Pappi Swarner won’t be happy with me this week because today I’ll be reporting on a wonderful place that is no where near the South Sound, but it’s worthy of the attention from all of you 253ers.



The Tav — a name that’s so simple and perfect.



When your humble Natasha was but a measly 18, I ventured to Ellensburg for my college education.



Coming from the Puget Sound and having never been that far east of the mountains before, I was a little taken aback by the fact that there were actually people in Washington state who wore Wranglers and meant it. But in no time flat, I fell in love with everything that’s Eburg.



Ellensburg is a city that has four solid seasons: leafy falls; frigid, snowy winters; windy, warm springtime; and blazing hot summers.



And during all of the 21-and-over-years I spent in college, The Tav was the only place you could find me regardless of the weather.



The first time I ever walked into The Tav, I swear angels from the heavens sang down to me.



The Tav is the quintessential bar in my mind, situated in historic downtown Ellensburg, with sky-high ceilings, brick walls, a long bar with trophies above it from all of the softball championships that my boys have won, wooden booths, two pool tables in the back and a huge beer garden that is the site of many of my fond memories from college.



The food at The Tav is incredible, with burgers like the super mother (ham, bacon or both), salads (get the taco), tasty appetizers like Texas toothpicks, Friday night prime rib specials, and the best sandwiches around (yes, pastrami). What’s even better, it’s dirt cheap and I don’t think the prices have been upped much since the 1980s.



Of course, with a name like The Tav, great microbrews come along with it, and this is where my true beer education began.



The wonderful boys who worked there, who quickly became some of the greatest friends I’ll ever have in my life, wouldn’t stand for my juvenile Bud Light taste. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of microbrews, and I hadn’t given them much of a chance.

Those boys took it as a personal insult, and they sat me down and broke me in like a horse to help me develop an appreciation for beers like Redhook, Black Butte Porter and Guinness.



Really, if it wasn’t for those boys and The Tav, I probably wouldn’t have the knowledge that’s developed since to write these fancy columns.



Sooner or later, all of you 253ers will venture over the mountains through the central part of the state. Whenever you’re in the vicinity, hop off I-90 and head into The Tav.



It truly is my favorite bar in the whole, wide world.



[The Tav, 117 W. Fourth Ave., Ellensburg, 509.925.3939]