Sazerac Gets A Facelift

Downtown's Southern-esque restaurant Sazerac had the misfortune to open in 1997, which meant its decor ten years on -- velvet drapes and cushy banquettes -- looked as dated as a Google-cached snapshot of your homepage. In its review, the Stranger sharpened its claws on the surroundings: "There is some evidence in the tea-dark interior that the decorator was going for a New Orleans-inspired elegance, but somewhere along the way he or she got waylaid at Mervyn's. Light fixtures from Kandinsky's notorious 'game board' period shed wan light on the open dining room."

Last week they reopened after a redo with a big happy-hour party, and the Mervyn's fixtures were soon forgotten. They have really classed up the joint, which we say for the benefit of one of the designers, who was British. Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis showed up, along with some other people who need to work harder at being recognizable if they want a Seattlest name-check.

Sazerac executive chef Jason McClure was unveiling a new Southern-inspired, locally sourced menu, while bartender Jeshua Madden had thrown a little jalapeno into a cocktail that we were told would go down very easily. We tried it a few times, and it went down easily every single time.

The blog Breakfast in Seattle has already tried the new digs out, and found them...serviceable:

Sazerac is well known in the city for a great happy hour with a wood fired oven for pizza. We had eaten breakfast there previously, and thought it was a great experience of good food and good service. So we were anxious to see a revamped menu and decor. The remodel is nice, the menu the same and the service has gone a bit down hill.