Yum! Skillet at the Bottleneck

The Bottleneck Lounge, located at 23rd and Madison, has quickly become one of our favorite bars. Both the staff and the patrons are overwhelmingly friendly, and it's the kind of joint where you end up getting chatty with the bartender or the couple next to you, or where another customer might close out the night by buying a shot for everyone in the bar. Laid-back without being divey, the Bottleneck is just plain chill. We're not the only ones who have come to appreciate the Central District establishment. The bar just celebrated its one-year anniversary with a mention in the Seattle Times as one of the best happy hours in town.

So of course we were psyched to see that Skillet, the traveling trailer o' gourmet street food, was making a stop at the Bottleneck this weekend. Sunday afternoon the shiny 1962 Airstream parked outside of the bar at 3pm and promptly started peddling its toothsome wares. The menu, as always, was tiny, and yesterday offered the choice between a burger, a hot dog, charred chile mac 'n' cheese, poutine, and Seattle brown bread with pears.

Though we were tempted by the hot dog and we saw plenty of orders of mac 'n' cheese go by, we ended up going for Skillet's highly renowned burger. It's on the small side, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. The grilled kobe beef was both tender and juicy, accompanied by tangy, creamy cambazola, arugula, and bacon jam, all on a petite brioche bun. Skillet offered ketchup, mustard, and relish as condiments, but no mayo, which to us is essential on just about everything. Thankfully, the good people at the Bottleneck had some on hand, further proving how perfectly the two go together. After Skillet's tasty meal and a couple drinks at the cheery bar, that was only confirmed.