#2052 - Swig, San Francisco - 2/22/2013

A pretty bar with pretty people and good cocktails (it's run by the owners of Bourbon & Branch and Rickhouse) -- and crowded on weekend nights like this one.

561 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102 - (415) 931-7292
Web site: swigbar.com

#2051 #S1117 - Von Trapp's, Seattle - 2/20/2013

Von Trapp's is a capacious, Bavarian wonderland of a bar -- 11,000 square feet on two floors in a former candy factory and, most recently, a furniture store. It has two large, lodge-like fireplaces, five bocce courts ("boules" if you prefer not to use the more common Italian name in a German-themed bar) and a sizable collection of German and Belgian beers which it serves in various containers including 2-liter boots.

Owners Deming Maclise and James Weimann had already recently created ornate, Seattle bars in period themes of France (Bastille), Mexico (Poquito's), and Scotland (Macleod's), before pouring a million and a half dollars and 11 months of remodeling into this, their most ambitious effort yet. The staff at Von Trapp's seem unusually friendly and patient in working with you on what to eat and drink. It was instantly popular, just like their other places in Ballard and Capitol Hill (they subsequently opened "Stoneburner" in Ballard as well). Despite the size, you will find a line on most evenings and on Friday and Saturday evenings they will serve 2,000 people.

Even if you are not a fan of brats and Belgian beer, the decor and atmosphere make it well worth a visit.

912 12th Ave Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 325-5409
Est. Feb 12, 2013 - Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: vontrapps.com - facebook
Best articles: seattletimes - eater - bizjournals - seattlepi - seattlemet - seattlemet - thestranger - seattleweekly - yelp

#2050 #S1116 - Von's 1000Spirits GustoBistro, Seattle - 2/18/2013

Von's 1,000 Spirits on the Harbor Steps is new, and everything about it is very different from its previous incarnation as Von's Roasthouse on Pine. But through various moves, and starting under the name Rippes, this has been a continuously operating restaurant for 109 years.

After opening as Rippes in 1904, the restaurant moved to 4th Avenue in 1923. In 1940 it was sold and renamed Von's, and moved to 619 Pine in 1987. They now take over a space at the top of the Harbor Steps leading from 1st Avenue down to the Elliot Bay waterfront, previously occupied by Wolfgang Puck's and Ipanema. The new version is led by Merrisa Firnstahl-Claridge, daughter of  long-time owner Tim Firnstahl, and great granddaughter of Germanus Firnstahl who founded Sunny Jim Peanut Butter.

While the previous location was known for affordable after-work martinis, the new location lies in a more touristy area just up from Pike Place Market and provides a sort of circus of food and drinks. They claim to have the largest selection of spirits in Seattle (over 1,000, as the name implies), including Louis XIII cognoc for $608 per shot as well as a number they brew themselves in oak casks above the bar. They call the bar "Alchemy" and play up the mad scientist theme, with chemistry lab style filters and flasks and referring to their mixologist as both "alchemist" and "bar scientist." From there they serve circus drinks like a "French Open" (cotton candy melted at your table with Lillet, lemeon lime soda, and "boozey berry gelee") and the "Big Apple Gelee (their in-house, ultra-filtered "Sanctified Vodka", apple pucker, lemon lime soda, and boozey berry gelee). The bartender at my first visit was not well versed in craft cocktails, but was friendly and game for suggestions.

The food too takes some exotic spins on standard pub fare. They don't serve "burgers" and "pizzas," they serve "hamburgs" and "frics." I had their "Classic" hamburg and it is one of the better burgers in the city, using  prime-grade marbled beef, chopped daily in-house, with housemade sourdough brioche bun, shaved iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, packer dills, candied bacon, aged Columbia Valley cheddar, and "Jim's Drive-In sauce."

Clearly this is the establishment of someone who very much wants to be adventurous, and is not interested in sticking to any theme or period. They have a vinyl station which supplies all house music from vinyl, and an iPad bar across from the cocktail bar, where patrons can browse as they drink. I'm not quite sure what to make of it it, but it is plainly not quite like any other place in town.

1225 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101                            
Est. Feb 15, 2013 (Opened as Rippes in 1904, moved to 4th in 1923, renamed Von's in 1940; moved to 619 Pine 1987, current location in 2013) - Building constructed: 1996
Previous bars in this location: Wolfgang Puck's, Ipanema
Web site: vons1000spirits.com  
Reviews: seattletimes - bizjournals - eater - thrillist - yelp - tripadvisor

#2049 - Hare and Hounds Public House, Poulsbo, WA - 2/17/2013

An English style pub in "Little Norway."

18990 Front St, Poulsbo, WA 98370 - (360) 440-9583
Est. Dec 11, 2009
Web site: harenhoundspub.com - facebook
Reviews: kitsapsun - northkitsapherald - yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon

#2048 - Port Side Pub, Poulsbo, WA - 2/17/2013

Update: The Port Side Pub has been replaced by the Brass Kraken.

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Sheila's Port Side Pub / Tavern / Restaurant and Bar is a casual bar over the shore of Liberty Bay on the Kitsap peninsula. It is in the city of Poulsbo, an old cod fishing community that has been known as "Little Norway" for 130 years, and it now plays the theme up considerably to attract tourism. The small town is considerably more dainty than when old Ole Stubb and more Norwegian fishermen followed in the 1880s -- despite a fair number of bars and restaurants, the Port Side is the only place to stay open past midnight on weekends.

The interior of the the Port Side is woody and comfortable, peppered with art and shelves of books, and a few hints of its British-born owner. The most striking feature is a large painting by a local artist, depicting several of the staff and regulars at the bar. It will remain forever unfinished, as the artist herself, painted in the lower right, has passed away.

18779 Front St NE Poulsbo, WA 98370 - (360) 779-9997
Web site: sheilasportside.com - facebook
Previous bars at this location: Viking House
Reviews: yelp

#2047 - Golden Grill, Port Orchard, WA - 2/16/2013

The Golden Grill is on a bit of a hill which provides it a great view of Sinclair Inlet and a confusing entrance for first-timers (you must go up the hill and around the back). To get to the lounge you walk through the long narrow dining room, with a formal sort of appearance, where they serve pretty good classic American-Chinese food. In the lounge itself is a lively karaoke scene with a broad range of characters. One of the highlights of the evening was an arm wrestling match between an old German lady and a 25-year-old kid who looked 13.

1014 Bay St Port Orchard, WA 98366 (360) 876-0333
Web site: goldengrillonthebay.com - facebook
Reviews:  tripadvisor - yelp - urbanspoon - foodspotting

#2046 - Family Inn, Manchester, WA - 2/16/2013

The "Family Inn at Manchester," AKA the "Manchester Inn," is bifurcated into a roadside cafe and cozy lounge with a stone fireplace, collections of shot glasses, and other bric a brac on the walls. There was a medium-sized crowd and a performer playing guitar when we arrived, and at the bar we met Vicki and her friend (whose name I have lost). Vicki once found a book describing the best dive bars in Montana, and she and a friend decided to visit every one of them; so you can see how we had an interesting conversation comparing notes.

The Family Inn and Manchester Pub next door make a nice, complementary set of casual drinking options.

2386 Colchester Dr E Manchester, WA 98353 - (360) 871-8199
Est. 1988
Web site: familyinn.org
Reviews: nancysphotocorner -  tripadvisor - yelp - judysbook

#2045 - Manchester Pub, Manchester, WA - 2/16/2013

The unincorporated community of Manchester, Washington sits on the east edge of the Kitsap peninsula, across a Puget Sound bay from West Seattle. The community was established as Brooklyn in the 1860s and changed to Manchester in 1902. It is the home of about 5,000 people, and of the Manchester Family Inn and the Manchester Pub beside it. The pub is said to be "bike-friendly" and "biker-owned," but it's a genteel, middle-aged crowd in a nautically themed and non-divey setting.

The pub was established in the current space in 1981. When I asked about its history before that, the bartender directed me to another customer at the bar, whose name I forget, but whom she described as "the town know-it-all." The town know-it-all was friendly and couldn't tell us all the historical details, but told us that the pub used to be next door in a hotel built in 1903.

It's a pretty basic, mid-sized pub, with pull tabs, standard liquor and beer options, and a stage and dance area with rock bands on weekend nights.

2350 Colchester Dr E, Manchester, WA 98366 - (360) 871-2205
Est. 1981
Web site: www.manchesterpub.co - facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#2044 - Blue Goose Tavern, Port Orchard, WA - 2/16/2013

The Blue Goose was established in 1948, apparently by a marine and based on one of several military aircraft that have been known by that name (perhaps the B-24 bomber that disappeared in 1942). It had a fun, lively crowd, and we talked to Mike, and MBA who came back to the neighborhood to care for his parents, and now trims trees and bartends. Mike greets everybody enthusiastically and seems like an ambassador for the area, waxing poetic about the lifestyle and his five acres.

1931 Bay St Port Orchard, WA 98366 - (360) 895-8171
Est. 1948
Reviews:  yelp 

#2043 - Hi Tide Tavern, Port Orchard, WA - 2/16/2013

Despite its location in a sort of strip mall, the "Hi Tide Tavern" exterior has a lot of personality, with hand-painted signage and murals of widely varying skill, and an excellent view of Sinclair Inlet from its patio. So it's a little puzzling that inside it looks like a restaurant that should have "Pantry" in the name. The pastel colors, patterned wallpaper borders, and paintings of waves seem like they belong more in a waiting room or senior center than a tavern.

But the folks there are nice, and we had a pleasant discussion with old friends Ernie and Rollie, who spent much of their lives driving delivery trucks for Wonder Bread and Twinkies, respectively.

The menu claims that the Hi Tide has been here since 1926, although it would not have been a tavern since then, and the current building appears to date back to the 1990s. I would have very much liked to have seen the previous version(s).

1371 Bay St Port Orchard, WA 98366 - (360) 876-2248
Reviews: yelp 

#2042 - Pour House Pub, Bremerton, WA - 2/16/2013

An interesting mixture of punks and navy guys, with some fairly good pizza and beer.

(Note: Original Bremerton Pour House was 3 blocks from this one.)

312 Naval Ave Bremerton, WA 98337 - (360) 377-6250
Web site: facebook
Previous bars at this address: Red Rooster, Blue Jacket
Reviews: yelp - urbanspoon 

#2041 - Fuzzy Naval, Bremerton, WA - 2/16/2013

A classic dive bar that appears to have been around since the 30s or 40s (although I found no bar listed at this address until Jesse's Tavern in 1960). It was remodeled in the 70s, and which hoists a fairly boisterous crowd of regulars.

416 Naval Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337 - (360) 782-5487
Previous bars at this location: Jesse's Tavern (1960s)
Reviews: urbanspoon - yelp

#2040 - Wig Wam Pub, Gorst, WA - 2/16/2013

"Gorst, located on the shores of Puget Sound, is primarily a town consisting of stores, auto dealerships, topless espresso stands, and the county's only strip club." -- Wikipedia

The community of Gorst, sitting in the middle of the Kitsap peninsula where the highway forks around Sinclair inlet, is not a major destination for visitors. But just off the current highway, and easy to miss, is a nifty little tavern with character and history -- and a lot of fine northwest beers.  The Wig Wam was built in 1933, right in time for then end of prohibition, and burned down in 1961. A new concrete version was constructed in 1952. It was closed down for several years recently, and only opened again in 2012 because locals kept dropping by asking the new owners about it. It now features a very nice beer selection and good barbecue.  A bit more historical detail from the Kitsap Sun:

'The tavern was operated by Cliff Whitney and later a second generation, the Chamberlain family. The building burned in 1951 and was resurrected in concrete in 1952....  Lila Goakey ran the Wig Wam with husband Loren from 1973 through 1996.... The Goakeys sold out before Loren's death in 2001. Buying the tavern was a woman who changed the name and got rid of the iconic tepee on the sign. The place did not thrive, and closed in late 2009. There was a foreclosure. The Wig Wam sat empty and disheveled.' 

'Business partners Erik Sweet and George Wood bought the 1.44-acre property late in 2011 with no intention of operating a tavern. They wanted to start a brewery for George's craft beers and may still do so out back where the cabins used to be. As they started cleaning it up, people kept stopping by and saying, "Are you going to open up the old Wig Wam?" said Mike Sweet, Erik's dad, who moved up from Texas to manage the tavern.'

'The new sign, modeled after the old yellow and red one, bears a tepee like those used by Plains Indians, not a wigwam, the traditional housing of tribes from the Great Lakes eastward. The Great Plains motif is picked up on new wood-carved restroom signs, with a chief in feather war bonnet. There's a "liars corner" — a vestige of the old Wig Wam — and a quilters' corner. Yes, the Wig Wam has a nicely appointed area, where ladies ply their craft. Rumor has it the old Wig Wam had ladies who plied another craft in the second story, now gone. "That was something everyone laughed about," Goakey said, dismissing the colorful story as hearsay.'

3548 W Belfair Valley Rd, Gorst, WA 98312 - (360) 813-3548
Est. 1933 - Building constructed: 1952
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: pubwigwam.com - facebook - blog
Articles: kitsapsun - portorchardindependent - yelp - taphunter

#2039 - MoonDogs Too, Port Orchard, WA - 2/16/2013

Update: After owner Darryl Baldwin died from cancer in 2015, Moondogs Too closed Oct 31, 2016.

Port Orchard, originally "Sydney," is the oldest incorporated community in Kitsap county, and Moondogs Too is housed in a building constructed on the main business street in the early 1900s, shortly after fire had destroyed most downtown businesses in 1895, and after Sydney won a battle with nearby Charleston in 1903 over which town could rename itself "Port Orchard." According to the Moondogs web site, it was originally the Port Orchard Pool Hall (e.g. listed in 1938 and 1942 city guides), became the Port Orchard Tavern in the 1950s, the Harborside from 1999 to 2004, and MoonDog Bar and Grill in 2005. The current owners liked the MoonDog name, and adopted it in slightly modified form when they acquired the place in 2007.

MoonDogs Too now seems to center the small, somewhat touristy downtown area of Port Orchard (which could nevertheless require a lot of police activity on certain evenings). They serve fairly broad selection of mostly typical bar food and drink options, and host open mike nights and booked acts on weekends -- playing either in a small area of the first floor, a stage area upstairs, or on a pleasant patio. It includes a fine old back bar said to have been constructed in the 1880s.

714 Bay St Port Orchard, WA 98366 - (360) 895-2300
Est. 2007 - Closed Oct 31, 2016 - Building constructed: Early 1900s
Previous bars in this location: Port Orchard Pool Hall, Port Orchard Tavern, Boomer's, Harborside, Moondog Bar and Grill
Web site: http://moondogstoo.com - facebook
Reviews:  yelp - tripadvisor - pugetsoundblogs