First Look: Capitol Hill’s Manhattan Drugs
This steak and cocktail destination opens for dinner tonight.
Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Jan 05, 2012 at 10:20AM
2 Comments
The restaurant’s unofficial mascot was inspired by a similar piece of art the owners saw in a SoDo gallery; that one featured a deer and uzis. Pardo contacted the Sacramento-based artist, Peter Gronquist, and commissioned one with a ram and M-16s.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Partner and general manager Corey St. John constructed the lights himself out of pipes. He modeled them after lights he made for his Capitol Hill loft.
View Slideshow » Illustration:The menu will feature steaks and craft cocktails..
View Slideshow » Illustration:Hence the steak knives.
View Slideshow » Illustration:The bar shelving came from an old pharmacy in Carnation, Wash. that dates back to the early 1900s.
View Slideshow » Illustration:The space also features those newfangled moving pictures. Three frames cycle strange black and white photos that are projected from the ceiling.
View Slideshow » Illustration:Ornate wallpaper is popping up at many Seattle restaurants, but Pardo helped design the custom version that adorns the walls at Manhattan Drugs.
View Slideshow » Illustration:The host stand was also salvaged from the Carnation pharmacy. It was originally attached to the bar shelving, but Pardo and St. John separated the two pieces.
Manhattan Drugs has been softly open for cocktails, but tonight’s the night the new Capitol Hill restaurant begins dinner service. The 12th Avenue space is the latest project from Po Dog empire-builder Laura Olson, and her fiance Chris Pardo (who are also quite busy in Ballard).
According to Pardo, full dinner runs from 6 until 11 tonight, but cocktails carry on till 2am. Like many new neighborhood spots, Manhattan Drugs is an all-day affair; brunch service will begin next Saturday, and lunch on January 16.
Formerly (and briefly) home to Izilla Toys, Manhattan Drugs gets its name from a longtime Normandy Park pharmacy that shuttered in 2009. Pardo and business partner Corey St. John came across the pharmacy’s neon sign last year and became inspired. The menu is heavy on steak and steakhouse fare, but reportedly features one hell of a burger and other hefty classics like mac and cheese and pork belly sliders (technically not a classic, but probably should be). Click through to our slideshow for more details on the decor, including the restaurant’s unofficial mascot, a custom piece of art featuring a ram and some heavy weaponry.
UPDATE: Pardo was kind enough to pass along some additional info. The restaurant’s executive chef is Khampaeng Panyathong, who masterminded the menu at sibling venue Grim’s and, according to earlier reports, has worked at Spring Hill and The Herbfarm. Mark Bowman is running the kitchen. In addition to the four steak offerings, a mix of meat and seafood entrees run $17 to $27. And that burger people are raving about? It’s topped with tomato jam, white cheddar, truffle aioli, arugula, and fried leeks.
Tags: Manhattan Drugs, Chris Pardo, Laura Olson, First Look
hmmm. I am likely to skip this if only because I have a really hard time eating with dead animals hanging on the wall… particularly ones with machine guns coming out of their heads. I know that violence is a part of the process that puts food on my table, but I really don’t want to be reminded of it while dining. And that’s only the ram; images brought up by the machine gun are even more disturbing.
Ditch the ram and the wall paper and you’ve got a winner. Love the bar and hostess table. Menu sounds delish.
Keep the ram, it’s intriguing and quirky….for those offended by animals on the wall, I have one thing to say…What the hell would you be doing in a steakhouse? I’m a meat lover, and I find it far more offensive to eat one that see one tastefully displayed on the wall. Cheers with a craft cocktail to people who are too easily offended.