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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

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

#2668 #S1295 - Terra Plata, Seattle - 12/6/2014

The best way to get a sense for Terra Plata is to simply take a quick look through the photos on their Facebook page or yelp. You'll see a wide array of lovely small plates, and eventually you'll get to a photo of the rooftop garden. Owner/chef Tamara Murphy was well known in Seattle for her work at Campagne and Elliot Bay Cafe, her Belltown restaurant Brasa, and her Smoke Farm event Burning Beast. At this restaurant in a 100-year-old auto showroom at the edge of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the food is the star, but the cocktail menu -- heavily reliant on the garden -- is not to be underestimated.

For this visit I enjoyed a Dexter Gordon (cognac, Zucca, Chinato d'Erbetti, absinth, bitters) and a Cucumber Snow Cone. For dinner I had roast pig (chorizo, clams, tomato, hot smoked paprika, sofrito, bay-scented potato, chicharron) and Trista had the Beef Salpicon (charred wagyu sirloin, chili-potato puree, vegetable escabeche, chimichurri). Yum.


1501 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 325-1501
Est. Oct 26, 2011 - Building constructed: 1912
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: terraplata.com - facebook 
Articles ranked: seattlemag - theinfatuation - seattletimes - thestranger - yelp - tripadvisor - zagat 

Sunday, April 22, 2018

#2667 #S1294 - Himalayan Sherpa House, Seattle - 12/5/2014


Himalayan Sherpa House, Tangletown, Seattle, WA
Update: Himalayan Sherpa House closed Aug 15, 2021.


If you drive around Seattle, perhaps letting friends and events take you from one area to the next, you'll discover a lot of distinct neighborhoods, but it is very unlikely that you'll discover "Tangletown." In addition to being off the beaten path from any one well known area to another, the surrounding streets are all cattywampus, as the roads angling off the curves of Greenlake intersect with the neat grid platted north/south and a third section of angular streets that looks like it was pasted over the top the others in some kindergarten project.

But if you do stumble upon the "microhood" where Wallingford meets Greenlake, you know there's a small cache of bars and restaurants that make it well worth firing up your Google Maps. This brief commercial stretch of 55th/56th Street has a cozy, decades old dive (Leny's), an abstrusely named, upscale restaurant from one of Seattle's most famous chefs (mkt.), a Japanese dessert bakery (Hiroki), a top notch craft beer bar (Burgundian), a brew pub, a donut shop, and a hot dog shop -- and once hosted Seattle's best tiki bar. Now you can add to that a Nepalese/Tibetan/Indian restaurant named "Himalayan Sherpa House" not simply because of the evocative description but because their family name is actually "Sherpa."

Tangletown neighborhood, near in Greenlake
The vibe is elegant and intimate, and the food and cocktails were quite pleasant.The small bar across from the white tablecloths has a limited by nice selection of wines, cocktails, and beers including a house brew that thew worked on with Boundary Bay.


2227 N 56th St, Seattle, WA 98103 - (206) 633-3538               
Est. Nov 9, 2014 - Building constructed: 1928
Previous bars in this location: Eva, Brie and Bordeaux
Web site: himalayansherpahouse.com - facebook
Reviews: seattlegreenlaker - eater - wallyhood - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2666 #S1293 - Spaghetti Western, Seattle - 12/3/2014

Update: Spaghetti Western closed in March 2015

I very much liked La Bete, owner, chef and CIA graduate Aleks Demitrijevic's previous restaurant in this location. So I approached Spaghetti Western with mixed feelings, including curiosity, as usual when a placed that is always packed when I try to get in suddenly closes. And that's not to mention the odd combination of BBQ with specialized Italian pasta dishes. In addition to indulging his interest in smoked meats, Demitrijevic seems to be aiming at driving more business out of the limited space -- for which the rent increased 33% in his 4 years there -- by delivering something more conducive to take-out. Preview articles have also noted an increase emphasis on cocktails, so who's complaining?

Spaghetti Bolognese at Spaghetti Western, Seattle, WA
I've lost my notes on my cocktail from this visit but I remember remember enjoying it. For food I enjoyed the spaghetti this time, although a glance at the patters of BBQ coming out of the kitchen made me revise this plan for the next visit. It seems like another swell joint in this space.
















1802 Bellevue Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 329-4047
Est. Nov 11, 2014 - Closed March 29, 2015 - Building constructed: 1925
Previous bars in this location: La Bete, Chez Gaudy
Web site: facebook
Articles ranked: capitolhillseattle - seattlemetcapitolhillseattle - eater - yelp - thrillist - tripadvisor 

Saturday, April 21, 2018

#2665 #S1292 - Good Bar, Seattle - 12/1/2014

"Good Bar," in the historic Furuya Building, Seattle
You had me at Sloppy Joe. But in addition to their upgraded take on that school lunch favorite, some folks from Marination Mai Kai serve a very nice selection of craft cocktails from a historic building in Pioneer Square, remodeled in fine congress with that history. The stone building know as the Pacific Commerical Building or Furuya Building was constructed in 1899-1990 and first housed the Seattle substation of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company. Soon after that it housed the main store of the M. Furuya Company, "the largest Japanese-owned commercial enterprise on the Pacific coast." It grew from two to five stories in 1905, and in 1907 hosted the Japanese Commercial Bank, later to evolve  into the Pacific Commercial Bank.

Furuyama's businesses collapses in the wake if the Great Depression, with the Pacific Commercial Bank folding in 1931. The retail business was susequently reorganized under the ownership of some employees, who moved it 1941 just before losing the business entirely a year later as they were forced into the infamous internment camps.

The top two floors, lost in the 1949 earthquake, were restored in 2013. The Good Bar owners have preserved the old vaults and much of the decor, adding a white marble bar and small kitchen that serves patrons on the ground floor and a surrounding balcony above. The have a television tucked away for some sort of special occasions, but I have never seen it on. Why they chose a name bound to confuse people is not clear to me, but my cocktails were first rate and the Sloppy Joe lived up to its reputation --  highly recommended if you go.


240 Second Avenue S., Seattle, WA - 206-624-2337
Est. Nov 22, 2014 - Building constructed: 1900
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: goodbarseattle.com - facebook
Articles ranked: eater - seattletimes - seattlemag - theinfatuation - eateryelp - tripadvisor - thrillist



#2664 #S1291 - Maekawa Bar, Seattle - 11/29/2014

Update: The Maekawa Bar closed in 2017.

The Maekawa Bar is an odd little space on the second floor of the associtead Ft. St. George restaurant. On the second floor you feel like you are sitting in the kitchen. I was here for a birthday drink or two with some friends so I did not sample the izakaya, but that had a range of Japanese beers, saki and schochu.

601 S King St, Ste 206, Seattle, WA 98104 - (206) 622-0634
Est. 2003 - Closed 2017 - Building constructed: 1993
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: thestrangerthestrangerseattleweekly - yelp - tripadvisor  

#2663 #S1290 - The Westy Sports and Spirits, Seattle - 11/27/2014

The Westy, West Seattle
For some time I've been looking for my go-to sports bar -- something with plenty of fans during big games, but not a mad-house where you can't find a seat; something comfortable but not coldly modern; something where the bartenders chat with you and where the food is a cut above typical bar food. I think I may have found that in The Westy (with an even more convenient option when they expanded to a second location in north Seattle). The food is mainly upgraded versions of comfort dishes, including chicken and waffles, buttermilk chicken sandwich, braised pork belly, and seared broccoli. You can get a good cocktail (although, as usual, you want to stay away from the sugary specials and themed concoctions), and they have 13 taps of good craft beer. There are plenty of flatscreen TVs in the interior of recovered wood and Edison bulbs. The one down side of watching the Seahawks game is that they are one of those places with different cable/satellite providers, and we had to humorously try to ignore the reactions of the people sitting around the one TV that was several seconds ahead of all the others (eventually that one was snapped off).




7908 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126 - (206)937-8977               
Est. Nov 26, 2014 - Building constructed: 1956
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: thewestyseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - theculturetrip - zagat - yelp

Sunday, April 08, 2018

#2662 - Roy Tavern, Roy, WA - 11/23/2014

Roy Tavern, Roy, WA
I know very little about the history of this bar, but the building seems to date back to 1985, and if it wasn't the Roy Tavern from that date, it was by the late 90s. Today it is a rural dive bar, with a sign out front that had "tavern" covered up with "pub and eatery" and later the latter covered up as well. It is a small place with rural dive staples like pull tabs, pool, and flavored vodkas, along with country western touches like the false front and photos of local rodeo champions inside.







106 McNaught Rd S, Roy, WA 98580 - (253) 843-2680               
Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: bikerfriendlybarsyelp

#2661 - Powder Keg Bar and Grill, Tenino, WA - 11/23/2014

Update: The Powder Keg closed in late 2015 or early 2016, and was replaced by the Old Highway 99 Company.

The Powder Keg, Tenino, WA (closed)
The Powder Keg in opened in 1995 when Jules Grele purchased and renamed the J&M Mining Company bar on Old Highway 99 just north of Tenino. Grele had previously owned the 4th Ave Tav in Olympia, and he ran the Powder Keg until he passed away in early 2012. There's not a lot remarkable about the place from the inside. The food looks like fairly standard pub food -- burgers, steaks, salads, pasta, seafood, sandwiches -- and the beer choices are fairly good. So it's the other people there that will probably determine your bar experience here, and it's clearly popular with bikers which is usually a good sign. We were also here to watch the Seahawks game, and though there weren't a lot of people there, we enjoyed exuberant fans Yvonne and Dina, who were making a lot of noise from "the cheap seats" behind us -- including a lot of yelling back and forth between the two of them and the guy everybody here calls "Jimmy the Bastard." I'm sure it's rocking a lot more on a Friday or Saturday night, but it was also an enjoyable stop on this lazy Sunday afternoon.


12743 Old Hwy 99 SE, Tenino, WA 98589 - (360) 264-5076               
Est. 1995 - Building constructed: 1975
Previous bars in this location: J&M Mining Co.
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor 

#2660 - Landmark Tavern, Tenino, WA - 11/23/2014

Landmark Tavern, Tenino, WA
Although the "Landmark Tavern" has only been here since around 1995, this location has hosted a bar since at least 1909 and probably 1906, the year it was built by Columbia Brewery of Tacoma. (Sources disagree on the construction date: E.g. county tax records indicate 1908, while the application for the National Register of Historic Places lists 1906.) By 1909 it was known as "Lee's Place," owned by Lee Waddell. It was apparently the "Quarry Bar" at some later point, and then "Anderson's Tavern" for many years. It is said to have been a pool hall and soda fountain during Prohibition, suspected of being a speakeasy for local quarrymen, as the boom years of the local sandstone quarry, which supported 12 bars before prohibition, continued into the 20s. I have not determined how soon it became a legal bar after prohibition. Assuming there was no "local option" in place, one suspects they would have been licensed very shortly after the Beer and Wine Revenue Act took effect April 7, 1933. But the first mention of "Anderson's Tavern" I can find in the limited city guide data I have is in 1959. Anderson's Tavern continues to show up in Polk Guides and telephone directories up until 1992. "LJ's Place" is listed at the address in '93 and '94, and finally "The Landmark" beginning in 1995. (Sources include Joy Orth, Tenino Independent, and Tenino mayor Wayne Fournier, great great nephew of Lee Waddell, personal correspondence)

Landmark Tavern, Tenino, WA
The city of Tenino Washington, 15 miles due south of Oympia, was first settled by Europeans in 1851 and incorporated in 1906. Originally known as "Coal Bank," the Tenino name was decided by the head of the Northern Pacific Railroad when final spike was driven in the section of railroad through the area. The origin of the name is somewhat disputed. Some have speculated that it is based on a train number of survey stake marked something like "T-9-0," but there appears to be no evidence to support this story. More likely it is term of the local Chinook tribe for "fork in the trail," used for the fork in the Cowlitz Trail between routes to the Puget Sound and Columbia River.

With the railroad offering a means to get lumber, coal and sandstone to the booming markets in Seattle and Tacoma, the growth of the community accelerated in 1903 with the opening of the first Hercules Sandstone Quarry. The population reached 1,000 in 1915, though it would taper off over the several decades, as concrete, brick and steel increasingly replaced stone in construction. But the product of the Tenino quarries can be seen today in the jetties of Westport, the Theodor Jacobsen Observatory at the University of Washington, and many other court houses and structures across the region -- including the Landmark Tavern.

Tenino gained national attention during the Great Depression, when, in the wake of the collapse of the Citizen's Bank of Tenino, the chamber of commerce issued "wooden money" to bank customers for a portion of their deposits. About $13,000 of the script was printed on thin slices of spruce and cedar in 1931 to 1933, but by the second and largest printing only $40 of the $10,000 was redeemed, as the now famous bills became collectors items. Today you can purchase an original $0.25 bill on Amazon for $8,000.00, or for much less you can visit Tenino during Oregon Trail Days in July when the locals fire up the original printing press to produce souvenir versions.

Now serving largely as a bedroom community for workers in Olympia and Tacoma, over the past several decades the population of Tenino has grown back to its boom days and beyond, now approaching 2,000. They city takes a very active interest in its history and historical structures, including the location of the Landmark Tavern. Old Highway 99 becomes Sussex Avenue as it winds through the historic downtown of Tenino, and from there one steps through the stolid rock exterior of the old Columbia Brewery into a classic dive bar inside.

Like all good dives, this one has a hodgepodge of collected bric-a-brac from multiple decades and themes. The art deco back bar is barely perceivable behind the pulltab bins, stickers, humorous notices, snacks and t-shirts. The front bar features red and black shapes that seem halfway between a mid-century diner and a native American pattern. The bar is lined with chrome and black vinyl bar stools, which like all seats in the place are occupied primarily by local regulars. The opposite wall features tributes to the sacrifices of military service above diner style booths, with pool tables astride. Further back are a couple folding tables with banquet chairs. There is much of the standard dive bar corporate beer paraphernalia, NASCAR car hoods, etc. Near the rear, along the top of the wall is a miniature train set, with a handpainted background. Below that is the "Bragg'in Board" where below that curiously placed apostrophe locals post photos of their hunting successes.

The beer selection includes some nice craft offerings along with the PBR and Bud, with typical dive style cocktails and classic tavern food, and I was quite satisfied with my burger and onion rings.



313 Sussex Ave W, Tenino, WA 98589 - (360) 264-2155
Est. 1995 - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location:  Lee's Place, LJ's Place, Anderson's Tavern
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp 

Saturday, April 07, 2018

#2659 - Lady of the Lake, Tenino, WA - 11/23/2014

Lady of the Lake, Lake Offut, near Tenino, WA
We did not have dinner on this visit, but the food looked pretty good, and our cocktails were fine. From the inside, the Lady of the Lake feels a lot like a medium sized roadhouse or suburban pub, with steaks and burgers and pasta, karaoke and sometimes live music. But it is the setting on the banks of Offut Lake, the style, and the sense of history that set the place apart. People have been coming to the Lake for fishing and recreation for since the 19th century, and the "Offut Lake Resort" has been here -- about 10 miles south of Olympia and 5 north of Tenino -- since 1939 (then "Ada's Resort"). The dance hall here once catered to large parties of tourists from the surrounding cities, as well as locals who worked in the lumber mills. When Rebecca Pogue bought the resort in 1998, she had a clear plan to improve the place while preserving the feel of a mid-century facility. “When Boomers visit they tell us it reminds them of where they camped in the 1950s and that is exactly how we want it to feel. We want folks to step back in time, to fish, swim, play tag and roast marshmallows. To get outside and read a book and drink a glass of wine,” (thurstonchamber)

The "resort" at that time was simply space for camping with some fishing docks. The old bar and restaurant building was there, but in shambles. The Pogue family added cabins and firepits, and eventually rebuilt the restaurant. They recovered the old bar back from a French Cafe that was said to have once served as a brothel. A row of inviting Adirondack chairs lines the porch on the lake side, reminding us that we must come back on a sunnier day. The old photographs and light stained wood attest to the owners' embrace of the history of the place -- and interest that was also clear when Tom Pogue, who runs the restaurant, described some of the history to us. It was an all around pleasant experience, but we look forward to coming back when it's warm and dry and we can kick our feet up for a while.


4005 120th Ave SE, Tenino, WA 98589 - (360) 264-3474             
Est. 2014 - Building constructed: 1968
Web site: facebook
Reviews: thurstonchamber - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2658 #S1289 - Vespolina, Seattle - 11/20/2014

Update: Vespolina closed July 2015.

In one of the more high turn-over restaurant locations in Seattle, tucked around a corner from heavily traveled Pike Place Market, well regarded local chef Jason Stratton established the spanish-themed Aragona in 2013, then converted it to the Northern Italian-themed Vespolina a year later.

96 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 682-3590
Est. Sep 8, 2014 - Closed July 24, 2015 - Building constructed: 1985
Previous bars in this location: Leo Melina, The Other Place, 96 Union, Harbor Place, The Islander, Thoa's, Aragona
Web site: facebook
Reviews: capitolhillseattleseattlemet - eateryelp

#2657 #S1288 - Jack's BBQ, Seattle - 11/19/2014

Texas Trinity Combo, Jack's BBQ, Seattle, WA
Jack Timmons, who came from Texas by way of Microsoft, claims that the BBQ in Seattle now is better than in Texas, which he attributes to "raising the beef in a more moderate climate. You don't have to cross-breed and harden your stock to survive a hotter summer or colder winter." (eater.com) I don't know if he's going to persuade anyone with that, but he serves up some pretty compelling arguments from two mammoth smokers burning hardwoods shipped from Texas. It is Central Texas style -- Timmons explains "Well, you know, I grew up in Dallas, and the barbecue there wasn't that great by today's standards. East Texas is really no different than Louisiana barbecue. Lots of sauce, use of pig, and fried stuff. In West Texas you cook over a coal fire. And in South Texas you bury stuff in the ground — it's called "Barbacoa. Now in Central Texas you cook in an offset smoker with a clean wood fire. A lot of flavor comes from that." (ibid) As per the web site, the food is "based on the BBQ style started in butcher shops in Central Texas in the late 1800’s. Beef and pork with a simple salt and pepper rub, smoked low and slow over hardwoods (post oak, mesquite, hickory, pecan), and served on butcher paper. Sauce is optional, along with pickles and white bread."

Timmons began hosting "Seattle Brisket Experience" events, and moved into this roadhouse like space in south Seattle after Bogart's closed. The events gave him a reputation as Seattle's "King of Brisket." As of 2018 he is serving it at Mariner games in Safeco Field and expanding to a second location in South Lake Union. And he is also serious about his liquor. They have an extensive, creative cocktail menu (carbonated margaritas on tap), some good local craft beers (along with Shiner Bock), a small, nice selection of wines, and an ongoing series of events in conjunction with local distilleries and brewers. Try the Smoked Old Fashioned.


3924 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108 - (206) 467-4038
Est. Sep 8, 2014 - Building constructed: 1950
Previous bars in this location: South End Tavern (30s and 40s), Goldie's (1997-2008), Bogart's (2011-2013)
Web site: jacksbbq.com - facebook 
Articles ranked: eater - eater - seattlemet - seattletimes - texasbbqtreasurehunt - texasmonthlyseattlemet (Daniel Vaughn) - hungrydogblog - houstonchronicleking5 (video) - sipnorthwest - seattlemaven - microsoftalumni - seattleweekly - heyprettythingsamanddavy425magazinethestranger - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2656 #S1287 - Admiral Bird, Seattle - 11/16/2014

Admiral Bird, Seattle, WA
With just 3 seats at the bar (and where minors are not allowed), I think this is the smallest legal bar in the Seattle area? Then again, the bar is at best the fourth or fifth consideration in their business model, behind the coffee shop, the waffles and cafe, the gifts and the flowers. Which is not to say that they give little thought to their bar offerings, as along with some nice beers and ciders they feature a fruit driven cocktails like a spicy sangria, mimosas, and various shrubs.





2600 California Ave SW, Seattle, Washington - (206) 305-7182
Est. Feb 3, 2014 - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: thirstiestbirds.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - westseattleblogwestseattleblog - thestranger 

#2655 #S1286 - Westside Public House, Seattle - 11/16/2014

Update: Westside Public House closed Nov 15, 2015.


Bars and restaurants in this space tend to turn over in one to three years, and so it was with A Terrible Beauty before this place (2011-2014), Table 35 before that (2010-2010), Ama Ama Oyster House (2007-2009), Ovio Bistro (2005-2007) and so on. This round is a fairly straight forward modern sports bar, with lots of TVs, 30 beers on tap, and a menu focused on burgers. Just don't get too attached.



4752 California Ave SW, Seattle, Washington - (206) 420-1425
Est. Nov 10, 2014 - Closed Nov 15, 2015 - Building constructed: 1910
Previous bars in this location: Guppy's West, Ovio Bistro, Ama Ama Oyster Bar, Table 35, A Terrible Beauty
Reviews: eater - westseattleblog - yelp - tripadvisor - westseattleblog