Maybe they gave their regular staff the day off to watch the Seahawks playoff game. But in any case, I would not have left a new bar trying to make an impression in the hands of the single, burned-out, red-faced fellow behind the bar tonight. He acknowledged me almost right after I sat down, then socialized and ate peanuts for over 10 minutes before seeing what I wanted to drink. God only knows how long he could have taken it I didn't have a meeting set with friends and walked down to the other end of the bar to get his attention.
I ordered a Manhattan. His mixology expertise did not extend to this rare concoction and I heard him asking another fellow at the bar how to make it. At that point I quickly shifted to a gin and tonic -- my go-to drink for inept bartenders. A G&T with Hendricks turned out to be $9, another negative for a place that is not exactly positioned as Canlis. I gave him a twenty and watched as he struggled for several minutes to calculate my change. Eventually he brought me $12 change for my $9 drink.
From a certain perspective I admire the people who own a business and provide some income to a person who is so comically unable to care for himself or others -- and barely able to perch himself on a stool -- even at the risk of the reputation of their new business venture. Indeed, if I see service like this again I will assume that it is not a bar at all but some sort of absurdist performance art piece.
Est. Dec 8, 2012 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: The Elite
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Reviews: capitolhillseattle - thestranger - yelp