West Seattle business news: The Cask coming to Admiral

Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

If you’ve noticed activity in the storefront where Dante’s closed a year ago, between the Admiral/California Wells Fargo and Zatz A Better Bagel, here’s what’s coming: The Cask.

The Cask is described by co-owner Shon MacDughlas as an “Old World ale and wine house” which will offer local, independent-label wines and 150 imported beers. MacDughlas notes that the venue, which he co-owns with his wife Dedria Pope, a West Seattle-based Windermere real-estate agent, has applied for a “multi-faceted license” allowing them to offer beverages for retail sale as well as serving them.

The Cask will provide a “cozy” atmosphere with wood features (including the bar top, made from a fallen old-growth fir), lamplight, and music, including a lounge with space to accommodate solo musicians.

According to MacDughlas, the bar will feature six rotating taps of seasonal craft beers, and one “cask-conditioned” beer engine — a pump that pushes the ale out of the cask without the use of CO2 or nitrogen, while still creating a head on the ale. He says these are considered “real ales.”

For starters, The Cask will offer mostly beverages, with some snack foods, but the proprietor hopes to eventually be able to offer meat and cheese platters and more hearty “European fare.”

He’s a lifelong West Seattleite, and this isn’t his first endeavor – he started what is now C&P Coffee as “The Elder Green” with a business partner.

Asked about opening a new business in the current economy – in a neighborhood where five new establishments have opened in recent months (Porterhouse, Brickyard, renovated Angelina’s, Shipwreck Tavern, Heartland Café) – MacDughlas notes that restaurants and pubs still tend to be “packed.” He feels the Admiral District is an area that will welcome and support a business like his, and notes the added amenity of having dedicated parking behind the building, as well as the underground parking lot next to nearby Bartell Drugs.

The owners are aiming to open The Cask in May, adding the usual caveat that it depends on the construction process.

31 Replies to "West Seattle business news: The Cask coming to Admiral"

  • alki resident April 4, 2010 (10:35 pm)

    Gosh,I was wondering when we’re going to get another place in West Seattle to drink at.

  • Bender April 4, 2010 (10:38 pm)

    Sounds great! Looking forward to the variety of beers for sale.

  • dsa April 4, 2010 (10:41 pm)

    One step up from being an empty store front

  • JanS April 4, 2010 (10:44 pm)

    wow…the Admiral District is certainly coming together. Now, some shops that maybe offer clothes, things like that. I’d never have to leave the ‘hood ;-)

  • grr April 4, 2010 (11:07 pm)

    lord help us if they stick a bunch of big TV’s in the place. PLEASE no.

  • Mikey April 4, 2010 (11:38 pm)

    Thank goodness! I was wondering if we’d finally get a place to drink at in the Admiral district!

  • dawsonct April 4, 2010 (11:38 pm)

    YYYYEESS!!!!

  • dawsonct April 4, 2010 (11:56 pm)

    Oh no dsa, you’re wrong. Papered-over windows are MUCH better, at least until someone opens a shop that caters to everyone’s every need at all times.

    • WSB April 5, 2010 (12:02 am)

      We’ve been working on this for about a week, ever since noticing the liquor-license filing, but until researching the links to add to Keri’s copy before publishing the story tonight, I didn’t realize an entire year had passed since the shoe store moved out. By the way, we’ll have a little update on Locol, the wine/beer place in the works on the “other side of town” (Sunrise Heights), shortly, after checking in with its owner a few days ago … TR

  • Meghan April 5, 2010 (7:33 am)

    Sounds like a good addition to the neighborhood. That business district is getting better and better.

  • HelperMonkey April 5, 2010 (8:59 am)

    geez, what a bunch of negative nellys in this thread already. you could cut the sarcasm with a knife. get it thru your heads – more businesses opening up in WS is a GOOD thing. Not a bad thing. if they survive, then there is a market for it. if not, then there wasn’t. there seems to be a market for drinking establishments in WS. Go to Capitol Hill or University District sometime and you’ll see *gasp* multiple bars on the same block, sitting next to other businesses. Stuff like this turns WS neighborhoods into a destination – both for people on the peninsula and for people coming from other areas of Seattle. I for one love that now, if we go all the way to the Admiral District, there is more than one place to choose from. Yay for new businesses! :D

  • LL April 5, 2010 (9:13 am)

    I think it sounds great. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for no big screen TVs. Takes away from the atmosphere. Prost almost has it, but the TVs definitely detract. We need a good wine bar in WS. Hopefully this is finally it.

  • AM April 5, 2010 (9:16 am)

    agreed – can’t wait to check this new place out! :)

  • bsmomma April 5, 2010 (9:39 am)

    Sounds like a good place to sit down, relax and get cozy with a nice glass of wine and a conversation. Beats having a glass of wine at a loud sports bar/pub, with big screens and obnoxious people, sitting on a stool screaming to hear at the person you’re with so they can hear you. I hope they have some comfy seating attire!

  • dmc April 5, 2010 (10:11 am)

    This sounds awesome! Welcome to Admiral Cask. I always enjoy a new place to drink.

  • Jill Z April 5, 2010 (10:25 am)

    Way to go!! We will be coming over from Kirkland to check out this awesome place!!

  • natinstl April 5, 2010 (11:36 am)

    I wish they’d open up some more stuff down at the Morgan Junction end of town, we’re feeling neglected over here.

  • Mac April 5, 2010 (12:14 pm)

    Admiral seemed so sleepy when I moved back to WS two years ago, now it seems like someplace new is opening every week! A great addition!

  • hello April 5, 2010 (12:19 pm)

    imagine this: a rainy windy night and your sitting inside with a friend (or alone) sipping a glass of wine or a fine beer while the glow of intimate table lamps shed warmth throughout….there is soft relaxing music somewhere in the background making you relaxed and comfortable….outside it’s still raining so you decide to stay a while longer ….. The marqee across the street iluminates brightly, and the raindrops keep falling… but it’s o.k. everything is just fine inside..

  • sam April 5, 2010 (1:02 pm)

    hello- for a minute, I thought you were going to start singing the ‘cheers’ theme song

  • sg April 5, 2010 (1:06 pm)

    Sounds like a great place to go to try some specialty beers and local wine before buying it to take home or to a party.
    Sounds like a good loungy spot to hang out as well.

  • Kim April 5, 2010 (2:37 pm)

    With all the other watering holes in West Seattle, I’ll never have to leave. Hope they have punch cards.

  • miws April 5, 2010 (3:30 pm)

    Although the positive comments on these new/re-opened small food and beverage businesses probably outweigh the negative ones, there’s still enough of the negative, that it get’s mighty tiresome. What do people want to move into our neighborhoods? TGIFriday’s? Olive Garden? Hooters?

    .

    Small, local businesses are the ones that keep most, if not all, of the money in the community. Or, even if the owner lives in Bellevue, at least the money isn’t going out of State to a bunch of overpaid corporate execs, including a president, and ten vice presidents for every department, or function they can come up with.

    .

    Plus, these businesses are moving into existing longtime buildings, many if not most of which have some character, rather than the building being torn down for yet another homogenized mixed use. Plus, many of them have retained the signage and other features of the previous, often decades old business that was there previously, only changing out the name of the business on the sign.

    .

    Disclosure; I haven’t had the opportunity to try most of these new places that have opened up in the last few years, due to my current financial situation, or because when I might think to give on a try, it’s during their closed hours, but I wholeheartedly welcome them, as they try to keep the character of our neighborhoods, which has been lost in other ways, only adding their own touch, to sort of “freshen things up” a bit.

    .

    Mike

  • The Velvet Bulldog April 5, 2010 (3:47 pm)

    Very well stated Mike (miws).

  • J.See April 5, 2010 (4:00 pm)

    THAT IS FANTASTIC NEWS! (CAPS!!!) I’ve always wanted a place closer to home so I don’t have to trek to Morgan to BPP. Hooray beer! All you negative nans can suck it.

  • GO CASK! April 5, 2010 (5:11 pm)

    These two owners…Shon and Dee are two of the nicest, conscientious and considerate people you may ever know :) The customer care will be old town West Seattle flavor. I’m biased because I’ve known them along time…but you can always count on Shon and Dee, always!…they’re top shelf, and darn pretty as well…almost as pretty as me ;)…darn, now I’ve gone and given myself away, haven’t I.

  • DonS April 5, 2010 (5:56 pm)

    @J. See – you don’t have to trek to Morgan Junction and the BPP anyway. Circa, Porter House, Prost … not the worst choice in town by any means. Even if BPP does kick @$$ as well as it does.

  • IslandLvr April 5, 2010 (6:10 pm)

    Yay! We can’t wait!!!

  • Birgitta April 5, 2010 (7:16 pm)

    Hey, I wish I’d live in West Seattle – would you come over and open another one of these on Kaua`i? I’ll provide you with elegant bottle stoppers. Good Luck!!!

  • J.See April 5, 2010 (11:31 pm)

    Circa, Porterhouse and Prost don’t carry my favorite beer, but BPP often does. This place sounds like a place that would also carry it or a variation of it. That would make me ever so happy!

  • AdmiralWestSeattle April 6, 2010 (1:42 pm)

    This is going to be cool. Now all we need is some parking.

Sorry, comment time is over.