Matador - Fool Me Once, Shame on You. Fool Me Twice, Well, Still Shame on You

Last week I enjoyed an afternoon at Matador with a fellow BGGer. We had a couple of drinks, some apps and watched some Olympics. When it was time to go, we did what most people do, gave two credit cards and asked them to split the bill down the middle. We each signed our slips, left a nice tip, and off we went. So imagine my surprise when later in the week I was looking at my bank statement online and there appeared not one, but TWO charges from Matador. Instead of splitting the bill between two cards, they put both charges on mine!

I probably wouldn't be so irate if this wasn't the second time they did this. On March 30, 2008 I blogged about this exact same thing!

Seriously, how hard is it to run two separate credit cards?

Best of Ballard

It is that time of year again when the Ballard News Tribune puts out the Best of Ballard poll. We think it's a shame that they don't have a Best Blog category because we know we would win ...sorry My Ballard. :)

But make sure to fill out the ballot and support your favorite businesses. I know some of ours include: Oaxaca, The Smoke Shop, Ann's, Moshi Moshi, Clover, & Hazlewood.

Some additional categories could include:

Best Bridge:

Best Vacant Condominium Building:

Best Parade:

Nicest Homeless Person:

And what happened to Best Bartender?

Vote strong Ballard! And remember to ask for Best Blog next year!

To vote click the title link.

Paseo to Open on Tuesday

The menus are posted on the walls and a brief encounter recently with some workers informed us that Paseo will open on Tuesday.

The bread, the pork, the corn...it is all coming. While I morn the loss of Gordo's there is something reassuring about the fact the building was not torn down for another condominium.

Let's all support Paseo and their new efforts on Shilshole. Opening Tuesday!

Manning's & Denny's

Manning's aka Denny's is now gone, with the brisk movements of the mechanical the building was leveled in a little over an hour. There are some pictures and video on our friend's blog at http://www.myballard.com/. This is not a rant, nor is it gossip but once again a feeling of disappointment as the character of Ballard is being swallowed up by cookie cutter Starbutecture. Denny's served a purpose in Ballard, it was affordable (especially true for the senior population in Ballard), had parking, and open 24hrs. It also was a familiar building to everyone in the city. The gateway to Ballard. Who ever would have thought that an old Denny's would create such a stir, but it didn't matter if you were from Crown Hill, Beacon Hill, or Medina you know the Denny's on 15th & Market.

The Benaroya's will now build a new building on this land where up until 7am a googie masterpiece stood. I hope they will try to build something that serves as a landmark to everyone visiting Ballard. I hope they think about the importance of this gateway piece of land they now will develop, and not provide us with another beige box.

KEXP Loves Ballard

Those hotties at KEXP are coming to Ballard on Friday. Evidently, more people who live in Ballard pledged money for the station in their last pledge drive. Memebers will get discounts that day as well.

You can see John in the Morning broadcasting live from Verite and then catch Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole at Sonic Boom later in the day. KEXP DJs will be broadcasting from a bunch of bars that night as well. Check out their site for the specifics.

We know we will be out and about checking out the festivities.

Snowy Hell in Ballard

I took this picture from from inside my cozy car to point out the SNOW falling and piling up on the windshield. WTF?! It's April 18th! It's not supposed to be snowing.

Not much to gossip about on this one, except that it didn't seem to keep the bar hoppers away from Ballard.

I don't know what we did to deserve this, but this weather sucks. We are going snowboarding tomorrow now. The seasons are so messed up we might as well live in New Zealand.

Oh, yeah, and we have a new site design. We hope you like it.

Last Call- Goodbye Sunset Bowl, Goodbye Market Street Grill

Ballard is changing. We know this, but it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to two Ballard businesses this weekend.

The lanes will go quiet at our beloved Sunset Bowl, the lounge will go dark, and another institution will be lost to the developers. For over 50 years the Sunset Bowl has been a place my family has enjoyed. My grandmother was on a league there in the late 50's and continued to bowl at the Sunset regularly as long as she could. My dad took me there when I was a little kid for birthday parties, it was a place to hangout in high school, and I rediscovered the Sunset after I returned from college and found one of my best friends in the bar singing Karaoke. I have so many great memories of the Sunset. I don't know if they still cash checks for you at the desk, but they would before and I always got a great story about my uncle out of the cashier. It truly is a piece of my history in Ballard. Goodbye Sunset. I will miss you.

The other business that will close this weekend is The Market Street Grill. The Market Street Grill was ahead of its time for Ballard. It opened long before the first of the new condos were being built, and probably could have held on longer if all the residences were full. Johnny was a great host, always cheerful and friendly. The food varied, I have had some great meals, and some not so great but at least they were trying something different. We read on the My Ballard blog that it was only closing for a few days, but that wasn't what we saw on the sign last night.

I hope you will try to stop in and say goodbye. Please share your memories. Thank you.

Ballard Bar Hates the Mayor

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, 86 nickels make the point. We saw this poster up at the Tin Hat expressing their dislike, no, hatred of Mayor Nickels. Why? We're guessing the Mayor's incessant campaign to crack down on nightlife is the reason.

* Although it failed at the City Council, the Mayor's pet project - an ordinance that would require licensing for clubs - has branded him as one of the most anti-nightlife mayors we have had.
* He was involved in a highly publicized sting on "trouble" night clubs. Thankfully for bouncers and club owners, the first case to go to trial has come back with a not guilty verdict.
* Bars are still angry about loss of revenue from the smoking ban which Nickels backed.
* More stringent noise ordinances passed last year making it easier to crack down on clubs with live music.

Note to the Mayor: people in Seattle go to bars, clubs and they vote. They also organize.

It's Purple! - Monkey Bridge is Now Open

After a few months of setup in the former pharmacy location at 1723 NW Market, Monkey Bridge Vietnamese Cuisine opened today. It will probably be another couple of days before they're serving beer and wine since liquor license applications have been backed up. It sounds like a lot of permits have been slow going for new restaurants and bars lately. This family run business had hoped to open in January but just got through some of the final hurdles.
We stopped in for a quick bite today and would have lingered longer if the wine had been available. The decor and the staff were both welcoming and the couple of dishes we tried were very flavorful. What can you expect to find? If you're looking for Phở, they offer several options (including vegetarian) in a more comfortable atmosphere than other neighborhood spots. They also offer Bánh mì sandwiches, several salads and a range of noodle and rice based dishes like Ginger Chicken, Lemongrass Tofu, and Vietnamese Rhubarb and Beef.
Their dinner special entrees featured salmon and sea bass and looked like they'd be worth a splurge (in the $15 range) on a night when I'm hungrier. Most of the other menu options cost between four and eight dollars.
Besides the atmosphere and great prices, I was impressed by the descriptions on the menu, particularly the fact that all the soups actually specified what type of broth they contained. This is rare and really helpful for picky eaters like myself who avoid the chicken and beef ones.

Hope for the Sunset?

We learned from our pals at My Ballard that there is new hope for the Sunset Bowl. Avid bowler Jim Bristow has started a web site called Save Sunset Bowl! They are looking to keep it open as long as possible and require the new owners to incorporate a bowling alley in the new design. We are so excited about this grass roots effort and encourage you all to help out. Really, take a stand before it's too late.

One other issue that may help the effort is the pending approval by the City of Seattle of the developer's plans. A good first step would be to talk to our Design Review Board member, Elizabeta Stacishin-Moura. Her term is actually up on April 4th if you want to apply. A Pro-Sunset board member sounds like a good idea if you know anyone who would be qualified. The Sunset Bowl project is not yet on the calendar for review, but you can sign up to be notified when review meetings are scheduled.

Rant of the Week - Sourpuss

Universally, not enough attention is paid to the fruit accompanying a drink. It's pretty common to get a slimy lemon or a browning lime but even we have our limits. This week we reached an all time low at the Copper Gate when my second drink was returned with the same mangled fruit from my first drink. Yuck. Can'you you afford a new glass or fresh fruit?! I pointed this out to my pal and she showed me the lemon in her drink that came with the Sunkist sticker still attached. Boooo! Maybe you should spend more time thinking about making good drinks instead of thinking about boobies - which now seem to adorn every wall in the place.

Suck It, Condo Dwellers! This is My Ballard.

We like industrial Ballard. Too bad it's not going to stay that way.

Design for the New Denny's

A vote declared the old Denny's a landmark. Here's an architect's idea for the design of the condos that will incorporate the landmark building.

Rock and Roll Weekend in Ballard

This Friday The Cops are playing at the Tractor Tavern. Hot Hot Hot. You should check it out. I guess there are other bands that night too.

THE COPS
THE LOWE BEATS - Nick Lowe cover bands featuring membbers of Young Fresh Fellows, REM, and Tripwires.
THE BELTHOLES

The show is at 9 and costs $7.

President's Day Pub Crawl

Ballard is a pretty good spot for impromptu pub crawls. I dare you to do one today. If you're wondering which Ballard bars have decks or patios for a sunny day like today (or if you're preparing for summer), here's a quick list. Let us know if we've forgotten any.

La Isla - 2320 NW Market St
Hazlewood - 2311 NW Market St
Ray's Cafe - 6049 Seaview Ave NW
Anthony's Homeport - 6135 Seaview Ave NW
King's Hardware - 5225 Ballard Ave
Ballard Loft - 5105 Ballard Ave
Maritime - 1514 NW Leary Way
Mike's Chili - 1447 NW Ballard Way
BalMar - 5449 Ballard Ave NW
La Carta de Oaxaca - 5431 Ballard Ave
Matador - 2221 NW Market St
Molly Maguire's - NW 65th and 6th