We walk into a pie-shaped bar

Pie Bar, Seattle, Washington (Capitol Hill neighborhood)

It really isn’t fair to visit a bar if we’re in a rush. In a good bar visit, we generally relax and observe, order our drinks, and eventually talk to the people around us. But we were in a rush the night we went to the Pie Bar because our daughter and son-in-law were treating us to dinner and the theater. We’d taken the bus from their apartment, but another passenger warned us that we’d landed on one of the slowest routes at the slowest part of the day. We’d probably get there faster walking, she said (and Google maps agreed). So we got off the bus and did just that, but we were still pressed for time if we wanted to be at the theater when the curtain rose.

Grant was concerned that since Pie Bar is a small place, we might not find seats, but there was room at the bar, where we prefer to be. And the bar was the best place to watch Patrick mix the drinks. While he did, Mindy asked him about his t-shirt. It needed a little translation for us (not Paige) because math was involved.

All four of us ordered savory slices to go with our drinks; Mindy had steak pot pie, I had ham and cheese quiche, Grant had the Seattle pie, and Paige had a chicken pot pie. For drinks, Mindy ordered a Butter Baby (butterscotch schnapps, hot chocolate, and whipped cream) and Paige chose Peppermint Heat (another hot chocolate selection). Grant ordered a key lime pietini, and as an appreciator of the arts, I ordered a Bob Ross (apple moonshine, honey, lemon, orange bitters, and an ice ball reminiscent of Bob Ross’ fro). I probably should have gone with a more pie themed drink, the Apple Pie Mule or the Lemon Meringue Pietini, but I enjoyed what I ordered.

Our drinks safely in front of us, we asked Patrick our two questions.

He said a good bar needed “Ambiance… Do you want more than one word?”

“Sure,” I said, and asked, “What do you mean by ambiance?”

Patrick had many words to add. He said an important part of it is the relationship between the staff and the customers. He isn’t a fan of big bars -- he prefers one that is “cozy,” an adjective that could definitely describe Pie Bar.

He said attention to detail is important, in the drinks, food, and decor. “Is there garbage in the corner?” He said he’s been to places that shove everything to the side of the bar. He said this is much more true of the West Coast. In the East “they know how to make people come back, for 50 or 60 years.”

I asked what came first, the Pie or the Bar? Patrick said that as in the name, the pie came first. Years ago, someone taught him how to bake pies. When the space in Capitol Hill became available, he thought it would be a great place to bake pies. He later realized the place was shaped rather like a slice of pie. (Not unlike our bar last week, The Triangle Pub). He soon realized that the Capitol Hill area had a lot of evening foot traffic, making a bar a sensible choice and bringing together two great things, pie and drinks. Most of the drinks are pie influenced (though I don’t think the pies are alcohol influenced.).

Patrick needed to attend to bar business before he could tell us what he thought made for a good church. When he came back, he said the same word, “ambiance,” would work. He added that the music was important to him -- a good choir. He likes to sing. He mentioned he was Catholic (which makes sense with the name, Patrick).

Patrick asked if we’d be having dessert. All of us really wanted a slice of dessert pie -- the menu has suggested pairing for drinks -- but there wasn’t time for me to decide between the Apple Crumble and the Peanut Butter Chocolate pie, let alone eat either before the show began. We'll have to go back for dessert. We will definitely have to go back for dessert (our treat this time, Grant and Paige).

“Pie” and “Bar” are such short words, but there is so much in each of them. When you put them together, well, that is one tasty recipe.

And we made it to the play in time.

We walk into an urban harvest

The Woods (Two Beers Brewing and Seattle Cider Company), Seattle (Sodo neighborhood), Washington
Dogs are welcome in The Woods. One would expect them to run freely and happily (it's the woods, right?) but they were all on leashes. They still seemed quite content.

As I sat at the bar, a man came up with his 17-week-old pup, Brandy. A woman asked to pet him, and when I asked about taking a photo, the man encouraged Brandy to look at me. We saw about four other dogs in the tasting room, and they were all happy to greet each other. (The tasting room page points out, “Dogs Welcome!”)

As cat owners, this wasn’t what attracted us to the place. The dogs are fun, but we came because The Woods is the tasting room for Seattle Cider Company, the first cidery to open in Seattle after prohibition. You might have noticed that we prefer cider over beer -- and what particularly caught our attention was that we could be at the tasting room when City Fruit cider was released. City Fruit is a local nonprofit that harvests urban fruit for the benefit of food banks and others in the community. The cider is made from some of that fruit.

As I entered the tasting room, I noticed Willy Wonka playing on a TV and the Talking Heads playing on the sound system. (After Charlie took off in the glass elevator [spoiler], that TV was changed to college football. “It’s what people want,” a bartender explained.) There are a number of entertainment options in the tasting room: pool, darts, shuffleboard, and, of course, dog watching.

There was a good crowd, and we even saw someone we know. Sean, who was our quiz master for Geeks Who Drink a few weeks ago. (His sister had brought along her beautiful dog, a Great Pyrenees.)

There were a lot of appealing ciders and seltzers to choose from (and beers, if you’re into that kind of thing). Mindy ordered a tasting flight to share, and we chose the City Fruit Cider (of course), Three Pepper Cider, Berry Rose Cider, and the Rose seltzer just for comparison. I went to the order window for Bread and Circuses, the brick and mortar space for a local food truck.

We ordered carmel stuffed churros and duck fat popcorn. (FWIW, the popcorn paired nicely with the Three Pepper Cider.) Instead of giving a me an order number, they handed out a Funko figure so the server would know who got the food. Ours was Clark Kent preparing to be Superman.

We asked Kristen, one of our bartenders, our two questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “What makes for a good church?” She said she was willing to answer them, but right after we asked, she had a rush of customers, so it was several minutes before she could get back to us.

I mentioned that if she wanted, she could think of what makes The Woods a good place. She said, “The vibe and the energy.”

She said these things come about naturally; it was unexplainable. “People feed the energy.” She said the tasting room has many people who come frequently and stay a long time. She said having staff who engage with people, who are having fun, was important.

When she started telling us what she thought made for a good church, she mentioned (tangentially) that owner Joel VandenBrink had considered going into ministry and had earned a Master of Divinity degree. But to answer our question, Kristen said the important qualities of a good church include a community aspect, friendliness, and a sense of acceptance.

A sign at The Woods reads, “Life is more honest after two beers.” I can’t say I know that’s true, since I have a hard time getting through one beer. But life is more pleasant with cider. And dogs. Definitely more pleasant with dogs.

We walk into a family-friendly taproom

Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden, Seattle, Washington
“West Seattle has great beer bars, but not a lot with a great that list that’s family friendly. Why not create our own thing that checks all the boxes?”

Laurel, who owns Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden with her husband Andrew, was expanding on her answer to my question about what makes a good bar. She’d already told me that for her, the overall experience “from the time you walk in,” is important for a good bar. They were working in the corporate world, and to relieve stress, they visited a lot of local breweries trying to find just the right place.

They decided to make a place that had what they were looking for: friendly staff, lots of options on tap, an overall well-rounded experience. And for National IPA Day this past Thursday, they substituted free hot dogs for the usual food trucks (there was still a truck presence, though. Amazon’s Treasure Truck made an appearance just before the hot dogs were ready, and people who’d come for the day’s special buy stayed for a drink and a dog.)

While Andrew grilled the dogs, Laurel filled the buns and chatted with customers. When one man asked how much, she told him the hot dogs were free. He wondered if tipping was possible, and she pointed him toward the tip jar inside the taproom. During a lull, I asked Laurel what she thought would make a good church.

“I would imagine it’s the same kind of community,” she said. “The conversation’s a little different, maybe.”

More people came to get hot dogs, so I thanked her and told Dean I was going inside to talk to the woman who’d taken our drink orders. I’d been looking forward to asking her our questions since I saw her praising a small child for being so polite while ordering milk. (Milk seemed to be a popular choice for pairing with hot dogs. I’d heard at least one other kid order it while I waited).

Sarah only had a moment between customers, but she told me that a good bar was “totally wherever you feel comfortable.” She said she didn’t go to church, “so I don’t know on that.”

Dean had ordered lemonade; I had rose, and Bret had The Brute, a hard apple cider from Alter Ego in Portland. Sarah let us taste P51 Peanut Butter Cup porter from Wingman Brewers in Tacoma, too, and I had to admit it was better with hot dogs than rose.

Families with little kids weren’t the only customers. I recognized a few people who’d gotten off the bus from downtown Seattle with me. Bike riders and dog walkers stopped by, and some people seem to have come through the handy gate leading to a neighborhood just downhill from the taproom.

Laurel said they do a lot of one-off events, like the customer appreciation hot dogs we enjoyed, as well as providing space for a rotation of food trucks, various bike rides, weekly trivia nights, and other community based events. As one guy said as he tried to decide what to order, “So many choices!”

It was impressive to visit a bar that truly had something for everyone.