Sauced

The Missings Part 2: Local Brews

Favorite beers served around Seattle.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 12, 2011 at 01:17PM 15 Comments

There are two ways in which Seattle and Portland bars and restaurants outperform just about any other city’s: 1. They play better music. 2. They have better beer. Sure, other cities have bars and restaurants where good music is played and where good beer is served. But here, it’s par for the course. Expected. If any bar or restaurant has bad beer, and plays crappy music, we are surprised.

I remember my first few months here learning these two truths, and how happy this knowledge made me. And now I realize how much I take these two things for granted, and how much I’ll miss them both next time I walk into a bar where some horrible Billy Joel song is being unironically blasted and there’s nothing but Bud Light on tap.

But forget the music for a minute. Let’s talk about beer. Here are the five local brews I’ll pine for from the other coast.

1. Elysian Jasmine IPA: The floral notes in this beer always remind me of sucking on honeysuckle as a kid. Eat with Thai food; be happy.

2. Ninkasi Total Domination IPA: I was a late bloomer to the superhoppy IPAs out here, but this Portland Eugene brewery converted me.

3. Deschutes Jubilation Ale Jubelale: Another Portland Bend brewery, Deschutes’ seasonal is a beer that I now associate closely with Christmas.

4. Alaskan Amber: I’m not even saying this is one of the world’s greatest beers. And it’s not made here. But it’s a beer I closely associate with Seattle coziness. It’s a Saturday afternoon, no-big-deal, let’s-play-Scrabble-because-we’re-nerds-but-are-old-enough-not-to-care beer. Alaskan Amber is also—trade secret—the perfect hair-of-the-dog brew.

5. Fremont Brewing Summer Solstice: If my Seattle summer 2011 was summed up in a beer, it’d be this guy.

Two other breweries I can’t not mention: Chuckanut in Bellingham and Silver City Brewing in Silverdale. Check them out if you haven’t. Great stuff.

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Tags: Seattle Bars, Seattle Beer

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

Upcoming Drinking Events: Ginger Bliss release party; Mezcaleria Oaxaca Opens

Plus: Boozing it up at Pike Place Market, oyster HH returns to Whole Foods.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 03, 2011 at 09:23AM 0 Comments

This Saturday, celebrate the release of a new collection of cocktail recipes from Seattle author A.J. Rathbun.

Bargain oysters = happy times. On Tuesday, October 4, Whole Foods Westlake reintroduces oyster happy hour; from 6 to 8pm the slippery suckers are just 69 cents a piece. (Oh and lookie here, on Wednesdays it’s 50 cent wings.)

Thursday: Long-awaited Capitol Hill distillery and tasting room Oola throws itself an opening party, your chance to check out its vodka and gin and get a look at the Graham Baba-designed tasting room.

Pike Place Market hosts Arcade Nights on Friday the 7th. The $25 admission is purchasable at Brown Paper Tickets. For that you receive 10 tokens, each good for a beverage or snack. It’s 21 and over, drinks on offer include wine, beer, and hard cider.

A mezcal collection AND food from the Carta de Oaxaca folks? That’s more than a little exciting. Saturday, October 8 is opening night at Mezcaleria Oaxaca at 2123 Queen Anne Avenue N. You never know what Seattleites are going to show up for, but if the consistently clusterfucky crowd situation at Carta is any indication, you’ll want to arrive early.

Also on Saturday: Rob Roy celebrates the release of Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, the new cocktail book from local writer A.J. Rathbun. Meet the author, buy a book, and sample some of the cocktail recipes between 2 and 4pm at the Belltown bar.

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Tags: Cocktails, Seattle Bars, Books & Authors, Whole Foods, Mezcal, Oysters, Drinking Events, Queen Anne, Cocktail Recipes, Belltown, Books About Drinking

Drinking Made Easy’s Full Shoot Schedule

Ah, the motherload.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 10, 2011 at 01:00PM 1 Comments

Drinking Made Easy host Zane Lamprey makes the rounds.

Photo: Drinking Made Easy

A rep for Drinking Made Easy just sent me the full list of places where the show plans to shoot while in town.

Last night Zane Lambrey and friends headed to Rob Roy, of course, and earlier today they were at Sun Liquor on Pike [update: you may see some familiar faces among the extras at Sun. Seattle Weekly contributor Julien Perry, for instance.] At 1pm the cast and crew stumbled over to Liberty bar on 15th Avenue E.

Other sites on the schedule: The Space Needle, Zig Zag Cafe, Pike Brewing, and Top Pot Doughnuts. (Family fun fact: Sun Liquor is owned by Michael Klebeck, who co-founded Top Pot with brother Mark.)

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Tags: Reality TV, Seattle Bars, Seattle on TV, Drinking Made Easy

Why Can’t Every Bar in Seattle Put Out a Proper Gin and Tonic?

Plus: the one, two, threes of a good G&T.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 04, 2011 at 10:10AM 8 Comments

These should be fresh.

Photo: publicbar.com

Speaking very generally—and with the understanding that exceptions are always the rule—there are three types of bars in Seattle, as far as cocktails are concerned:

1. Cocktail bars where you can get a good cocktail.

2. Restaurant bars and lounges where cocktails aren’t the focus, but where you can count on getting a decent drink, especially if three or fewer ingredients are involved. (Of course, some restaurants double as very good craft cocktail bars.)

3. Other bars.

Other bars make up the vast majority of bars in our town, and many offer, in addition to drinks, fun. But when it comes to mixed drinks at other bars, strange things sometimes happen. Drinks designed to taste like atomic fireballs happen. Curdled dairy products happen. And crimes of citrus are not uncommon—I recently opted for a gin and tonic at one Capitol Hill bar and was served three-quarters of a glass of Beefeater that had been contaminated with a single spray of tonic from a gunky soda gun, then garnished with the palest wedge of lime. This sad specimen featured a shaggy beard of wilting pith and a brown line of rot along the rind. The drink was undrinkable and, given the large quantity of gin involved, likely resulted in little profit for the bar.

It occurs to me that this is insane. Say what you will about the craft cocktail movement and its lamentable preciousness, there is no reason that every bar in Seattle shouldn’t turn out a drinkable gin and tonic. Drinks are what bars traffic in, after all. If the French fries aren’t perfect, fine. Bars here are compelled by law to serve food. But drinks are what they do. We don’t need every bartender to know how to shake up a Ramos Gin Fizz, but a G&T? Come on.

I asked Quentin Ertel, owner of The Saint and Havana on Capitol Hill—bars that serve simple, drinkable drinks—to shed light on the situation.

He offered up three explanations:

1. The every-profession-includes-people-that-suck-at-the-job explanation: “Some cabinet makers build wonderful cabinets, others build kindling.”

2. The too-many-bars explanation: "The recent proliferation of new bar openings in Seattle means there’s a diluted talent pool.”

3. The it’s-the-economy-stupid explanation: “In a recession, there’s been a rush to both own and work in bars and restaurants (this circles back to the first reason). As a result you’ve got very seasoned, incredibly knowledgeable professionals working alongside well-intentioned (though ill-trained) newcomers.”

Whatever the explanation, education is surely the solution. Here are Ertel’s tips on making a good G&T.

1. “Like good cooking, good drinking stars with the best ingredients. Aside from having a decent gin on hand, make sure your lime is fresh, your tonic has fizz to it, and that you’ve got a good supply of ice.”

2. “Pack the glass with ice—all the way to the top of the glass. This way, you won’t need to pour a triple shot for the customer to taste the gin. Instead, you can offer a nice pour of gin that cuts right through a splash of tonic, and the ample ice in the glass will keep the cocktail nice and cold.”

3. “Be sure to deliver the drink ASAP. As it starts to melt, more ice in the glass means more water. This water dilutes the taste of the cocktail. Also, it’s not polite to keep your guests waiting.”

So there you have that.

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Tags: Behind the bar, Drinking Culture, Seattle Bars, Drinking How-Tos

Free Cocktail Class at Licorous this Saturday

A whiskey-focused lesson served gratis to the bar’s first 30 guests.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 19, 2011 at 03:52PM 0 Comments

Licorous, now with free cocktail classes.

On Saturday, May 21 Licorous, the sister bar to Lark restaurant on Capitol Hill, is hosting a free cocktail class that focuses on whiskey and how to use it winningly in your mixed drinks.

The class runs from 4 to 5pm. You don’t have to sign up in advance but the bar can only accommodate the first 30 people that show up.

I have a call in to Licorous to learn just who exactly will be running this here class.

Will update as soon as I hear back.

UPDATE: GM/owner Michelle Magidow and lead bartender Jeshua Madden are teaching.

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Tags: Booze 101, Capitol Hill, Whiskey, Seattle Bars, Free Cocktail Classes

Where Ya At, Seattle?

I always assumed new bars were packed on opening night. I guess I was wrong.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 12, 2011 at 09:44AM 2 Comments

I went to a bar on its opening night last night. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever done this because generally people whose job it is to write about bars and restaurants don’t go to the places they write about until said places have had the chance to work their stuff out. But I made an exception and promised myself I wouldn’t evaluate anything, I’d just drink wine and talk to my friends, which I did.

What was funny was this: this brand new bar, centrally located, fairly well hyped, wasn’t crowded at 7pm, or even 8pm. It was about half full, in fact. I always assumed that new bars were mobbed on their first nights. I was apparently wrong.

Come to think of it, though, Seattle bars and restaurants are kind of never crowded. On a recent visit to Chicago I learned that you had to call days ahead to get a reservation at popular restaurants. I waited over a hour to get inside a cocktail lounge. Here, with a couple of exceptions, you can waltz into whatever place you like and claim a table. It’s good because we don’t have to plan, but it would also be nice if there was a little more buzz, wouldn’t it?

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Tags: Seattle Bars

Seattle’s Tiny Bars

Six favorites among the local little guys.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 18, 2011 at 09:40AM 7 Comments

Sambar is small.

There are a lot of lists floating around the internet, but sometimes one just catches your fancy. If you haven’t yet, check out Budget Travel’s slideshow of the 10 Smallest Bars in the World.

This got me thinking about our own small bars here in Seattle. So below I gathered some of my favorites. They may not match the Budget Travel list for wee-ness, but they’re all pretty fun places to hang out…if you can get a seat.

1. Sambar: A teensy Ballard bar with very wonderful drinks and fussy-delicious French food from Le Gourmand next door. At the risk of sounding like a cornball, this bar is a total neighborhood treasure.

2. Vermillion: A little nook—hidden at the back of an 11th Ave art gallery—that manages to feel at once hip and friendly, like the time you made your older sister drag you along to her friend’s parents-out-of-town kegger just to see what actually happened in high school but then everyone ended up being super nice to you and bringing you beers and stuff and then your poor eighth-grade pals (who had stayed home that night watching Pulp Fiction again because, like, did you even think about inviting them?) had to spend the next two weeks listening to you talk about how epic it was.

3. The White Horse Trading Co: Tiny, covered in Brit bric-a-brac, frequented by local characters who bring more than the requisite eccentricity and flavor, the White Horse endeavors to mimic an English pub but ends up feeling like a bar on another planet.

4. Hazlewood: You must arrive early to secure a seat upstairs, but if you can manage it, this is one of the best places in Ballard to settle in for a chat and some crazy drink involving prosecco, crème de cassis, and squid ink.

5. Joe Bar: Wait, is Joe Bar even that small? I’m not sure. But it doesn’t get praised nearly enough, that’s for certain. There’s something to be said for a place that just gets it right and then doesn’t try too hard to do anything else.

6. The Dray: A fine little wood-lined beer bar in Ballard frequented by friendly neighborhood revelers garbed out in “Fremont fashion”: puffy vests, Sounders scarves, Dansko clogs, Timbuk2 messenger bags… What’s great about The Dray is that its owners are not afraid to nerd out on the on-tap offerings, but understand that unfamiliar beers need to be accompanied by educated, friendly staff willing to explain what they taste like.

So. What did I miss?

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill, Ballard, Seattle Bars, Friends in Small Spaces

The Brave Horse Tavern Is Seattle’s Next Table Shuffleboard Spot

Here are five more bars where you can slide the puck (that’s not a euphemism).

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 22, 2011 at 12:00PM 10 Comments

Shuffleboard table at the Brave Horse Tavern

This morning I attended a media thingy at Amazon’s new SLU headquarters. This included a look inside the Brave Horse Tavern, the new pretzel-and-beer bar from Tom Douglas, one of three establishments he’s opening there.

It’s very pretty. There’s lots of exposed brick and repurposed wood and old timey signage…it basically looks a lot like the new Serious Pie down the street. But check out these shuffleboard tables! Don’t they make you want to play shuffleboard?

Brave Horse opens the first week in April. If you can’t wait that long, try one of these places:

1. The entire back area of Auto Battery on Capitol Hill is devoted to shuffleboard. Claim a table early—happy hour is from 3pm to 7pm daily.

2. Big Time Brewery in the U-District has a shuffleboard table along with good beer and cheap, filling food befitting its student clientele. Stuffed baked potatoes? Yes indeed. [UPDATE: Awkward. The BTB no longer has shuffleboard even though the web site says it does. My fault, I guess I’ve been too distracted by my delicious overstuffed potatoes to notice the table went away.]

3. Garage has shuffleboard downstairs, in case you want to escape your office mates during the next bowling bonding venture.

4. In Eastlake, there’s Zoo Tavern, an amiable dive bar that serves pitchers of beer but no liquor. There’s also a snooker table. If there is a better word out there than “snooker,” I’d sure like to hear it.

5. Nobody’s trying too hard or caring too much at the 9LB Hammer in Georgetown—except at the shuffleboard table, where certain spazzy east coasters have been known to get a little competitive (and loud, much to the irritation of the people not trying too hard).

Bonus shuffleboard table: Lava Lounge in Belltown!

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Tags: South Lake Union, Tom Douglas, Bar Openings, Seattle Bars, Shuffleboard

Irish Pub Planned on 12th Avenue Near Lark and Cafe Presse

The Chieftain will cater to Seattle U kids and Capitol Hillers alike.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 28, 2011 at 09:04AM 8 Comments

Pints will be drunk a’plenty at the Chieftain.

Photo courtesy Celtic by Design

Irish publicans Peter and Adrianna Johnson, who own both McGilvra’s in Madison Park and Finn MacCools in the University District, have a third pub planned at 908 12th Avenue (between Spring and Marion Streets).

Called the Chieftain, the 3,600 square-foot pub has been named both in homage to the clannish history of the Emerald Isle as well as the former Seattle University mascot. (SU did away with the Chieftain symbol, in favor of the more politically correct Redhawk, in 2000). When I spoke with Peter Johnson, I did not confirm whether or not music recorded by the band called the Chieftains would be often audible inside the Chieftain pub, but I think we can probably assume that it will.

Just as Finn MacCools draws the UWers, Johnson hopes the Chieftain will lure in the Seattle U students. He is himself a Jesuit Catholic with a strong connection to the school. But he also wants to cater to Capitol Hill’s more mature denizens, who may not necessarily be tempted with the weekly quiz night or the dedicated game room.

How will he do this? With a pizza-centric menu heavy on vegetarian and vegan options, he says, plus an outdoor deck for warm days and, (code allowing), a big toasty fireplace for cold ones.

Johnson hopes to open the Chieftain within the space of three months.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Bar Openings, Seattle Bars, Seattle Irish Pubs, Bars Near Seattle University

Monday Night Green Hours at Bastille in Ballard

Try any of nine absinthes for $8, and you’ll see why quality ’sinthes never go out of style.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 24, 2011 at 10:10AM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

The absinthes of Bastille, all $8 on Monday evenings in the back bar.

To quote the frog puppet, it’s not easy being green.

So many people, when the subject of absinthe comes up, say: “Wasn’t that a trend like two years ago?” It’s as if we were talking about something as ephemeral as form-fitting velour sweatsuits. (Though come to think of it, those had more staying power than anyone might have imagined).

But really, quality absinthe has been around for…a really long time. From what I understand, absinthe’s origins date back to 18th century Switzerland, where there are records of it being made in the Neufchâtel region. Then again, I don’t know much about it; if you really want to learn about absinthe you should turn to the website of the Seattle-based Wormwood Society. Its founder, local distiller Gwydion Stone, makes an absinthe under the brand name Marteau—it should be available in Washington liquor stores in days to come.

Like Stone, Bastille bar manager Charles Veitch is a total absinthe obsessive. As such, he has brought nine absinthes to Bastille—I recently had the chance to try them all diluted with a little water. My three favorites were: Woodinville-distilled Pacifique (Pacific Distillery), elegant Trillium made by Integrity Spirits in Portland, and the extremely hard-to-find, exquisitely complex Nouvelle Orleans from New Orleans’ famed absinthe distiller T. A. Breaux of Jade Liqueurs.

Bastille’s other absinthes: St George, Taboo, Kubler, Duplais, Lucid, Pernod.

Monday evenings in the back bar at Bastille, all the absinthes are $8. That’s a deal when you consider some of the higher-end ’sinthes here go for as much as $19 regularly (and that a bottle of Nouvelle Orleans, should you be able to find one, will cost you over $100).

I suggest you check this out early in the evening during Bastille’s happy hour—4:30 to 6pm daily.

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Tags: Happy Hour, Seattle Bartenders, Ballard, Special Menus, Absinthe, Seattle Bars

First Look: New Sun Liquor Bar and Distillery

The second iteration of the Capitol Hill cocktail bar opens in early March. Get a sneak peek now.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 21, 2011 at 11:58AM 0 Comments

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General Electric spotlights from the 1920s cast a shine on the test still in the distillery.

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The stills are from Forsyths, a famous Scottish stillmaker.

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The new Sun seats about 85 people. Six-top booths will line both the wall facing the street and the east-facing wall.

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A bar detail.

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Klebeck commissioned Tina Randolph to create the floor- to-ceiling Venetian plaster mural.

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A 1940s globe that belongs to Klebeck’s daughter inspired the mural.

Go see it yourself on March 4, when Sun Liquor the younger opens for business.

For the past two years, Sun Liquor owner Michael Klebeck and manager Erik Chapman have been working relentlessly to create a second bar at 514 East Pike Street.

It’s finally finished. Well, almost finished.

Larger than its older brother, with one wall covered in a map of the world created with Venetian plaster by local artist Tina Randolph, the new Sun Liquor has a handsome birch bar built by Klebeck himself and an inhouse distillery where he and Chapman are working to create their own line of gin.

The gin won’t be ready when the bar opens—the recipe has yet to be perfected—but down the line it will be available for sample and sale on the premises and, if all goes according to plan, in liquor stores across the country. Chapman also hopes to make hard-to-find-in-Washington products like cherry liqueur and creme de violette.

The second Sun has a kitchen which will be used to make burgers with locally sourced meat and shoestring French fries, but the menu will be small so as to keep the focus on the booze, says Klebeck. “Otherwise the food starts to overshadow things. This is primarily about building a neighborhood bar.”

Klebeck is also part owner of the heavily branded Top Pot doughnut chain, so his design aesthetic veers towards vintage stuff with great detail. (It should surprise no one that he’s a big Wes Anderson fan). He chooses elements that have what he calls “the catcher’s mitt factor”—they just fit. A 1950s refrigerator that was gutted and then outfitted with a modern interior had the catcher’s mitt factor, as did the gorgeous General Electric spotlights from the 1920s that show off the alembic copper test still in the front of the distillery. Patrons waiting outside the restrooms will gaze at a glass trophy case full of Klebeck’s collection of antique badminton paraphernalia.

Since coming under Chapman’s management, the first Sun Liquor—which in its earlier days could be an intimidating place to order a drink—has become known for low-key, friendly service. “It’s the kind of place I can take my mom,” explains Klebeck. Table servers and tenders at the new spot have been similarly trained. “We had to tell one guy to stop shaking drinks in such a fancy way,” says Klebeck.

Chelsea Anderson will be moving to the new bar and Chapman has hired tenders from the Can Can and Il Bistro. As at the first bar, he will create a new signature cocktail menu each season.

Sun Liquor the sequel is set to open on Friday, March 4. [UPDATE: PLANNED OPENING IS NOW MARCH 11]. Click on the slideshow to get a sneak peek of what you’ll see.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Booze News, Seattle Bars