July 25, 2009 [ Updated September 16, 2009 ]
I can’t believe this place isn’t in the database --- but if it is was, I guess I would have found it before today.

Fiddler’s Inn is the closest thing to a English neighborhood free house that I’ve seen in the US -- not in the sense that it tries to be a faux-English pub, but in the sense that it perfectly adapts the neighborhood spirit and the passion for good local ales to the circumstances of the Pacific Northwest. The result is authentic, laid back, and entirely enjoyable. Tonight they had 11 beers tap: 10 excellent under-the-radar micros from Washington State, plus La Folie. (When I commented on this, the server raised the possibility that La Folie had brewed on Elysian’s equipment, which would make the tap list 11 for 11 in-state.) Food was good and plentiful, prices extremely reasonable ($3.50 for a schooner of La Folie!!). Really nice local feel. I’m very glad to be moving into the neighborhood.

Addendum: after many return visits, I’ve got only great things to say about this place. Tap list can be a bit IPA-heavy sometimes, which is not all bad when the IPAs in question are Pliny, SN Wet hop, etc, though I confess less excitement about Hales, Boundary Bay, etc.