#2249 #S1158 - Rachel's Ginger Beer, Seattle - 8/6/2013

I may get banned from Seattle for saying this, but I don't much like Rachel's Ginger Beer. That amount of sparkly sweet carbonation is just not my thing. I also don't like RGB in my cocktails, as it tends to overwhelm the other ingredients (I don't like most champagne cocktails either). However, I could well be the only person in the greater Puget Sound region that feels this way, as it seems like everybody else loves, loves, loves Rachel's Ginger Beer.

In any case, I do like seeing these local entrepreneurs making it, I like seeing this sort of shop in the market, I like that it has various cocktails made with RGB, even if they are not my favorites, and I love the Montana bar that Rachel and co. run. So I'm still a sort of fan, and my lack of love is not shared by anyone else I know.

1530 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 467-4924                  
Est. July 20, 2013 - Building constructed: 1983
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: rachelsgingerbeer.com - facebook
Articles ranked: seattletimes - thestranger - american hipster (video) - seattletimes - seattlebloggers - yelp - seattlemet - eater - seattlemag - eater

#2248 #S1157 - RockCreek, Seattle - 8/1/2013

This is an airy, woody, two-story building named after the favorite Montana fishing hole of owner/chef Eric Donnelly (Sazerac, Oceanaire, Toulouse Petit), and serving upscale seafood dishes made from ingredients from around the world. I was not overwhelmed by either my dishes or cocktails, but lots of people love the place and I do see some great pictures of their dishes online, so I will need to give it another go.

4300 Fremont Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98103 - 206 557-7532
Est. July 31, 2013 - Building constructed: 1966
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: rockcreekseattle.com - facebook
Ranked Articles: thestranger - seattleweekly - seattletimes - seattlemet - yelp

#2247 - The Hideaway Cardroom, Shoreline, WA - 7/27/2013

Update: The Hideway is now closed, and was replaced by The Hidden Door in 2020.

This modest, ordinary place is one of the older locations for a bar in the Seattle area. There was a Hideaway Beer Parlor listed at 12505 Aurora in 1934 and it appears to have moved to this address by 1935. It appears to have been established in its current form of bar and cardroom in 1976, sitting conveniently just across the street from the Seattle city limits and regulations. It is now dominated by the 7 poker tables, filled with men of all ages and a few little old ladies. The American-Chinese food values are quite good -- e.g. you can get a massive bowl of soup for $3.

14525 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133 - (206) 361-9393
Est. 1935 - Building constructed: 1917
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: hideawaycasino.com
Reviews: yelp - themogh

#2246 - Maddox Grill and Bar, Lynnwood, WA - 7/27/2013

Update: Maddox Grill closed in May 2014

Previously in a small space in Richmond Beach, this version of the Maddox Grill opened in 2014, server American comfort food in a Denny's-like setting along Highway 99.

18411 Washington 99, Lynnwood, WA 98037 - (425) 778-2223
Est. 2004 - Closed May 2014
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: maddoxgrill.com - facebook
Reviews: link - yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon

#2245 - Shots n Scores, Lynnwood, WA - 7/27/2013

Lynnwood, north of Seattle, is the 30th largest city in the state of Washington, and I consider it to be the largest city in the state without a single interesting bar. I'm referring to the physical places, food, and drinks, and lots of very boring bar locations can be quite enjoyable because of the fun and interesting people who come there, so I am not ruling that out. But I prefer a  place with character -- ANY kind of character -- that adds some kind of personal touch and distinguishes it from hundreds of other bars across the country.

Lynnwood's bars are mostly chains and seems determined to squeeze out what little remaining character there is -- e.g. minimizing the nautical theme of Daverthumps and at least the interesting name of "None Of Your Business" and replacing them with cookie cutter BSSBs (Banal Suburban Sports Bars). The most remarkable feature of BSSBs is that they have no remarkable feature. Like hundreds of other BSSBs, they generally include the following:

• All or virtually all decorations and wall hangings are corporate paraphernalia -- Budweiser, NASCAR, etc.  No personal items, local photos, etc.
• Pulltab bins
• Standard bar food - fried foods, burgers, salads, maybe pizzas and tacos.
• Lots of televisions and beer company sports decor.
• Regular karaoke
• A good selection of beers
• Cocktails that appear to be designed for sorority girls - flavored vodkas, super sweet, Fireball shots, jello shots
• A Facebook page dominated by photos from Halloween
• A majority of customers wearing baseball caps, often backwards
• A hastily carved out smoking area in back, with plastic furniture
• Usually in the outer parts of cities, or in medium-sized towns, often in a strip mall

Again, the most important part of a bar is probably the people there, so bar settings with no personality can sometimes be a great bar stop if they attract a fun and unusual crowd. I went at the wrong time of day to know if that's the case with Shots and Scores, so maybe I'd be surprised.

17711 Washington 99, Lynnwood, WA 98037 - (425) 742-0861
Est. 2012 or 2013 - Building constructed: 1945
Previous bars in this location: None of Your Business, Inn Tavern
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2244 #S1156 - Alibi Room Greenwood, Seattle - 7/26/2013

This new instance of the Alibi Room in a small Greenwood strip mall does not have the sexy space of the original off a cobblestone alley under Pike Place Market, but it's definitely a nice addition for people like me who live nearby. They have decent cocktails, good wood-fired pizzas and some simple but very tasty appetizers, including their apple and brie plate.

10406 Holman Rd NW, Seattle, WA 98133 - (206) 783-4880
Est. July 24, 2013 - Building constructed: 1988
Previous bars in this location: Snoose Junction (Part Dieu)
Web site: greenwoodalibi.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp - phinneywood

#2243 - Bake's Place, Bellevue, WA - 7/25/2013

Downtown Bellevue seems like an odd place for a jazz club, and Bake's is in an odd part of downtown Bellevue.  It's away from any considerable foot traffic and away from the malls, but still in the business core at the foot of a pedestrian 8-floor office building. It's not the sort of space that attracts people who don't know where they are going, but that doesn't appear to be a major problem for Craig Baker, who's been pulling fairly large crowds in for music performances in various other unlikely venues, including his basement and the Washougal, WA Grange Hall.

It's pretty sedate when the music is not playing, but that may not be a problem as virtually every evening it morphs into a swanky, relaxed yet formal jazz club, or sometimes blues, R&B or Latin music. It quite intentionally has a vibe similar to Seattle's Jazz Alley, with a crowd and space that emphasize listening to the musicians rather than a steady road of chit chat. The food and cocktails are better than average, and after much negotiation they've become able to use the patio of the building, which is one of the nicer lunch spots in the area on sunny afternoons.

155 108th Ave NE #110, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 454-2776
Est. May 11, 2012 - Building constructed 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bakesplacebellevue.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - seattletimes - thebellevuescene - yelp