Rotgut.org Blog

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

#2639 - The Cedar Stump, Arlington, WA - 10/19/2014

The Cedar Stump Restaurant and Lounge, Arlington, WA

Update: The Cedar Stump closed in late 2019 or early 2020.

I can't find much history of this place. There was a Cedar Stump Tavern on Old Highway 99 in Arlington from at least the 50s to the 80s. I don't know how long the current Stump has been here. It's a medium-sized roadhouse sort of bar, with a considerable back patio area, live music, pool tables, corporate beer parahernalia, and fairly standard pub food and drinks.

19711 Smokey Point Blvd, Arlington, WA 98223 - (360) 386-8112
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: john taffer appeal - yelp - tripadvisor

Saturday, March 17, 2018

#2638 - Big Lake Bar and Grill, Mount Vernon, WA - 10/19/2014

Big Lake Bar & Grill, Big Lake, WA

The city listed in the address for the Big Lake Bar and Grill is nearby Mount Vernon, but passers by know it as Big Lake and older locals refer to it as the old community of Montborne. The lake itself is not huge, but it stretches for over two miles along Highway 9, about two thirds the way from Seattle to Canada. Inside the Big Lake Bar and Grill there's a large old photo of the old Montborne community, founded by Dr. H.P. Montborne in 1884, and snippets on the area's history and historic houses.

There's been a tavern at this location for many years. "The tavern operated under several names: the Montborne Tavern, Jim's Tavern, Pat and Marty's Tavern, Sherm's Tavern, and Jo D's, and it is currently the Big Lake Bar and Grill, referred to by locals as the Big Lake Tavern." (Big Lake Valley)

Big Lake Bar & Grill

Today it is a 50s themed diner and bar, with many of the stereotypical touches of the theme -- the Route 66 signs, classic cars, photos of Elvis, black and white checkered patterns. The menu is also lartely what you would expect with this theme, augmented by an outdoor barbecue and a good selection of beers.

18247 Washington 9, Mt Vernon, WA 98274 - (360) 422-6411
Previous bars in this location: Montborne Tavern, Jim's Tavern, Part and Marty's Tavern, Sherm's Tavern, Jo D's
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - jeepspubtaverns
Big Lake Bar and Grill song - youtube

#2637 - Big Rock Roadhouse, Mount Vernon, WA - 10/19/2014

Big Rock Roadhouse/Tavern/Grocery/Cafe
Mount Vernon, WA

This gas station, grocery store, diner, tavern, and music venue has been in business in one form or another here, just outside the city limits of Mount Vernon Washington and just south of Nookachamps Creek, for over 100 years. It was called the "Big Rock Tavern" from the years of prohibition to the 1980s; a photo on the wall from '28 shows then owner Clarence Barney with his jazz band performing there. Some locals recall subsequent owner Floyd Schopf roasting beavers for the patrons. It's run under any number of variations on "Big Rock"/"BigRock" names over the years (the titular volcanic mound rises just across the highway).

Big Rock Roadhouse, Mount Vernon, WA

It closed again a year or two after this 2014 visit -- someone told us the roundabout on the corner of Highway 9 out front had hurt business -- but reopened December 10, 2017. The menu contains much of the modernized pub food you'd expect from a community gathering place presenting lots of different products to folks young and old. There's the obligatory Taco Tuesday, clam chower on Fridays, and specials like Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Chicken and Waffles with Sriracha maple syrup. There's a good selection of beers and a patio for warmer days.

The previous owners had hosted musical groups from Knut Bell to zydeco, and the current owners appear to be keeping the long-running musical tradition alive. Like a lot of places we visit along our roadtrips, I'd love to come back to see what must be a very different personality on a Friday or Saturday night.

I wouldn't let a roundabout disuade you from stopping in.

14779 Washington 9, Mt Vernon, WA 98273 - (360) 424-7872
Web site: facebook
Articles ranked: goskagit - yelp - locality - tripadvisor - untappd

#2636 - North Fork Beer Shrine, Deming, WA - 10/11/2014

North Fork Beer Shrine, Deming, WA

I feel fairly confident stating that North Fork is the single finest beer shrine pizzeria beer museum wedding chapel in the greater Mt. Baker area. The pizza and comfort foods in the cozy roadhouse space make this worth stopping for (and for over 100 couples, worth getting married at). But their beers are the star attraction.

"The North Fork Brewery produces beer in the time-honored, time-intensive style of British Ales, Barrel-aged Belgian style Sours and Lagers, light and black. Our small batches (109 gallons) are hand transferred from fermentation to conditioning and on to serving tanks or oak barrels where they are served directly in our tap room, ensuring a fresh pint every pint."

6186 Mt. Baker Highway, Deming, WA 98244 - 360-599-2337
Est. 1997
Web site: northforkbrewery.com - facebook
Articles ranked: beersatthebottom - washingtonbeerblog - traptrail - huffingtonpost - beerblotter - cascadianbeer - northsoundlife - kulshan - yelp - tripadvisor - beeradvocate - untappd - ratebeer

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

#2635 - Maple Falls Cafe, Maple Falls, WA - 10/11/2014

Update: The Maple Falls Cafe closed sometime in 2015 or shortly thereafter.

Maple Falls Cafe, Maple Falls, WA

Sam Hassan is an interesting guy. He's founded restaurants in South America, in London, and Seattle. In the latter he founded a couple Brazilian restaurants followed by Paratii Craft Cocktails in Ballard, before moving north to the decidely non-urban community of Maple Falls Washington -- population 324. There, above the North Fork of the Nooksack River, and 5 miles south of the Canadian border, he created a distillery that makes a smokey bourbon, a smokey rye, and a smokey rum, and ran a tiny restaurant called the Maple Falls Cafe.

I have to confess to chuckling as we approached the place on the side of the Mount Baker Highway and saw a readerboard message about "amazing cocktails." But our fear of flavored vodka monstrosities quickly disappeared as we reviewed the menu of Brazilian fusion choices mixed with classic American comfort foods, and asked the server a few questions about cocktails. Sam quickly made his way from the kitchen and was very involved in understanding our tastes, providing us samples, and making some excellent cocktails to go with our fine meals.

The Maple Falls Cafe is now gone, but you can still enjoy Sam's engaging personality and surprisingly sophisticated food and drinks just 8 miles down the highway. He took over Milano's Italian Restaurant in Glacier, and added Bar Veneto. It is far from our beaten tracks, but we are eager to try it the next time we are anywhere close to the area.

7471 Mt Baker Hwy, Maple Falls, WA 98244 - (360) 599-1800
Est. 2013
Previous bars in this location: Slide Mountain Bar and Grill
Web site: facebook
Reviews: mountbakerexperience - yelp - tripadvisor - bakerbirchbay

Saturday, March 10, 2018

#2634 - Tavern Hall, Bellevue, WA - 10/7/2014

Tavern Hall, Bellevue, WA

If you must have a big Bellevue Mall bar, let this be it. The modernized comfort foods sit in a nice balance between old school pub fare and fancy, upscale plates and are affordable too. It's a sports bar filled with TVs, but that theme is neither dominating nor formulaic. Far from the standard jerseys and 8x10s, the noticeable elements of the decor include church windows from Portland, a light fixture from an aircraft hanger, a large clock from Buenos Aires, decorative boulders from Baltimore, lanterns from Coney Island, and the facade of an old New York psychiatric hospital. Even the televisions are discretely unintruding, leaving it to the customer to decide whether to follow a game.

Tavern Hall, Bellevue, WA

There are two bars, 20 beers on tap, and some good cocktails. It is a refreshingly stolid turn from the Vegas-y Munchbar from some people who have created a number of good bars -- Marc and Bret Chatalas own The Cactus down the hall as well as in various locations of Seattle, and James Weimann and Deming Maclise have had a string of hits with Rheinhaus, Bastille, Poquitos, Stoneburner, and Macleods. It was a reliable place for lunch when I worked in downtown Bellevue, and it's a nice choice for big games -- full of enthusiastic fans but not oppressingly loud.

700 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 - (425) 454-7500
Est. Oct 5, 2014 - Building constructed: 2005
Previous bars in this location: Munchbar
Web site: tavern-hall.com - facebook
Articles ranked: seattletimes - seattlemet - eater - yelp - tripadvisor

#2633 #S1284 - Lucia, Seattle - 9/23/2014

Lucia, Seattle, WA

Lucia is a modern looking Italian restaurant at the base of Greenlake Village, a new condo complex with a dispiriting design that is the near opposite of the quaint connotation of "village." The decor of Lucia itself is certainly not unattractrive, but seems like it could have been transferred directly out of a catalog, with the familiar standards of Edison bulbs and wine racks, and nothing particularly personal evident. My bruschetta was not good -- the bread was neither fresh nor crispy (I would hope it would be one or the other), the toppings were fairly standard and the portion unusually small. The spaghetti bolognese was quite average, and the service was adequate but perfunctory. The cocktail list is not designed for serious drinkers -- starting with perfectly fine elements but adding sparkly and/or overly sweet components -- so I would stick with the wine here.