Maritime Pacific Brewing Company and the Jolly Roger Taproom
1111 N.W. Ballard Way
206.782.6181
Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - midnight
Sunday, noon - 9 p.m.

After a long wait, the Jolly Roger Taproom is snug in its new So-Bal location on the same block as the always-intriguing Cash and Carry.

Cash and Carry is at the very top of our list for inexpensive entertainment, even if we don't buy anything. Whether we need eight chili bowls, 40 pounds of beef, a 96-ounce can of corn or just want to see local restaurant owners nervously standing in line, hoping customers won't see where they really get their ribs, it's the place to go.

But, that's another review.

The current Jolly Roger atmosphere resembles that of the older space just a few blocks away under the Ballard Bridge, with the welcome addition of about twice the square footage.

Booths and tables fill the spacious and airy room. Warm and inviting red walls, dark wood, subdued lighting and minimal knick-knackage make for a modern, yet homey, setting.

The owners made a nice choice with TVs, keeping them moderately sized and either quiet or completely sans volume. For our visit, the TVs were on but muted, and the room filled with the sounds of conversation, laughter and conviviality.

Due to the rectangular room and bare surfaces, sound can get shrill but generally seemed contained enough to have a quiet conversation without having to yell.

The whimsical floor mural by local artist Doug Keith has been reprised, with pirate-era cartography pointing the way to some pretty funny destinations. Give it a good look.

And, although the building is a refurbished old business, it looks and feels like it could be new. In what may have been a moment of navel-gazing, we initially pondered if it was new made to look old, or old made to look new.

The menu continues to offer hearty fare, with value-priced lunch and dinner items offering choices of lighter fare or more robust entrees.

We've been knocked out on previous trips to the old location by the jalapeno Caesar, onion rings, grilled oyster sliders and the salmon entree.

We hit pay dirt again, working the menu to our advantage with "Lil' Mahis" ($2.75 each or three for $6.95). Another slider-style item, these small discs showed the kitchen has not missed a beat.

Generous pieces of mahi were seared perfectly, with a slightly golden exterior encasing a juicy and not-overcooked center. Served in a heaping stack, these required a brief assembly effort, with enough cabbage on the plate to build three very satisfying little sandwiches. Jalapeno tartar brought heat to the affair.

The kitchen's traditional fascination with jalapeno underscores the divergent influences on the food here. A little Mexico, a little southern cuisine and little pirate food, all served fresh and hot.

In the pirate food category comes the pork tenderloin sandwich – a bit pricey at $15.50 but with massive portioning providing enough food for the entire citizenry of a rural county.

We puzzled slightly about what to do with the format. The gigantic pile of succulent rubbed tenderloin lay atop an Italian roll, rendering the huge portion hard to handle. Picking it up presented quite a challenge, like trying to pick up a pile of Jell-O. We gave up and went with knife and fork, putting us in control.

We've long felt the diner should control the sandwich, and the sandwich should not control the diner. Back in charge, we worked this marvelous meat for all it was worth, accompanying it with a Flagship Red Ale.

Loyal Jolly Roger customers have been packing the Ballard Way location like Altoids in a tin since the taproom opened a few weeks ago. This means that sometimes there can be a wait for a table, but time flies quickly when you can sit in the waiting area and quaff some of their fresh ales, brewed on site of course.

Created first as a brewery in 1990, Maritime has kept the beer focus front and center.

It's tough to go wrong when selecting from the top-notch lineup of handcrafted brews.

We're partial to the Imperial Pale Ale and Salmon Bay ESB but have never had a Maritime Pacific product that was less than satisfying.

The Ballard Food Police visit all establishments anonymously and pay for all food and drink in full. Know anything we should know? Tell the Ballard Food Police at ballardfoodpolice@gmail.com.