#2382 - Frank's Hide Away, Winlock, WA - 12/28/2013

There's not much unique in the physical place that is Frank's Hide Away, it's a typical small town dive, with Marilyn Monroe and James Dean prints, a lot of corporate beer paraphernalia, various Seahawks signs, and a small batch of mostly male, baseball cap wearing locals. The cocktails could lead one to question whether you're in bar or a candy store, with names like "Jolly Rancher" and "Gummi Bear." But one unmistakably unique feature is the snippet of conversations you occasionally overhear from some of the old folks there:

"They got robots now. You can't teach robots feelings. You go to shake their hand and they'll fucking crunch your hand."  

"There's no wind on the moon."

Stay safe from the robots, folks.

108 E Walnut St, Winlock, WA 98596 - (360) 785-0331                    
10 tc, 8 mc, 7bc, 0bbc

#2381 - The Club, Winlock, WA - 12/28/2013

Like it. Nice dive. Nice characters.

In Winlock, Washington, home of "the world's largest egg," the Club claims to have been here since 1933.

318 NE 1st St, Winlock, Washington 98596 - (360) 785-3143
Est. 1933 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: facebook
Reviews: link - link - link

#2380 - Barley Mill Pub, Portland, OR - 12/28/2013

This is a McMenamins, which means if you live in the Pacific Northwest you already have a pretty good idea of the menu, beers, and general vibe. If you have not been to a McMenamins, you can count on better than average bar food and their own better than average craft beer selections, in a colorful setting crammed with art that looks like it was created for a 60s underground zine. This actually the first joint venture of the brothers McMenamin, who, at least count, now have some 65 brewpubs spreading out from Portland and across the Northwest and beyond, often rescuing beautiful old buildings. The Barley Mill also emphasizes a Grateful Dead theme.

1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214 - (503) 231-1492
Est. June 22, 1983 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: The Scuttlebutt (1934-1977), Fat Little Rooster (1977-?)
Web site: mcmenamins.com - facebook
Reviews: portlandmercury - yelp - tripadvisor - barfly - beeradvocate - travelportland

#2379 - The Central Club, Kirkland, WA - 12/26/2013

For the first 28 years of the city of Kirkland's existence there were no legal bars -- it started as a dry city from the date of its incorporation in 1905. Perhaps Kirklanders are making up for that these days, as in recent years they tend to dominate the county in DUIs (1, 2). The city was never completely dry, however, as druggists were allowed to sell liquor for medicinal purposes, and for example during a 6-month period in 1918, the afflicted of the city were prescribed 13,444 gallons of whiskey, 3,441 gallons of brandy, 1,744 gallons of gin, 4,140 gallons of wine, and 33,840 quarts of beer. (3)

Central Tavern, Kirkland

Like its neighbors Bellevue and Redmond to south and east respectively, Kirkland is now an affluent area, the shipbuilders and wool workers of its earlier days now replaced largely by tech workers from Microsoft, Google, and other IT companies in the area. It is a long way from its beginnings in the 1880s, where Peter Kirk dreamed of making it the "Pittsburgh of the west." Having gobbled up neighboring communities like Houghton and Hubbard, it is now the 12th largest city in the state of Washington.

Photos from the Central Tavern in the 1940s

Kirklanders wasted little time legalizing beer once federal restrictions were removed, voting to allow beer in April 1933, the month the Beer and Wine Revenue Act first allowed it. It was only three years after that when L.C. Streeter and Joe Reidt established the Central in a location across the street from where it operates now, moving to the current location around 1940. (4)  To this day the bar defiantly remains a cozy neighborhood joint with character and characters, happily resisting the onset of chains, modernization, and bland development.

On this particular visit I much enjoyed a chat with bartender Drea, along with customers Guy and Dan, the latter of whom owned the Central Saloon in Seattle during the 80s.

124 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 827-0808
Est. 1936 at 111 Central, c.1940 at current location - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: centralclubkirkland.com - facebook
Reviews: link - yelp

#2378 - Hector's, Kirkland, WA - 12/26/2013

Hector's has been around since 1975, although it has been substantially remodeled from the more divey version of a decade ago. It is comfortable and unremarkable, serving American standards (steaks, burgers, sandwiches, salads) along with a few nods to more contemporary trends (kale & quinoa salad). The back bar is a striking antique mahogany work, which is worth a visit in itself. The cocktail menu is best avoided -- "Vintage cocktails" included a Spiced Appletini, a pomegranate margarita and something called a "Purple Hector" made with grape vodka.

Antique mahogany back bar at Hector's, Kirkland, WA

112 Lake St S, Kirkland, WA 98033 - (425) 827-4811
Est. year - Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars in this location:
Web site: hectorskirkland.com - facebook
Reviews: link - seattletimes - yelp - tripadvisor

#2377 #S1200 - La Romanza, Seattle - 12/22/2013

La Romanza, West Seattle

Update: La Romanza closed in August 2014 and was eventually replaced by Mark Fuller's Supreme.

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West Seattle's California Avenue is happy jumble of styles and eras. It's ability to preserve old mom and pop places and easy mix of downscale with upscale makes me think of the stretch as Seattle's bit of Portland. So it seemed perfectly sensible to me that here, a block from the divey Poggie Tavern and Corner Pocket, across the street from a junky "antique" store, near the casual hipster West 5, a yoga studio, and a cupcake store, someone would create a delicate "Tuscan Tea Room" that looked like a break room in the Palace of Versaille.

La Romanza, West Seattle

Aimee Pellegrini, whose parents run the Italian Bistro "La Rustica," started a flower shop here catering to weddings. This she gradually expanded to an ornate, white clothed tea room and bistro on certain evenings of the week, adding a cocktail bar in April 2012 and eventually growing into a full-time Italian restaurant with live acoustic music. It closed in August 2014, and with it we lost a bit of the variety of this avenue, still one of the better bar walks in the city.

La Romanza web site 2014 (Wayback Machine)

4521 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 906-9914
Est. April 26, 2012 (Nov 9, 2010 as Tuscan Tea Room) - Closed Aug 2014 - Building constructed: 1946
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: laromanza.com (wayback machine)
Reviews: seattletimes - westseattleblog - thestranger - yelp

#2376 #S1199 - The Bridge, Seattle - 12/22/2013

This is the new version of The Bridge, now in the old Chuck and Sally's location after being forced out of their original location in the former Redline space. You won't find me coming here for the sugary, fruity cocktails, but if you want to watch a game with a spirited crowd and better than average bar food menu (with a french fry bar!), this is one of your better choices in town.

6301 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136 - (206) 402.4606
Est. Dec 2013, current location; 2011 on 35th - Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars in this location: Chuck & Sally's Tavern
Web site: thebridgeseattle.com
Reviews: seattleweekly - seattlemag - westseattleherald - yelp - urbanspoon - thestranger