#2390 #S1202 - Bill's Off Greenwood, Seattle - 1/4/2014

Update: This location of Bill's closed in June 2016 and was sold to the owners of Bleachers Pub, who were forced out of their location for a city park.

After 32 years as a stolid, unpresumptuous pizza joint on Capitol Hill, Bill's Off Broadway was forced to move out for the construction of yet another mixed use condo building with retail on the ground floor -- the kind of building, that is, that are fulfilling increased demand for living space on the hill while simultaneously eliminating the large chunks of the character that made it attractive in the first place. Bill's eventually moved back into the new building, but the owners first looked for a space in the neighborhood that they could temporarily occupy. Failing that -- in part because of the competition from other businesses being forced out of their homes by big development projects -- they eventually found this new location in Greenwood, which they now maintain even after they reopened in the new building in their old Capitol Hill space.

This Bill's is more errantly a sports bar, with more TVs and pennants, and with tables, booths and walls constructed from the bleachers and gymnasium floor of Battleground High in Vancouver. It seems to have basically the same menu -- nothing fancy, but pretty fair pizza and bar food and a friendly, comfortable vibe for watching games.

8560 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 708-1400
Est. Oct 17, 2013 - Closed June 2016 - Building constructed: 1937
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: billsongreenwood.com - facebook
Reviews: link - myeverettnews - yelp - tripadvisor - untappd

#2389 - Bison Creek Pizza, Burien, WA - 1/1/2014

Bison Creek Pizza, Burien, WA

The grand old bar in Bison Creek Pizza features a plate reading "Bison Creek Dude Ranch -1891." The Bison Creek Dude Ranch was established in Montana in the 1920s, starting under a different name. A long-time worker at the restaurant told me that the original owner used to say that he got the bar from Butte, Montana, but that he later corrected his story and told her he actually obtained it in Tacoma. As there is no "Bison Creek" that I know of in Washington, I suspected that this came from the Montana dude ranch, though I did not know whether to think that the "1891" is the actual age of the bar or an old timey affectation for the ranch (established during prohibition).

A note from Keith Schauf help clarify the dude ranch portion of the story:

"I own Bison Creek Dude Ranch and my parents owned it back in the late 1960's, when Rod Cross and Tim Davis worked for Glacier Park Company at the East Glacier Park Lodge.  They enjoyed coming out to Bison Creek Ranch to go horse back riding for for dining.  Often they organized groups of people to come to Bison Creek.  The original ranch was established in the early 1900's actually before prohibition, but it was established under the name of the Broken Arrow Ranch.  It was in the 1940's when the name was changed to Bison Creek.  When Rod and Tim moved to Seattle to open their business they were trying to decide what to call their business.  What they told my parents was that the place where they remembered having the most fun was at Bison Creek Dude Ranch and so named their business Bison Creek Pizza.  I have no idea where the bar came from.  Bison Creek never had a bar.  It allowed guests dining there to bring their own alcohol.  At one time Rod and Tim had three Bison Creek Pizza locations. I would guess the sign may very well be something Rod and Tim had made." (Keith Schauf, personal correspondence, Jan 2, 2014)

In any case, Bison Creek Pizza debuted in West Seattle in 1975 and expanded to this location, in what for many years had been the Burien Theater, in 1977. In between Bison Creek and the theater, the location briefly housed Big Bob's Pipe Dream Restaurant, a 300-seat, multi-tier pizza restaurant that included the large, four-manual 1918 Wurlitzer organ from the Coliseum Theater, which the KING-TV owners sold to Bob White for $1.

Today Bison Creek is no longer run by the original ownership, but continues as a fairly standard, old school, neighborhood pizza joint. It's best to stay away from the cocktails, with options one would imagine seeing on a cocktail menu at a Chuck E. Cheese, were legal to openly market liquor to 10-year-olds (Jolly Rancher Passion Fruit Punch, Skittles, Red Hots, Red Vines, Pineapple-Orange, etc. etc.) But it's a good enough stop for some pizza and beer, and if you haven't seen the back bar, that alone is worth a trip.

630 SW 153rd St, Burien, WA 98166 - (206) 244-8825
Est. 1977 - Building constructed: 1957
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bisoncreekpizza.com - facebook
Reviews: b-townblog - yelp - tripadvisor

#2388 #S1201 - Millers Guild, Seattle - 12/30/2013

Update: Owners announced the closure of Miller's Guild, due primarily to the COVID pandemic, in May 2021.

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Miller's Guild is about meat and wood and fire. The source of the fire -- and virtually all of the food, including vegetables -- is a 9-foot, wood-fire grill, which is the center of gravity of the place. And it can get hot:

It's so hot that those working it wear welder aprons (and gloves)—a lesson learned after realizing that cotton t-shirts heat up intensely. (In fact, the original idea of shirts with decals was ditched when the plastic started melting onto the cooks' bodies.) It's so hot that workers are limited to just two days per week on the hot side of the grill. It's so hot that chef Jason Wilson jokes that his biggest challenge is "stocking up on lotion and ChapStick." (Serious Eats)

The master of this fire is Jason Wilson, chef-owner of Seattle's highly regarded Crush. But while Crush serves delicate dishes in the homey rooms of an old bungalow, Miller's is virtually its atavistic opposite. The menus of both are driven by locally sources ingredients, but the focus of Miller's is a nose-to-tail butchery, including 75-day dry-aged beef, all prepared over the open flames. Both places also serve creative and very nice cocktails, and at Miller's the wood theme includes 13 casks of oak-barrel-aged cocktails over the bar. You won't go wrong with any of the choices here, although you should be prepared to pay upscale prices.

612 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 443-3363
Est. Dec 17, 2013 - Building constructed: 1926
Previous bars in this location: Red Fin
Web site: millersguild.com  - facebook
Articles ranked: seriouseats - olivalazer - seattlemet - seattlemag - seattleweekly - iheartfoodndrink - alittlebiteoflife - seattletimes - thestranger - komonews - eater - yelp - tripadvisor

#2387 - Marlarkey's Sports Grill, Issaquah, WA - 12/29/2013

A pretty typical white suburban strip mall sports bar, Malarkey's has a large menu of standard sports pub food (burgers, steaks, salads, sandwiches, fried foods) and is a pretty fun place to watch a Seahawks game.

1025 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027 - (425) 392-6356
Est. 2004 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: Sam Malone's Pub and Eatery
Web site: malarkys.net - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2386 - Pine Lake Ale House, Sammamish, WA - 12/29/2013

Even if it were not set in a small community set alongside a lake of the same name, the "Pine Lake Ale House" would evoke images of a lodgey building amidst tall trees sloping toward a crystal clear lake, no? Well, not so much. But you do have a fair view of the Safeway across the parking lot.

Even the sign on the building looks generic here. But they do have a good selection of beers, with a menu of fairly typical contemporary pub food.

640 228th Ave NE, Sammamish, WA 98074 (425) 898-9099
Est. 2001 - Building constructed: 1986
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: pinelakealehouse.com - facebook 
Reviews: issaquahpress - chroniccravings - yelp - tripadvisor

#2385 - The Log Cabin, Lacey, WA - 12/28/2013

There's no hint of logs at the Lacey Log Cabin -- just rows of blue glowing pulltab bins like aquariums at a pet store, the standard beer corporation paraphernalia, and the occasional van coming through the wall. They do have a good mix of ages and gender, and all the suburban strip mall bar basics.

7035 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 - (360) 438-3651
Reviews: yelp

#2384 - The All In, Onalaska, WA - 12/28/2013

The only bar in Onalaska, Washington, the All In (often spelled "All Inn") is a fairly large place with a broad range of ages. The animal heads and fishing lures tell you that you're headed toward the mountains, and the beer and food selection are classic local bar fare. We chatted with bartender Dee (who presumably is the one who makes this 'the home of the "Dee" Burger,' as announced by the sign out front).

1783 Washington 508, Onalaska, WA 98570 - (360) 978-4631
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp

#2383 - Brown Shack Tavern, Salkum, WA - 12/28/2013

Salkum Washington is an unincorporated community of about 700 people just north of the Cowlitz River, between I-5 and the Mt. Rainier National Park. It is said to be named for the Cowlitz tribe's word for "boiling water," inspired by the roiling waters of Mill Creek. The business community of Salkum appears to be one grocery store and the Brown Shack Tavern, the latter greeting you with a handpainted hillbilly sort of sign and an asymmetric gabled roof extended to cover a small expansion. Inside you can see the shape of the original gambrel roof, with the later expansion clearly demarcated by unpainted particleboard.

I believe it was bartender Shannon who told me that the bar had been here since 1920, though it would not have been a licensed bar at that time. Another sign that the place may have started out as a soda fountain is the eye-catching back bar, which features a plate reading "L.A. Becker" -- an early 20th century manufacturer of soda fountain equipment. I'd love to get some solid information on when it became a licensed bar.

Nowadays, as you probably expect for the only bar in tiny town, it is a little bit of everything for everybody. Lots of old folks, but also young, pull tabs, karaoke, live music and dancing, and sometimes even a male stripper for the Salkum ladies. On the customer side, the formica bar top is worn all the way through wood simulating color. It is one of a dwindling number of true taverns (beer and wine only) and on this visit I spotted an 86 List with 5 names on it. Since then a new owner took control in the following July, so perhaps "Miss Kitty," "Donny (Sandy's husband)" and the other three folks have a chance to start afresh.

155 Salkum Heights Dr, Salkum, WA 98582 - (360) 985-2603
Web site: facebook
Reviews: roadtrippers

#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