friday (4/19) :: night 2
After spending the entire day wandering around Pike Place, we decided to head back to our room to relax for a little while and get changed for dinner. Pat had come to Seattle for work about a year before we went and eaten at a sushi restaurant named Japonessa that he really wanted to take me to. As it turns out, it was also very close to our hotel, perfect. So we made reservations and headed over for dinner. They had some very innovative sushi rolls (and price tags to match them), but we were gluttons and ordered a bunch of stuff to try. We both left the place very full and satisfied.
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| [[ dinner at japonessa: interior. me. calamari salad. delicious rolls. seattle art museum across the street. ]] |
Before we went on our trip, I had done extensive research to come up with restaurants and bars I thought we should try, and although some of them ended up being way too far to walk to, many were close enough to check out. Since Pat is really in to classic cocktails, and I wanted to take him to a "speak-easy" style bar I had read about called Bathtub Gin and Co., so I mapped it out and we headed over after dinner. It turned out to be pretty hard to find, but that just added to the charm. After wandering around aimlessly within a block of the location, we finally asked someone on the street who pointed us in the direction of a nearby alley. Once in the alley we saw a brick wall with a small plaque and a few people standing outside, indicating that we were in the right place. I think we ended up waiting about 45 minutes to get inside, but it was definitely worth it. Once in, we were seated at the bar upstairs in what appeared to be a very small library. Downstairs, there were a few couches and a bathroom, making the space extremely snug. We each ordered off of their specialty menu to start, and then let the bartender take things in to his own hands, telling him what types of things we like and having him come up with something for us.
Everything was delicious, and after a few hours we decided to wander down a little further so that we could check out another bar I had read about called Rob Roy, which had a 60's theme and specialized in drinks from that time. I was particularly interested in trying their Gin Fizz which used an egg white. They also had an unusual snack item on their menu, goldfish crackers. So we had goldfish, a few drinks, and then headed outside to start the long trek back to our hotel.
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| [[ bathtub gin & co.: secret entrance. my beautiful drink. pat's gimlet. the interior. mixologist. fruit. rob roy: goldfish. menu. the interior. crazy lamp. my fizz. bathroom mirror with recipes on it. the walk home: a few other bars i wanted to check out. crazy neon signs. giant popsicle! ]] |
saturday (4/20) :: day 3
Having never seen the Space Needle before, we decided to make that the main objective of our Saturday, so we got up, dressed, and headed out for a very long walk. I had read about a breakfast place that I really wanted to try called Serious Biscuit which was over on that side of downtown, so we made our way there first. The place was packed when we got there because there had been a marathon earlier in the morning, so we had to wait for quite a while to get seated. Fortunately, the restaurant was in a shared building so there was a little wine shop right next door where Pat could do some tasting. Instead of Washington wines, I believe these were primarily French or Spanish. Eventually we got to our table, which was shared with another group of people who had been in the marathon earlier. They were about our age and extremely friendly, even sharing some of their Hush Puppies with me. Me and Pat both ordered different benedicts and everything was amazing. I would definitely recommend going to this place for breakfast, or lunch (they also have pizza).
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| [[ serious pie & serious biscuit: tasting some wine while we waited for our table. breakfast is served. ]] |
When we were full and satisfied we made our way to the Space Needle. In retrospect I think I would skip this activity. Sure, you do get a pretty good view of the city, but the pricing is ridiculous and you will be surrounded by only tourists the entire time. I am glad that I finally got to check it out for myself, but next time I think I will stick to land. I did get some good pictures though.
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| [[ views from the space needle. emp. ]] |
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| [[ exploring post alley and the back end of pike. gum way. street art. down by the bay. snack breaks. ]] |
I had read about yet another lounge specializing in classic libations, called Zig Zag Cafe which was tucked away sort of behind the market, so we headed there next for some cocktails while we researched where we should eat dinner. I really wanted to try a place called The Walrus and The Carpenter, which specialized in oysters (get it??!!) but it was way too far away and our little feet were a bit worn out after all of our walking. We enjoyed a few delicious drinks and entertainment provided by the mixologist, and then headed out in search of a nice dinner. We ended up at Etta's which just so happened to be owned by the same chef who ran Serious Biscuit where we had breakfast, so we felt we were in good hands. I ordered the halibut and it was incredible. I think Pat got some sort of seafood stew which was also amazing. We ate so much seafood on this trip!
After dinner I lead us to another "speak-easy" style bar called The Upstairs where I had my first Moscow Mule, Pat had his first Bees Knees, and we both fell in love the drinks. (I have to note that people in Seattle are super friendly and we seemed to "make friends" wherever we went with other couples, bartenders, or groups of people our age. I dug the atmosphere).
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| [[ creepy/awesome old sign inside the market. zig zag cafe. mad bar tending skills. posing with the pig. dinner. the upstairs for a night cap. ]] |
