We walk into a diner

The Great American Diner & Bar, Seattle, Washington (West Seattle neighborhood)
“I’ve been accused of only writing melancholy songs, which isn’t true. I just don’t usually do them. This is one of my happier songs. It’s a drinking song called ‘Pour Me Some Jack.’”

We just happened to be waiting for some Jack Daniels right then. We were at The Great American Diner & Bar in the Junction neighborhood of West Seattle, but we weren’t drinking the whiskey. We’d ordered the Whiskey Bread Pudding with caramel sauce made with Jack Daniels. (The ciders we were drinking -- Mindy’s Seattle Cider and my Angry Orchard -- went well with the pudding. Sometime I’ll write about why I often order Angry Orchard, but -- spoiler -- it’s mainly because it’s cheap.)

It was open mic night, and as you might have guessed, the above quote was from one of the performers. One person who helps to run the activity actually asked us, “Do you want to perform sometime?” We assured him it would be best for him, the diners, and the world as a whole if we didn’t sing. Nobody wants a repeat of our karaoke night.

Before we came inside, we could hear a woman singing “Ex’s & Oh’s”, which seemed to be her final song for the evening. We heard a couple of other singers that evening, but they performed their own songs rather than performing covers. Some of the evening’s crowd had come to perform, and others came to listen. Everybody was enthusiastic about the opportunity.

The restaurant isn’t decorated in a blatant red, white, and blue bunting, but there are subtle notes of Americana. Six large screen TVs were on around the room, and three of those weren’t playing American-based programs. One had African nature videos from the BBC (America), another had The Great British Bake Off, and a third had a tennis tournament in France. The other three screens had college football (a replay of Arizona State vs. UTSA) and two screens were playing the Mariners/Orioles game -- and there’s not much that’s more American than that. (Even better, the baseball TVs showed the A’s/Yankees scores, and the A’s won. That automatically brightens my night).

I asked our bartender, Jeff, what he liked about the place. He mentioned the great breakfasts, and said he enjoys working on open mic nights and found them fun. We asked him our two questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “Whether you go or not, what would make for a good church?”

He said for a bar, “definitely being welcoming. That’s the most important thing.” As for what makes for a good church, he said he hadn’t gone for twenty years, since growing up in Pennsylvania. “But it would be the same thing.” Being welcoming.

As we talked, a man came up to pay his bill. He told Jeff, “It’s a school night. I have to get used to that again.” The place seems to be family-friendly by intention. One shelf had a lot of children’s books, and Glen, the owner, said more were on order.

We started talking to Glen after he asked, “Enjoying the music?” We assured him we were, but told him we had no inclination to perform. He told us he and his business partner had made a thoughtful choice to go with open mic rather than karaoke. As we found out at another bar, some people have no idea how they sound, and (especially after a couple of drinks) it can lead to some really bad singing. “I heard one woman singing that put a ring on it song who didn’t get a single note right.”

He answered our two questions but also told us about opening the diner and bar. He said, “There are two types of bars. One has pull tabs, barflies, massive kegs, and people looking to hook up. Folks who drink themselves silly. We’re not that type of place. That’s a bar-bar which is only to make money.”

He indicated the sign behind the bar, the one that said, HOME. “This is my motto, it runs through my operation. It’s not all business, it’s not all about money. I have to go back a bit. Whatever I am is because of my dad.” Glen’s dad grew up in an orphanage (in India), which provided him with an education. He was super fond of America, and especially loved Westerns. “I’m named for Glen Ford.” (Ford starred in over two dozen westerns. My personal favorite of his is 3:10 to Yuma.) “We had LPs, listened to Bing Crosby.” Most importantly for Glen, Americans provided the medical technology and care that had prolonged his father's life by 20 years.

After his father passed away, Glen wanted to do something new. He wanted to make a family gathering place with an uncomplicated menu, a place where nice, decent people could have a drink. One thing that decided him on the location was the proximity to the senior center a block or two away. Seniors regularly come to the diner now, and Glen says, “We know our people. Some come twice a day.” He talked about an older woman who often brings her grandson the diner as a treat, and he said the diner generally plays Sinatra and Dean Martin in the background, not “head banging music.” It’s not that kind of bar.

They strive to serve quality products, angus beef and liquor from glass bottles rather than plastic. He noted that the restaurant business is a hard one with a narrow profit margin for food -- though the bar does a little better.

We asked what made a good church, and Glen said, “I am Catholic. I go to Queen Mary of Peace in Sammamish.” He can’t make it very often because the diner is open seven days a week, 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, but he tries to get there once a month. “You sit, and it sorts your head out.”

I think a church can offer much more than that, but with The Great American Diner & Bar, Glen and his partner have made a place where people might also be able to sort their thoughts. Or sing. Or listen. Or enjoy some really good food and drinks. America is full of such places. That might be another reason that Glen loves this country.

We Talk about Walking into Bars

We’ve been talking about bars, Dean and I. Trying to figure out when to go, where to go. We’ve been to a couple places we’d be happy to think of as our own neighborhood bar, but we’re starting to run out of ideas for new and interesting bars (although we’ve got a month planned for visiting bars with friends; we haven’t got the timing for that worked out just yet).

So we need your help. If you’re in California, or you’ve been to California, maybe you can recommend something. Is there a dive where the beer’s in cans but the customers talk philosophy? A cocktail lounge where the Manhattans and gimlets haven’t changed since the sixties (and most of the customers are the same, too)? A neighborhood pub that functions as everybody’s living room?

Tell us about it! We’d like to get out of Fresno now and again (especially while the temperature’s over 100F as often as not). Comment on this post, send an email to deanandmindygotochurch@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook (@deanandmindybar), Twitter (@dean_min_travel) or Instagram (@mldate). We can’t wait to hear from you.

In the meantime, we’re thinking fondly of a few places we visited last year:

The first time we heard a bartender credit a church with who he is today:

https://deanandmindywalkintoabar.blogspot.com/2016/02/we-walk-into-two-bars-in-missouri.html

The time Dean made a bartender cringe:

https://deanandmindywalkintoabar.blogspot.com/2016/03/we-walk-into-bar-in-alabama.html

The inexplicably popular post:

https://deanandmindywalkintoabar.blogspot.com/2016/09/we-walk-into-bar-in-michigan.html

And possibly the most disappointing bar, if only because of the name:

https://deanandmindywalkintoabar.blogspot.com/2016/09/we-walk-into-bar-in-indiana.html

We walk into a bar in Washington D.C.

Church and State: the American Bar

Sometimes we feel we have no choice about which bar we should go to and write about. We had to go to an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day. We had to go to the bar in a Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo. When we discovered a bar called Church and State two blocks from where we were staying in Washington, D.C., we had to go there. It's thematic to the location and to our journey to visit a church and a bar in every state. As if that wasn't enough reason, we're patriots who love the red, white and blue, and this is a bar that loves America.

We were tempted (okay, I was tempted) by the bar downstairs (but under the same ownership) with a video game theme, but we walked up to the second floor and waited to be seated as the sign at the top of the stairs told us to. The decor primarily went with the Church theme -- stained glass, pews, and a pastor's study. For the State theme, there were a few eagles, but the real emphasis on patriotism was in the menu.  

It's printed like an old timey newspaper called The Church & State Times.  The preamble to the drink list reads, "This not a Church. D.C. is not a State. But every bottle, whether heavenly or devilish, comes from the United States, its territories or possessions. We are the first all-American cocktail venue. Our craft cocktails take time, we appreciate your patience and invite you to be free and brave."

In other words, disappointed Commies, you won't find much vodka at Church and State, just libations originating on this continent. As a companion website says, they're "converting vodka drinkers to gin drinkers one cocktail at a time." So the liquor served is Yankee-made: bourbon, vermouth, brandy, etc. I ordered a Jack Rose cocktail, said to be invented right there in Washington. Mindy went with a Mint Julep in honor of Nyquist's win at the Kentucky Derby last weekend.

There is a church side to the menu as well -- you can order from the Seven Deadly Sins or Hymns sections. Though we considered some of those selections, we decided to keep things separated.

Patrick was sitting next to us at the bar. He's a regular, working in the area but not living nearby.  He appreciates the small and intimate atmosphere of Church and State, since he doesn't like big bars or sports bars. In answer to what makes for a good bar, he continued with other things he appreciates about this bar. He likes the creativity of their cocktails and likes to watch the bartenders work. He likes to take mixology tips for making drinks at home.

I asked what he would look for in a good church. He said he didn't go to church, but thought people might go to church for community. He didn't have much more to say about what made a good church, though he pulled up a picture on his phone of a closed church in D. C.that was transformed into a large art project.

Like many Washingtonians, our bartender Victoria is involved in politics. Bartending is a side job for her; she has a fulltime job in the District, working for what I agreed is a "white hat" cause. She says she enjoys work at the bar as a creative outlet, that it's "another skill that will help...in the long run," as she has short conversations with people and is able to quickly turn the direction of the talk.

Mindy asked her our questions, "What makes for a good bar?" and "What makes for a good church?" Victoria said the booze is the obvious first thing -- having good options for people to choose. For her, though, she said that "even with good options, you need a good atmosphere." She likes a place that is a "little sexy, a little seductive," but that as a local, "I like being known -- the Cheers atmosphere." (She'd heard me mention Cheers when I was talking to Patrick. I need to speak more quietly.)

As for church, Victoria said she had some bad experiences, but didn't elaborate. She said community was good, but she wanted a degree of anonymity along with it. She doesn't want a small town atmosphere, with people judging and everybody getting in her business.

We'd picked a fun night for talking to staff. Christopher, who works there, though we forgot to ask what his job is, said that a bar should have knowledgeable staff who know their drinks, and it should have a low key, intimate atmosphere. He said a church should rebuke judgment and be welcoming and accepting. He really doesn't think people in a church should pass judgment.

I also talked to Ron, one of the bar's managers, who certainly had opinions on what made for a good (great) bar.  Like everyone else we talked to that night, he mentioned the importance of atmosphere and ambiance (which was certainly something Church and State has down).  But he also emphasized the importance of customer service, hospitality and quality. He said it's important to have a clear vision of what a place should be. And perhaps above all, a place needs consistency, maintaining a standard of excellence. Ron has been in the business for twenty years, and he's learned the importance of caring for customers.

I asked Ron what makes for a good church, and he said the "subject matter of the minister matters" and, "excuse the pun, the congregating of the congregation." If there are young and old together, he believes that says something. He says a church must also set a bar of excellence and maintain that bar (but a church does not usually "maintain a bar," just to be clear).

Washington D.C. was recently ranked by the Daily Beast as the nation's "second drunkest state" (while acknowledging, like Church and State, that the District of Columbia isn't actually a state) The rankings are based on the average number of drinks consumed by adults, the percentage of the population classified as binge drinkers and heavy drinkers, based on information from market researchers and the Centers for Disease Control. 

Church and State Bar isn't about getting drunk; it's designed to give people an experience they will remember rather than forget, and one that will keep them coming back.