I get e-mail. Neighbor James writes:
I’ve got two friends that are getting married and moving to Capitol Hill after the first of the year. I’d like to gift them with something that will knock their collective ass off. I’d like to buy them dinner at the kind of place a native would take a date for a special occasion. I’ve looked at some places online and I’m thinking, “damn, dinner is EXPENSIVE in Seattle!” but what would YOU do for less than $50 and walking?
The thing that is gonna make your dream a challenge, James, is the wine. Romance without wine is a dinnner date home by 9. You need a place where you can score a cheap bottle. You also need a place that serves noodles. A good noodle joint typically has at least one entree priced under $15. And, of course, you want the food to be good, the service to be good ‘nuf and the ambiance to be dark and mysterious. For me, cheap wine, relatively cheap plates, good experience and perfect dark and dirty lighting meant Machiavelli. But caveat: I haven’t been there in two years. So, neighbors, what’s your Machiavelli?
I think Bleu Bistro satisfies all criteria, especially the dark and mysterious one. (My caveat: I haven’t had wine there — just cocktails — but I assume it’s possible.) I always recommend it to friends looking for a “date spot.” Bleu’s sister restaurant, Chez Gaudy, may work too. Yay for wedded bliss on the hill!
I feel like I mention them a lot, and I know it can get expensive there, but it doesn’t have to . . . and you can get wine by the bottle, pitcher (about 4 glasses), half-pitcher, or glass . . .
I second Bleu Bistro. The cozy and intimate seating drips with romantic atmosphere. The food is tasty and service is done well.
Chez Gaudi is another option. They’re owned by the same folks who own Bleu. The menu is similar, the atmosphere is a bit kitschier. Bottles of wine are half off on Tuesdays.
On Sunday’s appetizers are 50% off. Since Vi Bacchus is an “izakaya” restaurant (the japanese equivalent of tapas), this basically means most of the menu – except for the sushi – is half price. It’s dark and mysterious. The service is a little slow, but very friendly. Order a variety of hot and cold appetizers plus a couple of sushi rolls and you’ll have a feast. I recommend the following appetizers potato spring rolls, the kara-age (boneless fried chicken), miso glazed tofu, and salmon poki. And there’s no better way to welcome someone to this city than with a Vi Bacchus Super Seattle Roll – a normal Seattle Roll with an extra layer of salmon and avocado on top.
a little pricey but house wine is the way to go! so yummy and romantic as hell!
Tango has half-price wine on Mondays.
Waiters are too hot. I don’t like it when K doesn’t pay full attention to ME.
Bellevue between olive and denny. Go on a tuesday for tapas and cheap bottles of decent wine.
Hell it’s tuesday and I might have to drag my fat ass out of the house and hit that! Sometimes tables can be tricky without a reservation, but it’s worth it.
Cafe Gaudy. Food is great, Tuesday nights for half off bottles of wine, and the little nooks can be romantic.
Just wanted to second Chez Gaudy (but ONLY on Tuesdays for maximum bang-for-your-buck–it’s good other times but much more expensive), Via Tribulani, and Machiavelli’s. At both Via and Mach’s, go for the house wine. At Mach’s it’s 7 bucks a carafe, which works out to 14 a bottle. And their food is the bomb. Via Tribulani’s I actually find sexier than Machiavelli’s, only because it’s darker.