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Bars where Pete has had a Drink (5,608 bars; 1,754 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:


Bars where Pete has had a drink

Saturday, December 24, 2016

#2489 #S1228 - Hecho, Seattle - 3/27/2014

Hecho, Seattle, WA
Hecho is the creation of an interesting combination of resident Phinney neighborhood industry folks: Shannon Wilkinson (Little Water Cantina), Chris Navarra (Prost!, Feierabend, Die Bierstube), and Chris Gerke (Nickerson Street, The Ridge). The restaurant in the former Carmelita space features better than average "Mexican street food," along with a nice selection of cocktails with fresh juices.

Hecho, Seattle, WA
Hecho, Seattle, WA
7314 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98103 - (206) 588-1919
Est. March 25, 2014 - Building constructed: 1927
Previous bars in this location: Carmelita
Web site: hechoinseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp - tripadvisor - thestranger

Monday, December 19, 2016

#2814 - Simcoe Tavern, Goldendale, WA - 7/10/2015

I wish I could tell you how long the Simcoe Cafe -- and the Desert Room bar in back -- have been here in Goldendale, Washington. The best I could do was from a 72-yo patron named Lee, who says it's been here as long as he can remember -- and he can remember when he was a kid walking along the then wooden sidewalks. The earliest date I've found evidence for is 1946. The sign appears to date back to 1958 (Goldendale Sentinel, March 27). I have an email into the Klickitat County Historical Society.

It's a small place -- one of the smaller business-to-sign size ratios in the state I'd have to venture. The divey bar is filled with old guys in baseball caps, who sit under octagonal bins that hold dollar bills once pinned to the ceiling. The food is old school bar food, the drinks are cheap and stiff, and the most common phrase in the bar appears to be "No shit."


123 W Main St, Goldendale, WA 98620 - (509) 773-9970                  
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor

Saturday, December 17, 2016

#2813 - The Pastime, Selah, WA - 7/10/2015

I have a particular interest in bars called the "Pastime," since it is the most common name for bars in Washington state (so far I've identified 57 cities and towns in the state that have had at least one Pastime), and because it is much more rare today than half a century ago. But if the name evokes images of an intimate, nolstalgic drinking spot, that is definitely not what you will find in Selah's version.

Selah, with a population around 7,000, is located in the center of Washington state, just north of the city of Yakima and above the confluence of the Naches and Yakima rivers, where the churning water made for particularly good fishing. The name of the city is said to be the Yakima tribe's word "still or smooth water." It has always been small -- citizens marshalled itinerant fruit orchard workers to have the required population to incorporate in 1919. It is now populated largely by apple orchards and juice companies.

I don't know how long there has been a Pastime bar here, but there appears to have been a smaller version since at least the middle of the 20th century just one parcel east on East Naches Blvd from the current location. By the year 2000 city guides list it having moved from the 133 address to the current 125. Whatever it may have been like in the past, the current "Pastime Burgers, Brews & Spirits" is now a large, partying venue, with live country music, hip-hop DJs, security staff, and a steady stream of themed events that can attract hundreds of people. During the daytime it is much more placid, with a handful of older folks, seeming all the more bereft in the large and plain interior, having a Budweiser and a burger, or perhaps some prime rib.

If anyone has any details on the history of the Selah Pastime(s), I would love to hear it.


125 E Naches Ave, Selah, WA 98942 - (509) 697-8303
Web site: thepastimeselah.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor 

#2812 - Savage Moose, Kenmore, WA - 7/9/2015

So here's the scuttlebutt I'm hearing on the Savage Moose, and the Lakepointe Bar & Grill which preceded it: The previous owner of 12 years "screwed over lots of people." So the bartender he was supposed to sell the palce to puchased another joint in Kenmore and took most the customers with her.  Under the current owners, I am informed, customers are coming back.  (All scuttlebutt completely unverified and probably unfair, but that's how scuttlebutt goes.)

Kenmore contretemps aside, the pub remains a prototypical suburban sports bar, with pull tabs, deep fried food, TVs, karaoke, trivia, etc. But even if you don't have a bar hobby, how can you not check out a place named Savage Moose?

18018 61st Ave NE, Kenmore, WA 98028 - (425) 486-8021
Est. April 2015 - Building constructed: 1966
Previous bars in this location: Lake Forest Inn, Lakepointe Bar & Grill
Reviews: yelp

#2811 #S1357 - Greenlake Ale House, Seattle - 7/3/2015

Greenlake Ale House, Seattle
Before new signage to replace BluWater
Foodie friends may mock me for missing the Outback Steakhouse in my neighborhood, but to me this just illustrates their failure to grasp the gravity of Seattle's Mid-Priced Steak Crisis. Of course you can get a lovely steak at The Met, El Gaucho, Ruth's Chris, etc. etc., but at prices you don't want to pay every day. Steaks at everyday meal prices generally taste like crap, and there are slim pickings in between. Many small western Washington cities have it all over Seattle in this mid-price category -- although one of the lessons we've learned repeatedly on our roadtrips across the state is: Don't order the steak at a place that doesn't specialize in steak.

Jak's in Seattle comes pretty close to filling that gap.  It doesn't have quite as affordable options as the small town steakhouses (or the Outback chain), but there are a couple nice corn-fed Nebraska steak options in the twenty-some dollar range. Greenlake Ale House (not to be confused with the bar of the same name on Aurora Avenue in the 90s) is a new place from the Jak's folks across the street from popular Seattle lake and park, and a tad more casual than Jak's. The bar here is pretty boring, but in addition to the steaks they have several better than average samples of modern American pub food. The hummus, steak salad, and blackened salmon sandwich we had all nicely fit just the mid-range comfort food sort of options we were hoping for.

And I'm still hoping for more options like this. We must not allow a steak gap!

7900 E Green Lake Dr N, Ste 10, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 294-5753
Est. 2015 - Building constructed: 1996
Previous bars in this location: Six Degrees, Bluwater Bistro
Web site: greenlakealehouse.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - greenlaker - greenlaker - untappd

#2810 #S1356 - Burdick Brewery Taproom, Seattle - 7/3/2015

With some nice beers still available around the city, Burdick closed its South Park taproom in 2015 due to some expensive upgrades required by the city.


8103 8th Ave S #105, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 397-3839
Est. Nov 1, 2013 - Building constructed: 2003
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: burdickbrewery.com - facebook 
Reviews: yelp - beeradvocate - taphunter - untappd - bartrove

Monday, November 28, 2016

#2809 #S1355 - Lowercase Brewing, Seattle - 7/3/2015

Lower Case Brewing, Seattle, WA
Update: The Lowercase Brewing Tap Room moved from this location to 6235 Airport Way S in May 2016.

Lowercase Brewing is an archtypal microbrewery and taproom -- several nice beers served in a utilitarian, cinder block building, with wire spool tables and a food cart outside. It appears to be sharing or acquiring the space from a landscaping rock business, with many samples left around the grounds, and shares the facility with Burdick Brewing. This is located in a residential neighborhood of South Park, across the Duwamish River from Georgetown, where Japanese and Italian farmers grew produce they would sell in the Pike Place Market they created downtown. It is quite similar to many other taprooms in town, but feels particularly tranquil surrounded by modest, suburban homes.

Lower Case Brewing, Seattle, WA (South Park)














Lower Case Brewing, Seattle, WA (South Park)


















8103 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 258-4987
Est. Jan 17, 2014 - Closed April 30, 2016 - Building constructed: 2003
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: lowercasebrewing.comfacebook
Reviews: washingtonbeerblog - craftbeermonger - twobrewreviewyelp - tripadvisor - untappd - taphunter - beeradvocate

Friday, November 25, 2016

#2808 #S1354 - Faerie Queene, Seattle - 7/3/2015

Update: The Faerie Queene closed in January 2017 and was refashioned by the owner into Pittsburgh Lunch and Superette



While they do have a small bar, the bar is not the focus at Faerie Queene, named for the 16th century Edmund Spenser poem, and tucked away in Pioneer Square. They do not have cocktails, and do not have bar hours (open only on weekdays and only until 6pm), but they do have a small but nice selection of wines and beers. But if you find your way to Faerie Queene it probably won't be for the booze, but rather the elegant but affordable dishes created by owner and chef Una Kim. Kim grew up in the business in her family's "Noodle Ranch" in Belltown, later honed her culinary skills in San Francisco, and then made her mark back home in restaurants like Re:public, Matt's in the Market, and Spring Hill. Many of her soups, sandwiches, salads, and seafood dishes reflect her sophisticated background, but without fancy prices -- I think the most expensive item on the menu was $15.

Faerie Queene, Seattle, WA
















90 Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 816-0522
Est. March 2015 - Closed Dec 2017 - Building constructed: 1913
Previous bars in this location: Bahama's Disco, Board of Directors Room
Web site: thefaeriequeene.co - facebook
Reviews: seattletimesyelp - tripadvisorpioneersquare.org

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

#2488 - French Market Restaurant and Bar, New Orleans - 3/24/2014

The French Market Restaurant and Bar claims to date back to 1803, "Twelve years before Andrew Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans, The French Market Restaurant & Bar began serving outstanding seafood and ice-cold drinks to visitors and natives alike." But I don't now what form(s) that would have been in, have not found any details, and it is not included in lists of the oldest restaurants in New Orleans. But it is, of course, on the edge of the French Market itself, the oldest in America and hosting a rich mix of culture and cuisines here since the 18th century:

"As for the confusion of tongues in the market, it was simply delicious. French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and “Gumbo” contended with each other for supremacy  … There are Gascon butchers, and the Italian and Spanish fruit vendors, and the German vegetable women; there are Moors, with their strings of beads and crosses, fresh from the Holy Land . . . Chinese and Hindu, Jew and Teuton, French and Creole, Malay, Irish, and English, all uniting in an ceaseless babble of tongues that is simply bewildering." (frenchmarket.org)

Some of the buildings, including the space occupied by the Cafe Du Monde, date back to 1813, after the previous structures were destroyed in an 1812 hurricane.

Whatever the history of the French Market Restaurant, it draws in tourists with a giant vat of crawfish steaming in the front window, and a menu full of Cajun and Creole dishes with an emphasis on seafood. This was our last bar and restaurant stop of this trip to New Orleans and it concluded nicely with the blackened alligator.


1001 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 525-7879
Web site: frenchmarketrestaurant.com
Reviews: anythingispossibletravel - neworleansonline - yelp - tripadvisor - neworleansrestaurant 

Monday, November 21, 2016

#2487 - Spitfire, New Orleans - 3/23/2014

The Spitfire bar, not to be confused with the coffee shop of the same name, is a funky, cozy, neighborhood dive that appears to host some good rock shows and alternative events. But this space has an even more colorful history, from the goth bar days in the 90s though the 00s with names like Blue Crystal, to hosting Dada art shows as the Whirling Dervish, to the last lesbian bar in the city of New Orleans as Rubyfruit Jungle.

During the goth days it hosted the Cure and dragged Trent Reznor out to meet Robert Smith, as well as witnessing Eddie Vedder and Cy Young award winning pitcher Jack McDowell in a bar brawl that left Black Jack unconscious after a bouncer's left hook knocked his head into the wheel of a jeep. Later Rubyfruit Jungle moved here, and when it closed in 2012 it was the last lesbian bar in a city that a few decades ago had nine of them -- the bars apparently no longer needed as hidden community centers and furtive social gatherings relived in the local play "Last Call."

Spitfire Bar, New Orleans, LA
The names change and the themes vary, but some spaces just seem destined to always host joints with real character, and whether there's high drama or just a chill crowd of interesting people, always feel like a good place to be.














Spitfire Bar, New Orleans, LA















1135 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 524-9822
Est. June 2013 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location: Blue Crystal, The Crystal, Pendragon's, Crowbar, Whirling Dervish, Rubyfruit Jungle, 1135 Decatur,
Web site: facebook - facebook - twitter
Reviews: nola.com - yelp

Sunday, November 20, 2016

#2486 - Vaso, New Orleans - 3/23/2014

This capacious "superlounge" is not among my favorites in the Frenchmen Street area, but a nice thing about this place, even more than most of New Orleans, is that you can stroll past, step into the open doors with no cover, take in a bit of the (blues, jazz or reggae) music, decide if you want to invest the time it takes to get a drink, listen to the band for a few minutes or a couple hours, then, drink in hand or not, stroll on down the road.

1407 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 272-0929
Est. 2011
Previous bars in this location: Belle Forché Criolle
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2485 - 13 Bar and Restaurant, New Orleans - 3/23/2014

Funky, vegetarian friendly cafe and bar open til 4am


















13 Bar, New Orleans, LA
517 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 942-1345
Web site: 13monaghan.com - facebook
Reviews: nola.com - yelp - tripadvisor - thrillist - neworleansingreen - neworleansonline 

Saturday, November 05, 2016

#2484 - Tiki Tolteca, New Orleans - 3/23/2014

Tiki Tolteca, New Orleans, LA


Tiki Tolteca is upstairs from Felipe's Taqueria in the Quarter, and, about eight months after this visit on the same block as famous tiki author Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29. Tolteca was a little spare, light, and commodious for a tiki bar, but that might be expected for a place that recently started out as a pop-up open a few nights a week.

It definitely delivered on the cocktails. We chatted with bartender Richard "Trader Dick" O'Dell, who had recently devised his Hurricane entry for Tales of the Cocktail. His "Subtropical Itch" was excellent -- a concoction I liked as much as any tiki cocktail I've ever tasted.

Trader Dick, Tiki Tolteca, New Orleans, WA
In 2014 the bar won a popular vote for Best New Bar in the Country run by Food & Wine, as well as a list of the 21 best new bars in America from Thrillist, a USA Today list of best tiki bars, and an award for 'Best Place To Make Out/Make Up/Have The “More Than Friends” Discussion/Go On A First Date/Go On A Third Date/Profess Your Undying Love/Propose.' From virtually no quality tiki cocktails a few years ago, the Big Easy now has at least three bars that focus on craft tiki drinks (Tolteca, Latitude, and Cane & Table) along with very nice tiki choices commonly offered at several other craft shops, including Sobou, Bar Tonique


Tiki Tolteca, New Orleans, LA

301 N Peters St (2nd floor), New Orleans, LA 70130 - (504) 267-4406
Est. May 2013
Web site: tikitolteca.com - facebook
Articles ranked: thetikichick - critiki - tikicentralnola.comnola.com - bestofneworleans - eater - gonola - yelp  - shermanstravel - sixtyhotels - wwno - bestofneworleans - frenchquarter

#2483 - 700 Club, New Orleans - 3/14/2014


 
 
 
   
This place is a notch less frenetic than the gay clubs at Bourbon Pub and Oz, but it's still a lively crowd. And while the cocktails are fruity and sweet like so many gay bars and bars on Bourbon Street, the versions here are a notch above, featuring actual fresh herbs and fruit. It's also apparently one of the larger gathering points for LSU and Saints games.

In case you don't get the irony of the bar's name matching the television program run by Pat Robertson -- who has explained why gay rights have resulted in hurricanes striking the city -- the bathrooms here are labeled "Adam" and "Steve."





We met some fun European guys here, but I've long lost their names and the exact country they were coming from.




700 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 561-1095
Web site: 700clubneworleans.com - facebook
Reviews: nola.com - gonola - yelp - tripadvisor