#2000 #S1100 - Speckled and Drake, Seattle - 1/6/2013

Update: Speckled and Drake closed in 2022

"Do you have a cocktail menu?" I asked the bartender in this new place, in the space of the old Living Room, which used to serve some nice ones. The bartender/owner answered that he was working on one, explored my preferences, and served a nice variation on an Old Pal / Negroni sort of thing (the particulars I forget). From his answer I could tell he'd heard that question several times now, despite setting out to found a sort of instant dive, focused on a simple menu of blue collar beers and shots. I was the only one in the place at the time, and J.D. the owner was still working out some of details of the place. A bit later a friend joined me, and asked him if he had a cocktail menu.

J.D. (Justin Martinsen) grew up in the Seattle area (Roosevelt HS), then moved to Brooklyn and opened a bar called "duckduck" in Williamsburg in 1996. "Speckled" and "drake" are references to the female and male Mallard, and J.D. told The Stranger that the duck them came from his old haircut, which "flipped up in the back and looked like a duck's ass." The menu he does have is a list of boilermakers, various shots paired with blue collar beers, such as the "Fisherman's Friend" (Olympia and well whiskey) and the "Horny Woodsman" (Rainier and Woodford).

The woodwork, vintage bar, the various reclaimed signage and other items, and free Cheetohs reinforce the divey, garage-y feel of the place, and perhaps it will eventually carve out a Capitol Hill crowd that prefers the Oly and PBR. But until the word gets out, a new bar on Olive Way is going to come with certain expectations. As we sat there on a lazy Sunday evening, a few local gals popped in to check out the new place, taking in the new decor and the chalkboard of boilermaker combinations, and asked, "Do you have a cocktail menu?"

1355 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98122                            
Est. Dec 2012 - Building constructed: 1925
Previous bars in this location: The Living Room

Ranked articles: capitolhillseattle - thestranger - seattlemet - thrillist - yelp

#1999 #S1099 - The Hillside Bar, Seattle - 1/6/2013

This place has a great, comfortable feel, and I have had many nice experiences at some of the owners' other place (Hooverville in SoDo), so I am not going to judge it long term by my first experience and I expect to upgrade this rating after another visit. But tonight's experience was ridiculously bad.

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.

1520 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 324-0154
Est. Dec 8, 2012 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: The Elite
Web site:  facebook
Reviews:  capitolhillseattle - thestranger - yelp

#1998 #S1098 - Cafe Pettirosso, Seattle - 1/3/2013

Update: Cafe Pettirosso closed Feb 6, 2022

A personable little cafe and bar almost hidden on Capitol Hill, Cafe Pettirosso actually shut down in 2011, but re-opened in 2012, now owned by former employee Yuki Sodos and her sister Miki. The Sodos also run Bang Bang Cafe in Belltown, and they expanded the Pettirosso space and added a full bar, and some funky ceiling lights from an old Seattle gym. It's still more of a cafe in spirit than a bar, catering to expresso lovers and featuring many vegan lunch options, but they also serve some fairly nice drinks. I had a pleasant chat with Nick the cook and Briand the bartender.

1101 E Pike St Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 324-2233
Est. Oct 30, 2012 (bar) - Building constructed: 1911
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: pettirossoseattle.com - facebook 
Best articles: capitolhillseattle - seattletimes - seattlespectator - thestranger - veganscore - thrillist - yelp

#1997 #S1097 - Sam's Tavern, Seattle - 1/3/2013

Sam's Tavern is immediately comfortable in a woody, lodge-y, taxidermy, Linda Derschang-y sort of way, offering very average cocktails and some pretty good burgers. The name is an homage to the original tavern on the edge of Lake Union, which became Sam's Red Robin and eventually the Red Robin chain. The burgers made Eater's 25 Hottest Hamburgers in American Right Now -- which presumably was instantly out of date.

Sam's Tavern, Seattle, WA

1024 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122 - (206) 860-4238
Est. Dec 31, 2012 - Building constructed: 1913
Previous bars in this location: Chino's
Web site:  samstavernseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: thrillist - seattlemet - seattlemag - eater - thestranger - yelp

#1996 #S1096 - Metropole, Seattle - 1/2/2013

 

The Metropole American Kitchen and Bar replaces the shortlived Soban, the last of three pan-Asian restaurants with hit and miss food and some comically bad cocktails from the bar, to have tried to make a go in this space since it was built in 2003. It seems like a difficult location, benefiting from the sporadic crowds walking to the Paramount, but cut over the highway from Capitol Hill and off the beaten track from the heart of downtown. Perhaps the updated American comfort foods from chef Michael Bruno (Tango, Il Terrazo) will have a broader appear to the random gatherings marching home from Soundgarden and "The Book of Mormon."

 I had a quite pleasant baked ziti with lamb bolognese and a nice corn and crab bisque. The bar also seems somewhat upgraded. My "Fremont Old Fashioned" was watery from too much soda, but the "Metropole Manhattan" was considerably better balanced. Both bar and restaurant feature a lot of local products (e.g. Mischief Rye in my Old Fashioned), with several organic and vegetarian options. The name was chosen at least partially for the old Metropole Tavern, which was run by the owner's grandfather. (thestranger)

I had a quite pleasant baked ziti with lamb bolognese and a nice corn and crab bisque. The bar also seems somewhat upgraded. My "Fremont Old Fashioned" was watery from too much soda, but the "Metropole Manhattan" was considerably better balanced. Both bar and restaurant feature a lot of local products (e.g. Mischief Rye in my Old Fashioned), with several organic and vegetarian options. The name was chosen at least partially for the old Metropole Tavern, which was run by the owner's grandfather. (thestranger)

820 Pike Street Seattle, Wa 98101 - 206-832-5555
Est. Dec 27, 2012 - Building constructed: 2003
Previous bars in this location: Soban Restaurant and Lounge, 820 Pike, Bambuza
Web site: metropoleseattle.com - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - thrillist - yelp

#1995 #S1095 - The Whale Wins, Seattle - 12/29/2012

After spending my last "Project K-Bar" visit at Agrodolce, my visit to The Whale Wins featured quite a few parallel experiences: Dinners at restaurants opened in late 2012 by highly regarded chefs (Renee Erickson/Maria Hines), whose homey first efforts (Boat Street Cafe/Tilth) and more splashy second restaurants (Walrus and Carpenter/Golden Beetle) I like a great deal, but after quite enjoying the cocktails in the new places, the food left me disappointed.

Now it seems like everybody loves the food at the Whale Wins, so you should not take me experience to heart, and I certainly plan on returning (if I can avoid being tempted into Joule next door, whose food was a much more thorough hit for me). But I started with the roasted radicchio with hazelnets, buttermilk poppyseed vinaigrette and buttery crumbs, which was far to drenched in the dressing and far too rich for me (that is not a complaint you often hear from me). Then the roasted Emerald Acre clams with thyme, lemon peel, chili flakes, and cream were surprisingly bland.

Whether I should really count this as a bar was a difficult call for me. The physical bar itself seemed more of a counter, and it seemed doubtful that there are any regulars who drop in just for a cocktail. But perhaps I was persuaded by how much I enjoyed the drinks, starting with a Normandy Old Fashioned (Calvados, black tea syrup, bitters). While it lacks any hint of the darkness I prefer in a bar, the staff and overall vibe were both very friendly. And I repeat that everyone else in the city seems delighted with their meals here ("To eat The Whale Wins' roasted chicken is to ask: Is this the best restaurant in Seattle?"), and I myself really enjoy Walrus; so either my particular visit or perhaps my particular tastebuds would appear to be the outlier here.

3506 Stone Way North Seattle, Washington 98103 - (206) 632-9425
Est. Oct 17, 2012 - Building constructed: 1964
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: thewhalewins.com - facebook
Best articles: thestranger - seattleweekly - seattletimes - seattlebusinessmag - seriouseats - seattlemet - yelp

#1994 #S1094 - Agrodolce, Seattle - 12/26/2012

Arancini, Agrodolce, Seattle

Agrodolce is an organic Sicilian restaurant from James Beard winning Seattle chef Maria Hines, in the space that locals remember as the old Still Life in Fremont. This latest incarnation preserves the small bar area created by previous residents "35th St. Bistro." I enjoyed my cocktails through the evening, starting with "The Thief" (Apple jack, Benedictine, peach bitters, lemon cava). The food, however, left me a little disappointed.

The Arancini and spaghetti were both fine, but when I'm paying for microscopic tapas plates at an upscale restaurant, I'm hoping for something delicious and remarkable. This was my only dinner here, so I have fairly little to judge upon at this point (although I noticed that the Seattle Times and Stranger critics had a similar reaction). With Sicilian cuisine and Maria Hines combined, my guess is that future meals here will be a bit more enjoyable.


709 North 35th Street Seattle, Washington 98103 - (206) 547-9707
Est. Dec 21, 2012 - Building constructed: 1909
Previous bars in this location: 35th St. Bistro
Web site: agrodolcerestaurant.net - facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - thestranger - seattlemag - yelp