#2578 - Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR - 7/14/2014

Columbian Theater and Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR

Astoria Oregon's Voodoo Room is a small, dark and funky New Orleans themed music venue and bar incongruously connected to the Columbian Theater and Columbian Cafe. There are only a small number of seats but the lounge seems to host a vibrant music scene with a range of alternative and country bands. During the daytime it is a relaxing setting for dark spirituality, pizza, some good local beers and liquid spirits.

The Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR

Ashleigh, our bartender, who was moving to Seattle in 2 weeks

1102 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103 - (503) 325-2233                    
Web site: facebook
Reviews: oregonlive - nytimes - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2577 - Snug Harbor Bar and Grill, Lincoln City, OR - 7/14/2014

Snug Harbor Bar and Grill, Lincoln City, WA

I love the Oregon coast and this is a classic Oregon coast joint. It doesn't feel old, with all the brightly glowing sealed fir and modern looking interior, but they claim that it is the "oldest continuously operated bar on the Oregon coast" and that it was established in 1927. Of course 1927 was in the middle of prohibition so that doesn't answer the question of how long the (licensed) bar has been running, and I'd love to confirm in some primary sources that it has been here with the "Snug Harbor" name for about that long.



In any case, today "the Snug" is as comfortable as a private beach cabin, with nice people, good clam chowder and food, a moderately lively atmosphere, and a nice garden patio on the roof for sunny days.

5001 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City, OR 97367 - (541) 996-4976
Est. 1927 (restaurant)
Web site: snugharborbarandgrill.com - facebook
Reviews: letitpour (music) - oregoncoast - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2576 - Joe's Crab Shack, Vancouver, WA - 7/13/2014

This is Washington state's sole representative of the TGIFriday's of seafood, which peaked at 130 restaurants in 2014, before closing 40 locations in 2017. The decor is corporate kitch and the food is perfectly good, but order cocktails carefully, as most seem as if they were designed for the numerous preadolescents scampering about the place.

101 Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661 - (360) 693-9211
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor 

#2575 - A Roadside Attraction, Portland, OR - 7/12/2014

A Roadside Attraction, Portland, OR

Portland has a lot of interesting bars pop up in unexpected places, but this junkyard oasis of Americana is one of the most striking and one of my favorites. The food is pretty good, the drinks are pretty good, but it is the indoor and outdoor decor that feels like an extended, tranquil drug trip.

1000 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97214 - (503) 233-0743
Web site: facebook
Reviews: thrillist - yelp - barflymag - tripadvisor - pdxmonthly  

#2574 - Star Theater, Portland, OR - 7/11/2014

Originally opened as the Princess Theater in 1911, this venue soon became home to a number of mostly bawdy uses over the years, hosting burlesque acts and strippers from Tempest Storm to Courtney Love. For several years it was owned by director Gus Van Sant, and subsequently transformed into several different nightclubs. In 2011 the owners of Dante's took over, and it's now a concert venue and event space, with a nice outdoor courtyard area and a lot of character. (This visit was for the opening event of Portland's TikiKon 2014, which included a few acts much in the spirit of the history of the venue.)

13 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97209                        
Est. 2011 (current venue), 1911 as Princess Theater
Previous bars at this location: Vivid, Level, Five Star Theater 
Web site: startheaterportland.com - facebook
Reviews: wikipedia - portlandmercury - yelp - tripadvisor

#2573 - Ming Lounge, Republic Cafe, Portland, OR - 7/11/2014

Republic Cafe and Ming Lounge, Portland, OR

I do not know how long Portland's Republic Cafe has has a (licensed) bar, but the cafe  has been around since prohibition and in the 70s the bar extended to the entire current banquet room. (pdxmonthly) If you like lounges in Chinese restaurants this one is not to be missed.

The Republic Cafe, established in 1922, is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Portland, and the Ming Lounge, "the most beautiful seedy bar in Portland," (wweek) is the last remaining Chinese dive bar in this city's Chinatown. The romantic, scarlet glow of the cozy bar section is a perfect mood setter, the cafe serves classic American Chinese, and the lounge offers the cheap, heavy pours of a classic dive, but with a wider range of cocktails than the typical dive.

Ming Lounge, Portland, OR 

222 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 - (503) 226-4388                    b
Web site: republiccafeportland.com - facebook
Reviews: wweek - pdxmonthly - yelp - tripadvisor - barflymag

#2572 #S1268 - Cozy Nut Tavern, Seattle - 7/10/2014

With a small, dark space in my neighborhood featuring dioramas and taxidermy, I am immediately sold. To cement the deal, they have some nice and interesting cocktails, some good beers, and tasty small plates. The Cozy Nut was opened by four friends who have worked at places like Cha Cha and Bimbo's and at least some of home have some pretty nice craft skills. They poured the brass lamp frames, created the bar out of slices of telephone poles and covered the happily dark interior with wood from an old Duvall barn. One of them explained the organizing design theme as "Where would a a gnome hang out?" (seattletimes), and it looks like they nailed it.

The Cozy Nut Tavern, Seattle, WA

The Cozy Nut Tavern, Seattle, WA

123 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 784-2240
Est. July 9, 2014 - Building constructed: 1949
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Articles ranked: seattletimes - seattlemag - yelp - thrillist - king5 (video) - notfortourists - thestranger - eater - phinneywood - tripadvisor 

#2571 - Red Dog Saloon, Maple Valley, WA - 7/5/2014

Red Dog Saloon, Maple Valley, WA

The Red Dog Saloon is less than 20 miles southeast of the Seattle city limits but it is plainly a rural bar. It is popular with bikers, which for my money is highly reliable indicator of good bars once you get outside the larger cities. It appears to be an old farm site, with a sizable back yard area between the Cedar River and the Maple Valley Rention Highway. The back area features large cedar trees, a moss covered shed, horseshoes, cable spool tables, and a stage for live bands.

I have very limited data on previous incarnations, but it appears to have been the Red Dog since around 2012, Vinnie's Pub and Grill for a few years before that, and the Cedar Inn Saloon during the 90s. The main building was constructed in 1933.

Red Dog Saloon, Maple Valley, WA

The people are mostly friendly (although at least one man was stabbed to death in a Saturday night bar fight after reportedly saying to a bar regular, "Oh you're going to stab me? Really?"), and the food is unusually good versions of burgers, hot wings and other standard pub fare. The bar sponsors and hosts many of the events you'd expect from a popular rural bar, including live music on Friday nights, jam nights, car shows, chili cookoffs, karaoke, taco Thursdays and pinochle -- and a few you might not (an "arts and carafes" painting night and being part of a "Biker Games" weekend that includes a "Weanie Bite."

And like most places in an older building, some people believe it has a ghost -- although our bartender heard about a saloon up north where the owner eventually found out that the employees that were getting objects thrown at them by ghosts the ones that were stealing from him. I'm not sure that lesson that leaves us to draw.

Red Dog Saloon, Maple Valley, WA

The Red Dog is a good choice when you're looking for a relaxing respite south of Lake Sammamish.

18606 Maple Valley Hwy SE, Renton, WA 98058 - (425) 413-8600
Est. 2012?  - Building constructed: 1933
Previous bars in this location: Cedar Inn, Vinnie's Pub and Grill
Web site: facebook
Reviews: bikerfriendlybar - yelp

#2570 #S1267 - Lantern Brewing Tasting Room, Seattle - 7/5/2014

Lantern Brewing, Seattle

Lantern Brewing is one of 60 or so craft breweries in the city of Seattle but the only one that is two blocks from my house. I am of no help at all in telling you which of these various tap rooms you should try first, as they virtually all have the same basic vibe for me, they pretty much all have some very fine beers, and my preferences vary much more from beer to beer than from brewery to brewery.

Chris Engdahl started producing beer as a business in Jan 2011, using 26-gallon tanks in a basement space on Greenwood Avenue. In 2013 he moved to larger equipment and a drab, concrete warehouse space just off Aurora Avenue. Like so many other microbreweries in town, he carved out a tasting room space inside the warehouse and extending to the asphalt parking lot outside, with a nice wood bar counter, picnic tables, games, a good truck schedule and a friendly, ex-computer guy making beer. If you are partial to Belgians or a lot of unusual ingredients like mulberries, pickled beets, and squash, then this brewpub may stand out for you. These are not particularly helpful for me to separate Lantern from the many other nice microbrews and taprooms in town, but the advantages of having it within two blocks of stumbling distance should go without saying.

Lantern Brewing, Seattle

938 N 95th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 729-5350
Est. May 1, 2014 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: lanternbrewing.com - facebook
Articles ranked: washingtonbeerblog - phinneywood - seattlegreenlaker -  seattletimes- yelp - beeradvocate - untappd - thrillist