#2207 #S1150 - Billy Beach Sushi and Bar, Seattle - 6/22/2013

I'm not a good judge of sushi. But not only has Billy Beach been running or worked at what seems like every modern sushi bar in Seattle (Japonessa, Wasabi Bistro, KushiBar, Rain, I Love Sushi), but this new ballard restaurant serves some very nice original and traditional cocktails. I especially enjoyed the Diesel Fuel (bourbon, Cocchi Torino, Zucca, whiskey barrel aged bitters), by bartender Cameron.

5463 Leary Ave NW Leary Ave NW, Seattle, Washington 98107 - (206) 257-4616
Est. May 1, 2013 - Building constructed: 1950
Previous bars in this location: Paratii Craft Bar
Web site: billybeachsushi.com - facebook
Reviews: onceuponabite - thrillist - ballardnewstribute - seattlemet - eater - yelp - thestranger

#2206 #S1149 - TanakaSan, Seattle - 6/22/2013

TanakaSan is a new and basically particularly inventive izakaya restaurant from Tom Douglas and his long time executive chef Eric Tanaka. "T-Doug" is the most prominent chef in Seattle, particularly in the downtown area, and Tanaka has been with him since 1993. I keep waiting for some new piece of Douglas's growing mini empire to be disappointing, but it just never happens.

Douglas and Tanaka do not refer to this place as izakaya, since that does not communicate the breadth or inventiveness of the contemporary, pan-Asian fusion menu (Douglas called it "LA punk Asian").  It is part of a large mall of shops that Douglas calls "Assembly Hall" at the base of new condo building. The bright, modern setting is not my prefered sort of setting to relax and have a cocktail, but the food is excellent and the cocktails are creative and good.

(I will have get some better pictures on a return trip.  See Foodspotting or heyprettything)


2121 6th Ave Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 812-8412
Est. June 10, 2013 - Building constructed: 2013
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: tanakasanseattle.com - facebook
Suggested articles: seattlemet - seattletimes - eater - seattlemag - surlygourmand - gastrolust - culinaryfool
More articles: seriouseats - thestranger -

#2205 - Lake Forest Park Bar & Grill, Lake Forest Park - 6/15/2013

"This place is always hopping," says one review.  Hmm, it seemed somewhat sterile and slow when I was there, and at 10:30 on a Saturday night, no less.  But this chain does a good job of serving a fairly good, fairly standard American restaurant menu in its various locations -- Greenlake Grill, Eastlake Grill, and Bremerton.  What makes this one less interesting to me than the Seattle locations is that those have some great locations with a patio looking out upon Lake Union and across the street to Greenlake.  This one is stuck in the corner of a typical suburban shopping center, so while it is seems a decent, convenient choice for folks who live nearby, there doesn't seem to be anything in particular to tempt anyone from outside the neighborhood.

17535 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 - (206) 364-1261
Est. May 21, 2009 - Building constructed: 1965
Previous bars in this location: Fandango's, Coco's
Web site: lakeforestbarandgrill.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp

#2204 #S1148 - Chico Madrid, Seattle - 6/12/2013

Chico Madrid closed on April 13, 2014

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It's a little unclear whether to count the short-lived Chico Madrid as a bar, as it was more a cafe emphasizing charcuterie and bocadillos (Spanish baguette sandwiches).  But it did serve wines, beer, sangria, shrubs, and other largely juice-based cocktails around a horse-shoe shaped bar or counter. It was in a bright, small space at the bottom floor of an apartment meeting on one of the more moderately traveled commercial sections of Capitol Hill, and run by the people behind Honore Bakery and Fuel Coffee in the neighborhood.

711 Bellevue Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Est. March 28, 2013 - Closed April 13, 2014 - Building constructed: 2013
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: chicomadrid.com - facebook
Reviews: seattlemet - seattletimes - seattlemag - yelp

#2203 #S1147 - Ristorante Picolinos, Seattle - 6/3/2013

Anybody who lives in the Ballard area, or who is just looking for a relaxed, quality meal in a nice outdoor setting on a sunny Seattle day, should keep Picolinos on their list. It is easy to miss, sitting on a semi-commercial, suburban stretch off the main roadways, but the patio is one of the best in Seattle. Tom Bailiff opened this place in October 2008, just as the mortgage crisis was taking down the world economy. He'd taken an entire half block of shops in a 1940 building and remodeled them into a mini Italian villa, with four separate dining rooms, including the lounge, and a large, shady, terrace garden in back. Here he serves better than average classic Italian food and wines, as well as fairly standard cocktails. The food is good enough to put it on your must-try list, but the thing that will bring you back, once you have experienced, is the almost secret garden patio in back.

6415 32nd Ave NW Seattle, WA 98117 - (206) 781-8000
Est. Oct 2008 - Building constructed: 1940
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: ristorantepicolinos.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - bizjournals - roullard - myballard - yelp - urbanspoon

#2202 - The Hobnobber, Burien - 6/2/2013

This is a vintage dive which the current owner, Jack, has run since 1974. There is Witco on the walls, beer and wine only behind the counter, and the entire place looks like it's barely changed since it was built in 1967.

447 SW 153rd St, Burien, WA 98166 - (206) 433-9987                
Building constructed: 1967
Previous bars in this location: None known
Reviews: yelp - seattleweekly

#2201 - Mark, Burien, WA - 6/2/2013

This is a pleasant setting in old Burien, particularly on nice days. But the food and drinks are fairly pedestrian.

918 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA 98166 - (206) 241-6275
Est. 2006 - Building constructed: 1951
Web site: markrestaurant.com - facebook
Reviews: seattlebloggers - yelp - urbanspoon