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Slate Coffee Roasters
Description on Slate Coffee Roaster’s website: For us, quality is always the result of collaboration. To that end, we pursue relationships with everyone from the producers of our coffee, to our wholesale partners, suppliers, community, and guests.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 602 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: Witch Hunt by Wayne Shorter
What we ate/drank: Deconstructed Espresso(Ethiopia Gotiti)
Comments: Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Just an fyi, you ain’t gonna find no frapuccinos here.
The word that comes to mind when visiting Slate Coffee Roasters is “Passion”. This passion might get in the way of what some people may want out of a coffee shop, such as super fast preparation, cheap drinks or flavored drinks. If any of these things are important to you, better to go somewhere else. But if you want quality coffee prepared by baristas who are passionate about the product and take pride in it and can speak about it in detail, Slate Coffee Roasters is the place for you.
I wouldn’t bring grandma visiting from out of town who normally drinks Folgers and just wants to catch up over coffee. I’d bring my out of town coffee nerd friend, who has heard so much about Seattle coffee culture and says, “Take me to a coffee place that can prove it!”
It’s literally yards right outside the Pioneer Square Link Light Rail Station exit, so if I’m meeting somebody in Pioneer Sq for coffee, I tell them to meet me here. Just as an fyi, if I’m meeting somebody for a beer, I tell them to meet me at Collins Pub right down the street.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but whenever I go it’s super quiet. This particular time, I could hear every conversation each customer was having with the barista, but everybody was strictly business, ordering their coffee. No small talk. I guess the customers match Slate Coffee, minimal, simple and to the point. The space is long and narrow with high ceilings with white walls and concrete floors. I noticed they have a record player with a bunch of albums. While I was there, they were playing jazz. In the front is a raised area with counters and stools in the front and a few individual table. The main part of the space has the counter where you order and where they prep the drinks. There’s a long wooden bench along the wall with individual tables and chairs. They had a few cookies made by Slate and only a few croissants and muffins. There are some signature drinks, but wish they’d provide a brief description handy so you’d know what Linus + Lucy, Royal Treatment and Oh My Gourd were. Their most popular drink is the Deconstructed Espresso, which is what I ordered and costs $7.
On this day this day the three drinks were:
- Ethiopian gotiti espresso
- Non-homogenized Milk(warmed). I think he said from Pure Eire)
- A combo of the two – macchiato or cortado?
When I ordered the barista asked if I had ever done a deconstruction before. I had not. When he brought it over he went into great detail about each profile and what type of flavors to expect. Each was served in a cordial glass. His suggestion was to sip by sip by sip from left to right to get a taste of each individually. Then do whatever I want. I could continue little sips of each or down each completely one at a time. I continued to do little sips and about half way through drank each completely. It was nice to try the components separately before having them together. It would be a great way to introduce the ingredients separately to people who don’t normally drink coffee.
Slate Coffee Roasters falls in the more modern/minimalist coffee shop, which to me means all attention is on the coffee. As mentioned the walls are white, the glasses are clear and simple, the menu is simple(notice in the picture above, no latte/cappuccino), even their no frills logo is very simple. It’s as if they don’t need any distractions and simply let their coffee do the talking. And if this really is their end goal, you know the baristas will be very meticulous when preparing your drink. They have locations in Ballard and University District and are very similar.
One thing very different is that they have different sizes of both 250g and 125g beans of sale. By having smaller size bags, this gives you a chance to try a bunch of different types without breaking the bank or having to endure finishing a big size bag you’re not crazy about. Also, each bag lists the roast date.
I know all roasters and cafés take pride in their quality and process, but I get the feeling the folks at Slate care just a bit more.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The deconstructed espresso experience and barista who made sure I got the most out of it.
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5
Food Options: 2.5
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: There weren’t really any conversations to overhear as I mentioned above, but the closest was a customer ordering a to-go drink and listening to the jazz playing. When his drink was ready and he collected his drink, he told the barista- My son’s mother is a demon on the sax!
Recommended by: The table next to us at Mojito
Korean Tofu House
Description on Korean Tofu House website: With our unmatched quality, flavor, and value, you’ll understand why we are the oldest Korean Restaurant in UW!
Neighborhood: University District
Address: 4142 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Type: Korean
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Spicy BBQ Pork, Sliced Rice Cake Soup, Beef Tofu Soup. The Banchan(free sides!) were bean sprouts, kim chee, green onion pancakes, fish cakes, sweetened potato and purple rice.
Comments: Although this restaurant was suggested by the table next to us at Mojito, we’ve been here several times before. Truthfully it’s hard to give a proper review of Korean Tofu House, because we get the same damn three dishes over and over again. If you really enjoy the dishes, I guess there ain’t no point in deviating. What normally happens is I’ll have craving for their tofu soup, so when we get there, there’s no point even looking at the menu. They do have an easy one page menu with pictures, which is helpful if you’re having Korean food for the first time. It’s also easy to remember that they’re open 11-9 every day. I love their tofu soup so much that although it’s perfect for the cold winter days, I also get it even if it’s 90 degrees outside. And fo sho I get it with a raw egg, yo! I’ve got a system where I eat all the contents in the soup and with the left over broth I put in the rice from the banchan and eat that. A lot of people complain about their very business-like demeanor(=not overly friendly). For those people who think this, they need to build a bridge and…. Get Over It. As long as the food is yummy, no need to hate, appreciate!
Ratings (Scale 1-5)
Service: 3.5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 5
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: Most locals know about it
Eavesdropping Convos: This is not a conversation, but more of something we observed.
There were these two gals eating beside us. They were finishing up and just about to leave. If you have any leftovers, you can grab your own plastic to-go containers near the cash register. I casually watched as they pulled EIGHT of these containers. Two were for their leftovers from their entre. This ain’t unusual because the portions are big. The other six containers were used for their remaining banchan. For those of you who don’t know, banchan are free “appetizers” given in Korean restaurants, similar to chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. Then they requested six more free servings of banchan before they left. As soon as the dishes came to their table, they proceeded to add those six to the to-go containers and Audi 5000’d the hell out of there. I thought to myself, whoa, that’s some serious meal-hacking. Hey I dig it, I used to be starving student, but damn!
Server recommendations to visit in the future: The waitress/cashier suggested Chan as a different kind of Korean food to try.
Related:
Victrola Coffee Roasters
Description on Victrola Coffee Roaster website: In our popular imagination the roaring 20’s represent excess, prohibition, flappers, and speakeasies. The era’s fingerprints mark much of what we do, from our passion for live vintage jazz to our cafes unique architectural charm.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 310 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122
Music playing: Starboy by The Weeknd
What we ate/drank: Americano, Macchiato, Iced latte, Apple Fritter, Maple Syrup Doughnut and Sugar Doughnut from Mighty O,
Comments: The Victrola Coffee Roaster is located in one of the old auto row buildings on Pike, which in the oldin days is where the car dealerships were centralized in Seattle. You can read more about the historic auto row here. The other thing about this particular location is that it’s a few yards away from the Starbucks Reserve, which is always teeming with out of town visitors. I’ll admit the “Willy Wonka” factor is pretty cool and I understand why visitors would want to go there, but I’d suggest you also visit Victrola Coffee Roasters. Or maybe you can just check out Starbucks Reserve, take your pictures and get a coffee here.
In addition to this location, Victrola also has another Capitol Hil location and one in Beacon Hill.
And like Caffe Umbria’s website, Victrola also has some really good educational videos on how to brew using Chemex, French Press, Conventional Drip, Pour-Over and even creating Latte Art. They also have videos on the difference between single-origin and blends, where coffee comes from and a video on how to convince habitual coffee drinkers to up their coffee game. That’s hardcore.
Their pastries are from Mighty-O Donuts and their sandwiches are from Bread & Bone.
The café is bright, especially in the morning with the huge south facing windows. There’s lots of space including a huge community table in the middle w/ten seats. There are more seats and tables along the exposed brick walls and front window with wood furniture throughout-tables, chairs, counter. The graffiti art on the walls give the space a nice splash of color. This location has a nice relaxing feel to it. One of those places you’d like to do a cross word puzzle on a lazy Sunday morning.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The huge south facing windows which brighten the entire café.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 4.5
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos: Two guys leaving….
G1-See you later.
G2-Yeah, see you at JJ’s.
G1-What’s going on at JJ’s?
G2-C’mon, March Madness, dude. Didn’t he tell you?
G1-Nah.
G2-Well………just come by, man.
Pegasus Coffee Bar
Description on Pegasus Coffee website: Pegasus Coffee began roasting arabica coffee beans for Bainbridge Island coffee lovers in 1979. From the beginning, we have focused on using the highest quality coffee beans from each growing region of the world and carefully roasting our coffee one batch at a time.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1218 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Double Espresso from Pegasus Roaster
Comments: I wanted to get a quick coffee before going to work and just relax. I intended to go to Caffe Migliore, but as I walked up to the door I saw somebody that I knew in there. I really wanted to just relax and I knew if I walked in, I’d have to talk and hang out. I’m anti-social that way prior to getting my coffee. I looked on Google Maps for nearby suggestions and I saw Pegasus Coffee was around the corner. I had always known about it because my bus passes by it everyday on my way to work. Off I went.
Pegasus Coffee Bar is located in the Seattle Tower which at one point was the tallest building in Seattle. The builders decided to make it one floor taller than the more famous Smith Tower, whose bar I mentioned briefly in our Best Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating post. The interesting thing is the Smith Tower from top to bottom is actually taller, but the Seattle Tower was built at a higher elevation so looking at the downtown skyline it’s taller. Both buildings are now considered small fries among the newer downtown buildings.
I had no idea the space was this small. There are literally two single seats that look out on 3rd Ave. And they are not together, so if you stay here you’re sitting solo. 3rd Ave in downtown is a main bus lane in the morning, so they probably get a lot of traffic from people getting off the bus before going to their jobs. It’s also right across the street from the University Street Link Light Rail station. For these two reasons, I’d say 98% of the people who come here, get their coffee to go.
They have another location a few blocks away that’s also on 3rd Ave. Although, that location looks like something out of a strip mall. I know it’s not their fault since they probably took over the spot from another business or the building architects just built it that way, but if you have a choice between the two, come to one located in the Seattle Tower. It’s a really charming small shop that according to the baristas used to be a cigar shop. Once they said that you can almost see the cigar shop qualities-the high ceilings, darker lighting and off course the dark mahogany wood. I really don’t think much has been done to this spot since the building opened, so it has a feeling of preserved history. I
I ordered a doppio espresso. $2! You are reading that right, only 2 bucks! I ordered it to drink there and the barista said, “Oh, thank you for drinking it here. It’s always nice to drink espresso out of a proper cup”. Like I said, I don’t think too many people stay there to drink due to its size. There were a small case for pastries and a separate one for bagels. The choices aren’t many. There was a cooler for cold drinks and also multiple canisters of tea. Their roaster is out on Bainbridge Island.
The place is so small you can’t help but make small talk with the two baristas if you decide to stay there to drink. The two gals there were really friendly and you could tell they enjoyed working together and had a passion for café culture. We talked about plans for the weekend and I asked when they weren’t at Pegasus Coffee working, what coffee places do they frequent(See below).
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The charming historic look of this small place and the two friendly gals working there.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 2.5
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: Since I was the only one there, there was no eavesdropping conversations to overhear, so I just spoke to the baristas there.
Me-When you’re not drinking coffee here, where do you like to go?
Barista 1(B1)- I really like La Marzocco.
Barista 2(B2)- Oh yeah, La Marzocco. Their history, the café’s ambiance and the fact that there are only 3 La Marzocco cafes in the world…..
B1- I really like Zeitgeist. I’m one of those people you can spend hours on my laptop so I like that place.
B2- yeah, she lives in Pioneer Square so it’s close by.
B1- I like C&P Coffee
Me-C&P? Never heard of it. Where is it?
B1-It’s in West Seattle. It’s like in somebody’s house and it’s been around forever.
Me-I don’t get out to West Seattle much, but I’ll have to check it out.
B1-I like Caffe Vita and Victrola, but I’ve only been to the one on 15th, not the main one.
Couple new places to look into. I’ve passed by Zeitgeist, but have never been. And I’d never heard of C&P Coffee, but in researching the place, it seems like a much beloved place. Just earlier this month they were in danger of losing the place, but the community was able to raise $77,240 on GoFundMe to save the place! We’ll for sure have to see for ourselves.
Recommended by: A guy sitting next to us at Varsity Inn
Name: Mojito
Description on their website: Serving the best Latin American & Cuban food in the Seattle area.
Neighborhood: Maple Leaf
Address: 7545 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Type: Latin American/Cuban
Packed?: We went for an early Sunday dinner around 4:00 and every seat was taken.
Music playing: Upbeat Latin American music
What we ate/drank: Pabellon–Seasoned shredded beef, red peppers, onions, and spices, slowly cooked and served with black beans, white rice and maduros, Vaca Frita- Shredded beef marinated in lime juice and sauted with onions, garlic and sweet peppers. Served with congr and maduros. Passion Fruit Shake,Two beers- Modelo Especials
Comments: Mojito is a small triangle shaped restaurant that’s pretty difficult to find. If you’re driving South on Lake City Way it will eventually fork to enter I5 or split off to what will become Roosevelt Ave. Mojito is located as Lake City Way turns into Roosevelt Ave. It’s a one way street. There’s no parking lot, so you’ll have to park on the street. We had no issues.
With the space relatively small and the place full, the atmosphere is very lively and loud. If you’re looking for a place to have a quiet conversation, this isn’t it. Mojito is very bright due to windows being on all sides of the restaurant as well as the vibrant colors with yellow walls, green trim and blue ceilings including clouds. There’s also a small patio out front that’s used in warmer weather.
Vaca Frita(Fried Cow) is a traditional Cuban dish with shredded beef marinated with onions and garlic. It has a citrus tang to it and comes with beans and rice. Pabellon is the Venezuelan National Dish. It’s a shredded beef dish with a tomato based sauce with beans and rice. It also comes with cooked plantain. Both dishes were so good we’ll order both again the next time we come back. There definitely other dishes that sound really good. The Parrilla Mojito is their most popular dish, which is a marinated steak dish. Their rice is also really good all on its own. We were told it’s made with onion, garlic and cilantro. The best way to go is to order a bunch of dishes and eat family style, so you can try a little of each dish.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Rating: Locals “in the know” know about it
Eavesdropping Convos: It was too lively to overhear any conversations.
Server recommendations to visit in the future: Server was busy, but the table next to us asked if it was our first time here. We told them if wasn’t, but it was their first time. They mentioned their routine was normally to go to Korean Tofu House, but it was packed, so they came here. So we will go there next.
Revolutions Coffee
Description on Revolutions Coffee website: Coffee As A Conduit To Community and Conversation
Neighborhood: Green Lake
Address: 7208 East Green Lake Drive North, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: My Kind of Woman-Mac Dermarco
What we ate/drank: Americano
Comments: This Revolutions Coffee is a new location, opened in early July, that couldn’t be more different from its old version. The old location was down the street a few blocks. I remember it had bright red and deep blue walls and concrete floors with different rugs all over. It was spacious, warm and conducive for big group gatherings.
The new location is very sparse, smaller and very minimalist. Where before there seemed to be big groups having conversations, now it’s like a library with people studying/working. This is neither bad, nor good, just such a huge transformation.
It’s also now right across from Green Lake Park, which is one of the reasons they decided to move once the location came open in the Spring of 2016. It’s super quiet. 7 people on their computers. Nobody was talking so if anybody had a conversation, you could hear it.
You can tell from the picture that it can get rather dark especially near the middle and back since the good amount of sunlight comes from the front windows. Because the place is long and narrow, the main sunlight is in the front. All their coffee is roasted by Herkimer, which has a retail location down the street on The Ave.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Whenever a guy came into order, the barista would greet him by saying, “What can I get for you, my brotha?”
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.5
Overall: 3.75
Eavesdropping Convos:
Customer(C)-On his phone waiting to order- He’s already there?! I’ll be there in 5 minutes. Gets off phone to order.
Barista(B)-What can I get for you, my brotha?
C-I’m just getting a turkey sandwich. I’m interviewing somebody and I’m five minutes late. I’m just dragging coming back from a three day weekend. Totally not in the mood to be doing an interview right now. I’m going to finish this interview real quick and head home early.
I’m pretty certain the interviewee had no chance at getting hired.
Name: Ghost Note Coffee
Description on Ghost Note Coffee website: A Modern, Progressive Take On The Café Experience
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 1623 Bellevue Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Double Espresso of Colombia Narino Samaniego(?)
Comments: The first thing you’ll notice different about Ghost Note Coffee is their brewed coffee is made to order, so you don’t have to worry about when the last batch was brewed. And it’s not by pour-over, which you all know can take awhile. It’s done through a special machine specifically made for Ghost Note that makes it within 90 seconds.
Their specialty drinks seem interesting, but most are cold(I think 6 out of 7) and I wanted something hot. I wouldn’t mind trying some in the summer, though. Here’s some examples:
- Lush Life -Espresso, almond milk, orange blossom honey syrup.
- Cold Sun Ship -Espresso, smoked grapefruit rosemary syrup, coconut water, sparkling water, lime.
- Cold Equipoise -African espresso, tonic water, juniper sage concentrate, cucumber.
I decided on a double espresso of which I had two choices. I ended up getting the Colombian. It came in a fancy whiskey-looking glass more suited for a craft cocktail. If I had to guess, the shape of the glass most likely traps the smell/aroma of the shot for drinkers enjoyment. I can appreciate the attempt to be different from the sea of coffee shops in Seattle, especially in Capitol Hill, which is café central. I’ll definitely remember Ghost Note Coffee because of the glass and specialty drinks. Coffee beans for sale are from Broadcast Roasters, pastries from Salmon Berry, toast from Colombia City Bakery and sandwiches from Bread and Bone.
Don’t look for a tip jar like I did, because they have a no tipping policy, but there is a 10% gratuity included. I can live with that(see below)
This is the old Capitol Hill location for Broadcast Coffee and the layout is exactly the same, but there are some differences that make it feel completely different. I would say when it was Broadcast it was sorta like their current Roosevelt location. No nonsense, very sparse, more minimal. The new space under Ghost Note is a lot more “fancy”-the food display, the stools, the chairs(see pic below). The main parts of it are exactly the same though-the industrial look of exposed concrete walls and pillar, bar seating along the front window, the long high tables that fit six. It’s a small space, but does not feel cramped. And Because it’s not on the main drag of Pike/Pine or Broadway it probably won’t be as crowded as the other Cap Hill cafes.
Ghost Note has free public cuppings occasionally, although it appears the last few have been during the weekday mid-morning. Damn you, work!!
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The craft cocktail style glass the espresso comes in.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.50
Eavedropping Convo: Since I was the only one there, there was no eavesdropping conversations to overhear.
Seattleunexplored Coffee Shop Tipping Question: We’ve had this discussion with a lot of people and there doesn’t really seem to be a consensus. The no tipping policy at Ghost Note just reminded me about the subject. When we go out to coffee shops regardless if we order to go or stay, we always tip. It’s just second nature to us. I think it’s second nature to everybody. Normally, tipping is done at the end of the service-in restaurants, bell hops, concierge, taxi driver/Uber drivers, bartenders, etc. Although it’s standard to tip, you have the ability to tip more or less depending on how you feel the service(or product) was. This is not so in a coffee shop, you tip ahead of time when paying, not knowing how well the service or drink quality will be. What if, after ordering my drink, paying and giving a tip, the cashier says, “What are you still doing here? Don’t you see there’s a line? Hurry up and move so I can take the next order, idiot. Your drink can be picked up over there, you dumbass.” And then you get your drink and it’s horrible. Can you go over to the tip jar and pull your tip out? No. Can you ask the barista to remake your drink? Yes. But it will take some extra time and if I had to guess many people order their drink to go. It’s one of the few situations where you tip prior to any service/product. I understand that most people who work in coffee shops rely on tips to supplement their wages(is this still the case with the new min wage of $15/hr?- that’s a topic for a whole nother converstion), but it’s just strange tipping for services/products not yet rendered with the hope that everything goes right. In looking at the ordering, paying upfront process, I guess it’s the most efficiently appropriate time to tip. What say you?
Cloud City Coffee
Description on their web: At Cloud City Coffee, you will find locally roasted, specialty coffee, freshly baked pastries, and delicious breakfast and lunch items prepared in-house by a top-notch culinary team. We offer free Wi-Fi, comfy couches, a lending library, newspapers, games and a kid’s play area, all in accord with a staff that is sincerely happy you’re here. Cloud City Coffee is not simply a café, it’s a community.
Neighborhood: Maple Leaf
Address: 8801 Roosevelt Ave, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: Gone For Good by The Shins
What we ate/drank: #1 muffin(cheddar, bacon, egg), Double espresso, Mexican Mocha. Oatmeal w/fruit toppings
Comments: In Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts post we named Cloud City Coffee our Favorite Cozy Coffee Shop in Seattle. Unlike modern or minimalistic coffee shops like Broadcast Coffee, Revolutions Coffee or Elm Coffee Roasters, where I tend to get work done, Cloud City Coffee is more of a place to relax and meet up with friends and family. Their motto is “Community and Café” and there are a lot of things going on at Cloud City Coffee that fosters a community feel like a community library, a dedicated kids area with toys, and pay-on-your-honor section for brewed coffee($2) and day old bagels/pastries($1).
This is the type of place where we’d choose to meet up with friends or families that we’d hadn’t seen in awhile. They have something for everybody with their food options from pastries, to sandwiches, salads, soups and even quiche. I believe everything is made in house, which is pretty impressive. They also have multiple drink options in addition to coffee drinks with tea and smoothies available. The coffee they use is from Tony’s Coffee up in Bellingham. The last few times I’ve been, my doppio has been Ganesha Espresso and brew was Café Camelita and Sophia’s Blend.
A warning, this place is always packed, which means their small parking lot is always packed. There are multiple tables that seat six, but you’ll most likely be sharing. They have a small outdoor seating area and when weather permits they have garage style doors that are opened facing south and east that let’s in a lot of light.
In Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post we wrote about our love of neighborhood bars because they tend to be relaxing, chill and have a good cross section of the folks from the community. This is the same reason we enjoy Cloud City Coffee. I wouldn’t say their coffee is the best, nor would I say their food is the best, but there’s an intangible value on how a place makes you feel. These types of neighborhood coffee shops make you feel like you’re in your living room, but away from the distractions of home. It’s a place to escape for awhile and feel comfortable. When I think of a neighborhood coffee shop, this is what I picture.
I see a lot of people working and studying there. In this environment I’d be too tempted to just relax and enjoy my coffee. I’d recommend Cloud City as a place to meet up with friends/family to talk and relax. Or if you are headed to Maple Leaf Reservoir Park a block away take a to go coffee and meal and have a picnic. Or take visitors from out of town who can experience a one-of-a-kind true neighborhood spot with lots of drink and food options.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The on-your-honor section really feels like a trust factor that can only exist in a community coffee shop.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4
Food Options: 5
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos: My one yr old daugther was eating a muffin and staring at woman with her family(husband and daughter?) at a community table. The woman notices and smiles back at my daughter. My wife notices the woman smiling.
My wife- Sorry, she’s in the staring phase.
Woman- She’s probably staring, thinking who’s that weird looking person.
My wife- No.…. She likes staring at beautiful things.
Woman- Aww…… thank you.
Woman’s teenage daughter- Yeah, right.
Her daughter’s delivery was kinda like this:
Caffe Umbria – Westlake
Description on the Caffe Umbria website: For over three generations, the Bizzarri family has been evolving and improving on the enduring craft of Italian espresso, combining the harmonious artistry of the blend with the precise science of the roast to create signature blends that reflect the passion and personality at the heart of the Italian caffè experience..
Neighborhood: Westlake
Address: 1201 Westlake Ave N, Seattle WA 98109
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Spinach/Cheese pastry
Comments: They also have Ballard and Pioneer Square locations and all are very different styles.The Westlake location has a few tables with four seats to the left, some individual seating along their front window and a two booths on the right side. They also have a standing bar area facing the barista that even has a foot rest. I don’t know if this is common in other coffee places but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it. They have a few sweet and savory food items to munch on. We had a spinach/cheese pastry. One of the things that stood out to me was their Monocle Guide to Drinking and Dining book. I’m a huge fan of the Monocle periodical, but it’s so damn expensive. It was fun looking through the book while drinking my espresso. The other thing that stood out was the handles on their espresso cups. The handle is inverted with a small hole which makes gripping in with your thumb and finger really easy. I’ve not seen these anywhere else. Overall, the décor is pretty minimalist and atmosphere is bright and airy due to the huge windows on the front and south of the location and open floor plan. It’s way different from their Ballard location that had leather couches, comfy seats and big wood community table. The Pioneer Square location is also different with exposed brick walls, really airy and dark wood chairs and tables and what seems like way more variety of food options.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Caffe Umbria’s education section on their website teaches you the proper way to brew your coffee using a Aeropress, French Press, Moka Pot, Chemex and Hario V60. I definitely used it to fine tune my brewing using my Bialetti. It gives the educational videos from Victrola Coffee Roasters‘ website a run for it’s money.
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5
Food Options: 4
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convo:
Gal 1) Guess what?
Gal 2) What?
G1) I spent $674 eating out last month.
G2) Shut up! G1, you really need to stop going out to eat for all three meals!
G1) I don’t. I swear. Maybe two times a day at most, but most of the time just once. It’s hard for me to eat leftovers and you know my neighborhood has a new restaurant open every week. The real problem is all my friends are foodies. I seriously need to move out of Cap Hill.
The foodie struggle is real, yo.
Battle of Seattle Ramen Restaurants (or The Seattle Ramen March Madness Tournament)
My recollection of Seattle Ramen History
We love ramen!! So we’ve kept a close eye on how ramen has evolved and became more of a Seattle staple in the last few years. Thank you, God!
When I first moved to Seattle, I was shocked that there weren’t any ramen shops to speak of. Coming from Southern California, which has a plethora of ramen shops, I thought that ramen would be the perfect meal for the cold Seattle weather. I always told my friends that if I had an entrepreneurial spirit and a good ramen broth recipe, that would be the business I’d open in Seattle. I had neither, so it never happened. But I thought whoever did, would make money hand over fist.
This is my recollection of ramen shops in Seattle. I think at the time Tsukushinbo was the only one that had ramen and it was only on Fridays, which I believe is still their practice today. Then Samurai Ramen opened in the International District in 2007 and Aloha Ramen opened in Greenwood in 2009. In 2012, Yoroshiku opened, although they’re not strictly a ramen place. Around the same time Ramen Man opened down the street in Wallingford. The real influx of Japanese ramen chains opening up branches in Seattle happened with Kukai Ramen(now Kizuki) in 2014. This is when the ramen scene in Seattle finally exploded with branches from Japan ramen shops and local ramen places opening seemingly every week –Ooink, Betsutenjin, Teinei, Ramen Danbo, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka , Tentenyu, Arashi Ramen.
Choosing the Field in Our Seattle Ramen March Madness
With the NCAA Tournament going on, I thought it be fun to have a Seattle Ramen Battle tournament style. So what’s the best way to rate all the ramen places? We knew we would not rate these places on atmosphere of the restaurants since ramen in Japan is basically eaten at outdoor stalls or little hole in the wall places. We thought it was more fair to compare apples to apples. So we had three choices. Most ramen places have a shio(salt) based, a shoyu(soy sauce) based and miso(fermented soy bean) based broth. Problem was some places didn’t have any of these common ramen broths. For example Tentenyu doesn’t have a simple shio, shoyu or miso ramen. In the end, we just picked what ramen bowl we wanted and based our ratings on what we ordered. I did try to ask each server what was their most popular ramen and ordered that.
Better Luck Next Year
These are Ramen Shops that did not make the field of 8 for various reasons. Like the NCAA Tournament, there are some teams that just don’t make the cut. Could be due to not enough quality wins ramen dishes, strength of schedule broth, not enough film time to properly evaluate or just stronger competition. Maybe next year, fellas.
- Tsukushinbo(International District)-Definitely tournament worthy, but only serves ramen on Friday. This is the equivalent of why pitchers shouldn’t be MVPs since they only pitch every 5 days.
- Yoroshiku(Wallingford)-Also tournament worthy, but they really are a Japanese restaurant that happens to serve really good ramen.
- Betsutenjin(Capitol Hill)-Haven’t made in there yet.
- Nuna Ramen(Fremont)
- Samurai Noodle(University and ID)
- Kiki Ramen(SLU)
- Teinei(SLU)
- Any Ramen Place on the East Side-Too far. Sorry
This Year’s Participants in the Seattle Ramen March Madness
- West Region-Arashi Ramen(Ballard) vs Ramen Man(Wallingford)
Out of the West Region comes Arashi Ramen from Ballard, known for it’s spicy miso tonkatsu ramen. They’ve dominated the Ballard neighborhood for close to 4 years. No new ramen shop dare enter their domain. They will match up with Ramen Man out of Wallingford. We all know old veteran Ramen Man will be tough to beat with it’s unlimited boiled eggs. Their campus is small but their Original Tori Paitan Ramen is mighty.
2. North Region–Aloha Ramen(Lake City) vs Santouka Ramen(University District)
The old stalwart meets the new kid on the block. Aloha Ramen is formerly out of Greenwood, but transferred to Lake City. They’ve been around since 2009 and have a wicked combo of garlic fried rice and their Katsu Tan Ramen. Aloha hopes to beat the Moana out of Santouka, home of the powerful Tsukemen. Santouka has been in Seattle for less than a year, so you know they’ve had a strong season to make the field with such a limited resume. Their dinner sets and membership perks make this Rookie of the Year a possible MVP candidate.
3. Capitol Hill Region #1– Kizuki Ramen vs Tentenyu Ramen
Kizuki Ramen formerly known as Kukai, which means “crap” in Hawaiian, has been multiplying all over Seattle and Bellevue trying to overpower the competition by kicking the “kukai” out them through pure number of locations. Facing Kizuki in the Capitol Hill Region #1 is Tentenyu, another newcomer to Seattle, but honing it’s skills in Kyoto for over 40 years. They keep their style of play simple-only 4 bowls of ramen, but they have a secret weapon off the bench, black garlic oil! They are hoping to beat Kizuki by tenten points.
4. Capitol Hill Region #2–Ramen Danbo vs Ooink
Closing out the field are two more competitors from Capitol Hill. Yet another newcomer to the field, Ramen Danbo is not only known for it’s Tonkatsu Broth Ramen, but also it’s aresnal of weapons(choices of noodles thickness, noodle firmness, broth thickness, lard amount and spicy factor). Ramen Danbo hopes to go Rambo on Ooink. Ooink –Don’t let the looks of their campus fool you. This could be the Cinderella story of the tournament. Their unconventional style might be enough to trip up their opponent. Spicy reigns supreme on this menu, but their Kotteri Ramen might be their best player. Ooink hopes to go hog-wild on Ramen Danbo.
We’re not going to go into a lot of detail why one ramen won over the other, but suffice to say it can be chalked up to simply, “we just liked one ramen over the other”.
Without further ado, here are the winners round by round:
Round 1 Results
- West Region Winner-Arashi Ramen
Arashi Ramen - North Region Winner-Santouka Ramen
Santouka - Capitol Hill Region #1 Winner-Kizuki Ramen
Kizuki Ramen - Capitol Hill Region #2 Winner-Ramen Danbo
Ramen Danbo
The Final Four
West Region Winner-Arashi Ramen vs North Region Winner-Santouka Ramen
Capitol Hill Region #1 Winner-Kizuki Ramen vs Capitol Hill Region #2 Winner-Kizuki Ramen
The Championship
Santouka Ramen vs Kizuki Ramen
The Winner-Hokkaido Santouka Ramen!
Note: We’ll be sure to review each place in detail in a separate blog posts.
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