#2268 #S1170 - The London Plane, Seattle - 9/5/2013

Update: London Plane closed Dec 24, 2022

London Plane is a high end "cafe, specialty foods grocery, and ... floral workshop" from James Beard award winning chef Matt Dillon (Corson Building, Bar Sajor, Sitka and Spruce) and Katherine Anderson (Marigold and Mint). It is not completely clear whether to count this as a bar, as it is much more a cafe -- brightly lit, awash in white, never open past 9, and nary a beer to be found. But they do classify themselves as a wine bar, and there is a physical bar/counter where people will sit for a glass, perhaps after dropping in for some castile soaps and wild mushroom mix. The food is mostly delicate, small plates, and enough to make Bon Appetit's top ten Best New Restaurants in America 2014.

London Plane is actually located in two separate spaces, on the opposite ends of the historic State Building, constructed in 1890-1891, and from whence the Schwabacher Brothers sold dry goods for many years, including a boom period during the Klondike gold rush. Now the upscale restaurants and art galleries of the Occidental pedestrian mall and the western end of the old jazz district on Jackson, along with the encroaching sports stadia, condos, and office spaces encroaching from the south, continue to pinch the vagrants and seedier bars and clubs of the original "skid road" area into a smaller and smaller space, in what may now be Seattle's most diverse set of eating and drinking establishments.

322 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98104 - (206) 624-1374
Est. Aug 6, 2013 - Closed Dec 24, 2022 - Building constructed: 1891
Previous bars in this location: Pacific Northwest Brewing Co.
Web site: thelondonplaneseattle.com
Articles ranked: seattletimes - seattleweekly - seattlemet - seattlemag - bizjournals - thestranger - eater - eater

#2267 #S1169 - Bloom, Seattle - 9/4/2013

Bloom is a nice little "farm to table Japanese cuisine" restaurant from Jason Harris, who was previously the chef at Showa and then served bento boxes from a pop-up at Kylie's Pizza. The bar part of Bloom is quite limited both in size and options, but it has apparently expanded a bit since this visit, going from just a few straight spirits -- bourbons, sakes, and soschus, with no cocktails -- to reports of shaved ice mai tais, shaved ice Moscow mules, and "a cucumber pepper drink."  I shall obviously have to give the bar here a second look.

5410 17th Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 - (206) 706-8080
Est. Aug 14, 2013 - Building constructed: 1946
Previous bars in this location: Kelly O'Brien's, Le Marche
Web site: bloomballard.com - facebook
Reviews: myballard - yelp - seattlemet - urbanspoon - eater - thestranger

#2266 #S1168 - The Old Sage, Seattle - 9/3/2013

Update: Old Sage closed June 17, 2016

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Oh man, do I love these guys' places. Old Sage is another restaurant/bar from my favorite Seattle chefs, Brian McCracken and Dana Tough (Tavern Law, Spur, Coterie). This place has an emphasis on smoked meats -- and a smokey vibe in general -- though the smokiness is more subtle than barbecue. And just as in their other places, they've delivered bartenders who craft excellent cocktails (here with a malty, smoky, scotch theme) and I love pretty much every item I order, even in a magician type way when the ingredients are not ones that would generally entice me. I started with the malted emmer, with a bit of local apples and mountain cheese, and it was delicious. Emmer! Emmer was delicious.

It was a little less surprising that they could also make Coho salmon, my second dish, so delicious. After getting a bit my tastes, bartender Miles added a pretty much perfect cocktail to top things off; the Expat was made with blended scotch, Carpano Antica, Campari, Averna and sassafras.

With the small plates and craft cocktails flowing, evenings at McCracken and Tough's places can quickly start to get a little pricey. But when I'm in the mood for a drink and fine meal there is simply no place in Seattle I like better.

1410 12th Ave Seattle, Washington 98122 - (206) 557-7430
Est. July 31, 2013 - Building constructed: 2007
Previous bars in this location: Local Vine
Web site: theoldsageseattle.com - facebook - blog
Ranked articles: seriouseats - seattletimes - thrillist - eater - seattlemet - seattlemag - eater - capitolhillseattle - thestranger - seattlemet - eater - yelp

#2265 #S1167 - Masala, Seattle - 8/30/2013

Masala ("spice mix") is a fairly standard Punjabi style Indian restaurant which tends to be ranked among the better ones in Seattle -- at least outside of the U District. They operated just a little bit down Northgate Way for a decade or so before moving into this new building in 2013 and adding a substantial lounge. They have super nice people working there. The lounge portion remains a mystery to me, as I've only gone in the afternoon and it's just very difficult for me to imagine a crowd gathering here that matches the club-like decor -- or any crowd, to be frank.  I suppose I need to swing by on Saturday night sometime to get any idea of what kind of bar it really is, but in the meantime it is a very satisfactory lunch or dinner stop.

507 NE Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125 - (206) 417-1118
Est. March 19, 2013 - Building constructed: 2008
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: masalaofindia.com - facebook - facebook
Reviews: thestranger - yelp - tripadvisor

#2264 #S1166 - Westcity Sardine Kitchen (West Seattle), Seattle - 8/30/2013

Update: Westcity Sardine Kitchen closed June 13, 2019.

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 If I was to try and think of the Seattle restaurant names that seem least enticing to me, I can't think of any I'd put ahead of this one. Thankfully, the "sardine" part of the name came from the feeling of walking through the narrow space rather than the full content of the menu ("Well there's sardines, sardines, eggs and sardines ..."). Indeed, the "sardine" part was actually removed from the official name before they opened. They serve some nice, fairly fancy food with a Mediterranean theme. The bar is not the sort you relax and hang out in, with its bright colors and somewhat cramped quarters, but they do serve some quite nice, creative cocktails while you get a bite to eat.

3405 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 937-0155
Est. Aug 2, 2013 - Closed June 13, 2019 - Building constructed: 1924
Previous bars in this location: The Bohemian
Reviews: seattletimes - westseattleblog - westseattleherald - yelp

#2263 #S1165 - Pecado Bueno (West Seattle), Seattle - 8/30/2013

This is the second Pecado Bueno ("good sin") from James Schmidt, co-founder of Taco Del Mar, and it is the 5th Mexican restaurant in the Junction. It has better than average Mexican food, better than average margaritas for $3, and a good salsa bar.

4523 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - (206) 457-8837
Est. Aug 15, 2013 - Building constructed: 1946
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: pecadobueno.com - facebook
Reviews: link - yelp - thestranger - westseattleblog - westseattleherald

#2262 - Bent Prop Pub (Sharp's Roasthouse), Seatac, WA - 8/29/2013

Sharp's Roasthouse and the Bent Prop Pub were established here by the Seatac Airport in 1990 by Tim Firnstahl of "Von's Roasthouse" in downtown Seattle (Firnstahl also co-established Jake O'Shaughnessey's and FX McRory's in the mid 70s) . Like the new Von's on the Harbor Steps, it is now run by his daughter Merrisa, and like the previous Von's, it caters to American roast beef and mashed potato style standards, with seasoned chickens turning on a large roaster and spin-the-wheel specials amidst a TGIFridays sort of decor. It is not a craft cocktails sort of place, but again like the new Von's, it has a very large assortment of spirits.

18427 International Blvd, SeaTac, WA 98188- (206) 241-5744
Est. Dec 18, 1990 - Building constructed: 1990
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: sharpsroasthouse.com - facebook
Reviews: northwestgoldcoast - northwestgoldcoast - yelp