Belltown | 2nd Avenue District
The next morning I wanted to go to 5 Spot Café. I had read great reviews about this place for it’s food and atmosphere and in particular it’s brunch, so seeing as this is my favourite meal of the day, it was a must. It’s located at 1502 Queen Anne Avenue North. The 2 bus from down town takes you right there and with a beautiful view too. It sits at the top of a hill, looking right down through a neighborhood into the port area. The area is quiet and cute, filled with lots of lovely small apartment blocks and houses, a nice place to live.
The café is quiet big, very cooky and mis matched. The decorations are like a collection of trinkets and findings. There was a huge golden gate bridge that went from one side of the bar to the other. Every three months they switch the theme, this time around it was San Francisco. There was a great painting of O.J Simpson on the wall in a kind of pop art style in bold colours. Next month (September) it changes to New Mexico.
The place is simple, yet filled with character. The service was great, the food was delicious and the prices were shockingly low. Granola, fruit and maple yoghurt, one waffle with butter and maple and one tea all came to $16. So I would recommend this little find for sure!
After brunch I hired a car and drove to Seattle’s premium outlet, towards the Canadian boarder, off the 5 heading north. It’s about 20 minutes outside Seattle city. I did a spot of shopping, got myself and my family a few tiny bits and pieces. Then headed back to down town to catch some dinner.
Originally I wanted to eat at Wild Ginger. I had read great things about it, and it’s listed as one of Seattle’s hottest eats. But whilst trying to locate Wild Ginger, I stumbled across a really great little area of downtown. It’s where Bell Street and 2nd Avenue meet, it’s known as the belltown district. The surrounding bars and restaurants are trendy and stylish, young, buzzing and full of atmosphere. It’s like the Covent Garden of London; trendy and young, yet classy, it’s not an area which attracts the wrong kind.
Kushibar attracted my attention for dinner, a japanese street food restaurant and bar . Its a long slim building which starts as a patio made of long planks of wood, positioned about an inch apart so you can see into the area, covered in twinkling fairly lights. It’s filled with wooden benches and tables for a relaxed communal vibe, and joins onto the restaurant where there is a sleek modern bar and a few more tables and seating area. I ordered a tuna and octopus salad, salt and pepper shrimp, a miso and beed ramen and sake, all for $48. It was great food, full of flavors, really fresh fish. Simple and fun.
After that I ventured down the street to Clever Bottle for an after dinner drink. This bar is beautiful, femine and simple. The high dark wooden tables and stools are decorated with a slim glass vase with one flower. The walls are brought to life with shelves of empty colorful bottles which have been filled with fairly lights. All the liquor and wines are visible behind the bar in a charming way. It’s scandinavian in style. I had the local light draft beer and then a ginger ale, honey syrup, lime and pressed ginger cocktail.
For my third day in Seattle, it was another beautiful day, occupied with some further exploring through the Pike district and the Market and of course, some spectacular meals.
I had read that Harvet Vine had a very different approach to brunch and was something not to miss. It’s listed as one of Seattle’s top three brunch’s. So I felt compelled to try it out. Harvest Vine is a Basque kitchen which serves a small selection of tapas style foods which, with a menu which alternates in sync with the seasons. When I was there it was a saturday morning, and there were only about 25 seats. But I noticed there is a down stairs which they open for dinner. The bar looks right into the kitchen, where you can watch the chefs busy away. There are beautiful copper pots and pans which dangle from the ceiling, decorating the modest simple interior.
The food was stunning in appearance, some real care and delicacy was taken in presenting it. The flavors were sharp and crisp. I ordered sardines and baby tomatoes in a green vinaigrette with aioli. It look like art and tasted brilliant. All the flavors married wonderfully. I also had a Cana de Cabra, which is seared goats cheese with cherry tomato confi and arrope. Again, lovely, simple and clean flavors. The whole brunch was lovely, however, it was rather expensive and not the most filling. It was more an exploration of flavors rather than a meal. I wouldn’t go here if I was starving.
The restaurant is in a funny location. It’s on Madison street, at the top of the main street area, almost hidden in a neighborhood. A lovely area to live, really green and pretty. After brunch I drove down East Madison street towards to water where I came to Madison Park Beach and bay area. It’s a tiny little strip of sand, where crystal clear water gentle laps. There is a small wrecked looking dock where small boats can pull up. There are some amazing apartment blocks which look out over the water here.
After a little gander down here I went back up Madison, heading west, to the japanese gardens. They are located in the Washington Park Playfield. Entry is only $4 for students. It’s a really small garden, but beautiful nonetheless.
I had to return the car for 4pm so I headed back downtown, returned the car and explored the Pike further.
All over any town or city in America, you will pass a Starbucks as quickly as you would a bin in Ireland. They are literally everywhere, often directly across the street from one another. It’s crazy! However, the first ever Starbucks was set up in Seattle, and it’s still there, right in front of the entrance to the Pike. It doesn’t look like any of the Starbucks we know today, it is cute and small, like an ordinary little independent coffee shop. There is a little porch out the front with wonderful bursting hanging baskets dangling. Its very cute and fits in perfectly with Seattle’s old school local feel. Having said that, now this one has a line out the door, with tourist mobbing the front to take pictures and best of all, a little band which stand outside busking. I didn’t get to find out what they were called, but they were absolutely brilliant! They had a crowd of about 100 people when I was there. It’s made up of four men, no instruments, just them. They sing old jazz soul music, with beautiful harmonies and rhythm. They were great.
The sky was completely clear and I could feel a brilliant sunset coming on. I had designated this night as my big dinner night as the next day I had planned to go to Vancouver Island for the day and would get back late and the following day was when I was leaving. So I needed a great restaurant with a view. There was no other way to do it other than Maximilien. This is a french restaurant located in the absolute heart of downtown, actually in the Pike place market. It sits on the side of the slope, facing onto the bay, looking out over the water. It supposedly has the best dinning view in Seattle, and I have to say I am fairly convinced. The restaurant itself was probably far more fancy that I was looking for, but I just had to have the view. There are a number of tables out on the patio, and I am assuming on a Saturday or Friday night you won’t get one of those tables easily. Yet, I seemed to get the best without a reservation at 7pm, I was very lucky.
I went with a set menu. A $60 menu which gave you three courses with wine to match your food. I started with snails, then had a miso infused fillet of halibut with shiitake mushrooms, courgette and white beans. It was sensational, probably the best fish I have ever had! I finished with a brûlée. The wine and food was to die for, but the view throughout my meal was what I was really paying for.
After the amazing meal, I went in search of The White Horse bar. I had been told by my manager that it was a great spot, more of a local gem and not well known, so it wasn’t too surprising when I found it quite difficult to find. But when I did, I was indeed glad. It’s a tiny, dark pub with no name above the door or anything, hidden behind overgrown plant pots which sit on the window sills blocking out the light from getting in, or out. The ceiling is covered with bottles which have been glued there by the neck, post stamps, post cards, money notes and coins, old photos, plane tickets, train tickets, and everything in between are stuck to the walls. All the furniture was random, collectors items. It all looked like it had been accumulated over the years of a young students struggle to find a permanent house or settlement. Old leather sofas, big velvet arm chairs with holes in them and buttons dangling by the thread. Comfy, but tattered. The menu was a strip of cardboard with the drinks written down in black marker on. There wasn’t much point in the menu though, as it was more of a, it’s either beer, wine or whiskey kind of place, which I loved. It reminded me of something you would find in Ireland actually, a cavity of character for the local musician to come and smoke and drink his brains out, or the failed poet to sit and write beneath the dim couch side light.
I had a couple of glasses of wine, spoke to a lovely danish couple, met a few musicians and headed home. The next day would be the day I traveled to Canada on the Ferry so I needed some sleep.
