happy hour surprise

i've been to i love sushi several times over the past ten years but have only recently discovered their new (as of 10/27/08) happy hour. a few months ago, my coworker took me out to lunch as a thank you for watching her dog, so when my girl, M, asked if i wanted to happy hour-it for dinner, i thought, "wtf, why not try out i love sushi's hh at lake union?!?"

$3.00: we started with a wakame salad. i was surprised when three different kinds of seaweed came out on the plate! they were all tender, briny, and tasty. there's one type of seaweed that is kind of rubbery that i absolutely cannot stand, but none of these were of that variety! i loved that they were simply tossed with white sesame seeds instead of overwhelmed with oil or any type of sauce.

$5.00: usually i go for the spicy tuna roll at any sushi spot just as a litmus test. instead, we ordered the spider roll (fried soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, radish) which was tasty, but not as out-of-this-effing-world stellar as mashiko's. the crab was super fresh-out-of-the-fryer hot but severely under seasoned. it just needed a hit of acid, vinegar, lemon, something!

$8.00: the priciest item was the variety sashimi plate which comes with your choice of albacore, salmon, maguro, and/or yellowtail. this was by far my favorite dish of the afternoon. in the past i've wonder if ordering sashimi at any given place around the city would be significantly better or worse than anywhere else. i'm delighted to let you know that i love sushi's chefs are real pros. each cut was smooth and free of any connective tissue. i usually don't like salmon sashimi because i can never bite through it without looking like a slob pulling silly putty out of her mouth. the albacore was un-effing-believable, too. to be completely honest, every bite of sashimi was better than the one before.

if you're in the SLU area or even downtown and in need of happy hour with a parking space, hit up i love sushi. the food is on point, the prices are fair, and the green tea flows freely.

World Sports Grille

We were waiting to go see a movie and decided to grab a beer at World Sports Grille located inside Gameworks. Because some sort of sports were playing on the mega tvs all over the bar they had some sort of special on bud light. I think the huge glass was only 3 bucks. Not bad....

We also decided to order some snacks so we got down on some fries...

These fries were okay. They came out kinda warm but the presentation made them look worse. The fries came out on a small bread plate...they looked helpless and weak.

We also tried the hot wings...

The wings were okay. The kind of wings that they must have deep fried the hell out of and then just basted them with lots of sauce. The wings didnt have that much meat on them and a few of them looked like the chicken exploded rather than being cut up. The ranch was on point, which in my opinion is a huge plus for eating hot wings.

I think because of the special beers we made it out of there for just under 20 bucks. I guess this spot has beer specials when sports are on. If you are downtown and are looking for a cheap beer, its worth stopping by. Not sure if I would recommend eating there, unless you are really hungry or you prefer you chicken exploded rather than butchered.

1511 7th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Open 11am-10pm, on Sat. they stay open til 11pm.

The Brooklyn

The other day, over a couple great sandwiches at Jimmy John's, Crumyum mentioned he had some tasty mussels at Lark on Tuesday, reminding me that I had some real tasty clams at The Brooklyn on Monday night. They were prepared in a tomato base broth, w/ some corn and spicy chorizo, who's not a fan of the sausage shellfish combo? It was also happy hour so they were cheap and happy hour goes until 6:30. I hate 6pm hh. We also had mini kobe burgers and crab wontons. Burgers were super good, wontons not so hot, they seemed fishy, probably frozen then deep fried. They also have a signature cocktail of the day!

While describing the clams it also reminded me that I had a great steak at the Brooklyn on Friday. I even mentioned to CY, that it may have been one of my favorite steaks in town. I went w/ the Steak Oscar, fillet w/ dungeness crab and bearnaise sauce. I debated between a couple dishes but chose this mainly because of the sides it came w/. Some artichoke gratin--thing. I was not disappointed, steak was done perfectly (so juicy so fabulous) and sides and starters were great too. We started w/ the Vodka and Oyster flight (4 vodkas/ 4 oysters. can't remember all the vodkas but one was Pravda another Ciroc and I've got to say P. Diddy knows what he is talking about). Also got down on some Caprese.

For steaks (and HH apparently) I am a big fan of the Brooklyn. It's not pretentious, menu is solid and straight forward. They have awesome bread and olive oil. Gotta love the oyster thing right? It is not cheap, but who is? And if you are there w/ just two I recommend the captain's chairs were you get to see all the action. Thanks Brooklyn I think you're one of my faves!

three to tango

recently i met with a couple old friends for a little catch-up time and tasty beverages at tango restaurant located on the downtown slope of caphill. we had hoped to meet at 600 so we could catch the tail end of their 430-630 happy hour, but due to parking difficulties, we didn't arrive until about 630. dammit.

subsequently, we were forced to order small plates off the dinner menu. as for drinks, L ordered a pomegranate martini, M a gingerale, and I a glass of vinho verde. crisp, refreshing, and a perfect accompaniment to three small dishes.

we started with the beet escabeche, which was a plate of red and golden roasted beet rounds topped with a quinoa, tabouleh-style salad. the quinoa was perfectly toothy, drizzled with walnut oil, and brightened with tomato and lemon. when i read "escabeche," i was expecting something more vinegary and spicy, which has been my experience making fish escabeche myself. tango's interpretation, however, was different but still enjoyable.

our second dish was my favorite: green beans and harissa. it was perfectly simple, a little spicy, and just the right amount of nutty/rich with the pine nut sprinkling. the green beans were pan-roasted then sauteed with tomatoes and harissa. my only very, very tiny, nit-picky improvement would be to toast the pine nuts. that's it. and that's super picky, i know.

our final appetizer was a pineapple tuna poke garnished with a fried plantain slice. i thought this was the least successful dish; the tuna was screaming for an acid much stronger than the mild, sweet pineapple; the small wakame (seaweed) salad top hat was a little slimy and bland; and the presentation could have used a little more thought that none at all.

even though the poke was a letdown, the rest of my abbreviated trip to tango was quite enjoyable. the menu is very straightforward, and i would love to spend more time there for a proper dinner, but it is a little on the pricey side for any day of the week. the happy hour is really where it's at, but make sure you scope a prime parking spot so you don't miss it. :)

about a year ago, M went to Tango for a big vendor dinner where they sat at chef's table and he basically prepared an omakase feast for him and his cohorts, capping off the meal with glasses of port. he had a great time and couldn't stop gushing about how great the food was. unfortunately, i don't have a corporate expense account; so until then, i'll stick to the HH menu.


Tango Restaurant & Lounge
1100 Pike St.
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 583-0382

Restaurant Hours
Sun-Thurs: 5pm - 10:30pm
Fri-Sat: 5pm - midnight

Lounge Hours
Sun-Thurs: 4:30pm - 11pm
Fri-Sat: 4:30pm - 1am

NB: half-price bottles of wine every monday!!

The Saint

We arrived to The Saint at about 4:45pm....they do not open until 5pm and after we waited for a few minuets outside we were invited in and told we could wait until they were ready. awesome. The service was fun and casual...our bartender and self-proclaimed capitol hill rock star made casual convo and provided entertaining banter with me and my friend. We started with the Flight to Tequila, which features 3 selected cocktails. Our flight consisted of the Honeysuckle (tequila, lemon and honey), Fresas (strawberry infused tequila) and the Sayulita (tequila, campari and elderflower). My fave was the honeysuckle...I did not taste the fresas (i do not do strawberries)...but my co-diner happened to really like it! The presentation was fun with the wood tray and the small cocktail glasses.

We started with the guacamole which also comes with three fresh salsas. I really liked the smokey flavor of the red sauce and the tangy taste of the green. The pico was also really nice and had a strong cilantro back. The chips were hot and perfectly salted.

We also got down on some of the ceviche. The fish was tilapia and it was very mild, not fishy at all! The citrus marinade was also very mild. I think this dish could have used more heat but overall it was very tasty. The marinated slaw in the center of the plate also served as a nice salad not just a garnish.

We also shared the empanadas with chicken. I thought they were a bit greasy and not the baked flaky pastry that I truly tend to love about them. They were also served with the marinated carrots, onion and cabbage slaw and some of that nice smoky salsa.


Other menu items included camarones, tacos, carne asada and chicken mole. The overall menu is very small but I think it is perfect for the size of the place. The food is simple but tasty, I am happy to know that chips this good are available on the hill. The happy hour from 5-6pm allows you to cash in on their dishes for half price. The 11 or so specialty cocktails do not go down in price and will set you back about 11-14 bucks or 16 for the flight. If you really want a to cash in on your deal you can drink the tecate and that will only drain you 3 bucks. I hear this place gets pretty busy on the weekend, but at 5pm weekdays it is still a quiet place to grab a drink and head home. RIP Wingdome, you were good but this food is way better.

1416 E Olive Way
Seattle, WA 98127
They do take reservations, and I would do it...the place is small.
(206) 323-9922

Deluxe

I kinda forget about The Deluxe Bar and Grill which hides out at the end of Broadway...and I kinda have forgotten if I have ever written about this spot. Over the years of living on Cap Hill I end up at this spot when someone wants to eat a burger and get down on some happy hour that isnt Broadway Grill. I have never had one of their burgers, but locals claim they are some of the best on the Hill. The Deluxe feels overpriced to me...and if you are not getting down on their happy hour, which includes half priced appetizers, then you will pay for it in the end. For a casual neighborhood bar with lots of local beers they certainly do not cater to the alcohol drinkers in the mix. They have plenty of 7 to 8 dollar specialty cocktails but you get no love if you want a well drink, they are equally as expensive. The food is good, but sort of what you would expect from a tavern of sorts.

Strangely, my co-worker had never heard of this spot or been there so we stopped by after a work event. I will tell you this was the first time I have been to the Deluxe during the day time for when they run a lunch menu. The Saturday lunch includes a nice bloody mary drink special...and they were not that bad! They were nicely packed with vodka and veggies but needed a bit more heat.

I ended up going with the cobb salad...it was tasty, a little too much dressing and cheese and not enough lettuce...but lets be real, a cobb salad is not the healthiest salad to eat! I enjoyed the sweet helping of bacon, avocado as well as the crispy greens.

R. got down on a lunch special which included a half sandwich of the day and a cup of soup. The sandwich was simple and we both agreed that was perfect because all to much people over do it with the sauce and random pacific northwest infused presentations. The chicken breast was topped with tomato and basil on a roll. The soup of the day was clam chowder...and from the picture below, you will notice that R. was feelin it.



Deluxe Bar and Grill
625 Broadway Ave E
11am-2am

The Chapel Bar

Next time I see this posted: "Drink Specials — Daily 5pm - 8pm and midnight to close. All martinis, only $5 each." ...I might just pass or make sure I have a ride home.

I went to the Chapel website to see what the hell this martini was called but they dont have them all listed. They have like close to 30 choices from gin, vodka, whiskey and also tequila...The one that we both had was made with tequila and pomegranate juice. Dont be fooled by the color of this drink it had a LOT of tequila. After the first one, I started to feel like the party was kickin in...on the second one I was convinced I would not be able to walk home. So much for sticking to one or two drinks, I felt like I had 10. Because we were both kinda tipsy we opted for a few small bites. We got both the parmesan-dill potato chips ($3) which were just okay...kinda tasted like Tims Cascade chips with a bunch of seasoning dumped on them. The chips were small and hard to eat...then again I might be different when your sober. It is hard to tell in the photo...sorry its a former mortuary and its dark!


We also got the Wildcard ($14) which according to the menu includes "todays top fare, cured meats, cheese & vegetable salad"I wish the photograph would do this justice because it was pathetic. I was tipsy so we laughed it off but I would never order this again. It had two small pieces of prosciutto, two peppercinis, a couple slices of brie, strawberries and small bits of cauliflower all on top of some mixed greens.

All in all I had fun, just hanging out, it is a cool place to have a few drinks after work. I love sitting at the bar in the really high stools and watching the bartenders make all these cocktails. I will continue to go to Chapel and make my way through their drink menu but I think I will forgo the food.

1600 Melrose Avenue
Seattle WA 98122
Sun-Thur 5pm-1pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-2am

the bold look of kohler

it wasn't long after the agnes lofts went up that boom noodle moved in below. this sleek and simple japachic restaurant turned me off at first. i'm completely guilty of judging by its cover. i assumed it was more style than substance until i read a short review in, of all places, nwsource. the review was complementary and mentioned some japanese dishes with simple, clean ingredients, so i decided that i would eventually take boom noodle for a spin. every time i had driven or walked by, boom noodle was swamped, so happy hour or a weekend lunch were the only visits i considered.


here i just folded up a couple of chopstick rests from the paper wrappers for my happy hour companion and i. it's a little trick that a waiter once taught me at my favorite childhood japanese restaurant, mikado in southcenter (now replaced by a sports bar).


the happy hour menu is a little bizarre, only because they require that each diner have at least one alcoholic beverage to get HH pricing on food. ash went for the chiso mojito (using chiso instead of mint), and i ordered the cucumber mint fizz (sho chu, cucumber, mint, and soda). the drinks were light and refreshingly green. i enjoyed mine, and thought it was perfect for a summer afternoon with the boom's garage door wall open.


the first dish we decided on was the edamame puree. it look a little bit like bright green baby poop, but was delicious. there was a light yuzu flavor to it, and the freshly fried, blue potato chips were a plus. it was also served with eggplant and pickled cucumber. mmm. after we finished everything, we actually ordered another one. ash LOVED this dish.


next came the salmon tataki (seared slices of salmon topped with green onion, bonito flakes, seaweed, sesami seeds, and ayuzu dressing). the fish was tender and enjoyable, though i'm not entirely sure i would ever order this dish again. the tofu was served with shitaake mushrooms, sesamie dressing, green onions, and seaweed flakes. i liked this as well, but it was so simple and ordinary to me that i don't think i would re-order. in fact, the sesamie dressing was pretty forgettable. i only remembered that it was sesamie after rereading the menu.


last came the omakase plate of pickles. omakase basically means "chef's choice," and in general is a chance for the chef to show off his/her skills. the pickles were tasty. there were pearl onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, daikon, and carrots. they were all pretty okay...nothing remarkable, not really even all pickled that thoroughly, but they were simple and clean. in my book, that is much better than over-wrought and poorly-executed. my favorite part of this dish was actually the small, tater tot-sized clumps of 10-grain rice. the rice was perfectly sticky, room temperature, and toothsome. i have no idea what the ten grains were, but i'll guess that some of them were japanese short-grain rice, wild rice, wheat berries, quinoa, israeli couscous, and a handful of other tasty goodies.


we went to the bathroom after we ate, and i was impressed by the beautiful kohler faucets. i really shouldn't have been, since the agnes lofts above, boom noodle, cafe stellina, and la spiga are all connected and equally dripping in sophisticated chic.

i enjoyed my happy hour excursion to boom noodle and would recommend it to any one around 12th and pike during HH. it wasn't the cheapest fare, but it was good and a nice, clean divergence from my usual haunt across the street. i imagine returning more often as the weather continues to heat up. also, the dinner menu has some interesting options that i would like to explore...especially the pescatarian sobas.

boom noodle
1121 east pike street
seattle, wa 98122
206.701.9130


NB: we arrived at about 5:30, and the bar was sparsely occupied, and the dining area had only two 4-seaters. we had no problem at all walking in, but i know it's super busy at night, so beware!

I never knew about Cascadia...

So I had an event downtown and then a meeting, I found myself right in the middle of 4pm downtown business class happy hour. I called up Carbo who works downtown and asked what was up with some happy hour. We were tempted to roll up to our stomping ground aka capitol hill but we decided we would strike down 1st ave and see what downtown had to offer. We immediately found parking right in front of Del Rey. We stopped in a few glasses of overpriced wine and some less than helpful service. I use to love this place because their happy hour is on point and included some tasty fish and chips. It appears as if they have embraced a mexican theme and the $4 happy hour menu now included items ranging from chimicangas to queso fundido. I wasnt quite hungry so I had to pass...maybe next time. Since the service was strange and the place smelled like bleach we decided to go next door because Carbo was telling me about Cascadia's signature Alpine Martini.

I was intrigued by the Alpine Martini because Carbo said it contained a light sorbet doug fir handmade snowball. Typically $11 at happy hour this interesting drink is only $5.50. If you are down with citron vodka this is perfect for you! I rather enjoyed it myself and I dont really like vodka.



It slipped my mind to take some photos but also on happy hour are their signature miniburgers. I had two veggie Cascadia miniburgers and per the bartenders suggestion I added pancetta. Yeah, might seem pointless but I do not eat beef and he said this was a good way to go. The other miniburger options are either beef or salmon. They come standard with lettuce, tomato and pickle. You can add things like bacon for a few dollars more. Other add ons inlcude vermont cheddar, blue cheese, grilled onions, truffle butter, portabellos. Funny thing is, the burgers came out with beef and so the bartender said he would get my burgers and they would be on the house.

Perhaps it was the fact that we had two drinks and they were all alcohol but by the time we paid and left I was adding up the tab in my head and realized that we paid for the burgers and on top of it we paid for burgers we didnt order. B.S. Oh well, it was fun pretending to be downtown business class. I highly doubt I will be inspired to go back for dinner but you never know if the feeling kicks in for a craving for free range chicken with black truffle shroud.

2328 1st Avenue
Happy Hour 5-7pm M-Sat

Still Kurrent

Happy Hour can be a fun thing if you find the right spot. A few friends of mine who are on the edge of one of the best jewelry businesses ever started (click here)....stopped by Kurrent to plan out our empire and to grab a few snacks and a drink.

Now, I have been to Kurrent before as you most likely read below. But I didnt have the chance to eat there until now. I tried to order the cocktails that I attempted to order last time, which the bartender told me they no longer make. But this time, instead of telling me that the bartender who invented them is no longer there, this server told me they were off the menu because they were disgusting.
Hmmm..... GET A NEW MENU. Anyway, Im not mad. I decided to try the bloody mary, which was quite spicy and tasty.
K. and R. both had standard cocktails as well. Margarita and Martini....classy.

Next we got down on some tofu fries which I was really hoping to try. They were good. Nicely cooked and served with a garlic and paprika aioli. We also tried the "signature" crab cakes. I though these were pretty good too. Nice spice and consistency of the cake. I would have preferred them to be served a little bit hotter, but they were fine. I dont know why they are called signature because they tasted pretty standard to me. They were also served with a sriacha aioli. Nice use of sriacha...it never occured to me to mix it with basically mayo.


Now on to the cracklin calamari salad, which was nice and spicy. I am not a huge fan of calamari but it was good and not full of grease. It might be hard to tell from the picture but the fried calamari was sitting on a bead of cabbage and onions. I navigated around the bell peppers (not a fan) and enjoyed the light soy dressing covering the dish.

We really wanted to try the crab artichoke melt but apparently they rant out and were in the process of making more which according to our server would take several hours. So he offered to buy us another appetizer. We choose the garlic vegetable satay. Which I think you can take one glance of and realize it was not that impressive. I mean come on. Tofu and bell peppers? I was at the minimum hoping for like a piece of squash. I will admit the peanut sauce was tasty, but this dish is totally boring. And if you are not on happy hour its gonna cost you $9.50. No way.

Overall, I think this is a good place to meet a few people. They have a cool little nook with a fireplace which was perfect for us to lay out our beads. And the happy hour prices make it a bit more convincing to eat there. I am not impressed by this food but it was tasty. Next time I might move into the realm of trying and entree because the pictures on their website look good.

Good luck Kurrent your bar seems out of place right now but you might feel better once the huge condo goes up across the street.

600 East Pine
Mon-Sat 11am-2am
Sun 11am-11pm
ps. they have valet if you are that guy or if you hate trying to park on cap hill

Happy Hour Suggestions

You know a few of us at Ketchup & Soup have had long discussions about finding a good Happy Hour in Seattle.

This Seattle Bar Guide courtesy of The Stranger was pretty easy to use and some of the bars listed already have reader reviews.

I might start from the top and work my way down the list...stay tuned!