Sauced

Hey, Cicchetti Has a New Bartender

Tango’s Kate Perry heads to Eastlake’s cocktail and snack spot.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Jan 30, 2012 at 10:20AM 0 Comments

It won’t be difficult to spot Kate Perry behind the bar at Cicchetti: She’s the one who’s not a guy.

Cicchetti, boozy sibling to Serafina in Eastlake, has a new bartender in the (highly talented) lineup. The Italian cocktail and small plate destination sent along word that Kate Perry, currently tender of the bar at Tango, will be spending her Thursday and Friday nights behind the bar at Cicchetti. She’ll reportedly keep a few shifts over at Tango, the Latin-styled lair of beautiful people at the foot of Capitol Hill.

Cicchetti general manager Rachel Aiken also notes that Perry is a welcome female addition to the all-male bartending team. When you sidle in for a drink, don’t confuse her with the Kate Perry who is the partner at forthcoming Restaurant Bea in Madrona. And let’s not even make the all-too-obvious Katy Perry joke.

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Tags: Eastlake, Cicchetti, Shift Change, Kate Perry

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

Five Questions for the Bartender: Thomas Bondesson

“I’m pretty simple” says the Swede behind the stick at Little Water Cantina.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 01, 2011 at 11:35AM 1 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

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

Thomas Bondesson grew up in Sweden. When his parents transplanted the family to California he discovered the joy of being a bus boy, eventually moving behind the bar. “I have worked every style of bartending,” says Bondesson, “from flair bartending in San Francisco to craft-cocktail bartending in Seattle.”

Last year, word spread among the cocktail crowd that there was a talented bartender at an unlikely South Lake Union destination: the Little Red Bistro on Dexter Avenue. But Bondesson soon moved on to Spur in Belltown; he drew more buzz there by creating tasty barrel-aged cocktails. In May he moved again: to Eastlake’s Little Water Cantina, where he has been tasked with creating a craft-cocktail menu to accompany the Mexican eats on offer.

Here, five questions for Thomas Bondesson.

What is the most underrated spirit?

I would say aquavit. It doesn’t always cater to the American palate but used right it’s quite delicious. In Sweden aquavit is generally consumed before you eat a meal, you shoot it. But if you want to mix with it, use something with bitter fruits and berries. I do a cocktail with aquavit, blackberry shrub, ginger ale, and Creme De Cassis.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than Little Water Cantina)?

Zig Zag hands down, the guys there have helped me out a lot when I came out to Seattle, I’ll often be sitting at the stick late Monday nights. Other favorite places are Rob Roy and The Dray.

What drink do you order at that bar?

Old Raj on the rocks or cheap beer and some kind of shot. I’m pretty simple.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen someone do in a bar?

Ugh, I don’t know where to start with this one. I’ve worked in some weird places. But I would say the worst thing is when a customer broke a glass and brushed the broken pieces in my ice well on a busy Saturday.

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.

Culture, weather, soccer.

At Little Water Cantina, Bondesson works Tuesday through Friday nights. Sundays, he joins his industry colleagues to play soccer in the Novo Fogo-sponsored league. You can email me if you’d like more information on that.

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Tags: Eastlake, Behind the bar, Five Questions for the Bartender, Creme de Cassis, Aquavit

Four New Mexican Restaurants, Four New Happy Hours

And $5 margaritas all around. Let’s get to it.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 19, 2011 at 02:35PM 3 Comments

The happy hour dream is alive on the patio at Poquitos.

Photo: Facebook

Mexican restaurants have been sprouting up all around town, you may have you noticed.

Below are four, and all of them offer—hooray—happy hour.

1. Let’s start with soon-to-open Coa Tequileria in Maple Leaf. You can’t go there for happy hour today, but you’ll be able to starting the 27th [UPDATE: COA HAS MOVED UP ITS OPENING DATE TO MAY 23] according to Eater Seattle. And this place intends to take its discounts seriously, let me tell you.

During two daily happy hours (2-7pm and 9pm-close) well drinks will run you $4, Mexican beers $3, and domestics $2. All wines by the glass are to be discounted $2, and there will be a 25 percent discount on bottles of wine. Tequila flights will go for $14-$40 at HH and house margaritas are $5.

As for the food: “street-style” tacos will be $1.50, nachitos and taquitos $5, and gorditas will cost $3.

In addition to HH there will be daily discounts: Mondays, margaritas are $4. Tuesday is $1 taco night, and on Thursday premium tequilas will be discounted 50 percent.

Intense.

2. Over on Eastlake, Little Water Cantina is currently doing HH Tuesday through Friday Thursday between 4 and 6pm. Drafts and well drinks are $4, margaritas and house wines are $5.

Discounts on the regular food menu include chips and salsa for $2, guacamole for $6, and empanadas (veg or chorizo) for $5. Foods served only at HH include sikil pak, a toasted pumpkin-seed dip that’s served with chips for $2, and the taco special of the day—you get three tacos for $9.

3. Poquitos on Capitol Hill has happy hour from 3 to 5pm daily. House wine and margaritas are $5, draft beers and well cocktails are $4. Salsa and chips are $2, guacamole and tamales are $4, and there’s a taco plate for $7.50.

4. Queen Anne has a new amigo called La Luna that opened early this month. It bills itself as a Mexican fusion restaurant.

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Tags: Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Mexican Cuisine, Seattle Happy Hours, Maple Leaf

Thomas Bondesson Joins Little Water Cantina Team

Another good hire for Eastlake’s new Mexican restaurant.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 09, 2011 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Craft cocktail concocter Thomas Bondesson has joined the Little Water team.

Bartender Thomas Bondesson, who made a name for himself elevating the cocktails at Little Red Bistro, left that establishment a few months back.

From there he went to Spur, where he drew attention for his barrel-aged cocktails.

But you won’t find him at Spur any more. I just got word from Bondesson that he has moved on to Eastlake’s new Mexican restaurant, Little Water Cantina, where he’ll be working to develop the drinks menu alongside GM Cameo McRoberts.

Very promising indeed.

Photo: Little Water Cantina.

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Tags: Eastlake, Seattle Bartenders

Drink Mixers from Sambar, Barrio, Vito’s, Sun Liquor, and Serafina Compete in Iron Bartender

Sign up to judge drinks from very good tenders. Then go early so you can hear Shelby Earl.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 04, 2011 at 08:19AM 0 Comments

Don’t be frightened by this image—I’m confident nobody will ask you to drink Malibu rum at the Iron Bartender comp. I just thought it was a funny.

Courtesy: nightlifedenver.com

On May 29, Serafina in Eastlake is hosting a cocktail competition called Iron Bartender and instead of inviting a panel of judges, the restaurant is putting the decision in the hands of guests.

You pay $75, you watch as five tenders create cocktails to pair with five dishes, you drink the drinks and eat the food. Then you decide who wins. The “iron” part refers to the fact that bartenders must include a secret ingredient in the cocktail, just like the chefs do on Iron Chef.

Here’s who is competing: Chelsea Anderson from Sun Liquor, MacGregor Boswell from Serafina, Jay Kuehner from Sambar, Jared Scarr of Cicchetti and Vito’s, and Casey Robinson, who runs the bar show at Barrio. Serafina bar manager Chris Bollenbacher will be the emcee.

The competition begins at 4pm on the 29th, but it’s just one piece of an all-day party celebrating the restaurant’s 20th anniversary.

Last night, I popped by Serafina for a press event aimed at drumming up buzz for all this. Here’s what I learned: you should definitely show up at 2pm to see a performance by Shelby Earl, a singer/songwriter who is also a server at the restaurant. Her voice is quite beautiful. You needn’t take my word for that, however, I’ve included a video below in which she sings one of the world’s great songs.

For more details on the Sera party, head here.

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Tags: Eastlake, Drinking Events, Food Events and Festivals, Cocktail Competitions, Bar Events

Reminder: Bitters Class at Cicchetti this Saturday, March 27

A few spaces remain for tomorrow’s cocktail course.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 26, 2010 at 11:09AM 0 Comments

Busy weekend for boozers! Taste Washington, the Washington Beer Commission’s Cask Festival, and a bitters class at Cicchetti, part of a series of classes at the Eastlake restaurant.

The one-hour-and-a-half session begins at 3pm and will be cotaught by head barman Chris Bollenbacher and bartender Mathias Sanders. Besides being a big-time smartypants and a very nice guy, Bollenbacher is also a bitters savant—but we’ve been through all that before.

At Saturday’s class he’ll get into the history of bitters and show you how to incorporate them into drinks, a very important skill for any aspiring home bartender.

I contacted the restaurant this morning and they confirmed that there are still a few places left.

The class is $45.

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Tags: Cocktails, Tastings and Classes, Eastlake, Seattle Bartenders, Bitters

Five Questions for the Bartender: Chris Bollenbacher

The bar manager at Serafina makes his own infusions and rhapsodizes about rum.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 26, 2010 at 11:00AM 2 Comments

Do you know Chris Bollenbacher? You should. He is the bar manager at Serafina and Cicchetti, two twinkling Eastlake eateries where the food is great, the atmosphere ridiculously romantic, and the owner smart enough to step away from the bar and let her talented ’tender do his thing.

Way before every bartender made his own tinctures and studied up on the history of cocktails, Bollenbacher was at it, quietly amassing homemade infusions along with has an intense amount of knowledge about booze. Together with former Serafina bartender Miles Thomas (Tavern Law, Toulouse Petit), he also owns Scrappy’s Bitters, a local line of bitters you’ll find at bars all around town.

Here, five questions for Chris Bollenbacher.

What is the most underrated spirit?

The most underrated spirit in my opinion is rum, with so many brands and styles it is in a world of its own. Any fine rum brings with it so much flavor from the sugar cane/molasses it’s made from that it creates beautiful lift in cocktails and causes subtle flavors to pop even more than gin does.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than the one at Serafina)?

I enjoy imbibing at Zig Zag and Oliver’s Twist, but wherever there is a bar taking its cocktails seriously, I’ll be there.

What drink do you order at that bar?

I go for a Negroni or a Boulevardier (a Negroni with rye), I do love bitters so I’m also a sucker for a Manhattan made with a vintage Pedro Ximénez sherry and both Angostura and Scrappy’s chocolate bitters.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen someone do in a bar?

A man to who I had refused service returned hours— and many drinks—later to kick in the front window of the bar.

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.

Seattle really has that “port city” feel I enjoy; everyone is from different backgrounds and walks of life and it has quite a bit of hustle and bustle, yet it still has a down-home, sleepy side to it. There are incredible nature escapes in every direction and the whole area is a fishermen’s heaven (fishing is another passion of mine).

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Tags: Cocktails, Eastlake, Five Questions for the Bartender, Seattle Bartenders

Cocktail Classes at Serafina

Learn all about exotic brandies, Manhattans, and bitters. Plus: snacks!

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 13, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

When Chris Bollenbacher was in college he applied for a job at a local wine store. The owner asked him: “if you could have lunch with one person alive or dead, who would it be?” “Galileo,” Bollenbacher replied.

I think that says a lot about the bar manager at Serafina. He’s a chemist, a teacher, a distiller, a historian…lots of stuff. Like Galileo. And he can tell you, in his gentle and deliberate way, about the historical significance of any spirit that you might point to behind the bar.

Like the Drinking Lessons series that Michael Hebb is running over at the Sorrento, Bollenbacher’s Cocktail Tastings are well-worth your hard-earned cash. Plus they include snacks.

All classes cost $45. The next one takes place on Saturday, January 30th at 3pm and explores exotic brandies. On Saturday, February 27th, also at 3pm, learn the history and technique behind the Manhattan. Finally, on March 27th at 3pm, Bollenbacher—who has partnered with Miles Thomas (Tavern Law, Toulouse Petit) in a line of bitters called Scrappy’s —will teach students how to make and use bitters for better cocktails. Call 206.323.0807 for reservations.

Photo Source

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Tags: Tastings and Classes, Eastlake, Local Spirits