Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 3)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 2)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Bars-Sports Moments Good and Bad
We’re big sports fans, but we normally watch sports at home. But we were at bars for these memorable sports moments.
- Metropolitan Grill Bar-1995 was a magical season for the Mariners. Perennial losers they never even sniffed the playoffs, when suddenly they were in the midst of a playoff race. At the end of the season they were tied with the Angels, so they had a one game playoff. A co-worker and I went to the nearby Met and watched the Mariners finally get to the playoffs to meet the Yankees, who they miraculously defeated. It’s now June of 2018 and out of the 4 major sports leagues-NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL, the Mariners have had the longest playoff drought of any team in sports!
Source: Yelp
- Red Door Tavern-This is in 1998 when the Red Door was in it’s original location on Fremont Ave. UW vs Uconn in NCAA Tournament. UW was an 11 seed and somehow made it to the Sweet Sixteen. They were on their way to the Great Eight, when Rip Hamilton of Uconn made a last second shot. What a heart stomping defeat.
- Rock Bottom Brewing-UW vs UConn 2006. De ja vu all over again. 8 years later they met again in the Sweet Sixteen. This time, UW was the #1 seed and had a promising line up with future NBA pros-Brandon Roy, Will Conroy, Bobby Jones and Jon Brockman. UW had this game wrapped up, but a stupid foul in the last seconds put this game into overtime, where they lost. This place has since closed down.
- The Duchess Tavern-Lakers vs Celtics-game 5, 2010. I’m a huge Laker fan and the Celtics are their main rival. In 2008, the Celtics had defeated the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. 2010 was payback. It didn’t look so good with the series tied 2-2 and pivotal game 5 being played in Boston. The Lakers pulled out a gutty win which propelled them to close out the series and win their 16th title. I don’t come to The Duchess all that often but I also saw the UW vs Nebraska 2010 Holiday Bowl victory and the UW vs Univ of Colorado 2016 Pac 12 Championship victory here.
- LTD-2012 Seahawks vs Green Bay-The Fail Mary game. Met a friend at LTD in Fremont to catch up while watching this game. At the beginning of the NFL season, the referees were on strike. So they had to hire scrub referees. The Seahawks dominated in the first half, but fell behind with seconds left. All looked lost and on the last play of the game Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass to the endzone. It appeared the GB defender intercepted the ball, but the referees called it a catch by Golden Tate and the Seahawks won. The bar went nuts. Shortly after this game, the NFL hired the referees back.
Favorite Dead Bars(RIP):
Bars that have gone out of business, but still reminisce about.
- Marcus’ Martini Heaven(Pioneer Square)-This was an underground cocktail bar that had a bunch of fish tanks. When I mean underground, I mean it was under street level in a room that had no windows. It was my go-to clandestine meet up place if I didn’t want to be seen by people from work. Kraken Congee was in this space for awhile, but I don’t think anybody is in this space at the moment.
Source
- Frontier Room(Belltown) Currently Villa Escondida. This was a very small bar known for making super duper strong drinks. When I was in my early 20’s, this is where we’d go to get cheap strong drinks before heading to clubs, which had weak expensive drinks. This was in the late 90’s/early 00’s.. Around 2004 in turned form the diviest of dive bars to an upscale BBQ place.
- The Chapel(Capitol Hill) Currently The Pinebox. You can actually see some of the remnants of the Chapel when going to the Pinebox. The bar used to be straight ahead when you walked in the door and had a U-shaped seating around it. Back then it really did look like a funeral home converted to a bar.
Source: Yelp
- Cloud Room(Downtown) Currently nothing. This is one I miss a lot. It was an old piano bar located on top the Camlin Hotel. Back then it had decent views and a bar that surrounded the piano. It reminded me of the Fabulous Baker Boys(filmed in Seattle). There’s actually an episode on Frasier(based in Seattle) where Martin meets his future wife who happens to a piano bar singer. I always wondered if it was based on the Cloud Room because it kinda looked like it.
- Duck Dodge (Lake Union). Currently The White Swan Public House. One of my co-workers knew the bartender here, so we always got the hookup with free drinks. It’s right on Lake Union so it’s a great spot in the summers. The spot has actually changed hands at least 3 times.
- Sit & Spin (Belltown)-Currently Commonwealth. This was a bar that you could do your laundry in. Hence, the name. it was a really odd combination. They also had a stage for bands there. I remember seeing a few shows there.
Source: Pinterest
- Buckaroo Tavern (Fremont)-Currently Restaurant Roux. I used to live down the street. It was known as a biker bar, which is strange because Fremont is the antithesis of biker anything. I remember riding the bus past it while they were shooting the movie, 10 Things Hate About You. One more story that I just remembered. There was a guy who was high as a kite on drugs and decided to drive. He hit about 10 parked cars(including mine which he totaled). He ended up flipping his car right in front of Buckaroo Tavern and tried to flee, but the bikers ran out of the bar and tackled him and held him for the cops. The incident was actually on the local news, so I have a VHS tape somewhere in storage of my totaled car on TV.
Source: Yelp
- Floyd’s Place(Queen Anne) -This was my go-to bar to have a drink before Seattle Sonics games. Now both are gone. Tear. Damn you, Howard Schultz!!!
- Dutch Neds (Pioneer Square)-Currently Box House. This was another hang out with my co-workers after work. Truthfully I don’t remember much about the place even though I went there over 30 times. Everytime I left Dutch Neds my mind was hazy. I remember it had a pool table. I remember it had an upstairs area. Other than that I just remember having fun times there.
- OK Hotel(Pioneer Square) -Currently an apartment building. I actually know somebody who lives here now, but before that, it was a bar with a stage right under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It’s supposedly the first place Nirvana performed Smells Like Teen Spirit. It’s also portrayed in the movie, “Singles”, as the coffee shop where Matt Dillon and Bridget Fonda work. Here’s Nirvana playing at the OK Hotel in 91.
Pouring one out for all my dead homies.
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Herkimer Coffee
Description on Herkimer Coffee website : At Herkimer Coffee our purpose is to create a coffee experience of the highest possible quality. Whether it’s your double espresso, latte to go, or the bag of beans you brew at home, we want your experience to be the best it can be.
Neighborhood: Ravenna / University District
Address: 5611 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Music playing: Didn’t I -Darondo
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Herkimer Coffee is our go-to spot when our family walks over to Cowen Park or going to the Saturday University Farmer’s Market. We normally get our coffee to go and can only recollect one time where we met up with friends and actually stayed to enjoy our coffees. On this particular day, I decided to stay and enjoy.
Plus points for having “Didn’t I” by Darondo playing when I walked in. One of my favorites. Then some Vampire Weekend. Then some Shins. I asked the barista if this was his playlist and was about to compliment him, but alas, it was Spotify.
I got a Macchiato. Because it was late afternoon, their pastry selection at that point was pretty bare, but there pasties are from Café Besalu in Ballard. Note: As I delved deeper, I found out that Herkimer now owns Café Besalu as of last year! I had no idea.
One thing you’ll notice for some of their drinks is the strange pricing. For example, the Macchiato and Cortado are both $2.72. You may ask, why? That’s because with the tax, it comes out to an even $3.00, which I appreaciate. Keep it simple
The space is small like most places on The Ave, but I feel it maximizes the space with a long wooden bench that runs the entirety of the inside with 7 small tables . There are 4 stools running along the front of the space with a counter and one community table for 8. There are two tables out side on the side walk to look out on the northern part of The Ave. In the front it’s nice and bright, but towards the back it’s warm and dark with soft lighting
They had about some 3 tea selections. There’s local art on the wall for sale. And they got AC, yo!
Surprisingly, Herkimer only has 3 locations-Dexter, Ravenna and the flagship Greenwood location. It seems like there’s more locations, but I guess I drive down Greenwood and The Ave a lot. I don’t drive on Dexter much.
Like some other Seattle coffee roasters(Elm, Slate, Vita, Ladro), I was curious about where the name “Herkimer” and logo originated. Apparently it’s named after a town in New York, where the founder’s dad was born. Another fun fact: The founder of Herkimer also founded Caffe Vita. The bridge in the logo is an iconic bridge in Herkimer.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: I love the fact that there’s a quality coffee shop very near Cowen/Ravenna Park.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: Guy and a gal having a coffee. They seem to be UW students, It was right around end of the first quarter, so they were talking about plans for the summer and when they were leaving campus for home. They’d been there before I got there and were still there for the 45 minutes I was there, so they were there a while.
Gal) If you’re free, I was thinking about going……
Guy) Yes, let’s go!
Gal) You don’t know where I was going to suggest.
Guy) I don’t care. Let’s go!
Gal) It’s a place really close to here…….. Both walk out the door together.
Dude was super eager to hang out more I guess.
Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 2)
Here’s Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Favorite Bars Based Purely on Memories
- J & M Café-I moved to Seattle for work from LA in the mid-90’s, not knowing a soul. My co-workers knew this, so as a way to introduce me to everybody, they organized an after-work happy hour. We worked in downtown, so J & M Café was in walking distance. As a new Seattleite, I was really shocked that they’d go out of their way to make me feel welcome. Though it was over 20 years ago, many of these people remain my friends to this day even though we’ve all moved on to different jobs. The J & M actually closed for a number of years and opened back up I belileve in 2010.
Source: Yelp
- Owl’N Thistle-This was deemed my work’s “satellite office” because we hung out there so much. We were all young and single(and dumb) at the time, so this was our defacto spur of the moment after work gathering spot. This is the place we bitched and moaned about our morons bosses, low pay and lack of respect. I recall whenever a fire alarm at work went off, the Owl & Thistle was our meet up spot. Many memories in the place. Oh, to be young again.
Source: Yelp
- “The Zoo” Eastlake Zoo Tavern-I had to take a grueling government administered test if I wanted to further my career. I studied months for this test, since the government only offers it twice a year. The pass rate for this exam is 11% and in one particular year it was actually 1.2%. I met up with a bunch of co-workers after the test at The Zoo as a celebration on getting it over with. Luckily I passed.
Source: Yelp
- Fado-There was a time in my life where I wanted to meet new people. I joined a Meet Up group that played pub trivia here every Thursday. The group lasted about 2+ years before it disbanded, but I met a lot of interesting people and it represents a time where I put myself out there and did something that was out of my comfort zone and helped me grow as a person and for this I’m grateful.
- Steelhead Diner-This is a diner, but it does have a nice view at their bar of Pike Place Market and the Puget Sound. The reason they are on this list? We held our wedding reception in the small room in the back. The bar worked with us to create a signature drink that incorporated the color theme of our wedding-purple and gold. It was in the summer, so it was a refreshing gin/mint drink and a big hit with our guests.
Source: Yelp
- Lucky Envelope Brewing-This is the first place serving alcohol that we took our daughter to at 2 months old. Once our daughter was born, we thought our bar hopping days were over. Not only because we had a new life to take care of, but as you know, babies ain’t allowed in bars. The one exception to the rule-breweries. I don’t know if I would consider it a loophole but the license to operate a brewery in Washington State is considered a non-retail license. And there is no age restriction for non-retail premises. Bam! To prove to ourselves that having a baby would not preclude us from getting out of the house and continue meeting up with friends and having a cold one, we made it a goal to visit 24 breweries with baby in tow within a year. Did we make it? Hellz to the Yeah!!!
Source: Yelp
Lucky Envelope was the first and holds a special place in our hearts for that reason, but shout out to the other 23 breweries that we visited that allow families to enjoy very tasty beers- Counterbalance Brewing Company, Figurehead Brewing, Floating Bridge Brewing, Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery, Fremont Brewing Company, Ghostfish Brewing Company, Lantern Brewing, Lowercase Brewing, Machine House Brewery, Naked City Brewery & Taphouse, NW Peaks Brewery, Old Stove Brewing, Optimism Brewing Company, Peddler Brewing Company, Perihelion Brewery, Populuxe Brewing, Ravenna Brewing Co, Reuben’s Brews, Rooftop Brewing Company, Schooner Exact Brewing Company, Seapine Brewing Company, Stoup Brewing, Urban Family Brewing Co.
Note: We’ll soon have posts on Seattle Breweries shortly
Next: Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 3)
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Diva Espresso – Greenwood
Description on Diva Espresso website: It was, and continues to be Diva’s belief that the inestimable effect human dignity has on anything produced through heart and sweat is essential to the quality and success of that product. By being involved in the process from inception to resolution, it is Diva’s belief that not only the end product be superb, but that all is right in the world…every step of the way.
Neighborhood: Greenwood
Address: 7916 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Music playing: Fantastic Voyage by Lakeside
What we ate/drank: Double Espresso
Comments: As far back as I can remember since moving to Seattle, Diva Espresso on Greenwood Ave has been a constant on this ever changing street, which is a testament to how well the business is run. We all know there’s a lot of competition out there and to have been around for that long is an achievement.
Diva Espresso has 7 locations in the Seattle area. All their brews are from Highlands Coffee Co, which happens to be their sister company. There is ample parking in the back, which is rare for Greenwood coffee places. If I’m not mistaken Chaco Canyon, Coyle’s Bakeshop, Caffe Vita and Herikimer on Greenwood Ave have little to no dedicated parking.
It’s not that big on the inside, but there is a big patio in the back next to the parking lot and some sidewalk seating in the front on Greenwood Ave. Inside there are 6 square wood tables all the same size each fitting 3 people. There are also 3 stools for counter seating looking near the front counter. There are a some pastry choices and snacks for sale.
The inside is bright due to big windows and they are open relatively late until 8::00(7:00 on Sundays) for you evening drinkers. In the evening the space is filled with warm lighting from the “diva”ish chandeliers. The space does feel a little dated with carpeted flooring, peeling paint on benches on the patio and pink/mauve walls. We all have personal preferences, but I’d come here for a quick to go drink due to the ample parking and good coffee, but the atmosphere is not my cup of tea for working or relaxing. I’m sure others love the décor that some could describe as “comfortable”
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Ample parking, nice big patio for nice days although it needs a new paint job.
Atmosphere: 3.00
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 3.75
Eavedropping Convo: None. There was nothing but people typing away on their computers. Although there was one property manager negotiating a lease with a new tenant with an offer of $3000 in a brand new apartment in Ballard.
Our Favorite Seattle Bars (Part 1)
In our post, Seattle Bars For All Occasions, we discussed what we objectively believed were the best Seattle bars based on the occasion. Now we discuss our subjective picks. There are certain bars that you like, not because it’s a great bar with great atmosphere and great drinks. You may like certain bars, because it was the bar you went to to celebrate taking your last exam in college, where you met your wife/husband, where you witnessed the ultimate Seahawk comeback win, where you drowned your sorrows getting over being dumped. We also mentioned in Our Seattle Bar Thoughts post that our bar of choice is the neighborhood bar, Our Bartender Thoughts, How We Treat Bartenders, Best Seattle Bars to Impress Out of Towners and Seattle Bars for Each Stage of Dating.
Our Favorite Bar (Overall): Palomino. Any Seattleite reading this is saying, “WTF”? The Palomino is a restaurant located in the City Centre in downtown Seattle. They do have a bar area with an actual bar that they claim is the longest in length in Seattle. Their happy hour is okay, but nothing special. Their beer selection and cocktails are ordinary. The atmosphere is a little strange because it’s open on a floor within a building kind of like a bar in a hotel or train station. So why is this our favorite bar in Seattle? This is where my wife and I first laid eyes on each other and met. She was in town for a convention. I worked downtown. It was easy to find and centrally located so that’s where we met. I guess we’re just sentimental fools. Later that night we had a drink at Kells, then the Pink Door.
Source: Yelp
Our Favorite Beer: Bodhizafa IPA-Georgetown Brewing Company.
Our Favorite Specialty Drink: Hot Mango Love- Suite 410. It’s a vodka based cocktail with Finlandia Mango, Scrappy’s Firewater bitters, a house-made Peach bitters, shaken with orange and lemon.
Our Favorite Bars By Area:
Downtown-Suite 410
Pike Place-White Horse Trading Company, Alibi Room, Radiator Whiskey
Ballard-Tractor Tavern, King’s Hardware, Ballard Loft(RIP)
Belltown-The Rabbit Hole
Capitol Hill-Knee High Stocking Co, Unicorn, The Lookout, The Pinebox
Central District-The Neighbor Lady(RIP)
Eastlake-Mammoth
Fremont–The Leary Traveler(RIP)
Green Lake-Latona Pub
Madrona-Bottlehouse
Pioneer Square-J&M, Merchant’s Café
Queen Anne-Hilltop Ale House
Roosevelt-Atlantic Crossing
South Lake Union-Brave Horse Tavern (RIP)
University District-The Duchess
Wallingford-Burgundian(RIP)
See Also:
Our Favorite Seattle Bars Part 2
Our Favorite Seattle Bars Part 3
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Espresso Vivace – Alley 24
Description on Espresso Vivace website: Our charter is to research, develop, and prepare caffe espresso as a new culinary art. “Espresso Vivace” translates loosely as great enthusiasm and excitement for espresso, the new world coffee.
Neighborhood: South Lake Union
Address: 227 Yale Ave, Seattle, WA 98109
Music playing: Paris Latino- Bandolero
What we ate/drank: Americano, Glazed Sprinkle Donut from Mighty O
Comments: One of the surprising things about Espresso Vivace is that it only has two cafes(Capitol Hill and South Lake Union) and a cart(Capitol Hill). You hear so many people talk about Espresso Vivace and how it’s their favorite that you start to think there must be many other branches around town, but there’s not. To learn about the founder and the importance of Espresso Vivace on the Seattle coffee scene read this article:
They were also featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations episode when they highlighted Seattle. And Emeril Lagasse of the Food Network said, “Probably the best coffee I ever had in the United States if not close into the world… I gotta tell ‘ta, one of the best coffees I ever had in my life…they kicked coffee up into an art form… To see a place like the quality of Vivace is unbelievable.” So Espresso Vivace definitely has a fan base.
And just like Caffe Umbria and Victrola Coffee Roasters, they have a very robust Education section on their website and like Broadcast Coffee and Caffe Vita they offer training. They take it one step further by offering both professional barista training and home barista training.
This is the South Lake Union(SLU) location that’s right across the street from the Flagship REI store. It’s not quite in the heart of South Lake Union and away from Capitol Hill and Downtown, so it never seems to be crowded. It also might have to do with the place being so big for a café. I believe it easily fits 50+ people with all sorts of seating. I counted at least 5 group seating areas-standard tables, long high top tables, a couple leather couches. It even has a separate room. I noticed they have two stations to make any rush hour move quickly. The café has dark brown wood walls, dark table tops and dark chairs, exposed vents are even painted dark brown and the ceiling appears to be dark granite (brown of course). There’s even ample outside seating for nice days.
The vibe is relaxing and for me a place where I’d order a coffee, find a secluded area and read a book. This is also a candidate to meet up with bigger groups along with Cherry Street Public House in Pioneer Square and La Marzocco Cafe
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Big space for large group meet up.
Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Eavedropping Convo: I guy and two gals were talking. I could only hear snippets, but the guy wasn’t whispering and it seemed like they were talking about a lot of sensitive subjects. I’m not a tech person, so a lot of the terms they were using was Latin to me-OEM, Linux, Qualcomm, CDA, GPU inventory,
He was referring to a well-known local CEO by his first name as if they were on a first name basis. Some comments he made:
- I’ve made that guy so much money!
- When we were colleagues coming up through the ranks, I always used to give him advise. Now he’s where he is and all credit to him. <<He didn’t seem jealous of the CEO. I think he was more just name dropping.
Comment made about a colleague either applying for a job or a consultant who’s starting a new project:
- He’s very childish. He’s dealing with Oracle. Larry’s(Ellison) issuing 20 million of company stock to himself.
Another comment:
- She’s a female CEO trying to make it in man’s world. Good luck to her. I got a give her credit she’s tough as nails, but my god, the drama there is off the charts.
Battle of Seattle Doughnuts(or Donuts?)- Top Shop vs Mighty O
Coming from Los Angeles, there seems to be a donut shop on every corner. When I arrived in Seattle in the 90’s, I was shocked how little donut shops there were. My go to was Winchell’s on 45th in Wallingford, but it went out of business and is now currently Rancho Bravo Tacos. There are now a few mom and pop doughnut shops, but for the last few years, Top Pot and Mighty O have ruled over the Seattle doughnut landscape.
I don’t like cake, pies, cookies or most pastries, but I love donuts. I can’t say i’m a connoisseur of many things, but I definitely feel I can speak to the quality of donuts.
Let’s get to it. In this corner….
Mighty-O: Mighty-O’s distinction is that they make their donuts with certified organic ingredients, they contain no cholesterol because there are no chemical preservatives, no animal derived ingredients, no colorings or artificial flavors.
And in this corner….
Top Pot: From their website-“With over 40 different types of donuts, Top Pot Doughnuts invites you to join us on our delicious journey of good taste. From our uniquely designed cafés to our hand-roasted coffee and hand-forged gourmet doughnuts, we’re committed to doing things the old fashioned way—beautifully, warmly, and with unfailing attention to details. Our exceptional quality, vintage aesthetic, and personal customer service offers a fresh take on the old “coffee and doughnuts” routine “
Here’s the tale of the tape:
- Spelling: Mighty O Donut vs Top Pot Doughnut. The first thing you notice is that each spells donut/doughnut differently.
- Distance from our house: Mighty O: 1.2 miles vs Top Pot: 1.6 miles
- Locations:
Mighty O: 4 locations: Ballard, Green Lake, Capitol Hill, Denny Triangle
Top Pot:23 locations: Including Capitol Hill, Downtown x 3, Wedgewood, Queen Anne, Ballard, South Lake Union, First Hill
- Price for half dozen( Sprinkles, Maple Bar, Apple Fritter, Glazed, Chocolate, Jelly Filled):
Mighty O: $12,99
Top Pot : $15.39
- Pick Up/Delivery Options:
Mighty O: Order online and pick up option. Also Amazon Delivery and Caviar Delivery
Top Pot: No ordering online option. Postmates will deliver.
- Claim to Fame:
Mighty O: Creating certified organic, non-GMO, cholesterol-free donuts, without chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial coloring, or flavors. Also cornering the market on supplying local coffee shops-Broadcast, Vivace, Victrola, Vita, Elm Coffee Roasters, Analog Coffee, Zeitgeist. Also Mighty O won a Donut Challenge on Food Network:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlC8sDrhkDQ
Top Pot: Golden Tate(former : Wide Receiver) breaking into a Bellevue Top Pot because he had a hankering for a maple bar. “They’re irresistible” quoted Mr Tate to the Seattle Times. (link https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/the-great-maple-bar-caper-seahawks-golden-tate-caught-in-3-am-visit-to-top-pot-doughnuts/). Also, Pres Obama got his fill at Top Pot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L0k90VXnGo
- Donuts – To be fair we ordered the same 6 donuts from each place to make sure we were comparing apples to apples. We got a maple bar, sprinkle, jelly filled, glazed, apple fritter, and chocolate. We decided to grade each donut on the following criteria.
1) Appetizing/Appearance
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting
3) The dough
4) Filling(when appropriate)
5) Taste
Maple Bar
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Top Pot
Winner-Top Pot
Sprinkles
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner- Mighty O. Taste as tie breaker.
Jelly Filled -Sugar on Top Pot, glaze on Mighty
1) Appetizing/Appearance – Mighty O
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting – Mighty O
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – Mighty O
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner – Mighty O
Glazed- Old Fashioned Glazed vs Good O’l Glazed
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -Top Pot
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Top Pot
Winner-Top Pot
Apple Fritter
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -MIghty O
3) The dough – Top Pot
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – Mighty O
Winner-Mighty O. Taste as tie breaker.
Chocolate-Double trouble vs Lots O’ chocolate
1) Appetizing/Appearance -Top Pot
2) Glaze/toppings/frosting -MIghty O
3) The dough – Mighty O
4) Filling(when appropriate) – N/A
5) Taste – MIghty O
Winner- Mighty O
Summary: So by a score of 4 to 2, Mighty O is the Winner!!! One of the amazing things about Mighty O is that with the use of specific ingredients, you’d think that it would sacrifice taste or texture of the donut, but their donuts are near perfect. We consistently felt that Top Pot donuts look very appetizing both in overall appearance and glaze/toppings. And we also consistently felt that Mighty O won in the texture of the donut and taste. Truthfully you can’t go wrong with either one and when visitors come to town we often get a dozen from either one to show them some local flavor.
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- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Morsel vs Biscuit & Bean – The Battle of Seattle’s Best Biscuit Sandwich
- Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent – Battle of Seattle’s Best Fried Chicken
- Battle of the Best Caribbean Sandwiches-Paseo vs Un Bien
- Battle of the Best Seattle Ramen Restaurants
T(Female-34) was from Thailand. T is a rarity. She’s a person from Thailand who is traveling abroad to the US. We rarely see travelers from Thailand, so we jumped at the chance to host her. She only spent one night with us after spending the previous two nights in a hostel in Belltown. Prior to being in Seattle she was in Florida for work(medicine) and a little play. She was in South Beach for 2 days and Key Largo for 5 days. She decided to stop in Seattle on her way back to Thailand. She met me in downtown after work and we caught the bus back to our place.
T’s Questions/Observations about the US:
- She asked a lot of questions about Pampers after seeing a TV commercial. She mentioned disposable diapers are for the rich in Thailand, so she was surprised that it was the norm in the US.
- She also saw a riding lawn mower on TV and thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen. It was the first time she’d seen a huge machine used for cutting grass.
- She was also really interested in all the smart phone commercials and how astronomical the prices in the US are.
- Said they don’t show many American shows but she likes Law and Order, Criminal Mind, Once Upon a Time.
T’s Questions/Observations about Seattle:
- She arrived at Seatac at night and took the Link Light Rail to Westlake then walked to her hostel in Belltown. She advised that she wasn’t used to seeing so many homeless people, which scared her and she refused to go out of the hostel after 8:00pm for the two nights she stayed there. Perhaps, too much Criminal Mind and Law and Order?
- She bought a city pass and went to Woodland Zoo, Space Needle and visited Pike Place Market. She was also able to walk around Green Lake.
- She was shocked how many Asians there were in Seattle. She mentioned this many times.
- She had been to Germany for six weeks and asked if there were any German pubs in the area, so we ended up at Die Beir Stube. I don’t know what made her think there would be a German pub in Seattle, but she was pleasantly surprised when there was one. I told her there are quite a few in Seattle.
- While walking around Green Lake, she went to Greg’s Bicycle to try and find a shirt “that shows off muscles” for her friend’s brother. She didn’t find any at a bike shop of course, but told her to go to a sporting goods store and look for Under Armour.
My observations of T/Learnings from T:
- She’d been to Cambodia, China, England, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam. She said India is her favorite and has been twice(solo), but she always gets scammed when she’s there. Once a tuktuk driver to over 4 hours to get her to her hostel.
- She said that the Thailand king(recently passed away) is revered and popular because of the good he’s done for the country not just because he is king, but people do equate the Royal Family with gods. It’s taboo to talk bad about the Royal Family, but people see the Royal Family indulging in fancy things with tax money like going to Koh Samui via airplane and taking tons of navy people to protect them
- She said she’s an introvert, so she loves listening, but doesn’t do a lot of talking. She requested, “Please don’t think I’m boring. I’m just quiet”.
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Seattle Coffee Places For Each Stage of Dating
We’ve told you about our choices for the Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating, but a reader pointed out, “what if you don’t drink?” Valid question. Or what if you are allergic to alcohol, you have to meet up during work hours, have to drive home sober, are on medication or just don’t want to drink alcohol? So as an alternative here are our choices for the best Seattle coffee places for each stage of dating.
First Date Coffee Place-For sure you want somewhere casual while feeling each other out and getting to know each other. Our pick:Revolution Coffee. First order your drinks(to go). You can chill out for awhile and talk a bit. The reason for picking Revolutions Coffee is not due to the space, but the location. It’s right across the street from Green Lake Park. Suggest a nice stroll around the park while sipping your coffee. How much more casual can you get? Walking around the entire lake takes about an hour, so by this time you should know if you want to see your date again. If things don’t click, hey, at least you got in a good walk at one of Seattle’s most picturesque parks.
First Date Coffee Place(What if the Weather Sucks?) – You know sometimes Seattle weather doesn’t cooperate and a walk around Green Lake is out of the question. So if it’s pouring outside, our alternative picks: Slate Coffee Roasters. We have a specific order at Slate for the first date. Order the Deconstructed Latte, which is espresso, milk and a combination of both. It’s perfect for sharing. You can discuss the specific ingredients with the barista before trying and then after trying each ingredient you can discuss and review. We think it encourages discussion and since you are sharing the experience together it makes for a perfect first date.
Impress The Date Coffee Place- You decided you’re interested and want to pursue the relationship. Time to impress. It has to be quiet, chill with some dark lighting to set the mood for romance. Our pick for the Seattle Bar choice for this stage of dating was Suite 410. Our pick for the Impress The Date Coffee Place is Anchorhead Coffee Co for many of the same reasons as Suite 410. It has a dark lighting setting the mood for romance, but it’s also a really impressive beautiful space. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of seating specifically for two, but there are plenty of spaces that you can feel secluded and whisper those sweet nothings. Awe, yeah, playa! They have a good variety of food options. It’s also a great place as a precursor to the evening as Paramount Theatre, AMC Pacific Place, Regal Meridian Cinemas or Gameworks are all just a few blocks away.
The Test Coffee Place– Now take your date to a coffee place to see if they’ll have a fun time. Do something a little bit more interactive besides just sipping coffee and talking. Bars around town have all kinds of things to do for fun-bocce ball, mini gold, shooting pool, ping pong, pinball, etc. What type of fun thing is there to do at a coffee place? Coffee shops are meant for quiet time, right? Our pick: Caffe Vita. Why? Every month on a Sunday, Caffe Vita’s roasting facility on Capitol Hill has a 2 hour Public Brewing School which focuses on manual brewing methods such as French Press, Chemex, Bonmac Pour Over and Aeropress. And for all you cheapskates out there, it’s free! You two can become experts at various types of coffee making, so you can make each other great coffee each morning. And, hey, if things don’t work out, these skills are portable, so you can impress your next dating partner with your coffee making skills. A win all the way around. The classes do fill up quickly, so plan ahead of time like any good person planning a date should.
Soure:flicker
Seal the Deal Coffee Shop Getting Serious Coffee Shop- To us, there’s no such thing as a “Seal The Deal” coffee place like there is for bars, so we’ve replaced it with a Getting Serious Coffee Shop. It’s getting serious. This one might stick around for awhile. Time to introduce the date to friends. In the future, you might be bringing them around to your game nights, camping trips and as a +1 to weddings, birthday parties and baby showers, so they’d better get along with your friends. Also time to introduce them to family. You may start bringing them to Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas get togethers, babysitting the nieces and nephews.
As you know most of the coffee places in Seattle are pretty small and difficult to have big group outings. You don’t want to introduce your date to each friend and family member one by one. Where should you introduce this perspective marriage material to your loved ones? Our Pick: La Marzocco Cafe. It’s a relatively new space and located in the Seattle Center. You may say to yourself, that only tourists go to the Seattle Center to see the Space Needle, EMP or Chihuly Garden, but there’s gotta be times where you are there sometime throughout the year? What about meeting up during Bumbershoot, events at Key Arena, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Bite of Seattle, International Brewery Festival, Folklife Festival or having a bite out in lower Queen Anne?
The place is huge with tons of seating, which makes it perfect for big groups. They have cool displays of various espresso machines, a record store onsite and the coffee and menu are ever-changing. Why? This is the concept of the cafe-“Each month, a new, renowned coffee roaster or coffee brand from across the US or elsewhere in the world will take over our cafe space, implement a new menu, train our staff on their coffees and drink preparation, and curate a new experience for guests. Join us for something refreshing and new during each visit.”
Introduce the friends and family to meet your date. Get their opinion, see if they approve or don’t. If yes, move forward. If they don’t perhaps take them to the next coffee shop…….
Drive Off the Date Coffee Shop- This is the opposite of the Getting Serious Coffee Shop. You’ve determined that it just ain’t gonna work out .You figured out this date is nothing special, just like the rest, a dime a dozen. That ain’t good enough for you! How do you tell your date it’s over? If you take your date to this place, they probably know what’s coming next. If you’ve been going to all these independent coffee places all over town, your date might think to themselves, “Why the heck are we going here?” What better coffee shop to symbolize to your date they’re just like the rest or a dime a dozen? A coffee shop whose locations are pretty much the same and so commonplace they’re like a dime a dozen. Our Pick: Take your date to Starbucks. Another reason Starbucks is our choice. You know when you’re just not sure about your date it can go one way or the other, but something just suddenly breaks the camel’s back. Maybe you heard her obnoxious laugh one too many times, maybe his last brag after enduring his constant bragging does it, you just found out her main job is a drug mule or he cuts the date short again because he has to meet up with his Xbox playing buddies. Who knows where you’re going to be when you’ve decided-“Nope, not gonna happen”. If you have one of these spur of the moment revelations, no matter where you are, there will be a Starbucks close by. Just say, “Hey, we need to talk. Why don’t we go to that Starbucks across the street”. Be merciful and make it quick. Wham, bam, thank you, Ma’am! And make sure you get your coffee in a to go cup just in case dumping your date has left them in a heaping pile of tears. You can just wish them a happy life and peace out. Ball on, playa!
A(Male-28) was from Dublin, Ireland. He spent 8 months at University of Chicago and a few months at University of Michigan doing research in biology. He had about a month and a half to travel in the US until going back to Ireland. Upon his return to Ireland, he will spend one week at home in Dublin and then move to Edinburgh, Scotland for his Phd. I told A to meet me a Trabant(now Slate) in Pioneer Square. He had spent the previous night in Seattle in a motel in a shady area of SODO. He ended up staying for two nights. We did a lot of drinking and talking.
A’s Questions/Observations about the US:
- He really enjoyed his time in Chicago and the US in general due to it’s diversity in people and variety in food, which he said Ireland is lacking in both. Said he’ll miss tacos the most.
- His favorite city was New Orleans because it’s so different from the rest of the cities. He said he couldn’t bring himself to carry around a drink in the streets, because it just felt wrong.
- Coincidentally, an Anthony Bourdain episode on Dublin was on TV while he stayed with us. He found it really fascinating what this American thought about Dublin’s restaurant and pubs.
- Said he talks in a modified “US” Irish accent because if he talked with his normal Irish accent, nobody in the US would understand him. Even with his modified accent, I had a hard time understanding him.
- Like many of my other foreign visitors, commented on how clear my HD TV is. It’s just a normal TV from Costco, so maybe HD is not prevalent in many countries yet.
- Found US people very helpful. In fact he got a job after meeting somebody at a Couchsurfing event in Chicago which stopped him from having to leave the US. And it was only a week before his deadline to leave if he did not have a job.
A’s Questions/Observations about Seattle:
- Somebody else on Couchsurfing in Seattle agreed to host A, but when he replied he misspelled her name because he was using his cell phone. She got upset and didn’t want to host him anymore. He said that was his first impression of a Seattlite.
- Really enjoyed Pike Place market, but wasn’t impressed with the gum wall because they have one in Dublin too. Wanted tacos so we went to Los Agaves and wanted a patio, so we went to Maxmillien for drinks. He really liked the “secrecy” of the Maxmillien patio.
- Also enjoyed Discovery Park. He thought the views of the water and the park itself were great and was shocked that a park that big would be so near to downtown.
My observations of A/Learnings from A:
- He had been to the US 4 times before and had traveled to Chicago, NY, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, DC, Knoxville, Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, San Francisco. I thought he must travel a lot in Europe, so I asked where he’d been. He’d only been to 3 countries outside of Ireland. He advised he hasn’t travelled a lot in Europe because everything is so close and he takes it for granted.
- He said a lot of young people in Ireland leave to Canada and Australia for construction jobs. They make a lot of money overseas, the countries speak English and these countries heavily recruit in Ireland because they know there are a lack of jobs there.
- He said he believes it’s a good idea for people to leave Ireland and work abroad so that when they come back to Ireland they can bring new ideas back with them.
- He said in Ireland they are trying to pass a law that allows old people to drink and drive, because old people are just staying at home because they can’t drink and drive and there’s no public transport and they can’t afford a taxi. He doesn’t think it will pass.
- He said Dublin doesn’t have popular sights so he believes it’s boring and visitors only need to stay for just two days.
- We talked about Northern Ireland and Ireland. He explained half of North Ireland is Catholic and half Protestant, which is why they are part of the UK. There is one county up north that is fully Catholic, but can’t be a part of Ireland due to geography. The IRA is active in Northern Ireland and had a “peace” treaty signed, but there was a splinter group who then also signed a treaty, but then another splinter group was created.
- Said that the Irish can relate to Palestines due to their common histories. I found this really interesting.
UPDATE: During my trip to Ireland in 2018, we met up for dinner and drinks, so he returned the favor
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