Bastille Cafe and Bar

At Large in Ballard: Summer of firsts

Guest — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 14:20:21 +0000

Guest (not verified) Wed, 08/21/2013 - 7:20am

Ballard's Laura K. Cooper and Duck Captain Jay Craig at embarkation.

Photo by Peggy Sturdivant

By Peggy Sturdivant

This is the first summer since when I was pregnant in 1990 that I have been in Seattle for the entire months of July, August and (soon) September. Is it a coincidence this was the firstly completely rain-less July on record since the year of my birth in 1960?

I started to realize how many firsts there have been for me this summer, which in light of a recent mid-century birthday bodes well for what I hope will be my next 40-some years. This is the summer that I spent two weeks in the family cottage with my daughter, pumping along behind her on my east coast $5 garage sale bicycle. We had never been there by ourselves before. I had my first tuna melt sandwich. It was tasty.

This is the first summer that I haven’t just watched my neighbor Mary Lou’s transparent apples fall from her tree with enough force to reach the high part of the alley and then gather the momentum to flash in front of oncoming traffic like bright green meteors. This year I gathered them and made a vat of applesauce and my first applesauce cake.

I added the applesauce cake to a table already full of homemade food: mac ‘n’ cheese, wheat berry salad, bread with real crushed garlic. For the first time since I’ve lived in Seattle I was part of a Night Out for Crime event. It wasn’t the first time that I’ve been part of closing a street for a block party, but my husband might tell you it was the first time I’ve done it legally. He looked concerned when outreach officer James A. Manning pulled his police cruiser by a box I’d used to block traffic.

This summer is the first time I’ve been on the rooftop of Bastille and a marine warehouse by the Ballard Bridge. It’s the first time I’ve picked seven pounds of tomatoes in my backyard before my birthday and tried sautéed pea vines.

This is the summer that I “Rode the Ducks” for the first time ever. I grew up treasuring the Swan Boat rides in Boston Public Gardens, but here I have had a love/hate relationship with the duck boats of Seattle. Who doesn’t dread being stuck next to them while the Fremont Bridge is up or while navigating the ever-narrower lanes on Highway 99?

But Ballard’s own Jay Craig is a captain now. Our man of the Scottish Buddhist Cookbook, the man who threw away his pants to wear kilts and who holds the key to making the Ballard Bell ring (literally). How could I not accompany Laura K. Cooper and Nordic Heritage Museum curator Lizette Graden on an outing with visiting family and with Jay Craig as our duck captain and tour guide?

Just as when I took a floatplane from Lake Union to Victoria that last full summer in Seattle, I realized that one can love the experience itself while still bemoaning the noise of the float planes over Ballard and the cacophony of the quackers on the duck boat tours.

It was thrilling to look down toward the Ballard Bridge from mid-span on the Aurora Bridge. No windows to buffer the wind as we headed toward a launch site at the north end of Lake Union. Although better known for somewhat off-color stories as a Ballard writer, as Captain Braveliver Jay Craig is a trustworthy navigator and knowledgeable raconteur who does Ballard proud. I don’t think he was just playing to his locals. In his tour, Ballard is the center of our universe with interesting bits (Boeing, houseboats, mountains, Pioneer Square) acting as mere spokes from our hub.

This summer has had other firsts: the first summer without either Charlotte-the-Cat or Charlotte Not-the-Cat, though my Queen Charlotte anemone is blooming in both of their honors. But it’s not yet the first time that I finally remember the cat is gone before I start to put my breakfast yogurt bowl down for her to lick.

I didn’t pick raspberries in my neighbor’s yard this summer. But the invasive blackberry vines still bear fruit worth picking and the first Heavenly Blue morning glory has yet to bloom. At my birthday dinner the server at Stoneburner (another first) brought our table dessert wine after dinner, “courtesy of the gentleman you spoke to when you came in.” Thank you Scott and Michelle Simpson of Roosevelt Ale House for remembering customers who haven’t even crossed your threshold in the five years since Martin left Maple Leaf and you were still The Jones Bistro. It was like being in a movie.

This weekend there will be another first, perhaps the biggest one yet. I will step into a new role as Officiant-At-Large when I will be presiding at the wedding of two of my closest friends (and both former Ballard News-Tribune editors). Ever since I was asked to do the honor last fall, it has been the shining thing waiting for me in a summer that has already seemed blinding.

Take heed: the start of a 54th year can be pretty darn great. Especially in a summer filled with so many firsts, from a tuna melt to legally binding my friends in marriage. My Ballard cup quacketh over.

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Bastille Cafe and Bar

Ballard gets shout outs galore in Seattle Weekly's 'Best Of'

Guest — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:44:03 +0000

Guest (not verified) Wed, 08/07/2013 - 12:44pm

In their annual Best Of Seattle series, the Seattle Weekly has treated Ballard well.

For Best Food Neighborhood, where else is there to look than our once humble neighborhood? In their article, "It's a Lock," they stand in awe at the evolution of Ballard.

"For any longtime Seattleite, the evolution of Ballard into one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods sometimes elicits a shake of the head. For decades the domain of elderly Scandinavians, the butt of at least a third of the jokes on Almost Live, and largely a food wasteland outside of Ray’s Boathouse, Ballard’s status as the most vibrant part of Seattle’s food scene seems hard to believe. But here we are."

Shout outs galore: Bastille Cafe and Bar, Stoneburner, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Staple and Fancy, King's Hardware, BalMar, the Matador, La Carta de Oaxaca, Shiku, Ocho, Hazlewood, Hattie's Hat, Cafe Munir, Delancey, Fat Hen, Senor Moose and Ray's Boathouse.

Ballard also gets a little shout out for Best Food trend -- the oyster happy hour. For that, you can't beat the Walrus and the Carpenter and the Ballard Annex Oyster House.

Reader's picked Ballard as "Best Neighborhood" and "Best Farmers Market." They also picked Bitterroot as the best BBQ, Po Dog as the best hot dog and La Carta de Oaxaca as the best Mexican place.

In a "Guest Bests," Seattle restauranter Ethan Stowell said Cafe Besalu is the best bakery ("Best croissant anywhere! No joke.) and the not yet opened Bourbon & Bones has the best fried chicken.

Also: Ballard Smoke Shop was named "Best Place to Drown Your Sorrows." Kangaroo & Kiwi was named "Best Soccer Bar." Card Kingdom was named "Best Gaming Store." Lucky Dry Goods was named "Best Vintage/Thrift." And the Ballard-friendly food truck Cheese Wizards was named "Best Geeky Eats."

For the full list of Seattle Weekly's "Best Of," visit www.seattleweekly.com, or pick up their paper.

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Ballard

Ballard News Tribune

Stoneburner's restaurant now open in Hotel Ballard

Guest — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 23:51:31 +0000

Guest (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2013 - 4:51pm

Features handmade pastas, pizzas made from local ingredients

Handmade pastas and pizzas are the focus of the new Stoneburner restaurant, located on the bottom floor of Hotel Ballard.

All photos by Zachariah Bryan

Starting today, the new Stoneburner restaurant in Hotel Ballard (5216 Ballard Ave NW) is officially open.

The restaurant is run by the executive chef from Bastille Cafe and Bar, Jason Stoneburner, who, as Seattle Met's Nosh Pit once reported owner Deming Maclise saying, "was born with a pretty damn good last name." So, why not name a restaurant after him and let him run it? (We hear he's a "pretty damn" good chef, too.)

Stoneburner describes the menu as "Kind've Italian, but not too Italian." He said they basically depend on the Ballard Farmers Market for their ingredients so it's all fresh and locally curated. There's a focus on seasonal handmade pizzas (for which there is a stone hearth oven) and pasta (which has an open pasta station).

There's also an impressive amount of wine on display in one of the corners of the restaurant, with mirrors that make it look like a wonderful magical endless rack. The wine program focuses on wines from the Pacific Northwest, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Not to worry, though, Stoneburner has not left Bastille. He'll be splitting his time between the two Ballard Ave locations. (The close proximity makes that fairly easy, we imagine.)

During opening week, Tuesday, June 25 through Friday, June 28, Stoneburner will be on a lunch-only schedule, open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday it will be open for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Starting July 1, the restaurant will begin full service with lunch Mon- Fri, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, plus a bar menu daily 2-5 p.m.

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Bastille Cafe and Bar

Ballard Food Police: Food bedazzles at Bastille, despite service glitches

Guest — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:32:54 +0000

Guest (not verified) Mon, 08/17/2009 - 9:32am

Diners at Bastille Cafe and Bar, 5307 Ballard Ave. N.W., sit on the French bistro's outdoor cafe. The food impresses the Ballard Food Police, despite some amenities lacking in service.

Michael Harthorne

Bastille Cafe and Bar
5307 Ballard Ave. N.W.
453-5014
Daily 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday Brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Seattle's a restaurant town, and it seems that Ballard's become the restaurant neighborhood.

The opening of Bastille Cafe and Bar has been enthusiastically anticipated by many as nearby residents watched it being built. All eyes were on Bastille as it took its first steps.

The instant rush of criticism and comments about a new establishment, thanks to the Web and social media, can be rough. New places need time to work out the kinks. But Bastille also made itself a hard act to follow with the stunning environment created by the owners. And with a long pedigree between them (Caffe Fiore, Triangle Tavern, Peso's, The Ballroom) they've already gotten attention from food bloggers, print and other media in the six weeks they've been open for business.

Beautiful finds from Paris flea markets mixed with Seattle antiques adorn the new space. Decor includes recycled materials from the previous occupier of the space, Obermaier Machine Works, and small white tiles reminiscent of Paris Metro stations.

The created feeling is almost perfect: a casual place to hang out, with gorgeous surroundings, a classic bistro menu with seasonal touches (lettuce and herbs grown in their own roof garden), ample seating, an outdoor patio, two bars.

Lighting is subtle, as it is in small Paris cafes devoid of neon.

Every time we've visited (in spite of mishaps, we seem to keep going back) we've been blown away by the food. From falafel to oysters to macaroni and cheese to grilled salmon, it stands up to be noticed.

The problems, unfortunately, start with the service. Ranging from slow enough to be annoying to so bad we've almost left. The service is lacking.

Perhaps it's the fault of some of the systems in place, for example the servers can't pour wine for their customers but have to wait for the bartender. Some customers have already figured this out and order two drinks at a time, but many end up nursing their glasses of wine since they don't know when they'll get another.

It usually takes much longer than we'd like to have a meal, and that's why we've never had dessert at Bastille -- we can't stand to wait any longer. Also food has been delivered cold on occasion, requiring more waiting to have it fixed.

And, regretfully, the otherwise plump and luscious steamed mussels have included a bad mussel or two. A few other issues have occurred, like wine served in a wet glass.

Some of the workers seem to be standing around when they could be doing something (like pouring wine), but they are generally pleasant, and hopefully the service glitches will be fixed, and the food can continue to shine like it deserves to.

Biting into the falafel sandwich took us right back to the Marais District in Paris. The evocative flavors of the tahini and red cabbage adorning the ample sandwich is nothing like any falafel we've tasted in Seattle.

Regulars in the small plate section of the menu include Grilled Octopus ($14) , served with chickpeas, preserved lemon and harissa. This dish has never disappointed.

Bastille's menu includes many reasonably priced French cafe favorites like Roasted Chicken ($17), Steak Frites ($18), Braised Lamb Shank ($21), and French Onion Soup ($11). We've had good experiences with these classics (and the frites have always been crisp, kept warm in a metal cup), but the specials bedazzle us.

On a recent visit, the Grilled Coho Salmon ($21) was dressed with vinaigrette made with preserved lemon (Bastille preserves it themselves!). Providing the bed for the salmon were peas so fresh they jumped into our mouths and said "Wow!", or maybe that was us.

Chopped asparagus and green beans tasting equally fresh completed the verdant medley. A chopped heirloom tomato and frisee salad ($11), also on special that night, featured the most tomato-y burst of flavor around. On a previous visit, heirloom tomatoes were simply sliced, arranged on a plate and drizzled with vinaigrette, a preparation showcasing the tomatoes' talents.

Grilled squash and eggplant over braised chard tossed with balsamic and mustard ($12) satisfied nicely as the smoky taste came through. Seasonal side dishes, like Summer Pole Beans with Garlic and Butter ($4) are also of note for their crispness and spirit.

The order of green and yellow beans is enough to share. Bread costs extra ($3) at Bastille, which draws some complaints. But here's a tip: it's three dollars for all the bread you want.

Bastille is open, airy, and big, which means it's usually possible to get a seat without a reservation, especially in the bar at a table or at the zinc-topped counter. But the size makes the restaurant a bit noisy, too.

Some of the tables in the dining room are too close together, and the servers have to squeeze to get by and bump into the chairs filled with customer, but when sitting at the bar there is plenty of room, and the patio tables are farther apart.

The food definitely steals the show, with the chefs bringing impressive experience (French Laundry, Cafe Campagne, Union) to the mix. Now all Bastille needs to do is get their act together with the service (and occasional quality misfortunes) and they'll be unstoppable.

The Ballard Food Police visit all establishments anonymously and pay for all food and drink in full. Know anything we should know? Tell the Ballard Food Police at ballardfoodpolice@gmail.com.

Ballard Food Police

Bastille Cafe and Bar