The Roanoke Park Place Tavern is one of the brightest rays of sunshine in the Seattle small business world. Sitting at the top of 10th Ave E it's not super close to anything, but not far from everything. Its unassuming nature is bear hugged in ivy and it emits a low but strong come-on-in-and-get-your-ass-smiling vibe. Capitol Hill can be a polarizing place; it's pretentious and cavalier and frankly, often pompous. But it's warm and familial too - both despite these things and because of them. Perched in its own little universe, The Roanoke always seemed to symbolize and embody the very best of the heart of Seattle: it's natural, simple, intimate...it's real! It's splashed with stories of the people who own and run it, and the people who frequent it...all of whom are people that love it. That's why it was with THE BIGGEST HEARTBREAK EVER that we learned earlier this week that it will be no more. more ›

Having had a peek inside, it's obvious that criticisms that the new "15th Ave Coffee & Tea," as the signage puts it, has ripped off its next-door neighbor Smith aren't going away any time soon. Woodblock print-style logo? Check. Long table of rough reclaimed wood? Check. Vaguely Western and/or rustic, farm-themed? Check. more ›

CHS's seadevi notes the Vita/Theo collaboration--"You got coffee in my chocolate! You got chocolate in my coffee!"--has hit the New York Times style blog. Howard, you might want to sit down for the first sentence: "From Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, comes a cooler coffee company." (Why do people have to make invidious comparisons? Why?!) The verdict: one bar is a "tasty rush," while the other is a "milder, milkier affair." more ›

Bitters and cocktail drinkers had a falling out some decades back, but Seattle is one of the cities that is bringing them back in a big way. Last night we were in Oddfellows Cafe, sitting at the bar and sampling their cocktails, when we noticed that, of the eight listed, four have bitters in them. In fact, their version of the Blood and Sand cocktail contains blood orange bitters made on the premises. The Toronto cocktail combines Angostura bitters and Fernet Branca to bracing, salutary effect, but the Oddfellows Elder Fashion, which unites Campari, orange bitters, and elderflower liqueur is not for beginners. Don't say you weren't warned. more ›

Thanks, everyone who came out to the Seattlest Happy Hour at Zig Zag last night--and thanks to Ben and Autumn for pouring drinks down our thirsty gullets. We had a chance to order an Aviation, which we wanted ever since we read about creme de violette in The Atlantic. It may be impossible to convey in words how cool you feel drinking a slightly purple drink called Aviation. more ›

One of our favorite bars in all of Seattle celebrates its second birthday today. The tiny, cozy, always friendly Bottleneck starts the party at 8 p.m. tonight with an hour of free champagne, which we could never turn down. At 9 they'll debut their new cocktail menu, with specials on Skyy vodka drinks and bloody marys all night. Since the traditional gift for a second anniversary is cotton, the bar will be giving away cotton t-shirts (and more) every 15 minutes until close from breweries and other local supporters like PBR, Georgetown Brewery, Skillet, Capitol Hill Seattle, and Babeland. Once again, Bottleneck, we raise our glass to thee. more ›

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR LINDA'S: Capitol Hill mainstay and Linda Derschang's namesake bar celebrates its 15th birthday tonight, starting at 4 p.m. The first 100 people to show up get a free commemorative t-shirt, but for the rest of us, it's $2.99 cheeseburgers and 1994 beer prices all night. That's when beer was like, what, a nickel? Music care of DJ Damaged Goods. more ›

Let's see what's in the mailbag. Volunteer Park Cafe tells us: "We are now using Molly Moon Ice Cream. Haven’t tasted her Salted Caramel Ice Cream yet?" Why no, we haven't. Nor, to our shame, have we been by to sample some of your matzoh ball chicken soup. What is wrong with us? Plus, Ericka's collaboration with Linda Derschang, the Odd Fellows Hall cafe + bar, opens (in theory) on December 19. That's 10th and East Pine on Capitol Hill. more ›

Is your vita not so dolce? Go to Stella on First Avenue across from SAM, order a doppio, and drink it at the bar just like those I-talians do. It's cheaper than taking a seat at one of the marble-topped tables, and makes you feel all cool and Euro. Owner/barista Rob Wilson wants to encourage customers to sip and chat, rather than sulk behind laptops. Don't worry--we'll still be here when you log on again. Ciao. more ›

How to describe Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) to an American public? Where to pigeonhole him? Part world-weary lounge lizard, part genius musician, he was the archetype of the French artist as intellectual and sexual predator. On television: heavy-lidded, cigarette, old in his youth yet youthful when his face became lined with years. On records: a voice that percolated through a haze of smoke. In person: consort of Brigitte Bardot, France Gall, Jane Birkin. more ›

The sad--or happy--fact is that a lot of Capitol Hill drinkers are still the dark about Redwood's existence. It rose triumphant from the metaphorical ashes of a Duds 'n' Suds laundromat, and offers home cookin' worth blogging home about, plus the sweet potato fries which are de rigeur these days. more ›

"Surprise us," we told Ben at Zig Zag last night. "A cocktail?" he asked. We nodded. A few minutes later he reappeared with a rye-based concoction that also contained Fernet Branca. We nearly fell out of the goddamn booth. A few weeks ago we'd gone to see The Grocer's Son, which featured a little old lady who drinks shots of Fernet Branca. Then in the last issue of The Atlantic, Wayne Curtis waxed rhapsodic about the Italian liqueur's "uncommonly sharp and bitter" taste. So we were all primed to try it out, we just didn't know it--but that's Zig Zag's charm, knowing what you want before you do. more ›

ANNOUNCER VO: First, Governor Gregoire tried to visit a bar...WITHOUT a valid ID. Now she's been ticketed for parking ILLEGALLY. A lawyer should know better. Christine Gregoire. She can't get served. She can't talk her way out of a parking ticket. Is she right for Washington? A Republican governor wouldn't put up with this shit. (Thanks to Tessa over at waking jonas for the picture of Governor Gregoire's parking ticket, and accompanying story.) more ›

The Dilettante Mocha Cafe and Chocolate Martini Bar had its opening night yesterday, in its new location on the retail floor of the new Brix condos at the north end of Broadway. It's cozied up next to the new Vivace Roasteria. This is the pastry case, from which all good things emanate. Besides desserts, they also serve lunch and dinner. We were struck by the appearance of meatloaf on the menu. Maybe it comes with a truffle on the side. more ›

Party-planning troika Seattlest and Seattle Metblogs, and CHS want to hold a special BlogsGiving Evening (TM) around mid-November, and we're soliciting suggestions for a venue that can hold about 75-100 thirsty and slightly hungry people and their iPhones, laptops, and digital cameras. If you or a venue you know would like to be part of this evening to benefit inter-blog amity and a local food bank, please drop us a line: editor at seattlest.com. Our operators are standing by! more ›

Governor Christine Gregoire was denied entrance to an Olympia bar last weekend, when she couldn't produce valid ID proving she was over 21. Sure, she is 61 years old and the Governor of Washington, but you got to give it to the brand new bouncer for being vigilant about not letting un-ID'd patrons in. After being denied entrance to the bar, the governor called it a night and headed back to her home--the Governor's mansion--which can't be too bad. We imagine they have better liquor there anyway. more ›

In Pamplona this week, they're celebrating the festival of St. Fermin. The most famous event, the encierro, played a central role in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises: the so-called "running of the bulls" through a narrow, 825-meter passage of narrow streets. more ›

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Now that the weather is finally get warmer, it's time to plan some summertime drinking. Enter The Saint, the new tequila bar/Mexican cantina from Havana owner Quentin Ertel. What was once the ugly (and scary) Wing Dome behemoth is now the soothingly sky blue building at the corner of Olive and Bellevue. Ertel describes his latest social club as:

a tequila bar that would appeal to afficionados of the good life; a place where the grapefruit juice is always squeezed fresh and the pace is a little slower; where the cocktails are built from a library of fine tequilas; where the cocina bustles with cooks making food from scratch. A place where a little bit of extra love goes into everything, an homage to the time-honored process of making one of the finest spirits on earth.

Spotted by Seattlest last night at The Sunset Tavern, an ironic intersection of corporate sponsorship and state law. more ›

A year ago Liberty, the coffeeshop/bar/sushi joint on 15th Ave, had the unmitigated gall to advertise their establishment via posters on telephone poles near their business location. As with the Iraq War, China's unlawful presence in Tibet, and Crash's Oscar win, Liberty's advertisements resulted in massive protests. Or at least some classic passive-aggressive Seattle behavior, like an "I, Anonymous" submitted to The Stranger and masking tape put on the posters indicating that Liberty was a "bad neighbor." Oh uptight Seattleite, way to stick it to the (small, independent business) man! more ›

Seattlest first heard about the Raveonettes from a troubled, neurotic friend. He recommended their '03 release , which struck us as analogous to that friendship: addictive and harping on the same two or three themes. more ›

Do not be surprised to see a $1 suggested donation for tap water on your restaurant bill if you dine out from March 16 to March 22. During this week in March, restaurants around the nation will ask patrons to donate the price of their tap water to support UNICEF’s Tap Project, which provides clean drinking water for children in need. One dollar affords 40 days of clean drinking water for a child – not a hard cause to get behind. more ›

It seems like it was just last week that we were gushing over the Bottleneck Lounge. Oh yeah, that was just last week. Well, we're talking about them again. In honor of the Gay Superbowl, the Central District bar is hosting a party: more ›

We got into Memphis last night, and we'll be here for the rest of the week, celebrating folk music along with people from all over the world at the annual Folk Alliance conference. We'll be going on and on about that in articles for another job we have, but we just wanted to take a moment to express how much we love Seattle. We miss Seattle. But mostly, we miss people. more ›

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. more ›

So this gent orders the lasagna at the Capitol Hill Via Tribunali last week and LOVES it. Oh, says the waitress, we buy that from Sorrentino. more ›

Many things Black Bottle is not: karaoke lounge, pool hall, etc. Many things Black Bottle does not pretend to offer: tablecloths, strolling musicians, etc. One thing it did have: candles. Not just candles, but exposed candles. No more. more ›

This Seattlest will be heading to a private party tonight, where we will celebrate among our favorite people the fact that Super Tuesday is FINALLY here. But, if you're looking for somewhere more out-on-the-town to get your drink on and watch the returns trickle in, and pancakes aren't your bag, here's the guide for you. Most of these events start at 5pm, and they're all free. Go America! more ›

In case it doesn't snow too much tonight, or in case you're not too much of a pussy to venture outdoors, head to Queen Anne to network with the organizers of South by Southwest and other like-minded music geek individuals. more ›