Sauced

Another New Beer Destination

You will want to eat at the Wurst Place, and you most certainly will want to drink at the Wurst Place.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jan 19, 2012 at 10:04AM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

What’s on tap for the Wurst Place in South Lake Union? A lot of good beer.

It remains to be seen whether the ales at the Wurst Place prove as tantalizing as the ones at fellow newcomer Urban Family Public House, but all signs indicate the Wurst will be a worthy drinking destination.

For starters, there’s this: “If we sampled 600 or 700 sausages,” says owner Bob Liptak of the honing of his meaty menu, “we probably sampled 1,500 beers.” The ones that got a thumbs up will rotate through 20 taps. The selection—heavy on Germans or Belgians, with a “focus on good Pacific Northwestern beers” and other domestic varieties—will change often, but you can expect a couple of staples.

When I first interviewed Liptak about his plans last April, he envisioned populating his bar with hard-to-find gems. When the Wurst Place does open (should happen any day now), some of the intoxicants you might find are: Piraat, Scotch de Silly, Green Flash IPA, Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout, Val-Dieu Grand Cru, Gulden Draak, and Pink Killer. Consider me tickled.

“Anyone can pull a tap,” continued Liptak, but the barkeeps here will engage in “beertending.” So expect them to dispense the type of erudite info beer geeks savor.

Growlers are part of the program, but they’re not intended for the rarer ales. Liptak wants to ensure all bargoers get a chance at those—something only a true beer advocate would consider.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Beer, Bar Openings, Belgian Beer, The Wurst Place

First Look: Urban Family Public House

A most comfortable Ballard beer bar with a serious list of Belgians and no attitude.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Jan 16, 2012 at 08:55AM 6 Comments

Owner Tim Czarnetzki says he hates the jumbled look of beer taps. In their place: a row of spare manila tags. Each one bears the name of the beer, its corresponding number on the menu, and a reminder about which type of glass to use.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Owner Tim Czarnetzki says he hates the jumbled look of beer taps. In their place: a row of spare manila tags. Each one bears the name of the beer, its corresponding number on the menu, and a reminder about which type of glass to use.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

More tables are planned for the center of the room.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The blackboards operate on a pulley system, and will tell you everything you need to know about what’s available.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The owners added a giant cooler (the layout is almost identical to The Sexton next door) and built an actual brick wall in front of it.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The opening beer list. Yow.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Owners Tim Czarnetzki and David Powell met as housemates in DC. They apparently spent plenty of hours drinking beer on the house’s porch swing, recreated in the bar’s front window.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

An ice box from the late 1930s stores the beer-centric glassware.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The owners asked friends to decorate a long shelf space with items that were important to them.

View Slideshow » Illustration: View Slideshow » Illustration:

Each beer has its designated glassware, bearing a logo created by a designer friend.

On Saturday night, a couple sat down next to me at the bar at Urban Family Public House, Ballard Avenue’s newest beer destination. She asked for a chardonnay; he wanted whatever came the closest to a light beer. The chardonnay wasn’t a problem, but the server was slightly challenged to find a beer one could honestly describe as light.

It was the pub’s second night in business, and owners Tim Czarnetzki, David Powell and Sean Bowman have posted a Belgian-centric beer list, full of strong, yeasty and sometimes delightfully sour beers. Some of the 25 taps are familiar, like Upright’s 4 and Saison Dupont. Others were intoxicatingly new: A Femme Fetale sour ale from Bend, Oregon’s Boneyard Beer Company, and the jauntily named Before, During, and After Christmas beer from the even more jauntily named Evil Twin brewery in Denmark (there’s a good story there; ask the bartender).

The spare space is designed for exploring; the restaurant has no bottle or can list, and the lightest (read: safest) beer on offer is Belgium’s St. Bernardus wit, which still packs a good amount of yeasty flavor. But most of the bar’s occupants whiled away the night just sitting around with their variously shaped beer glasses, talking, hanging out and treating the space like any old watering hole. There’s even a TV, something you won’t see at a snootier sort of beer joint. And…it was tuned to football on my Saturday night visit.

The titular “Urban Family” doesn’t refer to the scores of actual families who populate Ballard, but the close-knit groups of young adults (and just plain adults) that often become just as much a support system as one’s blood relations. Czarnetzki and Powell, both big homebrewers, met as housemates in Washington, DC. Czarnetzki arrived at the house via a Craigslist ad and later convinced his fellow beer-loving roommate to come out to Seattle. Bowman, who grew up with Czarnetzki, is in the process of moving here from Florida.

Urban Family is also in the process of hiring a brewer to produce some small batches of house beer to join the mighty tap list. The establishment expects to start its own brewing in the spring. In yet another charming idiosyncrasy of our state’s liquor laws, the bar is 21 and over until brewing begins on premises.

But back to that couple, and their chardonnay and light beer. I listened unobtrusively, more focused on my Bellegems Bruin, as the couple spouted maxims guaranteed to make the bartender at an uber-geeky Belgian beer bar cringe: “I don’t like strong beer,” “that sounds like it has a lot of alcohol,” and my favorite “these sorts of beers usually have too many flavors going on for me.” Instead of twirling his mustache and glaring through his monocle (of which he had neither), the server engaged the pair in a friendly conversation about beer and served up no fewer than five different samples of styles he thought they might actually enjoy. And when they failed to become converts, he happily poured a chardonnay (Urban Family offers three wines currently) and one of the gentlest beers he could muster.

The accompanying slideshow includes some details on the space, a photo of the blackboard beer list, and an explanation of why there’s a porch swing in the front window.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Beer, Bar Openings, Bar Openings, Belgian Beer, First Look, Urban Family Public House

Mioposto Adds a Pocket Bar

Mt. Baker gets some much-needed cocktails. Also: happy hour.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Jan 03, 2012 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

Mioposto: now serving cocktails (with new signage to prove it). Photo via Ben Wyatt/Mioposto.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Mioposto: now serving cocktails (with new signage to prove it). Photo via Ben Wyatt/Mioposto.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The newly added pocket bar, Cece. Photo via Ben Wyatt/Mioposto.

Mioposto has emerged from a brief remodel with a new bar. Because family friendly neighborhoods need cocktails just as much as, if not more than, Capitol Hill and Ballard.

The popular Mt. Baker pizza, Italian and breakfast spot has expanded beyond beer and wine, adding cocktails to its repertoire in the form of a “pocket bar” dubbed Cece. Pronounce it “che chi,” as in the Italian word for chickpea…a nod to the venue’s diminutive size.

Owner Jeremy Hardy says his own desire for a good drink helped inspire the project. “I live in the neighborhood, and there’s no place to get cocktails in the Mt. Baker area,” he says. "We’ve been working so hard on the food, but it felt a little too much like a playpen. We wanted to grow it up a little bit to highlight the food better."

With Cece’s arrival, Mioposto also stays open until 11pm. That news might seem quaint to those of you who make a habit of closing down rowdier drinking establishments, but Hardy says the cocktail offerings are designed to meet a major need in the neighborhood. People want a place to stop in for some low-key appetizers and drinks, but “you’re not going to have that if a three-year-old is having a tantrum at the next table.”

Cece is still building its list of cocktails, which Hardy says will focus on the classics. But meanwhile, he suggests sampling the house-made limoncello.

And along with the new bar comes a new happy hour. It’s known as “the 4-5-6,” meaning that house wine and draft beers are $4, premium well drinks run you $5 and six-inch pepperoni or marcherita pizzas are $6. Happy hour happens every day from 4 to 5pm and again from 9 to 11.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Happy Hour, Bar Openings, Seattle Happy Hours, Mioposto

First Look: Macleod’s Scottish Pub

The scotch and cocktail destination opens December 21 on the southern end of Ballard Ave.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Dec 20, 2011 at 09:43AM 1 Comments

Photo: Brian Colella

Macleod’s Scottish Pub, located at 5200 Ballard Ave, opens December 21.

View Slideshow » Photo: Brian Colella

Macleod’s Scottish Pub, located at 5200 Ballard Ave, opens December 21.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Alison Macleod, wife of Allen, painted this mural of Scotland. Plotted are the 26 distilleries the traveling trio visited.

View Slideshow » Photo: Brian Colella

The spirits menu showcases a large selection of single malts. Scotch enthusiasts will appreciate the well-aged labels at decent price points. Four beers are on tap, and barrel-aged cocktails are in the works.

View Slideshow » Photo: Brian Colella

During their visit to lauded scotch producer The Macallan, Weimann and Maclise picked up vintage signs like this one that detail the stages of distilling; seven of them line the length of the bar.

View Slideshow » Photo: Brian Colella

For food find soup prepared at nearby Bastille, savory pies, Scottish smoked salmon, and meats and cheeses.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The cast iron railing on the mezzanine hails from the Scottish Highlands. The upstairs features a lounge area, bringing capacity for the 1,000-square-foot space to 75.

View Slideshow » Photo: Brian Colella

Macleod’s is open every day from 4:30 to 2.

James Weimann and Deming Maclise, owners of the king-sized Bastille and Poquitos, will open the notably intimate Macleod’s Scottish Pub on Wednesday, December 21.

The whiskey den will house 50, maybe more, varieties of the peaty stuff to start, says Rich Fox, who heads the bar program; the emphasis is on single malt scotches. Expect that number to grow to as many as 150 by the time Macleod’s first anniversary rolls around, adds Weimann.

The cocktail bill is split between classics and scotch-based creations. (Of particular intrigue is the Atholl Brose, made with Glenffidich, honey syrup, cream, cinnamon, and an oatmeal brose that’s “like Mother’s Milk.”) While Fox recognizes Macleod’s may be many bargoers’ first run with scotch, he is confident they’ll embrace the spirit. To wit: years ago people drank mainly vodka or gin, now they guzzle ryes and bourbons like there’s no tomorrow.

“People are looking to be exposed to more, to be more adventurous. For scotch the timing is perfect.”

The famously globe-trotting Weimann and Maclise spent nearly two weeks in Scotland researching the drinking culture there (rough gig) and acquiring design elements like the stained glass trim on the maple bar. Good friend and longtime collaborator Allen Macleod, an Edinburgh native and the guy who will be “the face of the pub,” joined them.

Of course Macleod’s takes over the space that was once (fleetingly) home to Harlow’s Saloon. To check out the nearly complete overhaul and to learn what else is in store, click through the slideshow.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Scotch, Ballard, Bar Openings, New Ballard Bars

The Sexton Opens in Ballard Next Week

What to expect: Southern hospitality and a cocktail program by Marley Tomic-Beard.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Dec 07, 2011 at 12:45PM 2 Comments

The Sexton, opening next week on Ballard Ave NW.

Photo: Brandon Cook

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The Sexton, opening next week on Ballard Ave NW.

Photo: Brandon Cook

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The bar, topped by winding rows of old cassette tapes. And backed by plenty of booze.

Photo: Brandon Cook

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The wallpaper is an old photo of trees, blown up and repeated. Out back: the makings of an excellent patio.

Photo: Brandon Cook

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Chef-owner Ryan Davidson strung the light fixtures himself.

Photo: Brandon Cook

When I visited the Sexton earlier this week, the owners handed me a postcard. On one side was a vintage photograph of owner Amber Sexton’s extended family members. On the other, the following description: “serv[ing] small-plate Southern comfort food beside thick fingers of bourbon, several hands of well-pours, and/or whatever else you’re drinking, on tables of our own making, to music of our own liking, near bout the night’s backside.”

Yep, that just about sums up the bar (or is it a restaurant?) that’s been coming together in the former location of Madame K’s at 5327 Ballard Ave NW. Sexton, her husband Ryan Davidson, and partner Brandon Cook, have transformed the former bordello-themed pizza den into a space both rough-hewn and ornate, and also incredibly personal.

Nearly a year after its owners took over the space, the Sexton is planning a quiet opening early next week, with an official grand opening next Friday, December 16. The space has the makings of a stellar addition to a neighborhood already bursting with great spots.

Though there will be bourbon pours aplenty, you won’t want to pass up the Sexton’s craft cocktail menu, especially since it’s the creation of Marley Tomic-Beard, most recently at Golden Beetle, and previously at Spur and Bathtub Gin. She has fashioned a Southern-tinged cocktail list that includes a rotating seasonal julep and the double bind, made with bourbon, a sage lemon shrub, and ginger beer. If you’re seeking a little smoke, another creation planned for the list will be composed of tequila, Campari, sweet vermouth, and mezcal.

Though Tomic-Beard brings some major craft cocktail bona fides, she and the owners hasten to say that the Sexton should also be a destination for drinkers seeking a shot and a beer or other straightforward libations.

As for food, the restaurant (or is it a bar?) will serve a playful Southern menu, according to Sexton and Davidson. The term “comfort food” is teetering on the brink of overused, but how else does one describe hush puppies, pork chops, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a five-cheese mac and cheese made with bacon roux? Prices range from $3 to $13.

Davidson, who managed the kitchen at the Matador for the past three years, will be doing the cooking. He’s also a musician, as evidenced by the dismantled guitar that graces the kitchen doors, the four-track player that sports antlers over the bar, and the bar itself: a cunning compilation of old white cassette tapes that somehow looks just right with all the weathered wood. The Southern influence was inspired by Sexton’s family, which is rooted in Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, and also featured in old photographs that hang on the walls.

The Sexton will be open from 5pm till 2am every day but Monday, and will be 21 and over. The ample back patio space also holds great promise for the summer months. Check out the slide show for some in-progress photos that the Sexton team shared with me.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Cocktails, Ballard, Bar Openings, The Sexton, Marley Tomic-Beard, New Ballard Bars

Rachel Marshall and Kate Opatz’s Montana Opens December 11

A come-as-you-are bar from two industry vets offers carbonated cocktails on draft.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Dec 05, 2011 at 11:15AM 8 Comments

This sign may grace the interior of Montana, but rest assured the beer list will actually be quite good. Photo via Rachel Marshall.

Capitol Hill has no shortage of good bars, but I’m still quite excited for the opening of Montana in the Olive Way address that once housed The Buck. Owners Rachel Marshall and Kate Opatz say their unfussy Big Sky–themed hoodie will open December 11.

You might know Marshall from her eponymous Rachel’s Ginger Beer, a bracing gingery blast that graces some excellent cocktails in establishments throughout the city. And you might know Opatz from any number of places she has worked in Seattle, including Lark, La Bête and Matt’s in the Market. She’s also a Montana native.

The duo says their bar is a low key destination for beer and booze. “I will tolerate absolutely no snobbiness in here,” says Marshall. Don’t expect anything too fancy. Except…some force-carbonated cocktails. Marshall and Opatz have been experimenting with kegging and carbonating drinks like gimlets, producing fizzy cocktails available on draft.

This capability, along with the powerhouse juicer used for Rachel’s Ginger Beer, makes for some intriguing possibilities indeed. Recently the ladies juiced three cases of limes to make five gallons of carbonated gin gimlets. Marshall says she wants to use the fizz to redeem fruit-based drinks like lemon drops, greyhounds, and cosmos, “that have got a bad reputation because they’re done poorly.”

Montana will always have at least one carbonated cocktail on tap, alongside 10 beer taps, a rotating cider tap, one for ginger beer, and—hold the phone—Fernet on draft. Also: lots of tequila. Food offerings will consist of a rotating list of salty chips and schmancy versions of decidedly ungourmet dips like ranch, French onion, and queso.

The empty storefront next door is also becoming the headquarters for Rachel’s Ginger Beer, as well as a small retail space that will do growler fills. Marshall says the space will have an early 20th century laboratory feel, inspired by an old photo of Thomas Edison’s lab. It’s quite a different vibe from Montana’s dark walls and candlelight. Come witness all of this for yourself at Montana’s opening party, which starts up at 6pm on Sunday.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Bar Openings, Montana, Rachel Marshall, Kate Opatz

Urban Family Public House: Ballard Ave’s New Brewpub

The craft beer bar will open in early December.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Nov 22, 2011 at 11:04AM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy urbanfamilybrewing.com.

The latest chapter in the Ballard beer boom: Urban Family Brewing.

Behind the operation are three pals—David Powell, Timothy Czarnetzki, and Sean Bowman—who lived together in Washington D.C. where they bonded over home-brewed beer on a “rental house’s ratty sofa.” Eventually their love of suds (and each other—note the brotherly moniker) had them hatching a plan to move cross country and start their own business.

“D.C. is a different culture,” says Czarnetzki, tagging the capitol a microbrew graveyard. “Seattle is a great city for beer.” And Ballard, with its rabid ale enthusiasts and proliferation of brewers, proved a perfect fit for their nascent enterprise. “We really feel at home here.”

In a matter of weeks the trio plans to open Urban Family Public House, a Belgian-American craft beer bar outfitted with 25 taps, at 5329 Ballard Ave NW. A couple months in, says Czarnetzki, the plan is to lend their name to two or three ales, which will be on rotation as well. Eventually they hope to expand production at a second facility, but that’s not likely to happen for a year or two.

The threesome are taking over the former Sutter Home and Hearth space, which Czarnetzki says fortuitously “just fell into our laps.” “There’s so much history,” Czarnetzki coos as he alludes to the century-old brick. The address will accommodate just under 50 but that number will grow once a back patio opens.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Ballard, Bar Openings, New Seattle Breweries, Seattle Beer News, New Ballard Bars

Two Newly Announced Bar Projects (Including a Brouwer’s Sibling)

Twilight Exit, Brouwer’s Cafe owners plotting new drinking establishments.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Nov 02, 2011 at 02:30PM 0 Comments

Former tequila spot Bandolero is making way for beer. Photo: Bandolero.

Reports of notable new bars are flying fast and furious this week. Seattle Beer News delivers some details on a tantalizing rumor circulating of late: The owners of beer destinations Brouwer’s Cafe and Bottleworks have taken over the former Bandolero space in Tangletown. According to Geoff Kaiser, plans are in the works for a bar called The Publican, slated to open in late December. The space will have 22 taps, he reports, and focus on American microbrews.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Central District’s most excellent Twilight Exit have a new bar in the works in what used to be Thompson’s Point of View near 23rd and Union. Central District News says the place will be called The Neighbor Lady and be vegetarian focused. One can’t help but be intrigued by a place described by owner Stephan Mollmann as “urban brothel, but not too westerny.”

Add a Comment »

Tags: Bar Openings, The Publican, The Neighbor Lady

Opening Date for University Village Location of The Local Vine

Lucid retail got you down? Soon, sober shopping will be a thing of the past at Seattle’s favorite outdoor mall.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 04, 2011 at 09:13AM 0 Comments

The Local Vine’s U-Village location

Photo: Local Vine via Facebook

Word comes today from the people behind the Local Vine that the wine bar’s newest location—at University Village—will open on October 13. That’s next Thursday.

As was first reported right here on Sauced, the new location will be the site of plenty of tasting events, and there are some holiday-related activities on the agenda as well. A typical tasting costs $5; you can get the full rundown on the Local Vine’s website.

Just to keep things clear, a little history: As you may recall, the original Local Vine, a wine bar and retailer that first opened in Belltown, moved to Capitol Hill’s 12th Avenue in 2010 after the building that housed its original location was condemned. The U-Village location will be the wine bar’s third iteration, but one of only two currently in operation.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Wine, Wine Bars, Bar Openings, University Village

Booze News Roundup: Infusions Okay in California, a Ginger Beer Take Over at the Buck

Poppy’s popular tender moves on, Utah says no more chubbies….

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 22, 2011 at 11:49AM 0 Comments

Rachel’s Ginger Beer owner Rachel Marshall will make her spicy brew in the space behind the Buck, currently being converted into a dive bar called Montana.

Photo: Rachel’s Ginger Beer via Facebook

Lots of booze-related news both national and local. Let’s get to it.

NATIONAL
We begin in California where, about two years ago, the ABC started enforcing the state’s ban on spirits infusions as more and more of these started showing up in cocktail bars. Now, however, tenders are free to infuse away, SFist reports.

Meanwhile, Utah moves in the opposite direction, tightening its already-tough alcohol rules. USA Today reports a one-year freeze on hard-liquor licenses for Utah restaurants, and a ban on the mini kegs known as chubbies (full-size kegs were already verboten). Side note: I am now totally obsessed with the term “Zion curtain.”

LOCAL
On Slog, Seattle Nightlife and Music Association president and Red Door owner Peter Hanning makes the case for liquor privatization initiative 1183. Earlier this week Publicola reported that funds raised for and against the initiative, which will be on the ballot this November, already add up to $11.1 million.

In August, Eater Seattle’s Allecia Vermillion, noting that the Triple Door was the latest in a slew of Seattle restaurants to introduce a custom-beer collaboration, asked if a trend was not afoot. Glenn Drosendahl at the Puget Sound Business Journal took that idea and ran with it this week.

Also, big bar news for Capitol Hill: CHS blog got the scoop on Montana, the new bar that will replace the Buck on Olive Way. A partner in the project is Rachel Marshall of Rachel’s Ginger Beer, a soda that has sent a number of local food writers into a fizzy ginger-induced tizzy.

Meanwhile, Poppy’s beloved cocktail mixer Veronika Groth told Sauced that she is moving on to Chino’s, a new bar/casual eats destination taking over the space that once housed Oasis Cafe.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Bar Openings, Liquor Laws, Booze in the News

The Return of Vessel: Folks, We Have a Location

“We’re going to do things no one’s ever done before,” says bar manager and owner Jim Romdall.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 01, 2011 at 03:49PM 4 Comments

Vessel’s new home

Photo: Google Maps

UPDATE: Okay, here’s another piece. Old Vessel owner Clark Niemeyer, who stayed aboard after co-owner Coleman Johnson quit dramatically in 2008, is returning as a partner, and will design the Olive Way space. Romdall still isn’t naming any bartenders.

When Vessel closed in December of last year, bar manager Jim Romdall was clear in his intentions to reinvent the fancy cocktail lounge at a new Seattle location.

It’s happening. In a phone call today, Romdall told me that a lease has been signed for 624 Olive Way (at Seventh Avenue) in the space that previously housed a Red Balloon Company store. The location has a storied past: It was home to the original El Gaucho—“part speakeasy and part…breakfast club,” according to El Gaucho’s website—first opened in 1953.

Romdall says the new Vessel has about twice the square footage as the old 1512 Fifth Avenue space, and will include a private dining room. Vessel’s much-remarked-upon austere interior will not be recreated at the new digs. The new bar will be “warmer,” says Romdall, “with a lot more wood and metal.”

The emphasis will remain on cocktails but there will be a “vastly expanded food program” that includes lunch. And Romdall has big promises: “We’re going to do things no one’s ever done before. When we opened five years ago we raised the bar in Seattle. We want to do that again.”

What are they going to do, exactly, that’s never been done before? Romdall, who is an owner and will manage the bar, won’t say yet. He also won’t name any partner(s), but promises he/she/they is (are) integral to the project’s originality.

Romdall is one of the first bartenders to make use of the Perlini Cocktail Carbonation System. Invented by Seattleite Evan Wallace and launched at Tales of the Cocktail this year, the Perlini system carbonates cocktails without diluting them.

Romdall says new Vessel will be open before the end of the year.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Downtown, Bar Openings, Scoops and Exclusives

First Look at Canon

Jamie Boudreau’s Capitol Hill bar takes shape.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 31, 2011 at 09:15AM 1 Comments

When will Canon open? Nobody knows. But soon!

Photo: Canon via Facebook.

On Tuesday night I (along with some other media and a few contest winners) had the chance to check out Canon, Jamie Boudreau’s new bar in the former Licorous space on 12th Avenue East. The place has been transformed to pleasing effect: there’s antique-looking wallpaper with a silvery shimmer and dark, manly blinds where once hung gauzy curtains. The wall behind the banquette has been painted a chocolatey hue, and Boudreau is planning to decorate it with framed newspaper clippings from the day Prohibition was repealed.

Some things you will see at Canon when it opens: an old-timey cash register where you might except a computer, an alembic still posing like a reclining nude atop a shelf behind the bar, and a gramophone. Also: Book-length cocktail menus stored in menu cozies under the tables, aged cocktails that may come presented in a glass flask or some lovely piece of glassware amassed over Boudreau’s five years of collecting, and lots and lots and lots of bottles of booze. In fact, Boudreau says he wants Canon customers “to feel ensconced in booze.”

Shimmery wallpaper, manly blinds.

Photo: Canon via Facebook

People you will see at Canon: Boudreau, of course. And Nathan Weber—the one-time Tavern Law tender is leaving his post at Mistralkitchen to join Boudreau behind the bar (he’ll still work some shifts at Rob Roy). Boudreau told me last night that Weber was the very first bartender who expressed interest in Canon, back when the bar was still just an idea.

As previously reported, the chef is Melinda Bradley, a NYC transport who has toiled at lofty establishments owned by Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud. Last night she prepared some steamed buns stuffed with saucy pork belly, but Boudreau cautioned that this dish should not inspire us to make generalizations regarding the fare on hand. The menu will change at his whim. His nobody-puts-baby-in-a-corner philosophy applies to the entire place—Boudreau called Canon “a bar of change,” and said we should expect it to “evolve constantly.”

Coasters for your cocktails.

Photo: Canon via Facebook.

Things you may see at Canon down the road: A Fernet Branca tap (yup), cocktails on tap, and customers who have cartoon bubbles floating over their head to indicate the effects of alcohol consumption. (I should mention, not everyone has the special powers required to see that last thing. Also customers are not things, they are people.)

A date at which you can go check out Canon your own self: I don’t have one. But it will open soon, possibly even this weekend and definitely within the next couple of weeks.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Capitol Hill, Jamie Boudreau, Bar Openings