So David and I are on holiday in the US. I hope you weren’t expecting an intellectual essay on something of any great significance. No, of course you know better than that. And so you shall be rewarded with a quick discussion of some of the places we visited on our three day trip to Seattle last week. I bring you “Drunk In….. Seattle”.
First up, right after we dropped our bags off and checked in, we headed straight to Canon, a self-proclaimed “Whiskey & Bitters Emporium”. It is, apparently, the sixth best bar in the world, but who the fuck comes up with these lists, right? And what are they basing it on? If you want my opinion, it’s a nice bar, with OK food. But you should definitely drop in and have a lovely cocktail (and while you’re there you can admire their vast collection of booze).
6th best bar in the world
Cocktails at Canon
So the food at Canon was OK, as I said, but we were still a bit peckish after we left so we headed around the corner and up a few blocks to the pumping Tavern Law. There was only one reason we went there (though they also serve a great selection of cocktails too) – and that was their famous salt & pepper fried chicken. Oh yeah baby, this is drunken food. This chicken was AMAZING. And it got served with a pretty banging potato slaw too, to cut through the friedness of it all. Highly recommended. Be prepared to wait for a seat on a weekend night though – they are jam packed.
Amazing salt & pepper fried chicken at Tavern Law.
The next day we went to southern church-themed Witness Bar for brunch, and in particular we went for their Bloody Mary’s. We are currently in a Bloody Mary phase and we wanted to try as many good ones in town as we could. Witness proclaims that the ingredients in their Mary, Full Of Grace are: Vodka, Tomato Juice, Spice & Salvation. We agreed. We had two each. The food ain’t bad either – Southern-inspired down-home cookin’.
Mushroom and sausage scramble
Lamb hash with sunny side up eggs
Bloody Mary (secret ingredient: salvation!!)
So I mentioned that we are in a Bloody Mary chapter in our lives, but no matter what libation we are fixated on at any one time, our standard go-to drink is a margarita. And we found some pretty good ones at La Cocina Oaxaqueña. They also serve food but lets be honest, Seattle isn’t very close to Mexico, is it? The margaritas are definitely worth a visit though. Simple, basic, good.
Great margaritas at La Cocina Oaxaqueña
OK, so I reaaaaaaaaaaally don’t eat dessert much when we vacay, I mean, I just don’t need it. There are a million wonderful things to eat out there in the world (and even more wonderful things to drink) so why waste calories on sweet, sickly stuff that’s going to clog my arteries and fill me up (and make me feel like a pogger afterwards)? BUT…. having said that, we just HAD to try the pie at Pie Bar. So late one night, after a very light dinner we made our way over to the Capitol Hill bar where they serve a bunch of different sweet pies, a couple of savoury ones and a few interesting cocktails. We ordered a piece o’ pie each, despite our better judgement and just went for it. To wash it down, we each tried one of their Pietinis – basically a pie in a glass. Yes, my arteries hardened just writing that sentence. Worth trying – but definitely share the pie, we couldn’t finish either of ours.
Pietinis. 0% necessary – still had to try them.
Coconut cream pie
Chocolate peanut butter pie
The next day we continued on our Bloody Mary quest. This time we tried the brunch at Lost Lake Café & Lounge – a 24 hour diner not too far from where we were staying. It had a really great vibe, wonderful servers and a pretty tasty Mary. Again, we had two each (I’d say it was in the interests of research, but I know you know better – I don’t want to insult you). The breakfast was also very tasty.
Bloody Mary’s at Lost Lake Diner
Condiments
Beef hash and eggs, sunny side up
Huevos rancheros – looks like a mess, tastes YUM!
Our trip didn’t involve just eating and drinking. We also organised a very educational tour of a small batch local distillery. See, we’re cultured. Having been recommended Oola gin by a gin loving friend, we just had to check out the distillery. Plus, those of you who know me, know that Oola is basically my middle name. How could I NOT go and check out their spirits. So, apart from two types of gin, they also do a few vodkas and a bourbon. We got to taste all seven varieties of spirits (being: gin, Waitsburg barrel-finished gin, Waitsburg bourbon whisky, vodka, chilli pepper vodka, rosemary vodka and citrus vodka). Being a small operation (they only produce 2500 bottles a month), they infuse their spirits by hand which I think gives them a really special flavour. We loved the tour and the tasting, and I’ll leave it up to you to figure out if we bought anything from their shop at the end of the tour.
Preparing the spirit tastings
The vodka still
Where the infusion magic happens. All natural ingredients.
Ready to ship. They make 2500 bottles a month.
Oola front of store. Spirits were purchased.
Last, but most certainly not least we waited in line for half an hour at Salumi Artisan Cured Meats. Granted, you might not want to wait half an hour for a sandwich when you’re hung over, but I will tell you right now, it’s an investment worth waiting for. The benefits FAR outweigh the costs on this one. The meats here are all cured in the shop by old school Italianos. In fact, it’s one of Anthony Bourdain’s favourite shops whenever he’s in Seattle. And I’ll tell you why. They don’t do a lot, but what they do is just amazing. Truly delicious, incredible quality sandwiches that just hit the spot. We had a salami and fresh mozzarella, and one of their specialities – slow cooked porchetta, which is basically fatty, moist boneless pork roasted with stuffing over hot coals for hours until the meat just melts in your mouth. It’s something that needs to be experienced to be understood. Must do, if you’re in Seattle.
Waiting in line at Salumi
The menu. Very basic but very fucking delicious.
Each sandwich is hand made to order.
Their home made salami ciabatta sandwich with fresh mozzarella.
Slow cooked porchetta sandwich with lots of juicy gravy in a baguette. Messy as hell to eat, but just blissful.
So, some of you eagle-eyed readers out there might be wondering if this month’s ejo is being published late. I am currently in Novato, California where the time is 11.30pm. It might be September where you are, but it’s still August here bitches!!!!
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