#954 - The Ebb Tide Room, Seattle - 12/11/2009

"You're going to Harbor Island on a Friday night without a knife?" asked my friend Marlowe. That comment, and the great name, had my hopes up for an interesting bar. But the Ebb Tide Room, aside the Chelan Cafe, was one of the most boring bars and crowds I've seen. It was at what one would assume is one of the busiest nights and times for a bar, but perhaps the tide schedule is different here? It does open at 6:00am.

3527 Chelan Ave SW., Seattle, WA 98106 - (206) 932-7383
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#953 - Cicchetti, Seattle (Eastlake) - 12/2/2009

Wow, add Cicchetti immediately to your list of great cocktail bars in the city. I'm not quite ready to put Cicchetti (chi-KET-tee, a Venetian term for a small plate of food) in my very top rated bars -- the modernist space (a previous office designed by George Suyama) leaves me a little bit cold and I'll have to get more of a feel for the clientele and conversation around the bar itself. But I may have to change my mind after working my way further through the very interesting cocktail menu (by Chris Bollenbacher), or perhaps in the summer when the open feel and garden courtyard between the bar and parent restaurant Serafina becomes even more welcoming.

We had the "Silk" (Moldovian brandy, St. Germain, Liquor 43, lemon and egg white) and the "Blushing Goddess," and both were quite fine (you can see more of the selections here). I definitely foresee coming back many times.

121 East Boston, Seattle, WA 98102 (around the corner of through the courtyard from Serafina)
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#952 - Thompson's Point of View, Seattle - 2/3/2009

Update: Thompson's Point of View closed in late September 2011

Apparently I just missed Mrs. Thompson, and none of the patrons could tell me where the "Point Of View" part of the name comes from, including Patrice, who was celebrating her 59th birthday and has been coming there for decades (apparently it used to be "Helen's"). But I did fine this in PI:

The tip of Mount Rainier can be glimpsed through the streetside windows, but the "point of view" refers to an expression of opinion by co-owner Carl Thompson during a discussion over potential names.

Hmmm, okay.

I'm not a big fan of soul food and this blog is about bars, but apparently if you like southern food you should definitely check out Thompson's (see the links below). The bar had a nice mix of ages and personalities, at least if you're not uncomfortable being the only white person there. The neighborhood is still a little shaky and some online reviewers report seeing drug use and gang activities, but the night I went it was an enjoyable crowd, and Patrice and I were able to easily find such points of agreement as that sagittarians are the finest people in the world.

2308 East Union St., Seattle, WA 98122 - 206 329 2512
Est. 1986 - Closed Sep 2011
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#951 - LTD Bar & Grill, Seattle - 11/30/2009

While other new and remodeled bars in the area seem to desire to help preserve Fremont's unique character (Sinners and Saints, 9 Million), the LTD is having none of that. Buy a standard selection of liquors, put a few beers on tap, slap TVs all over the place and tune them to sports and bingo! You've got another bar entirely devoid of character which would be at home in any godforsaken strip mall in the country.

The food, though from a pretty typical bar food menu, was ample and better than average. This was particularly gratifying because I had so much time for my hunger to mount while waiting for service. The web site offers the features "Long Shuffleboard Table, Pool, GoldenTee 2010, and an insane Jukebox." Maybe I've been spoiled by so many great new bars in town, but when one of your top four attractions is a golf video game, I'm not likely to be back often.

309 N. 36th Street, Seattle - (206) 632-7876
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#950 - Sip, Seattle (downtown) - 11/23/2009

Update: Sip closed March 31, 2012

Sip is a swanky new (opened 11/20/09) wine bar and restaurant in the shadow of the downtown public library, following locations in Issaquah and Gig Harbor. This Sip has a very nice looking patio with a sizable stretch of grass that looks like it will be fairly irresistible when Summer arrives, and several comfortable couches and soft lighting to support its "casual but elegant" style.

It features some fairly interesting cocktails, though they were not quite as well mixed as the best cocktail bars in town, a large wine selection of course, and good food (executive chef Cody Reaves). I like the bathroom sinks -- one set for both genders just outside the bathrooms themselves. The tony decor of the interior is consistent to every last touch with the exception of a curious selection of paintings that look like they would be more at home in a Señor Frog's. Perhaps the owner's nephew is a struggling artist, whose work in anthropomorphized olives at bars has yet to be fully appreciated.

909 5th Ave., Seattle, WA 98164
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#949 - Chopstix, Seattle - 11/21/2009

Update: Chopstix was renamed Keys on Main in March 2012.


A night at Chopstix is like watching two extremely homely people feverishly making out on the bus -- you'd rather not have to witness it, but at the same time can't help feeling a little happy that at least they found someone, seemingly against all odds. The place is packed, and with what seem to be all home-schooled kids getting drunk for the first time. Thus the dumb sex allusions by the piano players are all simply HEE-LARIOUS (OMG! OMG! I can't believe he said that!), and then the night turns absolutely AWESOME when they launch into a muddled piano version of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer"!

The cocktail menu is unrelentingly awful and appears to be designed by teenage girls. It bizzarely finished in the Top 5 of King TV's Best Cocktails, which must be seen as a tribute to the power of organized sorority members. (BTW, when I asked for a cocktail menu, it took the bartender a while to find one, and I had to promise to return it because it was the bar's only copy.)

I'm happy that all these people can find a bar that's safe and boring enough for them to feel like part of the party. But if you've been going to bars for more than six months and don't belong to a sorority, this is not the bar for you. On the other hand, if you love good bars, good cocktails, and good music, then Chopstix is like a night of being waterboarded.

11 Roy St., Seattle, WA 98109 - (206) 270-4444
Building constructed: 1918
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#948 - Toulouse Petit, Seattle - 11/21/2009

It's not often that a menu has credits for woodworkers, metal artists, and glass blowers, but the owners of Peso's are justifiably proud of this very attractive, French Quarter style restaurant next door. They also rattle off some of the stats: 712 panes of glass in the windows and doors, 85,000 Italian mosaic tiles in the floor, 40,000 glass tiles in the booth platforms, and 10,000 board feet of hardwood. (My favorite touch is the long, gently bending lamp hooks.) Other numbers I witnessed include about 200 wine choices, 40 vodkas, and around 120 votive candles sparkling on the walls.

The menu is massive and comes with a large wine list and a very large menu of modestly discounted Happy Hour items (4:00-5:30 and 10pm-close). Both my food and my cocktails were very good. Toulouse staff include chef Eric Donnelly, from Sazerac and Oceanaire, and bartenders Shing Chen, from Ovio Bistro and Wild Ginger, and Miles Thomas, from Tavern Law. It is loud -- though not as loud as Peso's, and seems to play the same sort of rock music as Peso's, which seems a bit at odds with the romantic decor. Overall it is a lovely place for dinner and/or drinks, particularly when it is dark outside.

Try the: Katie Mae

601 Queen Anne Ave N., Seattle, WA 98119 - (206) 432-9069

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