#2586 #S1269 - Bell + Whete, Seattle - 7/29/2014

Bell+Whete, Seattle, WA

Update:  Bell + Whete closed in early 2017 and was refashioned into Belltown Brewing.

Wait, what? Marcus Charles now has a new place with a menu based on the ancient Normans? Well, it's not as bleak as you might guess -- I actually like their modern take on European dishes (pork knuckles, boar, roasted fowl, oxtail, etc.) and they have a broad selection of beers and some fairly nice cocktails to boot. The decor features prints in the style of middle aged woodcut prints with just a little too much shiny metal to remind one of the old medieval themed steakhouses of a few decades ago (anybody remember Barnaby's near Northgate?). Locals know owner Marcus from about a several different bars in town, which currently include Local 360, just a block away, and a portion of the Crocodile Cafe and Mama's Mexican Kitchen also in Belltown. This place seems a little more fastidious and less informally cozy than most his other places have been, but it seems like a nice new alternative.

200 Bell St, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 538-0180
Est. July 12, 2014 - Closed 2017 - Building constructed: 2012                     
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: bellandwhete.com
Articles ranked: heedthehedonist - seattleite - heedthehedonist - gastrolust - seattlerefined - thestranger - yelp - tripadvisor - thrillist   

#2585 - The Office Bar and Grill, Tacoma, WA - 7/27/2014

The Office Bar & Grill, Tacoma, WA

The Office, with an exterior sign made to look like post-its, is a beer and sports centric bar with modern pub food in an old brick building in downtown Tacoma. While it does not appear to have housed many bars over the years (the spaces to the left and right of it have had a few more), I did find one un-named bar listed here in 1913, owned by an R. Rosenbind.

813 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 - (253) 572-3222
Est. Aug 14, 2010
Previous bars in this location: Unknown 1913
Web site: theofficeonpacific.com - facebook 
Reviews: northwestmilitary - tnt - tnt - yelp

#2584 - Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse, Federal Way, WA - 7/27/2014

Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse, Federal Way, WA

Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse is one of a small chain of three Jimmy Macs in the area and part of a much larger group of restaurants in this style in mid-sized towns across America. The traditional American comfort food is pretty good and a pretty good value, and I wouldn't at all mind having a place like this somewhere in my neighborhood to help fill the Seattle steak gap (between crappy steaks and expensive steaks). The vibe is family-friendly, which is to say Pete-unfriendly, and the bar serves up candy flavored cocktails in 25-ounce glasses. (Beers are available in 25-oz, 16-oz or "Sissy 12 ounce.") The exterior is constructed to look like and old west town, while inside there are old signs and license plates on the walls, mid century diner vinyl seats, corregated metal, cutesy handwritten cardboard signs, and a big vat of peanuts (throw the shells on the floor!). The beef cuts are displayed under glass near the entrance -- and I'd be surprised if they didn't price out the possibility of having cattle wandering around that customers could select from like lobsters in a tank. If you are hungry and in a patient mood, it can be a fairly good choice.

P.S. If you stop here for food when it's nice out, consider slipping over the highway and spending a little time at West Hylebos Wetlands Park, which features some nice, short trails and the historic Denny Cabin.

34902 Pacific Hwy S, Federal Way, WA 98003 - (253) 874-6000
Est. 2007 - Building constructed: 2007
Web site: jimmymacsroadhouse.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - yelp - tripsdvisor - zagat   

#2583 - Bud's Saloon and Steakhouse, Milton, WA - 7/27/2014

Bud's Saloon & Steakhouse, Milton, WA

Bud's says it has been around since 1934, but I haven't been able to find primary sources that go back further than the 90s, and tax records indicate that building was constructed in 1951 and either rebuilt or remodeled in 1989. Bud's is a large, suburban, sports bar, dance club, karaoke bar, pull tab room, and everything else, like many suburban bars these days. They feature DJs and live music from middle aged cover bands. The reviewer from  northwestmilitary noted 'One of the employees let me know that Saturday was more on the "country white" side, while Friday's were "more on the dark side." I appreciated his honesty, and the grand tour he gave me.'

So uhhhh, well, there you go.

2702 Milton Way, Milton, WA 98354 - (253) 952-7665
Est. year - Building constructed: 1951/1989
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: budsbarngrill.com - facebook
Reviews: northwestmilitary - yelp 

#2582 #S1269 - The Big Country - 7/26/2014

The Big Country Lakeside Saloon and Kitchen, Seattle, WA 

Update: The Big Country Lakeside Saloon closed in 2015.

The owners of A Terrible Beauty gave this big place on the south end of Lake Union a brief go as a one of those big suburban, western bars -- complete with peanuts, country western bands, and saddles and stuff on the walls. It was an ambitious plan and could have been a fun alternative if it caught on, but it's gone to boot hill.

1001 Fairview Ave N Ste 2000, Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 588-1229
Est. July 4, 2014 - Closed 2015 - Building constructed: 1978
Previous bars in this location: 1Hundred Bistro, Citrus
Reviews: yelp - thestranger 

#2581 - King Solomon's Reef, Olympia, WA - 7/14/2014

King Solomon's Reef Lounge, Olympia, WA

In front "The Reef" (King Solomon's Reef Cafe and Lounge) is a mid-century diner serving both classic American diner food and more contemporary choices for the local student population (buffalo tempeh sandwich, chicken fried tofu strips, vegan chili, etc.). In back the Reef is a pleasantly dark dive bar. The lounge is currently referred to as simply the "Reef Lounge," after being known as the "Coral Room" for most of the second half of the 20th century. Highly recommended.

212 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501 - (360) 742-3199                  
Previous bars in this location: Coral Room
Web site: kingsolomonsreef.com - facebook
Articles ranked: northwestmilitary - thesoundnews - yelp - tripadvisor - culturetrip - happycow 

#2580 #S1269 - Cyclops, Seattle - OOO

Cyclops, Seattle, WA

This entry is posted out of order, as somehow my initial list omitted Cyclops, despite my going there any number of times and it being the inspiration for my own basement bar. It was in admiring the lava lamps on the booths at Cyclops that it occurred to me that I could convert the unfinished full basement of my Seattle bungalow to a lounge, which in turn eventually led to my interest in tiki -- and interest that at first I didn't think anyone else in the world shared in the early 21st century -- and eventually to what I call the Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge.

These were the days of Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire working in his Boy George get-up and Kurt Geissel's mini-television eyeballs slowly tilting back and forth within a metal pyramid frame. Years ago the business was established as Free Mars Cafe, notable for the jello mold covered exterior, before moving from Western Avenue in the late 90s and adding a bar. The new home on 1st Avenue is in the 1909 Glaser Building, orginally home to the Latona Hotel and used as a homeless shelter until the Ace Hotel folks remolded it into a boutique, 28-room hotel. (The Ace Hotel folks subsequently expanded to Portland, Palm Springs and Manhattan.)

But this location hosted bars well before the current building -- The Latona Beer Hall was here by 1890, continuing into the new building until prohibition. Shortly after prohibition the Sunset Tavern opened and remained here into the early 60s. It was briefly the Shaffer Beer Hall (a tribute to pre-prohibition owner H.L. Shaeffer one guesses) around 1983 before Cyclops and its Panther Room opened in 1999.

 The food is solid, the drinks are standard, the vibe is friendly and chill, and the decor is artsy, mid-century pop.

2421 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 441-1677                   
Est. Aug 1999 - Building constructed: 1909
Previous bars in this location:
Web site: cyclopsseattle.com - facebook
Articles ranked: seattletimes - seattleweekly - seattleweekly - tripadvisor - yelp - thestranger