Clydesdale Inn Pub (Cloverdale, Birtish Collumbia)

Clydesdale Inn Pub. 17630-56 Avenue (Hwy#10) Cloverdale, British Columbia, Canada. www.clydesdaleinn.com
They are 7 miles north of the Canada USA border just eat of Hwy 15 which is the main truck route in to British Columbia from Washington State. It is really hard to say something outstanding about this place. Very little has changed inside in over 20 years. They have a fireplace, but have cardboard covering the front up, nice touch. The bar it self seats 8, 4 on the right side and 4 on the left side. There are 8 flat screen TV's, which is a good point. I was watching some guys getting ready to have a seat at their table, they were checking all the chairs to to find a sturdy one as most of them are very wiggly! They have $2.00 pints of beer during the day. The pub is dated and needs some up grades. The washrooms are in need of cleaning and a renovation. The tiles on the walls have numerous ones missing. The doors in and out of the washrooms are worn and need refinishing or replacing. The washrooms smell like urine, which is not a good smell!! I can't tell you about the food as I did not see anyone eating at all. This Pub is on the bottom of the list for pubs in the surrounding 10 mile area. It badly needs a fixing up as does their liquor store which resembles the inside of a shed at best.
Too bad because back in the early eighties it was not too bad at all!

Artful Dodger Neighbourhood Pub (Langley, British Columbia)

Artful Dodger Neighbourhood Pub, 2364-200 Street, Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Right at the corner of 200 Street and 24 Avenue, 3 miles north of the U.S. border. www.artfuldodgerpub.net. The name came from a character in th Oliver Twist book, and has been here since 1978. In front of the pub they have a coral where you can ride your horse to the pub and put the horse in the coral while you wine and dine. That is the only pub in Langley that you can do that at! They also have a good size parking lot. The pub is a large "L" shape and is much bigger than it looks. It seats around 185 people.  They have nice oak tables and chairs. There is a pool area that has two tables and is separate from the pub with walls and large windows.  There is a very large "L" shaped bar that seats about 12-15 on one side the other side is mainly for the servers. There are numerous TV's through out so you can watch one of the games. As for gambling, they have pull tabs and keno. The food here is very good. I had a peperoni and mushroom pizza, and it was made fresh. My wife had the fishermans stew, and it was very good. There was enough to feed about 3 people. The stew was a tomato base with fresh, clams, muscles, shrimp. lobster, onions, green peppers, red peppers, celery, carrots and broccoli. Man was it good! The server was great, she was on her toes, always smiling. She kept on top of all of her customers, ensuring they were happy and had everything they needed. The Artful Dodger also provides free shuttle service after 6 pm so you don't have to worry about having too much and driving home! That is a great touch. Attached to the pub is their liquor store that also has a drive thru window. The washrooms are newly renovated and nice and clean. It is easy to see why the Artful Dodger has been around for 32 years and is still going strong!!

The 3 Brewers (Toronto, Ontario)

The 3 Brewers, 275 Younge Street, Toronto, Ontario Canada. When you enter the establishment you first see the copper brewing vats that are behind glass and gleaming! Kept spotlessly polished, and gives a great impression. The first bar is towards the back and on the left and ids a dark wood bar. I would say that it sits about 10-15. Then you go up to the next level it is all darker wood with exposed beams. The front and back area of this lever are seperated by the next level in the middle which is about 6 steps higher. There is a 2nd bar on that middle level and it too is all dark wood and seats about 10 people. I didn't try the beer but the two guys I was wlith did, and said it was very good. They don't serve Bud, Canadian or any other commercial beer. They only serve the beer that they brew. They have full bar service including wine. This place is in a great location in Toronto. So guys if you are in Toronto and the girls want to go shopping this place is right across the street from the Eaton Centre Mall!! I can't talk on the food as we never had any. But people with peanut allergies should stay away as they have big sacks of peanuts that are free. They ask you don't throw the shells on the floor, and provide you with a small basked for your shells. This establishment has a very warm feel to it. The washrooms are clean and modern!! I have spoken to several other people who also have raved about this place!!

Fox and Fiddle (Richmond Hill, Ontario)

Fox and Fiddle (Richmond Hill), 115 York Blvd., Richmond Hill (Toronto) Ontario, Canada. Voted the # 1 bar in Toronto in 2007 by the readers of the Toronto Sun. They have a nice sit up bar that is a square "U" shape that has a granite top. It seats about 15-20 people. There is a lot of seating and you can reserve tables, booths and areas for functions. The waitresses wear tartan kilts and are friendly and attentative. They have 18 different types of beer on tap. Numerous flat screen TV's and two dart boards. To eat, I tried the Sliders which are three mini hamburgers with cheese and a chipolte sauce. the price was around $8.95 which was a good deal. They were very good, and I would have them again. They were fresh and juicy!! I figured I had better keep going so I had the baked French onion soup. It was a bit disappointing. The Swiss cheese tasted and looked more like processed cheese slices. I was there on a Friday for dinner and it was very quiet. The bartender said that it gets very busy later on. A buddy of mine who grew up in the area used to frequent this bar and had nothing but great things to say about it. I enjoyed my visit there and would come back again!!

Brix Napa Valley Grille and Wine Bar (Markham, Ontario)

Brix Napa Valley Grille and Wine Bar, 230 Commerce Drive, East, Markham ( Toronto) Ontario, Canada. this was a good find, very modern and very popular!! They have two bars, the main bar is a granite horseshoe shaped sit up bar that seats about 15 people. The second sit up bar is called California and seats about 5. They have live bands in the evening. There is a fireplace in the middle which is nice on those cold Toronto winter nights. The first time I ate there I was not that hungry, so I had the panco, sesame crusted chicken strips which were the best I have ever had any where!! The second time I had the chicken Asian dumplings, and again they were very good. The service was very good and they tend to have rather attractive young women to wait on you. As time went on in the evening, it started to get a bit of a night club feel to it. They had a very good wine selection as well a a full bar!! It is just off the Hwy 7 and the 404, but since I don't live there, that doesn't help me much!! If you are ever in the area I suggest you give it a try, I think you will really like it.

Owl and Firkin Pub (Markham, Ontario)

Owl and Firkin Pub, 7181 Woodbine, Markham (Toronto) Ontario, Canada. Great pub that war recommended to me by a friend of mine. They have a nice diamond shaped bar in the middle of the bar. There are numerous booths and tables away from the main bar area. we were there in the middle of the week and there was a Toronto Maple Leafs game on TV so the pub was very busy with people in to watch the game. Yes the Leafs lost.....again! One of the waiters who has been there for 13 years immigrated from Sri Lanka, and he had the most amazing skill at being able to remember things. He took a whole table order, passed it on to the other waiter, asked everyone's birthday and went off visiting every one in the bar. We could not stump hi when he came back 1/2 hour later he remembered everything!! I have a hard time remembering some ones name!! The food was good, first time I had the 1/2 BBQ chicken with 40 Mile Creek BBQ sauce, which came with fries and baked beans. It was very good and the price was around $12,00 which was very good. the second time I had Steak and mushroom pie with veggies and mashed potatoes and it too was good. There is lots of seating and the last time I was there I managed to stick my head in during a pre-wedding party. You know those pictures where you say "who the hell is that!" I really enjoyed this place!!

Jack Astor's Bar and Grill (Richmond Hill, Ontario)

Jack Astor's Bar and Grill (Richmond Hill) 155 York Blvd. Richmond Hill (Toronto) Ontario, Canada. There are numerous bars which are part of a chain. Went there with a group and everyone raved about how good the food was. I had the chicken parmigiana and it was very good. My buddy had a burger and said it was the best that he ever had! Service was very good, fast and friendly. They had a very nice sit up bar but my picture does not do it any justice. They have a huge flat screen (you can see it in the picture) TV along with numerous other flat screen TV's, great for meeting some friends for drinks and watching the game!! Therre is a good atmosphere and lots of seating. Washrooms were clean!! worth the visit, and yes I would come back for sure!!

Flying Beaver Bar and Grill (Richmond, British Columbia)

Flying Beaver Bar and Grill, 4760 Inglis Drive, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Fraser River as it flows in to the Pacific Ocean, near the South Terminal of Vancouver Airport. It is about a 5 minute cab ride from the main terminal at Vancouver International Airport. Harbour Air flys float planes from here/ back to/ froom Vancovuer Island and some of the Gulf Islands. It is a great setting being right on the water, watching the float planes come and go. The decor is very West Coast, with exposed beams, a river rock fire place in the middle and a lovely 12 person sit up bar. The bar has lots of windows to enjoy the view and there is a nice out side patio area. Children are allowed in a small area just as you enter. This is part of the Mark James Group that owns several bars and restaurants in the Vancouver and Whistler area. The service is very good, friendly and quick. My wife and I were here on a Sunday for lunch and I had one of the lunch specials which was Eggs Benny with capacollo and Montreal smoked meat with hollandaise sauce, and pan fired potatoes. My wife had the breakfast sandwich which was two English muffins with lettuce, tomato, cheese, scrambled eggs, and avocado and of course pan fried potatoes on the side. They both were very good!! They have various beer on tap and a full liquor menu. There is lots of free parking across the street. I have been here several times over the years and the food is always good, the service is always good and the atmosphere is great! What can I say, but, "I will be back for sure!"

August 2011 I was back there and still a great place, busy as all get out.  Sun was shinning and everyone was relaxing and enjoying the day.  Food was still very good and I really like coming here.!!

Ichabod's Lounge (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Ichabod's Lounge, 3354 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Ichabod's is attached to D-Jay's Restaurant which has been around for 40 years or so. The parking lot in the late 1970's early 1980's was, where all the guys took their muscle cars to show them off and hang out. Ichabod's was added sometime after 1982. It is a small bar that seats about.. 40-50 people and has an outside patio. There is a very large projection screen on one wall and is great for watching sports. You can order the same food that they serve in the restaurant and the food is good. There is ample parking considering it is by the mall and that side is fairly quiet. If you are in the area all you have to do to find this place if you can't remember Ichabod's is ask any one where D-Jay's is and you will get there. They have a small sit up bar that seats about 8 people or so. Then there is a little nook where they have their VLT's (Video Lottery Terminals) Gambling. There is a dinky little wall that hides the gambling from everyone....oooohhhh! Nothing really stands out about Ichabod's, but it is a good place to go and meet some good friends!!

October 2016, still a great place to meet with friends and a great place to watch sports! 

Smitty's Lounge at the Westwood Village Inn (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Smitty's Lounge at the Westwood Village Inn. 477 Westwood Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada!
Smitty's Pancake House grew up!!!
I can't believe that Smitty's now is a great lounge (bar, pub, tavern or what ever for everyone else). What once was a big pancake chain is now a great bar! This used to be the location of the infamous Village Inn Bar, then the Crazy Bar. But new owners came in and completely redid this place. It looks great inside. It seats 375 people and that is really big for a bar, pub tavern or what ever. There is a really nice bar that sits about 20 people and have about 23 beer on tap. There are very nice 42 inch and 52 inch LCD TC'S all over the place. The place is broken up very nicely, with rooms set aside for video gambling, a room that had 4 pool tables with lots of seating, then the main bar area with tables and booths all finished off really nice. I was really impressed! What a change had been done here. We spoke to the manager "Wayne", who has worked at the various bars in this location since 1981. He was busy waiting on people and keeping everyone in conversation. They say Tuesday and Wednesday nights the place is packed for wing night!! My sister and I had a platter and the wings and sweet potato fires were very good. The entire place including the washrooms were very clean and tidy. It doesn't look like much from the outside or if you remember it from the old days.....forget it, it grew up and is a very nice place to go. Hey, there is even a motel attached so you don't have to drink and drive!! I give it 2 thumbs up and will be back for sure the next time I am in Winnipeg!!

Black Sheep Pub (Maple Ridge, British Columbia)

The Black Sheep Pub, 12968-232 Street, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada Phone 604-476-1008 and www.theblacksheeppub.ca A friend hooked me up with this pub and what a great find this place it. It is fairly new and to the north across the parking lot the old pub stands (closed up). This pub is very modern with a great feel to it. their hiring practice is very good (very efficient and courteous)!! LOL! The sit up bar is spectacular with a great selection. The bar has an open air feel to it. The washroom are not only very clean but very up to date. I can only speak on the men's washrooms. One of the men's urinal, I saw something I have never seen before. They have advertising in the urinal it self. It is a black patch and when you pee on it it turns into a holograph and is an advertisement....very cool. I am not too sure what they are going to do in the women's washroom?? The service is excellent, very fast friendly and courteous! I did not eat, but my friends did and everything was very good. The calamari looked great! They have a big fire place in the middle and really adds to the atmosphere. Lots of dark stained wood inside and a very modern look! They have numerous flat screen TV'S through out!. From what I have heard, since they built this new place all the other pubs in the area have had to renovate to keep up with them as they were getting all the business! There is one pool table. The seating is great, from tables to booths. This was truly a great find and I can hardly wait to come back! It is definitely two thumbs up!!!!!

Jimy Mac's Pub (Langley, British Columbia)

Jimy Mac's Pub, located at 19935 96 Avenue, Langley, British Columbia, Canada. www.jimymacspub.com
This has always been one of my favorite pubs. It is a large tudor style pub with 6 different seating areas in side. On the south side they have a beautiful sunny solarium style room with tons of sun light. Each room is a little different than the other, and all are nice. They have some 30 LCD TV"S for all the sports. They have one area that it probably the best for watching sports and you cant miss it! There is a large outside patio area to the left as you enter. One room has lots of books on the wall if you want to read a little. I have always found the service to be very friendly and fast. The food here is very good. I have had numerous items off the menu and have never been disappointed! Most recently I had the seafood club house with fries. It had Shrimp, crab, lettuce, and tomatoes. It is located in an industrial area and as the south end of the new Golden Ears Bridge. It is very busy, especially at noon hours and the lot is usually packed. They have Keno and pull tabs for your gambling needs. There are lunch specials every day and they are worth checking out. Across the parking lot they have their liquor store. It is worth checking this Pub out, I wouldn't steer you wrong!!

2011 October 16
 I have been back a few times since my last post, and still a great Pub, food is still very good, the service is very good!  Yes I really like this place and I will keep going back!















October 2014, still a great place to go!  I had the chicken quesadillas and they were very good.  The pulled pork was also very good and came with choice of Salad or fries.  The salad was the choice and very fresh and good.  Saturday lunch and this place was very busy!  The service was still very good.  The washrooms have been up graded and are very nice and clean!

Fets Bar and Grill (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Fets Bar and Grill 1230 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, 604-255-7771
info@fetsbarandgrill.com ( stole this from their web site): Their Fetish is food and they believe in REAL FOOD with REAL FLAVOUR blend that together with REAL PEOPLE and you've got a great neighbourhood joint. Fets is home to the largest whiskey collection in the city and a great deck to enjoy it all on.
This is a very cool place in a very eclectic part of Vancouver. The food is very good, and the service is great. If you can get a seat on the patio on a nice day, take it. Not only can you enjoy some great food, you can do some serious people watching. The inside is covered with memorabilia from the rock and roll era! Sorry about the crappy picture as I only had my BB and no camera and no shots of the inside. I have been here before and I can highly recommend going to this place!!!

The Bookstore Bar (Seattle, Washington)

The Bookstore Bar, 1007 First Avenue Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. Ph# 206-382-1506. Check out their web site www.alexishotel.com The Bookstore bar what a great find! It is located in the Alexis Hotel, which is a Kimpton Hotel and if you have ever stayed in a Kimpton Hotel you know right off the bat this is going to be great! It is a very short distance from the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Shelves of books are on the walls of the bar. There is an extensive selection of cookbooks which are also available for purchase, as well as magazines and newspapers from around the country. My Buddy and I were out checking out various establishments while waiting to go to a Seattle Mariners baseball game. We trying to find a place that served Crown Roayal Black which just came out in April, 2010 and made only for the US market. We were out of luck until my buddy suggested the Bookstore Bar which he had seen numerous times but had never tried. This truly was a nice little gem. We sat up at the bar which had a very impressive selection of various whiskey and the such. They had bottles of Canadian Whiskey, Scotch, Irish Whiskey, Bourbon and on and on, lined up on the sit up bar, with even a more impressive line up behind the bartender. I asked about an Ardbeg Scotch and the bartender brought out 4 different Ardbeg Scotch and placed them on the bar for us to look at. It was like this the entire time we were there. We tried the Crown Royal Black and Bartender even gave us a complimentary sample of Crown Royal ER (the ultimate Crown Royal). There were two different wedding parties in for a quick drink and some pictures as well which was very interesting! They have a couple of LCD TV's on the wall and that was one of the reasons the groom and his groomsmen came in! Shortly followed by the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids. We never tried the food so I can't say much about that. They have different things going on through out the week. For example they have a Japanese Whiskey tasting night coming up. Apparently these Japanese whiskeys are very nice and they can't call them Scotch for obvious reasons. It was a very relaxing place, the staff was great and I can hardly wait to come back and do some more sampling!!

August 27 2011.  I went back and still as good as ever.  They still have an awsome selection of whiskey, Scotish, Canadian, Japanese and USA to name afew.  Still very friendly and still a breat bar!!

The Pike Pub (Seattle, Washington)

The Pike Pub, (The Pike Pub and Brewery) 1415 1st Avenue, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
www. pikebrewing.com
Situated right by the famous Pike Place Market. Pike Brewing Company is owner by Charles and Rose Ann FINKEL who opened it up in 1989. They sold is in 1997 and reacquired it in 2006. The beer making equipment runs through the middle of the business and you can see it all!! The pub and restaurant are down stairs. There are three bars each one a little different from the other. Since I am not a beer drinker I can't tell you much about the 9 or more beer that they brew here. I will have to take the word of my Buddy who had a couple of pints of their India Pale Ale. He said that is was very good. The place had great ambiance through out. The staff was very friendly and help full. The bartender was very good, quick and efficient. They also have a bull bar menu so if you don't like beer and wine there are other things to have. They also had cider on tap! Did not try the food but from looking what the others were eating, it looked good. This place is right at the Pike Place Market and it is a worth while visit.....if you don't feel like shopping and the others do, you know where you can go and relax and enjoy a great in house made beer! It is a great reason to make an excuse to get out of having to go shopping!

August 2011 I was back here and everything was still very good.  My only complaint was in the bar which is the museum part,there is no table service and you have to line up at the bar.  They were busy so a 15 minute wait was not uncommon to get a drink.  After one drink we moved on for quicker service.

Red Top Tavern (Darrington, Washington)

Red Top Tavern, 1020 Darrington Street, Darrington, Washington, United States
Phone (360) 436-1590
When my wife and I tried this place out, I said if you want to leave right away that is OK! When we walked in I though what did I get my self in to! All the seating in this small little place is around the large horse shoe shaped bar. The owner has obviously not put any money in to this place in many years, if ever. Most of the bar stools are worn out and fixed with duct tape and the duct tape has worn out. So you are left sitting on tattered seats and the stuffing coming out. In the crappy picture I took you can see the only good chairs in the place, what gives?? My wife had to change seats as the duct tape glue was sticking to her pants. There are no lunch specials and the menu has about 5 items on it. Once we ordered our drinks the fun began. Our bartender Jennifer was great, a real sweetheart! My wife and I both ordered wine. Jennifer apologized that all the wine glasses were broken and they don't have any more. She brought us one pint beer glasses and filled them right up to the top. She said it was the same price and maybe the owner will now order some wine glasses. Well hell ya! We are going to stay for a while. Jennifer's Mother in Law was in for a beer as she is the bar manager. Well everyone was very friendly and we had a great time taking. Jennifer is a 3rd generation Darrington person. When It came time to eat we ordered the Pizza as the hot dogs on that wire rack that goes around didn't look so good. The Pizza was a McCains frozen pizza, but not bad for frozen. The tavern has a logging theme to it with lots of old pictures. I guess it has been around for ever according to the old timers. It burnt down in the 1950's and this is the one that replaced the burnt one. The wall to the left of the door is made of cinder blocks and for $5.00 you can buy a block and write what ever you want. Some people have written what they wanted!! This place hasn't been cleaned or dusted in ages. I can't believe that I took my wife here for lunch, but if not for Jennifer, her Mother In Law and the other friendly locals, we would have run!! Oh ya! Our bill for 2 pints of wine and a medium pizza! Taxes in $12.75!! I kid you not!! Jennifer even asked if we wanted another glass of wine!

Porterhouse Pub (Mount Vernon, Washington)

Porterhouse Pub, 416 Gates, Old Town, Mount Vernon, Washington, USA Phone 360-336-9989. The Porterhouse is in downtown Mount Vernon just across the street from the Skagit River. There is tons of parking over looking the the river. It doesn't look like much from the outside but it is much nicer in the inside. They pride themselves on having 21 different types of local beer on tap. Our waitress/ bartender was Malana and she was nice and friendly and worked her butt off keeping every one looked after. You never had to go looking for service! The sit up bar seats 10 people. They have about 10 booths and lots of tables and chairs. The area we sat in had nice wood plank floors. The other side is down a couple of steps and has a pool table aswell. The food was outstanding, I had the pulled pork sandwich on fresh artisan sour dough hoagie style bun. It was very good and I needed a good wash once I was done eating it. The pulled pork came with home made fries and they were very good! My wife had a bowl of the soup of the day which was Beef and Chilli soup which came with several big slices of artisan sour dough bread. The soup was so thick your spoon could stand up straight in it. I snuck a taste and it was great. This place is one that I look forward in coming back to. Great food, great beer and wine selection how can you go wrong!

Brown Bridge Pub (Princeton, British Columbia)

Brown Bridge Pub, 265 Vermilion Avenue, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada. The Brown Bridge is right off Hwy #3 when you are going through Princeton. You can't miss it. This is a really nice place and from what I am told it is the place to go in Princeton. The bar is finished off in copper due to the history of copper mining. It was a really nice touch. The front of the bar was finished off in round river rocks and look great. There is lots of seating and quite a few people were in for lunch. There were two girls working the floor and the bar and both were very friendly and made you feel welcome. The waitress suggested the hamburger as they are made fresh. My buddy and I took her up on her suggestion. She was right on, the burgers were great. They came with fresh home cut fries and they were also very good. The daily special today was Beef and Onion pie. The bartender came over and she talked to us for about 10 minutes. She even told us about her year long trip to Africa that she had been on. Very interesting indeed. There is lots of parking and I am sure if you are towing a trailer you can find parking very close by. This place was very clean as were the washrooms. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend trying this place out, you will enjoy your self!
Summer 2014, was here again and the food and service was still very good!!

Skagit River Brewery (Mount Vernon, Washington)

Skagit River Brewery, 404 South Third Street, Mount Vernon, USA. It is located in the old Pacific Fruit and Produce Warehouse. The Brewery opened up in the mid 1990's and have been brewing their own beer ever since. They have 12 different types of beer on tap. This place is divided in to two parts, the restaurant and the bar area. We sat in the bar area which seats about 25-30 people. The restaurant has much bigger area. The sit up bar seats about 6 to 7 people. The service was very good and very friendly. Since I am a wine drinker, the wine list was very good. As for the food everything looked good coming out of the kitchen. There is a very good selection of foods with daily specials. I tried the pizza which is cooked in their wood fired brick oven. The pizza was outstanding. Tons of cheese and loads of toppings all on a thin crust! There is an outside patio area, but I think that it could get a bit noisy being right on a busy intersection. They are located right off the Interstate 5 and are easy to find. As a matter of fact you can see it from the I 5! I suggest if you are in the area try this place out for sure!!

August 2, 2015, went back again and the food was awesome.  I had the 3rd Street Combo pizza which is on a 9 inch scratch dough crust with pepperoni, Italian sausage, sliced mushrooms with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese, roasted garlic tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes on top .  It was very good indeed!  My wife had the Fish Tacos which came with either flower or corn tortillas.  She had the corn tortillas, pan seared cod (and lots of it) shredded cabbage, black beans, fresh pico de gallo and cheddar jack cheese.  She rated it as one of the best fish tacos anywhere! There is a out door patio as you can see in the picture, but when the freight train flew by with 100 empty coal cars, you couldn't hear a thing so we opted to eat in side.  Still really like this place.

Train Wreck Bar & Grill (Burlington, Washington)

Train Wreck Bar & Grill, 427 East Fairhaven Avenue, Burlington, Washington U.S.A. Ph# 360-775-0582. It is just off Hwy 20 about ten minutes from Interstate 5 to the east. What a great find! This is way up there now for one of my favorites! As you can guess it has a train theme, but not over bearing. It is after all, right beside the Burlington Northern Sante Fe line. This old brick building is narrow on the front and opens up a bit like a wedge with a patio out back where they do BBQ over wood charcoal. The sit up bar seats 10 people and is made of old growth wood. This wood is beautiful and is 3 1/2 feet across and 3 inches thick with very thick lacquer coating. Along the east wall they have a 20 foot long bench that is made of a one piece of a split log for the seat and back. It too is finished in thick lacquer. To go with this bench there are 3 tables, two that seat 6 and one that seats 4. These tables are also made out of old growth wood same lacquer finish. The bases for the tables are laquered stumps. Wow its beautiful and worth checking out!!! They have a very extensive menu and I had the special which was a Chili Burger with deep fired cheese curds on top and side order of home cut fries. It was very good and worth having again! My wife had the Crab Tacos (with fresh crab meat) not that fake stuff, and she said it was very good. We were there for lunch on a Saturday and it was very busy. All ages and back grounds of people were here. I guess this cozy place sits about 70 people or so. There is live music in the evenings so they ask you enter via the side door. I guess with a small band near the front door you would have to walk through the band to get to your seat. Service was very good, but they never asked if we wanted another drink, odd! But they kept coming around and checking on us to make sure everything was good. I can hardly wait to come here again.

August 2011, I hit this place several times in and it is still one of my vavorite Bars.  The food is some of the best bar food I have had anywhere.  I saw some guy order this mombo sized breakfast burito.  It was the biggest I have ever seen.  You could feed a family of 4 and still have left overs.  When we were there the train roared by ( train is about 5 yards away).  If you are there when the train goes buy they sell shots for $1.00!!  Maybe check with Burglington Northern Santfe and Amtrak to see when their trains are going by and schedule your visit accordingly, LOL!!

August 2012, I keep coming back......and often.  Food is still the best!  My wife had the lunch special, which was a pulled pork quesidilla and it was very big and it was only $8.95.  I had the Carribean chicken sandwich on awesome bread with a mountain of home made fries!  They are just about completed their expansion which includes a bigger kitchen!!
Went here again for breakfast in a Saturday in February 2013, you just gotta try their " Ultimate Breakfast Bloody Mary".  What is it you ask, well here are the ingredients: Cellery, Carrot, Cucumber, Pickled Beans, Pickled Okra, Pickled Asparagus, Pickled peppers, Queen olives, Chunk of ham and Cheddar Cheese, Blue Cheese stuffed olives, Salami, then add, the extra:  3 breakfast sausage meat balls, 4 chunks of potato wrapped in bacon and two small breakfast biscuit sandwiches all a 32 oz mug of Bloody Mary!!  Wow!! Check out the picture!!

Feb 2015 back for lunch and had the Beer Battered Alaskan Cod and chips with home made coleslaw.  Two large pieces of fish, nice fresh and firm, not mushy. A mountain of home made fries, which I couldn't finish but were very good. The fish and chips were very good and I wold have them again for sure!! Service was very good and friendly!  They don't do the $1.00 shots any more, when the train goes by. 

The Shop Tavern (Oroville, Washington)

The Shop Tavern, 2002 Main Street, Oroville, Washington, U.S.A.. The name says it all. This used to be the site of NAPA Auto Parts and it is now a Tavern. They only sell beer and wine, due to licensing. That will hurt in the long run. The walls and the bar are made out of corrugated metal and give it that shop feel. There are several TV's on the wall and a large projection screen TV. This is a Sports Tavern........but they are going to have to step it up n the food department. I had the Nachos, which were chips with that liquid cheese. The kind you get at the Football or baseball games. The bar tender told us that we could go out in the parking lot and buy something and bring it back in to eat. In the parking lot there was a van selling Mexican food and a BBQ stand to go along with Subway! Maybe we should have brought our food in to eat. There is a lot of echo in this place so it makes it a little hard to hear the TV's. The Tavern and the washrooms were very clean. I understand it is new, and probably going through some growing pains. This place does not stand out!

Irish Embassy Pub & Grill (Toronto, Ontario)

Irish Embassy Pub & and Grill, 49 Younge Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada www.embassypub.com. This great place is situated in an old bank building that was built in 1873. It is in the heart of the financial district and a couple of blocks away from the Hockey Hall of Fame (a must see)! There are two parts to this wonderful pub, the first being the Embassy main bar which is where you enter, the second half is the Dublin Lounge,m I sat up at the bar in the Dublin lounge. they had 18 different beer on tap. The food was fabulous. My lunch special started of with a fresh Cesar salad, followed bu the 3 cheese macaroni with double smoked bacon chunks (wow was it ever good!). A couple of glasses of wine to wash it down and for desert it was fresh strawberries and cream!! All the tables in the lounge had fresh bread on them. The service was very good and friendly. The main bar is a little bigger and obviously very popular as there were reserved signs at the sit up bar. Many people were in to watch the World Cup. My biggest mistake was leaving, because when I left it was pouring rain. I should have stayed and waited it out, hahaha! If you are ever in Toronto this is a very nice place to go to!!

Gudrun Tasting Room (Steveston, British Columbia)

Gudrun Tasting Room, 150-3500 Moncton Street, Steveston B.C.
My Mother In Law put me on to this place and it is fantastic. I am not saying that to make my Mother In Law happy but it is great. It is right in the heart of Steveston, and a little hard to find as it is down a small pedestrian alley about 100 feet or so. When you get there the outside sitting area is in front with a large table that you share with everyone else. There is a large tree through the middle of the table. They have a very funk bar and cool wine rack behind the bar with a great selection of wine. Patrick the owner is great at helping you make a good choice of wine. He grew up in the area and it is nice to see a local guy doing well. We were there for Sunday brunch so they have a Sunday brunch only menu. You can't order off the regular menu which is written on the east wall. I had the Eggs Benny (comes meat or vegetarian) I had the meat, which was thinly sliced Italian salami, Organic free range eggs on a sliced croissant with great sauce, with a side spinach salad with a balsamic dressing. Possibly one of the best egg benny's I have ever had. My wife and her Mom had what is basically a ploughmans lunch with various cheeses, fruit and bread. They both really enjoyed it immensely! The service was very good and very friendly. All of the tables and chairs were made by Patrick from what I am told. It is a small place but very cosy and friendly. I am looking forward to trying it one evening. This is truly a great find!! For sure, two thumbs up!!

Isaac's at 9 Drayton (Savannah, Georgia)

Isaac's at 9 Drayton, 9 Drayton Street, Savannah Georgia, United States. I guess it is mostly a restaurant but every one in there was sitting at their lovely bar, so a bar it is. There is a slight sports theme to it with the TV'S having sports games on. Apparently 100 years ago a prominent person shot and killed a guy in this place. Recently they found the remains of the victim buried in the basement. The shooter was able to get off the murder charge. Lots of these neat little places in Savannah. Sooo much to see and so little time to see it all.

Mad River Bar and Grille (Charleston, South Carolina)

Mad River Bar and Grille, 32 North Market Street, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
www.madrivercharleston.com
A Church turned in to a bar!!! Built in 1915 and in 1916 was named the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. It served as a church until 1964 when it was deconsecrated as it was no longer needed. The religious symbols were removed n 1967. On 2nd of September1989 it was damaged by hurricane Hugo and shortly there after it was restored. The bar is located in the main body of the church. They have 13 flat screen tv's and a 72 inch projection screen to make this place a sports bar. The sit up bar is at least 40 feet long and can seat 20 people. The surface of the bar is finished in copper. What a cool concept to turn a church in to a bar. They also have 5 booths and numerous tables and chairs. They recently put in an out side patio area out back. Apparently it turns into a high energy bar after 10 pm! But in the afternoon it was pretty laid back, and a nice was to take a break from sight seeing!!