Sauced

Five Questions for the Bartender: Jonathan Hudak of Artusi

The self-proclaimed “rookie bartender” has an abiding love of grappa and a funny story about a guy taking off his pants in public.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 04, 2011 at 04:54PM 1 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Click on the slideshow to watch Jonathan Hudak make Artusi’s Brujita Mia: tequila reposado, Liquore Strega, cardamom bitters, lemon, and mint.

View Slideshow » Photo: Lucas Anderson

Click on the slideshow to watch Jonathan Hudak make Artusi’s Brujita Mia: tequila reposado, Liquore Strega, cardamom bitters, lemon, and mint.

View Slideshow » Photo: Lucas Anderson
View Slideshow » Photo: Lucas Anderson
View Slideshow » Photo: Lucas Anderson
View Slideshow » Photo: Lucas Anderson

Tacoma native Jonathan Hudak calls himself a “rookie bartender,” but he’s no industry newbie. Before tending bar at Jason Stratton’s Artusi he spent two years as lead server at Tilth, where he developed an appreciation for the interaction of food and wine, and eventually all beverages.

“I began to nerd out on cocktail blogs,” says Hudak. He started “reading old cocktail books, and visiting all the amazing Seattle bars. Then I began making bitters, collecting herbs and spices from all over.” He soon found himself ganking the cooks’ gadgets—immersion circulators, vacuum sealers—to prep his drinks. A sous vide machine was employed to create his custom limoncello.

When Tilth’s chef and owner Maria Hines decided her second restaurant, Golden Beetle, would be a cocktailcentric gastropub, Hudak was all over it.

“I learned so much in such a short period of time there, and soon took up the opportunity to work with Jason Stratton at Artusi.”

Here, five questions for Jonathan Hudak.

What is the most underrated spirit?
Grappa. At times it can burn, but there are so many different types of grappa from all over Italy ranging in styles and strength. In essence it is brandy, though it is much more dynamic and complex.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than Artusi)?
Oliver’s Twist—Robert [Rowland] makes some mean drinks. I also like Rob Roy, Barrio, and Liberty.

What drink do you order at that bar?
I love bitter drinks, the more bitters the better. So when I’m not drinking my go-to rye old-fashioned, I order a Seelbach, a Pegu Club (heavy on the Angostura), or a Martinez, preferably made with Ransom Old Tom Gin, Dolin Rouge, and Scrappy’s Orange Bitters.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen someone do in a bar?
I witnessed a beer bottle smashed over someone’s head while bar-backing at Ohana. An angry drunk man left Tilth and smashed our potted plants on the sidewalk. Another man, after having red wine spilled on him, removed his wine-stained pants and walked them up to the counter in his skimpy silver underwear to request that they be dry-cleaned….

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.
My family is nearby. The coffee is near perfect. And the quality of living here is astounding.

Find Hudak at Artusi Thursday through Friday evenings starting around five, and Saturday and Sunday from 7pm onward.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Five Questions for the Bartender, Seattle Bartenders, Maria Hines, Seattle Bars, Jason Stratton

Wine and Beer Service Imminent at Taylor Shellfish Shop

The oyster emporium will feature wines from a carefully selected list of bivalve-friendly bottles.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 30, 2011 at 10:04AM 0 Comments

Need something to wash that sucker down? Taylor Shellfish is about to add wine and beer to its list of offerings.

Photo: Taylor Shellfish Farms via Facebook

Fans of Taylor Shellfish Farms’s charming new Melrose Market shop have been looking forward to the day when they can order up a wine or beer with their dozen Virginicas or Mediterranean mussels.

That day will soon be upon us.

“Pike Brewing’s ale and stout will be offered for sure,” says Taylor founder and famed oysterman Jon Rowley. “We might just go with one oyster wine and one crab wine to start off.”

The wines will be picked from among those on this list. Rowley creates this list by assembling a group of judges each year; the chosen ones spend hours sipping wine and slurping oysters, scoring the bottles based on how well they pair with the succulent bivalve bounty of the Pacific Northwest.

Rowley says it will likely take a few days to get the accounts set up, so stay tuned for the exact date when the alcohol will start flowing. Meantime, you can enjoy Taylor’s sea-plucked fare with a glass of wine next door at the equally charming Bar Ferd’nand.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Oysters, Melrose Market, Jon Rowley

Bartender Jared Scarr Joins the Canon Crew

The Vito’s drink mixer is the newest member of the cocktail team at Jamie Boudreau’s bar.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 29, 2011 at 11:14AM 2 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Jared Scarr: Now mixing drinks at Canon

Sazerac sipper Jared Scarr is a favorite at First Hill throwback Vito’s. And while he’ll continue to work at that lowlit lounge, he has also begun to mix drinks at Canon alongside Nathan Weber and owner Jamie Boudreau.

For now, Scarr will be working Tuesdays and Saturdays at Vito’s. Thursdays and Fridays he’ll be at Canon. As is always the case with such shifts, they are subject to change. But if you want him to make you a drink tonight, for instance, you know where to go.

In less happy Canon news, Eater Seattle’s Allecia Vermillion reports that the bar recently lost 15 glasses thanks to an indelicate dishwasher. As anyone with an appreciation for vintage glassware knows well, this is a sad development indeed.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Behind the bar, Jamie Boudreau

A First Taste of Sun Liquor Gin

The distillery’s signature spirit—Hedge Trimmer—is just about to be bottled.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 27, 2011 at 10:16AM 1 Comments

Photo: Jessica Voelker

The Hedge Trimmer bottle, designed by Michael Klebeck.

Last Friday, I had the chance to do something I’ve been waiting a long time to do: I got to try the Sun Liquor gin.

When the Pike Street distillery and bar opened in February, bar manager Erik Chapman was still working on the recipe for the brand’s flagship spirit, an American gin called Hedge Trimmer.

To label Chapman a perfectionist is to understate the situation. For a year he’s been working all day in the distillery trying to perfect the recipe, then spending his nights managing both Sun Liquor bars (the original is on Summit). “My dog doesn’t know me any more,” says Chapman, laughing.

Finally, however, he is almost ready to bottle the gin, a blend of 10 botanicals—including juniper from Eastern Europe, fresh orange, coriander, and one top-secret ingredient about which Chapman was particularly excited—that’s made with 100 percent organic wheat. The grains come from Eastern Washington, though Sun Liquor is not subject to the pesky 51-percent-of-product-must-come-from-in-state law; Chapman says the operation traded in its craft license for a regular one, paying more in fees in order to free itself up from such regulations.

Photo: Jessica Voelker

Botanicals

Chapman and his boss Michael Klebeck, who designed the bottle, planned to have one final confab before settling on the exact formula. The alcohol will wind up between 42 and 44 percent, and there was conversation over whether or not to include marshmallow root among the botanicals.

To arrive at the near-complete product, Chapman experimented with just about everything you might put in gin including blueberries, which he said left the gin oily. The experiments that proved successful but too far-out for a signature product may wind up in limited-release and seasonal gins.

The major concern with the Hedge Trimmer, though, was that it be balanced. Chapman tested prototypes in cocktail upon cocktail to create a spirit that was versatile. The results (I tried two variations on the almost-complete recipe) had a nice floral nose and were round-bodied and easy-going on the palate. If you eschew super junipery gins you’ll be happy, the juniper was suprisingly subtle in the samples I tried.

Hedge Trimmer will retail for $29.95. It will be available in Washington and Oregon and at Cask in San Francisco. How everything will work inside the Pike Street distillery and bar is still something of a mystery. Sun Liquor is itself a prototype for Washington—the first real distillery/bar hybrid. And the Liquor Control Board will have to figure out just what it can and can’t do on the premises. For instance, the way the law reads now if you went into Sun Liquor during the day and tried samples of gin, it would be illegal for the bar to serve you a cocktail later that night. That’s sort of ridiculous though. So we’ll see.

Chapman says he plans to begin bottling the first week in October.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Gin, Microdistilleries, Distillery Report, Distilling

It’s National Punch Day!

Celebrating is not complicated.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 20, 2011 at 11:41AM 1 Comments

Preparing the Punch by Walter-Dendy Sadler

Image: Artchive.com

If it’s September 20, it must be National Punch Day.

David Wondrich—esteemed author of the book Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl—lamented the choice of dates rather hilariously on Twitter today, and you can see his point. But as long as it’s here, we better celebrate it properly, no?

One way to do that is to march on over to Canon, Jamie Boudreau’s new bar on Capitol Hill. Just a few weeks into business and the place is already a smashing success, so arrive early in the evening to claim a place where you can receive tableside punch service.

Another source of punches is the Local Vine, just up the street from Canon. (Bartender Alison Sever shared a sherry punch recipe with us last winter, for which were much obliged). Just a hop, skip, and a jump from LV is Tavern Law, a popular source of punches such as Fish House, a potent potion concocted of dark rum, cognac, and peach brandy.

Heading west (hmm…a punch crawl may be in order), you’ll encounter Knee High Stocking Co. a little bar that serves punch in dainty cups that become empty quite quickly. So quickly, in fact, you may just forget to follow the rules. Another complicating factor is the reservation system, fortunately Eater Seattle did a helpful interview with one of the speakeasy’s gatekeepers.

But if you’re crossing the lake tonight, I’d like to remind you of an Evan Martin-invented punch that lives on at Naga Lounge. It’s a favorite among nerdy cocktail writers for good reason.

Wherever you go, proceed with caution. Punch is an intoxicant in the most serious sense of the word. So imbibe jovially but cautiously, or you’ll soon see stars.

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Tags: Bellevue, Capitol Hill, National Something Days, Punch

Happy Hour News: Combos at Samurai Noodle, Late Night Tequila Shots at Little Water Cantina

The latest in HHs around Seattle.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 15, 2011 at 09:45AM 0 Comments

The bar at Little Water Cantina

Photo: Little Water Cantina via Facebook

First of all, there’s the happy hour at the upstairs bar at Madison Park Conservatory, which MP residents in particular should be tickled by.

But also, I wanted to call your attention to some other happy hour situations that may not be on your radar.

Joining Poppy and Panevino in the category of Best HHs on Broadway is Samurai Noodle. All three locations of the ramen restaurant offer HH from 3 to 6pm daily; on Capitol Hill the discount menu features three separate combos at three price points: $5, $8, and $12. Visit their site for details.

The Broadway noodlery also has a number of sake options and a menu of sake cocktails offered at the bargain price of $3.50. Sapporo, Manny’s, and Mac and Jack’s are on tap.

Meanwhile over in Eastlake, Little Water Cantina has added a weekend happy hour to compliment its 4–6pm deals Tuesday through Thursday. Saturdays and Sundays, it is serving the full menu until 10pm, then turning things over to an HH selection that includes—oh lordy—$2 El Jimador tequila shots. (At least you’ll be shooting the good stuff, since Casa Herradura, which makes El Jimador, went back to using 100-percent agave in 2007. Word to the wise: When a bar offers specials on shots of tequilas marked “mixto,” it’s basically trying to kill you by way of hangover. Still, even if it’s the pure stuff you’re shooting after 10pm on a Saturday, please take a cab home.)

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Tags: Happy Hour, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Seattle Happy Hours

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.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Jamie Boudreau, Bar Openings

Barrio Intros Cocktail and Spirits Classes

Beginning this month, barman Casey Robison schools Seattleites in the art of mixing drinks.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 11, 2011 at 10:10AM 0 Comments

Casey Robison and hat decorate a cover of Seattle Times insert “NW Ticket & Movietimes.”

Photo: Barrio via Facebook

Seattleites love to nerd out on the stuff they love. Why buy a jar of jam when you could spend the entire weekend chopping and boiling strawberries? Why just eat gnocchi at an Italian restaurant when you can attend a six-hour, $300 master class on how to make it? Shamanic journeying, Flirting 101, Inexpensive Global Volunteering, Intro to Fly Fishing, Herbs in Topical Skin Care: If it exists, Seattle has a class for it. That’s just how it goes around here.

Cocktails are no different. We don’t just want to drink them, tip the bartender, and be on our way. We want to explore the intricacies of their ingredients, fill notebooks with pro tips on how best to prepare them. We want to infuse, muddle, stir, and shake as if it was our job. That way, when we go back east for Thanksgiving, our sisters can make loud snoring noises as we explain what a Lewis bag is, or why this Islay scotch is smokier than that one from the Lowlands.

And now, finally, we arrive at the point of this post: Barrio bar manager Casey Robison sends word that beginning August 27, the bar will host a five-part series on cocktails and spirits. The classes cost $50 each (attend all five for $225), and each begins at 2pm and lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Robison—great depth of knowledge, zero pretension, tattoos—teaches; if the series is a success there will be more in the future, he says.

Here’s what will be covered: 08/27: Latin Drinks; 09/10: Spirits I (gin, vodka, and brandy); 09/24: Spirits II (whiskey, tequila, rum); 10/8: Classic Cocktails (1805-1930); 10/22: Contemporary Cocktails (1950-present).

The classes are limited to about 16 people, call this number to reserve a space: 206-838-3853.

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Tags: Booze 101, Capitol Hill, Seattle Bartenders, Seattle Cocktail Classes

Even More Details on Canon Seattle

Jamie Boudreau describes the food concept at his new bar.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 09, 2011 at 07:57AM 1 Comments

The way in at Canon Seattle.

Photo: Canon via Facebook

But wait, there’s more! I asked Jamie Boudreau for some follow-up details on the food menu at Canon Seattle, his new bar on 12th Avenue East slated to open later this summer.

He said the menu will change at Chef Melinda Bradley’s whim, “weekly, monthly, whatever, not just with the seasons.” It will consist of about 12 dishes (compare that to the cocktail menu, which will requires customers to choose from 100 distinct concoctions).

“Everything is meant to be shared, which means that a) you should be able to do so without picking up a knife and b) items will be portioned in even numbers. Nothing will be too fussy or precious. No style of food is off limits. My direction to her was that when you ate, you had to know that there was something in your mouth (nothing too subtle), when you finished you had to feel it in your belly, and when you shared you had to do so with ease. Everything had to be of good value and the food was allowed to be pretty as long as it wasn’t precious.”

Boudreau says he met Bradley years ago through a friend and that the two reconnected again at another friend’s wedding. “She’s young,” he says, “but has had some great experience at some great NY restaurants.” Those restaurants include, according to Canon press materials, Bar Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Jamie Boudreau, Bar Openings, Menu Descriptions, Seattle Chefs, New Cocktail Menus, Canon Seattle

Details on Canon Seattle Emerge

And here they are.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 08, 2011 at 10:08PM 0 Comments

Canon opens later this summer at 928 12th Avenue E.

Photo: Canon Seattle via Facebook

So it was only last week I was pestering Nathan Weber for confirmation on his move to Mistralkitchen. And now it seems the intrepid barman is moving on to Canon, Jamie Boudreau’s new cocktail emporium that’s set to open later this summer in the former Licorous space on 12th Avenue East. No word from Weber yet on whether or not he plans to stay on at Mistral and Rob Roy, though working behind three bars seems like a rather challenging proposition.

Canon broke the news in a press release on Monday night, announcing also that one Melinda Bradley would be the chef at the new cocktail bar. Bradley’s LinkedIn page says she last worked as a cook and baker at Lisa Dupar Catering, and before that was in the employ of Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group in New York City. According to Canon press materials, she also worked at Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit, also in New York. None of this has yet been independently confirmed. (What? Some of us are still a little shell-shocked following the Daniel Jeffers fiasco. Also, update: I received confirmation from Aquavit, she definitely worked there. ) The press release says that the menu will be made up of shareable plates focused on local ingredients. Boudreau envisions guests combining the dishes to create “multi-course meals.”

Other things we’ve learned about Canon: Its “Angostura bitters-stained mahogany and birch bar,” built and designed by Boudreau, will seat 12, with 36 more seats scattered around the space. The drinks menu is huge, boasting “more than 100 cocktails.” Canon will be open every day from 5pm to 2am and will serve food until 1:30am.

I’ve got queries and confirmation requests in. I’ll update as soon as I know more things.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Seattle Bartenders, Jamie Boudreau, Bar Openings, Seattle Bar News, Canon Seattle

Someone Should Buy Poco Wine Room and Turn It Into a Tiki Bar

Seriously!

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 08, 2011 at 11:40AM 12 Comments

Seattle needs this.

Photo: tikimaster.com

For far too long now, Seattleites have slouched damply on our barstools made of repurposed wood, peering listlessly into our beers and our dainty craft cocktails and our bordeaux-style blends.

Can you see us? We are not wearing goofy smiles. We are not glugging Diki Dikis and Mai Tais and Zombies and Major Baileys. We are not dressed in ridiculous button-down shirts decorated with lurid orchids or coconuts or hula dancers balanced on surfboards.

We have no tiki.

As Andrew Bohrer recently pointed out in this article, Portland has tiki. San Francisco has tiki. New York City has tiki. Where is our tiki? Who will bring us the tiki?

News came this morning that Poco Wine Room is up for sale. And you know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking TIKI. I can easily see the two-tiered, intimate Poco converted into an island paradise. A little thatch, some paper umbrellas, maybe a parrot perched on a shoulder or two and we’re there.

Come on, some talented Seattle bartender who also has business sense, open a tiki bar!

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Tiki, Seattle Drinking Scene

New Bar Alert: The Shop Agora

The gourmet food store is serving up more than just olive oil and hummus to go, and Capitol Hill appears enthusiastic.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 08, 2011 at 09:35AM 2 Comments

The bar at the new Shop Agora on 15th Avenue East.

Photo: Jessica Voelker

After learning from Phinneywood that the Capitol Hill location of The Shop Agora opened late last week on 15th Avenue, I popped in on Saturday to see what was what.

The front of the new shop is divided into two sections. On one side are the gourmet food items, mostly focused on Northern Mediterranean imports: balsamic vinegars of Modena, olive oils, sea salts, dried pasta, truffle honey. There’s also an olive-oil-and-bread-tasting table. On the same side, closer to the back, are a rack of Macrina Bakery offerings, a popcorn machine, and a cooler with to-go items like hummus, olives, and eggplant spreads, plus deli meats and cheeses.

The other side of the shop includes a wine section made up of bottles from Greek, Italy, and Spain.

All this probably sounds familiar to anyone who has visited the original emporium on Phinney Ridge. But what distinguishes the new Shop Agora is what sits behind the wine racks. And that, dear friends, is a bar. This bar is open from 10am to 10pm, (the same hours as the shop), part-owner Nikos Spiliopoulos says it’s designed to “compliment the retail space.” Early in the day, customers can stop by for snacks, sandwiches, and soup; two soups are offered daily, Spiliopoulos was particularly psyched about the decadent-sounding French onion made with duck stock.

Later in the evening, the bar offers up small plates (French cheeses, prosciutto-wrapped figs) to be eaten alongside a glass of wine or beer. The current beverage list includes selections from—this shouldn’t surprise—Greek, Spain, and Italy (with a couple of French beers), but Spiliopoulos hopes to eventually include wines from around the globe. And down the road he plans to use the bar to host tastings with winemakers, wine dinners, and other events.

That road may be a long one, however. Spiliopoulos said the bar was overwhelmed on its first Friday night in business, selling out of some items early in the evening. He appeared enthusiastic on Saturday but also slightly shell-shocked, and told me he plans to expand his menus slowly as he and partner Alexis Saloutos adjust to the demands of the neighborhood. Meantime: French onion soup made with duck stock.

The new Shop Agora is located at 346 15th Avenue E, next to Palermo.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Wine Bars, Bar Openings, Seattle Specialty Food Shops