Easy to make fun of this place, what with its silly name (no connection with South Carolina radio station WHYM or the New York restaurant Whym) and Fifties decor, but hard to ignore its pride of place: the clean, well-lighted prow of Belltown sailing northward, 24 hours a day, into the intersection of First & Denny. When it was Minnie's, this was the archetype of a shit-hole diner. The employees knew better than to eat......

Until today, Belltown was the last neighborhood in Seattle without a pho parlor. No longer. Black Bottle, that estimable watering hole for the the Under 30 set, is now serving an elegant pho made with beef brisket that's braised to medium-rare, then roasted to order. The lean and fatty bits--and it's a huge amount of meat--meet up in the broth, and pho, of course, is all about the broth: beef bones, star anise, rock......

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. The flame of an exposed candle, sez the fire marshal, Shall Not Be Allowed. Not at a Bar That Serves Alcoholic Beverages. On the plus side, no more wax dripping on the bar. On the downside,......

We see on CL that Richard Hugo House is now accepting applications (deadline April 11) for its writer's residency program. Only two writers will be selected, who will have the chance to teach in the Hugo House's writing classes. The residency starts this September 1, 2008, and lasts one year. The highlight is you get to live, subsidized, in one of the “Hugo Huts”—Seattle’s historic Belltown Cottages. The rent subsidy doesn't include utilities, jackets with......

If you haven't already checked out Black Bottle (a "gastro-tavern") at 1st and Vine in Belltown, and you're into sharing great food but aren't into spending a fortune, it's about time. Truth be told, we are so not cool enough to hang out there, but the food is excellent, so we just don't care. Besides, someone has to fill the tables at 6pm so the place looks full for when the real wine bar crowd......

Hey, Seattlest, what are you doing this weekend? Seth is coughing up a lung or two. Michael vB, filing from the Victrola cafe, is delighted for an excuse to spend even more time there tonight: Byron Schenkman, the virtuoso harpsichordist/pianist from Seattle Baroque Orchestra is celebrating Mozart's 250th Birthday by banging out some Mozart numbers on the upright from 8-10pm. Also the film Cache (Hidden) has opened at the Guild 45th and he'd sure like......

This week Seattlest was nosing around on eGullet looking for new restaurant ideas, when we came across a post about Black Bottle in Belltown. We were intrigued by the term "gastro-tavern" and were even more intrigued by the $7-$8 pricing on all plates. Black Bottle took over the old Two Dagos from Texas space on the corner of First and Vine. Even though we knew it had been remodeled, we were still shocked when we......