#1832 - Rock Garden Tavern, Oregon City, OR - 8/6/2011

Like the Echo Inn just across the Clackamas River, the Rock Garden Tavern is a historic old place established by the Mumpower family in the 1920s. Current owner Sheila was kind enough to share with us a scrapbook of historical notes and photos. The building was apparently situated here by Joseph Grant Mumpower in order to prevent Steven Carver from building his railroad through -- but the railroad just went up and over the place. In 1936, it was sold to Mumpower's daughter Genievieve and her friend Marie Mollet, whereupon the women converted it to a tavern, which it has remained ever since. (Genevieve's sister-in-law Echo founded the Echo Inn.)

Owner's photo book on the history of the Rock Garden Tavern

Today, the tavern looks very much as it did in the past (at least as far back as the 1940s photos), and the interior feels homey despite the video lottery machines lining the backroom walls. It's the kind of bar that makes me long to come back and visit when there's a foot of snow outside.

Sheila, owner of the Rock Garden Tavern, Oregon City, OR

Genevieve Mumpower Miller, left, at the Rock Garden Tavern

17930 S Clackamas River Dr, Oregon City, OR 97045
Bar Est. 1936 (Est. as restaurant 1928) - Building constructed: 1928

Reviews: yelp

#1831 - Echo Inn, Carver, OR - 8/6/2011

For background on Shelley's Echo Inn, I quote the April 20, 2010 issue of the Clackamas Review:

'You will have to wait until September for the crawfish races, but chicken poop bingo is coming up on April 24, at Shelly’s Echo Inn in Carver.... There has been an eatery of some kind on the spot since 1924, when a woman named Echo Mumpower began serving food to loggers. "It started as a roadside stand like you’d find at a carnival; it always served beer and wine. And before the trailer park [down below] was built, people would walk up [from the river bank] to buy burgers," Weseman said. A man named Mac then owned the place for 29 years, before selling to Weseman’s father, who in turn owned it for three and a half years. After trying to sell the restaurant to her brothers, Weseman’s father talked her into buying it when she was 27 and a single mom.'

'When she took over the Echo Inn, Hamm’s and Budweiser were the only beers on tap, and chili dogs and bar snacks made up the bulk of the menu. That has changed dramatically. Weseman had a kitchen built, her husband built a smokehouse and she brought in a gas barbecue. She smokes hams, half chickens, prime rib roasts, roasts and jerky and barbecues steaks and pork chops, among other things. She also serves Icelandic cod, steamers and chicken strips.'

(For another bar built by the Mumpowers in the 1920s, swing across the Clackamas river to the Rock Garden Tavern.)

16150 SE Hwy 224 Damascus, OR 97015 - (503) 658-5226          
Web site: shellysechoinn.com
Reviews: yelp

#1830 - Trader Vic's, Portland, OR - 8/5/2011

Update: The Portland Trader Vics closed in March 2016.

You will excuse, I hope, a little bitter envy from up north. Seattle may retain a little tiki vibe in HulaHula (and let us politely ignore the ghastly sham called  "Tiki Bob's"). But with the return of Trader Vic's in 2011, Portland has the trifecta: the fine, vintage tiki dive (The Alibi), the modern, classy tiki (Thatch/Hale Pele), and the old classic.

Trader Vic's, of course, started it all. Not just the tiki bar, but the tiki movement, resurgent now after a couple decades of decline.  Starting as "Hinky Dink's, across from his parents' Oakland grocery store, Victor Bergeron spread his vision of exotic, idealized Polynesian escape across the country and eventually the world. Of course many others contributed (and some contend Vic's claim on the invention of the Mai Tai), but Don the Beachcomber et. al. were never as expansive and iconic.

 In Seattle we had the very first franchised Trader Vic's (long called "The Outrigger"), from 1948 to 1991, in the Benjamin Franklin / Westin Hotel, then recently had a brief, abortive attempt across Lake Washington in Bellevue. The large thatch lamps from the old Seattle place hung for years in the Crocodile Cafe, before disappearing altogether with the recent change in ownership. I never made it to the old Portland TV's (in the Benson Hotel from 1959 to 1996). But the new one feels just as right and enduring as the Bellevue one felt out of place and fragile. It is large (250 seats) but feels intimate, it looks terrific, and has drinks good enough to make you almost forget all the horrific attempts at tiki drinks you get almost anyplace else.

1203 NW Glisan St (at NW 12th Ave), Portland, OR 97209 - (503) 467-2277
Est. July 28, 2011

Web site: tradervicspdx.com - facebook
Ranked Reviews: oregonlive - portlandmonthlymag - critiki - flickr - eater - tikicentral - portlandmonthlymag - oregonlive - rumconnection - barfly - urbanspoon

#1829 - Jantzen Beach Bar & Grill, Portland, OR - 8/4/2011

A fairly typical hotel lounge in a Red Lion, but with a very nice view of the Columbia River.

909 N Hayden Island Dr, Portland, OR - (503) 283-4466


Web site: redlionontheriver.com - facebook
Reviews: link - urbanspoon - yelp

#1828 - Bullseye Bar, Lakewood - 8/3/2012

The Lakewood, WA instance of the fairly large bars in the 28-restaurant Black Angus Steakhouse chain.

9905 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 - (253) 582-6900
Web site: blackangus.com

#1827 #S1048 - China Gourmet, Seattle - 7/29/2012

Update: China Gourmet closed in Nov 2014

Counting this restaurant in north Seattle as a bar is somewhat dubious, but they do have a physical bar where they serve wine and beer. (If it does count as a bar, it is the northernmost bar in the Seattle city limits.) They also serve reasonably good Chinese (Taiwanese to Northern Chinese) food for very reasonable prices. And their Superpages entry reads charmingly "We have been here for three years to service the wonderfully neighborhoods of north Seattle ..."

14411 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA - (206) 363-3866
Est. 2009 - Closed Nov 2014 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location: Ha Roo Japanese Restaurant and Bar
Web site: chinagourmetwa.com
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor

#1826 #S1047 - Gaspare, Seattle - 7/26/2012

Gaspare and Dianne Trani decided to retire for the full-time restaurant business just three months after this visit to their charming Italian place in a Greenwood bungalow. They operated here for eight years, previously running Gaspare's Ristorante Italiano in Maple Leaf for fourteen, and then Il Gambero in Belltown from 1999 to 2003. They now offer catering services.

Langostino from Gaspare, Seattle

6705 Greenwood Avenue North Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 297-3600
Est. 2004 - Closed Oct 27, 2012 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: gasparesrestaurant.com
Reviews: seattletimes - phinneywood - urbanspoon - thestranger - yelp

#1825 #S1046 - Eddie's Pan Asian - 7/18/2012

It's not often that an interesting chef moves his restaurant from Mercer Island to Aurora Avenue, but north Seattle now benefits from this hidden gem and its variations on Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc. plates. "Chef Eddie" (Sirichai Khoabtrakool) established well liked Thai Pepper and then Thai on Mercer beginning in 1989, and moved to a corner space just west of the north end of Greenlake in 2010. The bar is tiny and limited, and not the sort of place one would hang out in just for drinks, but the food and service are more than good enough to bring you back repeatedly. Familiar dishes are more inventive and high quality than most Thai restaurants, and the service from Eddie himself, his wife and staff is very pleasant. He surprised us with a gift of a signature desert.  We will definitely be coming back.

7821 Aurora Avenue North Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 706-4569
Est. 2010 - 1989 in Mercer Island location - Building constructed: 1923
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: eddies1989panasianrestaurant.com - facebook
Reviews: hungrybloggers - voiceplaces - seattletimes - urbanspoon - yelp - tripadvisor

#1824 - The Melting Pot, Bellevue, WA - 7/17/2012

In general, the Melting Pot chain of pricey fondue entrees is best suited for high school prom dates and group outings where a different experience is more desirable than particularly fine food. And if you are familiar with the Bellevue location, it's hard not to laugh at some of the web site's description ("Situated in the hub of Bellevue's energy and social scene ..."). Nevertheless, you can get a decent cocktail at the small bar there and you can find some pretty tasty appetizers, like their pesto goat cheese plate.

302 108th Avenue Northeast Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 646-2744

Web site: meltingpot.com - facebook
Reviews: zagat - yelp - urbanspoon

#1823 - Redmond's Bar and Grill, Redmond, WA - 7/15/2012

Redmond's is a fairly new, casual restaurant and sports bar in a historic town setting. Terms like "upscale" and "classy" in local reviews must be interpreted with moderation -- it is not a highly formal setting or cutting edge cuisine, but it does feature moderately upscale American comfort foods, including burgers, steaks, salads, and soups (a substantial upgrade, it would appear from the greasy spoon fare that preceded it as Odd Fellow's Grill).

For a history of the large building Redmond's now occupies, I quote from the City of Redmond's City Landmarks web page:


 "Like Lodge Hall, this building was constructed in 1903. Built as a community gathering hall, it has been used by the Eagles and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which occupied the building until 1973.... It was Redmond’s first community and entertainment hall and its first movie house with a projectionist. The building hosted local celebrities including Daphne Rosford Foss - an improvising pianist, accompanying silent movies if the sound system failed, and even entertaining crowds from Seattle. This structure is important because it dates to an early period in Redmond’s development and is a rare example of a surviving wood frame building in the community.

In 1926, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) purchased the building, and when Bill Brown’s Saloon [up the road at 7824 Leary] closed due to prohibition, Redmond’s Saturday night dances moved to this venue. The Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization where residents could reach out and provide support to one another in times of need. In 1970, Edwardian Antiques occupied the building and later the Odd Fellow’s Grill. It is now occupied by Redmond Grill and Sports Bar."

7979 Leary Way NE, Redmond, WA 98052 - (425) 558-9800
Est. Sep 24, 2011 - Building constructed: 1903
Previous bars at this location: Odd Fellow's Grill

Web site: redmondsgrill.com
Reviews: redmond.patch - redmond-reporter - urbanspoon - yelp
History: redmond.gov 

#1822 #S1045 - Izakaya KU, Seattle - 7/14/2012

This is a bar blog, and we stopped in here after having dinner elsewhere. So I don't have anything to say about the izakaya (informal Japanese pub food) and Korean cuisine at this tiny place. That said, it's hardly fair to rate this as a bar, as the bar is minimal (12 different spirits). So try it for lunch or dinner, but if you are looking for a bar, there are, of course, several much better options a short walk up the Ave.

5210 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 524-6101
Est. 2012 - Building constructed: 1975
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: izakayaku.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#1821 #S1044 - Shilla, Seattle - 7/13/2012

Update: Shilla closed in late 2016 after owner Scott Koh was arrested with several of his employees for the kidnapping and beating of his estranged wife's lover in June of that year. It's small triangular plot was sold to developers who plan to replace the restaurant with a 41-story tower.

---

Just as local reviewers said, I'd passed this place hundreds of times and never gone in -- or even stopped to think that it might have a lounge.  Shilla's is a classy, mid-century sort of Korean and Japanese restaurant, which has been around almost 30 years. With my limited knowledge of Korean cuisine and one visit, I don't feel I can opine much on the food, but it does seem to be very popular with Korean families and visiting Korean businessmen.  The lounge is not the most lively of bars, and it won't knock your socks off with the talents of its bartenders. But it does feel like an odd kind of Seattle classic somehow, somewhere between shabbiness and elegance.

2300 8th Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 623-9996
Est. 1985 - Building constructed: 1970 - Closed 2016
Previous bars in this location: Jolly King Restaurant
Web site: shillarestaurant.com 
Reviews: seattletimes - seattleweekly - thestranger - seattletimes - urbanspoon - yelp

#1820 - Anthony's Homeport, Everett, WA - 7/7/2012

1726 W Marine View Dr, Everett, WA             

Web site: anthonys.com
Reviews: eatnabout - gayot - yelp  

#1819 #S1043 - Limelight Thai Bistro and Lounge, Seattle - 7/2/2012

Here's a bad sign when you are a Thai restaurant: You're almost empty, it's raining, and people are lined up in the rain waiting for tables at the Thai restaurant right next door.

So the food is not a particular attraction, and the limited, bland bar would not seem to be (although it was fine for the two next to me drinking raspberry vodka, lemonade, and soda). So I'm failing to see what is.

4545 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 420-2481
Est. June 1, 2012 - Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location:  None known
Web site: limelight-seattle.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#1818 #S1042 - 95 Slide, Seattle - 7/1/2012

The erstwhile Hunter Gatherer Lodge has been transformed into a sports bar by owner Marcus Lalario (Captain Black's, The Saint, Molly Moon, Batch 206). It is named for the most exciting moment in Seattle sports history, when Edgar Martinez doubled home Ken Griffey Jr. in the ultimate miracle of the miracle '95 season, which not only finished off the Yankees but almost certainly preserved major league baseball in Seattle.

So of course this means primarily lots of televisions, lots of soccer, burgers and pub food. I do not know what advantage they will be taking of the nifty rooftop area.

For many years, from shortly after prohibition into the 1960s, this space hosted the Harvard Tavern. In the late 70s, it became Greg Thim and Ken Decker's Brass Door, leading the Seattle gay community out of hole-in-the-wall bars mostly in Pioneer Square to large, open spaces primarily on Capitol Hill (the Brass Door became the Brass Connection when they obtained a license to sell liquor as well as beer and wine). In the subsequent years that Lalario has held the lease, it has been an all-ages and hiphop dance club (The Beat Box, Ghetto Technologies), then Blu, the War Room, and Hunter Gatherers Lodge.

722 E Pike St, Seattle, WA. - (206) 328-7666               
Est. June 28, 2012 - Building constructed: 1920
Previous bars in this location:Harvard Tavern (30s-60s), Forun Tavern (70s), Brass Door/Connection (70s-90s), Blu, The War Room (2005-2009), Hunter Gatherer Lodge (2010-2012)

Web site: 95slide.com - facebook
Reviews: seattlemet - capitolhillseattle - eater - thestranger - yelp