the Anchor has been around since the 40s, and indeed, the 1948 Polk Guide lists it under this name and address at least as early as 1948.

1920 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA 98221 - (360) 293-9948
Est. 1940s
Web site: facebook 
yelp

#1768 - The Brown Lantern, Anacortes, WA - 4/28/2012

The Brown Lantern Ale House is a fine old tavern that serves standard cocktails, a good selection, and better than average pub food in Anacortes. The Lantern has been around since 1933, just after prohibtion, but a place called "The Anchorage" is said to have been built and started in the building in the 1890s. It's now got a great comfortable feel that seems good for old and young, locals and visitors -- like an English pub without trying to hard to be.

412 Commercial Avenue Anacortes, WA 98221 - (360) 293-2544
Est. 1933 - Building constructed: 1890s

Web site: brownlantern.com - facebook
Reviews: anacortesnow - urbanspoon - tripadvisor - yelp

#1767 - Fjord Room, Viking Restaurant, Stanwood, WA - 4/28/2012

I wish I knew the age of the old Viking Restaurant here, in Viking Village on Viking Way. It seems to have served as a classic diner for many years before going out of business several years ago, and being purchased by a couple construction workers and reopened in 2008 or 2009. The front bar seems to dominate now, although classic diner/bar food is available. The structure is huge, with multiple rooms that host things from live music to AA meetings. Many of the walls are covered with murals or vintage photos.

Here we met Jeff, who had been drinking since 10:30am (we arrived around 4pm). Jeff explained to us that he didn't bring his dog that day in case he wound up in jail again, as it saddens him to see his dog carted up while he's in jail.

820 Viking Way, Stanwood, WA 98292 - (360) 629-9285

scnews -  yelp 

#1766 - Camano Island Inn, Camano Island, WA - 4/28/2012

The Camano Island Inn is an upscale little bed and breakfast and spa on the west coast of Camano Island, looking out across Saratoga Passage to Whidbey Island and the Olympic mountains.  The inn's bistro, open to the public Tuesday-Sunday, is a formal dining spot with an outside deck overlooking the Puget Sound. The inn is housed in a building barged to the site in the early 1900s and used as a boarding  house for workers at the local shingle mill, near the site where the Kikialos tribe once lived on salmon and shellfish.  It eventually became a fine hotel, The Camano City Hotel, which lasted in the 1950s, and subsequently became a private residence, and then a nursing home,  before being purchased by the current owners in 1995.


From strictly a bar perspective, the emphasis of this list/blog, the Camano Island Inn Bistro is probably not worth seeking out strictly for the bar or pedestrian cocktails.  But for those in the area it does make a very pleasant, sedate setting for a good glass of wine.

1054 SW Camano Drive, Camano Island, WA 98282 - (360) 387-0783
Est. July 3, 1998 - Building constructed: 1904?
Previous bars in this location:  None known
Web site: camanoislandinn.com - facebook - blog  
Reviews: tripadvisor - urbanspoon 

#1765 - Stanwood Hotel and Saloon, Stanwood, WA - 4/28/2012

The Stanwood Hotel had been dated back to 1894, but a piece of 1891 newspaper found in the walls of a local cabin and discussing local visitors, shows that it dates back to at least 1890. The place is currently being remodeled by new owners Marilyn and Leonard Guthrie, and now has the only hotel rooms available in Stanwood. With the federal Beer and Wine Revenue act set to legalize beer on April 7, and federal prohibition on its way to ending Dec 5, Stanwood readied by voting itself wet in March of 1933. While the Bartz Hotel and Pastime Pool Hall were granted the first licenses, the Stanwood Hotel was fast behind.

The Stanwood Hotel is part of the older parts of Stanwood, including several buildings constructed shortly after the great 1888 fire.  The town is at the mouth of an old channel of the Stillaguamish River, near an old village of Stillaguamish tribe ("people of the river"). It was settled by Europeans in 1866, at first called "Centerville," and soon had a saloon and trading post for the loggers and farmers settling in the area. The town was subject to regular flooding before the various dikes were constructed to direct the flows across the old river delta.

Visitors to the hotel should beware, however, as the rooms and bar are haunted by various ghosts, including one female spirit that apparently insists on pushing her breasts up against visiting males at the bar. (It is apparently just a coincidence that these events tend to be experienced in the area where men sit consuming liquor.)  The ghostly manifestations have been verified by "experts," who have found incontrovertible scientific evidence in the form of things like "class 'A' EVPs along with EMF meter readings that indicate intelligent spirit energy that attempts to communicate by recording energy fluctuations in response to questions."

Even if you are not impressed by ghost hunters who take any anomaly in electronic equipment that they don't understand as proof of magical spirits, the hotel provides a charming old west setting in a newly reopened historic venue, and some lively characters at the bar.  The day we dropped in we met local customer Ed, who is apparently the only person to have been kicked out of the Stanwood liquor store.  "I used to crawl in there!" Ed despaired. He and his companion made for lively, if not entirely PC, conversation over lunch.

26926 102nd Ave NW, Stanwood, Washington 98292 - (360) 629-2888
Est. ? 1890-1934 - Building constructed: 1890- Reopened 2012
stanwoodhotel.net - facebook
Reviews: heraldnet - yelp - urbanspoon

#1764 - Longhorn Saloon, Arlington, WA - 4/28/2012

A classic little dive bar, with red, white, and blue longhorns extending from the sides of the building, old folks and bikers inside on the bar stools, and dirty fish tanks.

18802 Smokey Point Boulevard Arlington, WA 98223 - (360) 653-4760
Web site: facebook