#2593 #S1275 - Toronado, Seattle - 8/19/2014

Toronado, Seattle, WA

Update: Toronado closed March 17, 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic.

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Matt Bonney has been a big part of the Seattle beer scene for many years, helping to build and manage Brouwer's, Bottleworks, and the Burgundian. He now has his own place, using his connections with San Francisco's Lower Haight beer mecca Toronado to open a Seattle location, and his connections with craft brewers around the country to bring in some much sought after brews. He's also added a serious food menu -- no typical tavern fried food, but rather sandwiches, soups and charcuterie built from your selections from 45 menu choices. Unlike the original -- as well as the version in San Diego -- Bonney also offers liquor, with a good selection of bourbon, scotch and tequila. He and his brother were friendly hosts, and put a bit of their own touch on the decor, although it still seems a bit spare, and I'd expect it to accrue character over future years.

1205 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 525-0654
Est. Aug 4, 2014 - Closed Mar 17, 2020 - Building constructed: 1947
Previous bars in this location: Mutiny Hall
Web site: toronadoseattle.com - facebook
Articles ranked: seattletimes - washingtonbeerblog - newschoolbeer - seattlebeernews - eater - seattlemet - ratebeer - beeradvocate - yelp - thestranger 

#2592 #S1274 - Maple Bar, Seattle - 8/19/2014

The Maple Bar, Seattle, WA

Search online for "Maple Bar Seattle" and you will find stories about an infamous late night maple bar heist from Top Pot Doughnuts by a former Seahawks star. But "The Maple Bar" bar is a joint that opened up in the space of the much beloved Maple Leaf Grill, which spent the last 15 years of its 25 year run tucked into this north Seattle bungalow. The cozy neighborhood restaurant is now run by cousins Libby Cook and Heather Ramsay, who have also been running Daphne's up north in Bellingham. In addition to the intimate, friendly atmosphere they serve some nice takes on traditional diner dishes, along with some refreshing shrubs and other cocktails with an emphasis on fresh juices. (And yes, at least the last time I was there, you can get a maple bar at the Maple Bar.)

8929 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 - (206) 402-6135
Est. Aug 23, 2014 (soft open previous weekend) - Building constructed: 1925
Previous bars in this location: Maple Leaf Grill (1999-2014)
Web site: maplebarcocktails.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - mapleleaflife - yelp - tripadvisor - thestranger 

#2591 #S1273 - Vittles, Seattle - 8/17/2014

Update: Vittles closed in October 2017, noting that they are looking for a new location.

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Vittles, Seattle, WA

I don't even know how to describe the menu at Vittles. It's as if someone took a broad menu from a cross section of American restaurants and told the chef, okay, make all these, but a little smaller and a lot more interesting. There are crab beignets, watermelon feta salads, polenta, poutine, calamari, and various fancy burgers and flatbreads and pastas and salads -- and all prepared a bit better than you normally see. They also have some pretty good cocktails, and for a while in 2016 employed Seattle's legendary bartender Murray Stenson (which must have garnered some attention from the folks at Rob Roy next door). You won't wind up here from thinking "I feel like XYZ cuisine tonight," but that shouldn't keep you from going.

2330 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 - (206) 448-3348
Est. Aug 2014 - Closed Oct 2017 - Building constructed: 1950
Previous bars in this location: Madhu
Web site: vittlesseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: zagat - eater - thestranger - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2590 #S1272 - Taylor Shellfish, Seattle - 8/16/2014

Taylor Shellfish, Seattle, WA (Pioneer Square)

Oysters. I'm not a fan. And I certainly can't understand anyone who would look at a geoduck and think, hey, I'd enjoy having that in my mouth. On the other hand, people are weird, lots of them treasure the slimey things, and people have been eating them in these parts for a few millenia. And if I'm honest, the dungeness crab that I see as one of the very most delightful things to have in your mouth is almost as counter-intuitive.

Washington state produces more oysters than any other state in the country, and the largest oystering company in North America is Taylor Shellfish. J. Y. Waldrip, the great-great-grandfather of the Taylors currently running the business started pulling oysters from the area in the 1890s. It was the current generation's father, Justin Taylor, who built the business into the largest in America, and at times he had to fight to do it, filing the first environmental lawsuit in Washington state to save and restore the south Puget Sound oyster populations from pollution killing off the industry in the 50s and 60s. The Taylors are also credited with saving the Kumamoto stock after it became virtually extinct in Japan. (Washington state is now home to all edible species of oyster, but with the exception of a small number of Olympias, these are not native to the area.) Today the Taylors remain vigilent on the environmental front, as ocean acidification from rising global carbon emissions once again threaten oyster populations.

Over the last few years Taylor Shellfish has opened three retail restaurants in Seattle, two of which I count as bars (i.e. having a physical area dedicated to alcoholic drinks where minors are not allowed). The Pioneer Square version is located in the Washington Shoe Building, constructed in 1891-92 in the wake of the Great Seattle Fire having destroyed the machine shop previously on the premises. The Washington Shoe Company operated here for eight decades before moving south to Renton in 1996. To date I have identified no bars previously in the space.

The interior of the restaurant is simple and pleasant with lots of exposed brick. The food focus is of course seafood, but they complement this with a very solid bar program featuring choices like Boulevardiers, Corpse Reviver $2s, Torontos, and Last Words. It's a pleasant stop just north of the sports stadiums -- You can have the oysters, I'll have the crab, and we'll leave the geoducks to the tourists.

410 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA - (206) 501-4060
Est. July 22, 2014 - Building constructed: 1892
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: taylorshellfishfarms.com - pioneersquare - facebook
Articles ranked: seafoodnews - thestranger - suzi-pratt - drunkentomato - seattlemet - oysterrater - yelp - tripadvisor - thrillist - eater 

#2589 #S1271 - Box House Saloon, Seattle - 8/16/2014

Box House, Seattle, WA (Pioneer Square)

The Box House, named for the theater-bar-brothels that peppered this side of "skid road" in the late 19th century, states that it keeps the spirit of those days alive and maintains a "country spirit." It's not abundantly clear how they're doing that, however, unless it's the 1800s-style flatscreen TVs playing sports or the old fashioned country disco balls and lasers. I guess the do have liquor, just like people did in the 1890s, and they have a couple Tex-Mex items on the menu. But the real play of the Box House is sports bar by day and dance club at night. I don't see a unique draw here and that could be a tough call with the competition on the same block in both areas, but they've already made it past the three year mark, by which approxiamtely half of all new bars and restaurants have closed.

124 S Washington St, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 748-9975
Est. Aug 14, 2014 - Building constructed: 1900 or earlier
Previous bars in this location: The Borderline, Dutch Ned's, Last Supper Club, The Fenix
Web site: boxhouseseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp 

#2588 #S1270 - Monsoon, Seattle - 8/11/2014

Monsoon, Seattle, WA

Monsoon has been here since 1999 but they did not add the lounge until 2014, a few years after owners Eric and Sophie Bhan had begun expanding to new Monsoon and Ba Bar locations in the Seattle area featuring craft cocktail bars. This was the first restaurant from the Bahns, siblings who grew up in Saigon and fled with their parents to a Malaysian refugee camp, then Seattle by way of Alberta (seattleweekly). They currently run two Monsoon locations and three Ba Bars, all serving largely revolving menus of some of the better plates in the region, with a special focus on modernized versions of Vietnamese dishes using local northwest ingrediants. Some of the favorites people mention are the caramelized Idaho catfish claypot with fresh coconut juice,  and green onion, the oxtail pho, and the grilled Monterey squid stuffed with duck meat and La Lot beef. This location also includes a rooftop patio that I have yet to experience.

While the craft cocktails do not disappoint, this location in particular feels like much more of a dinner or lunch stop than a place where you would hang out at the bar. I may have to go a couple more times before I'm sure I'd put it among my top stops strictly as a bar, but if you're hungry I would not hesitate.

Monsoon, Seattle, WA

615 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 325-2111
Est. 2014 (bar), 1999 (restaurant)
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: monsoonrestaurants.com/seattle
Articles ranked: thestranger - seattlemag - winesandspirits - okgourmet - fearlesscritic - seattleweekly - seattlemet - richardsilverstein - edibleseattle - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2587 - J. Michael's Pub and Eatery, Redmond, WA - 8/3/2014

In most ways this is a standard suburban stripmall sportsbar (despite being just off Redmond Way and near downtown), but it is a little more homey than most. Along with better than average pub food, they have bingo, trivia, chili cookoffs and a bison head.

J. Michael's Pub & Eatery, Redmond, WA

Suburban Stripmall Sportsbar Checklist

Located in strip mall or shopping center
 On a highway
TVs with sports on
Lots of corporate beer paraphernalia
Pull Tabs
Pub Food Menu - Burgers, Salads, Pizzas, Wings, Tacos, Steaks
Karaoke
Pool Tables
Cocktail focus on sweet juices and flavored vodkas
75% male customers
Backwards baseball caps
 Middle aged cover bands (70s rock, soul, funk) on weekends

"Severed with chips"?

15770 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - (425) 883-6065
Est. 1985? - Building constructed: 1966?
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: seattlepi - yelp - tripadvisor