seattle

The Citadel, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is a two-bedroom fortress in the sky in Seattle. This one has pretty modest square footage (2658 sq. ft.) for the price but what it lacks in space it makes up for in views. The home has views from Puget Sound to the city skyline, port and beyond and wide windows capture the glorious spectacle. The greater part of the home is given over to a wide open space that incorporates the living room, kitchen, dining and lounge areas. This unit is on the top floor of an exclusive downtown high rise and an en suite stairway leads to a private terrace on the building's roof with a spa and grill. It is listed at $6.2 million and is available with or without the designer furnishings.

Gallery: The Citadel

Tags: condo, estate of the day, penthouse, seattle, seattle real estate, the citadel, washington, washington real estate

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The Local Vine Wins The Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Wine Bar

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The Local Vine is the winner of the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Wine Bar

The moment When you pry open the heavy wooden doors at 2520 Second Avenue in Seattle, you'll be struck by the magnitude of The Local Vine's Wine collection. An eternity of bottles soars to the ceiling, some accessible only by ladder. Selection is just one of the many reasons The Local Vine is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the best wine bar category.

Founded in 2007 by Harvard Business School graduates Allison Nelson and Sarah Munson, The Local Vine boasts both an air of sleek sophistication and a refreshing accessibility. Free wireless internet, down-to-earth advice on wine, and a casual atmosphere complete with a fully functional fireplace make it more like a coffee house than a strict wine bar.

Gallery: The Local Vine in Seattle

And there's plenty of wine to go around. The Local Vine's list consists of over 100 wines by the glass, with a focus on wines from California, Oregon and Washington. Oenophiles with more exotic tastes won't be disappointed, as the menu is packed with vintages from all around the world, ranging in price from $5 to $485 per glass.

If this all sounds very appealing but you're thousands of miles away from Seattle, don't worry. The Local Vine ships its wares all around the world, and its monthly wine clubs offer an easy and customizable way for patrons to indulge in communal wine enjoyment. Memberships range from the Picks of the Month Club ($49/month), which includes two reds and a white delivered to your home, all the way up to the Collectors Club ($600/quarter), which brings six rare wines to your doorstep every three months. All of the clubs can be purchased in 1, 3, 6 or 12 month increments. (Contact: orders@thelocalvine.com or 206-441-6000).

Tags: Awards-main, Best Wine Bar, Luxist-awards, seattle, The Local Vine, wine, wine tasting, winners-entertainment

The Local Vine: A Vast Selection of Wines from Around the World

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wine

The Local Vine in Seattle, Wa. is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Wine Bar
The moment you pry open the heavy wooden doors at 2520 Second Avenue in Seattle, you'll be struck by the magnitude of The Local Vine's Wine collection. An eternity of bottles soars to the ceiling, some accessible only by ladder. Selection is just one of the many reasons The Local Vine is a Luxist nominee in the best wine bar category.

Gallery: The Local Vine in Seattle

Tags: awards-main, Best wine bar, luxist-awards, nightlife, Seattle, The Local Vine, Wine, Wine Bar

Silver City Brewery: Brewing its Own Award-Winning Beer on the Premises

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Silver City Brewery in Silverdale, Wa. is nominated as best brew pub by Luxist.

Though Silverdale, Wa. is about 20 miles from downtown Seattle as the crow flies, the body of water that lies between the two towns makes the trip a bit more complicated than one might expect. The journey from Seattle takes you down around the southern boundary of Puget Sound – 70 miles by car – but it's worth the time if you're headed to Silver City Brewery, a Luxist nominee in the best brew pub category.

The Silver City story starts long before the brewpub's 1996 debut. Steve and Scott Houmes first went into business together in 1990, opening a restaurant called Top Notch Burger. Six years later, feeling squeezed by the big burger chains, they decided to regroup and try a new approach by entering the brew pub business. They remodeled their Silverdale location into its modern form, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Gallery: Silver City Brewery

Silver City brews its beers on premises. Some favorites include Clear Creek Pale Ale, a blend of three lightly roasted British malts and hints of caramel; Panther Lake Porter, a dark, chocolatey ale; and Fat Scotch Ale, a malty and whiskey-esque brew that clocks with a hefty 9.2% alcohol content. Silver City sells beer by the glass at its bar and restaurant, but for those who want to take home a larger quantity, the microbrewery sells kegs as well.

The food at Silver City's restaurant makes for a great accompaniment to the delicious brews. The menu includes a variety of salads, appetizers, main courses and desserts – and of course, the Houmes' specialty: a good, old-fashioned cheeseburger.

Vote for the brew pub that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through April 30 and winners will be announced on May 1.

Tags: awards-main, beer, best brew pub, best microbrewery, luxist-awards, microbreweries, nightlife, seattle, Silver City Brewery

Victrola Coffee: Cup with the Connoisseurs

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Victrola Coffee is a small Seattle chain of cafes with enormous heart, and a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Coffee House.

If you've ever wanted to know coffee the way oenologists know wine, Victrola Coffee's weekly Wednesday "public cuppings" should be your first destination. There, you'll get to "cup" (fancy coffee terminology for "taste") a number of different roasts and beans to orient your tastebuds -- they're confident that once you're an expert, you'll choose Victrola.

The Victrola Coffee cafes are comfortable and cultural, just as coffee houses should be. You can pop in to read the newspaper or a book, or to check out the local art on the walls, which changes regularly, or even see a favorite band perform (upcoming events are listed here).

Gallery: Victrola Coffee Roasters in Seattle

One thing Victrola provides is truly knowledgeable coffee connoisseurs behind the counter. The have a morningly staff cupping before opening to get their buzz going and, most importantly, to taste the previous day's roast. Varietals like the widely-loved Streamline Espresso, Fair Trade Deco Decaf, Guatemala Santa Rosa and El Salvador Finca Alaska are roasted in-house, ensuring that everything is prepared with the utmost care.

If you'd like to know how far coffee geekery can go, visit their website for descriptive gems like: "Its pillowy viscosity clings to the sides of the warm demitasse. In a swirl around the cup, it offers fleeting notes of fresh pine that plump into a full, soft caramel aroma. Streamline's fruit---juicy blueberry and blackberry--carries it accross the palate in no rush: toasted hazelnuts, bittersweet chocolate, and brown sugar each take their time on the tongue before melting into a butter frosting mouthfeel. The four coffees working together here are a linear, tight knit bunch. They have dinner together and laugh until their bellies hurt, kind of like us."

Obsessive? Maybe. But that's just the kind of people we want making our coffee. (And maybe they just wrote it really caffeinated.)

Vote for the coffee house that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through April 30 and winners will be announced on May 1.

Tags: awards-main, best coffee house, coffee, coffee house, Luxist-Awards, seattle, victrola coffee

Seattle's Best Cheeses Are Ready to Take on the World

by Alex Kierstein (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Do you really, really, really love cheese? Seattle is home to some surprisingly great locally made cheeses, particularly the famously sharp Northwest cheddars.

Beecher's Handmade Cheeses

Beecher's is as famous for their hand-crafted cheeses as they are for the space they are made in. Located in the famous Pike Place Market near the Seattle waterfront, Beecher's makes all their cheeses in a glassed-in room visible from the street, allowing you to watch the cheese being made in front of your eyes. Beecher's Aged Flagship Cheddar was the 2009 American Cheese Society's 1st place for mature cheddars, and their famous mac 'n cheese is notably indulgent and a must-have.

WSU Creamery's Cougar Cheese

While not strictly from Seattle, Washington State's famous Cougar Cheese is likely to please your tastebuds just as much as it will irritate nearby Husky fans. Ignore the intercollegiate rivalry and pick some up from the Cougar Connections store in the Westlake Mall in downtown Seattle. Cougar Gold is their flagship cheese, a white cheddar that gets deliciously crumbly and sharper with age.

Tags: bestof, cheese, cheese shops, creamery, local luxury, milk, northwest, seattle, washingtonstate

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3 Great Layovers Worth Stopping For

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

To enjoy air travel, which I still firmly believe is possible, there are a few necessities.

First, it always helps to be elite: traveling in first or business class makes everything better. Second, having some vaunted frequent flier status, lounge access. Third, even with those perks, you need something of a Buddha-like attitude. What will be, will be. Hold your plans lightly. Resolve to be happy wherever you happen to end up.

This last piece of advice is easier when you know about terrific hotels that are close enough to the airport to make them feasible on either an intentional or unintentional layover. These are places that are nice enough that you'll sort of hope to get to stuck there -- places that you might actually plan to come back to for a stay all on their own. Here are my three places that I've spent at least a night at recently while in transit, which I'm adding to my list of my favorite layovers.

InterContinental San Juan: You can see the hotel when you're landing at the airport, that's how close it is -- it's less than a ten minute drive from terminal to hotel check-in. The hotel is in the Isla Verde area, and has access to one of the nicest stretches of beach in San Juan, as well as a lively, private pool area available only to hotel guests. Club level rooms have balconies with a view of the pool.
Cedarbrook Lodge Seattle: It's really hard to believe this is exactly two minutes from the airport, but you're barely on the free shuttle enjoying your complimentary water before you've arrived at this wooded, quiet property. This hotel used to be a private hotel for Washington Mutual, but those days are long over, and it's now open to the public. It's designed for business travelers in mind, with 24 hour complimentary snacks, complimentary continental breakfast, and a load of other perks.
InterContinental Tahiti: Okay, if your work brings you to Tahiti and you get stuck in Papeete, no one is going to have a ton of sympathy for you. A more likely scenario is that you're flying through Tahiti on your way to other islands in French Polynesia, when weather unexpectedly grounds you. Worry not, within five minutes you will be at the InterContinental Tahiti which you really could stay at for an entire vacation. I hope that you're stuck there on one of their Polynesian dancing nights -- their dancers are known for being some of the best in the Society Islands. Bonus points for its brand new fitness center with water views.

Gallery: 3 Great Layovers

Tags: air travel, AirTravel, hotels, layovers, san juan, seattle, tahiti, travel

Seattle Four Seasons Project Faces Massive Liens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

More woes for the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences in downtown Seattle. The Seattle Times reports that the project is now facing a total of $34 million in liens filed by contractors. The $120 million Four Seasons opened in Fall 2008 but as we mentioned last summer the project, which houses some of Seattle's most expensive condo units, has been a bit of a slow seller. There are 36 condos spread out over 11 stories above the 10-story Four Seasons Hotel.

A lien for $23.7 million, was filed in August by Lease Crutcher Lewis, the project's general contractor. Other liens have been filed by subcontractors who weren't paid by Lease Crutcher Lewis. Rumor has it that the project has been experiencing some financial pressures. Overall hotel revenues in Seattle have been down. A quick spin through the MLS shows a two-bedroom condo at the project listed at $6.306 million.

The hotel remains open for business as usual. Lien judgments can result in foreclosure but often liens like this are satisfied before things go to far. Of course in the past year we've also seen things go the other way, with several posh properties being returned to their lenders.

Tags: condo liens, condo projects, condos, four seasons, seattle

Seattle Condos Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

You can pick up more condos at a discount at an upcoming auction in Seattle. Up for bid are 18 units at the 5th and Madison Street condos located downtown. The units will be auctioned off March 28 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. There are some decent deals inside the 24-story project. Bids start at $235,000 for units once costing $550,000. The list tops out with a two-bedroom penthouse originally listed at nearly $2 million that will start at $995,000. Building amenities include a concierge, fitness center, guest suite, club room, garden terrace and dog walk. The development has also been praised for its eco-friendly features including the use of recycled construction materials, a system for controlling rainwater run-off and the use of air filtration systems. It was chosen as one of Natural Home magazine's Top 10 green condo projects.

Tags: condo auction, CondoAuction, condominium auction, CondominiumAuction, green condos, GreenCondos, seattle

The Changing Face Of Seattle Shopping

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The face of downtown Seattle shopping seems to be changing. Last week the Cartier store at the Pacific Place mall closed, deciding to focus their efforts on their branded display at the new Neiman Marcus store in downtown Bellevue. This week Coldwater Creek has announced they will be closing their downtown Seattle store located in the old Nordstrom building at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Pine Street. Both stores left when their leases expired but it does seem to indicate a change in Seattle's shopping scene. The Seattle Times reports that other stores in the area have also closed their doors. Other retailers remaining in the Fifth & Pine building include Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Sephora. These moves seem to reverse a trend that started around ten years ago when the announcement of major condo projects sent retailers toward downtown in hopes of capitalizing on a revitalized community. Some area malls aren't faring too much better the loss of larger retailers have left some malls with vacant holes.

Tags: seattle, shopping

Marrowstone Island, Estate of the Day

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

If Howard Hughes had known about this place, without a doubt, the recluse-loving billionaire would have put in a bid.
The property sits on Marrowstone island -- an island located off Seattle that's populated by a chosen few (a mere 837 people according to the 2000 Census). The compound, known as Morning Tide by the Sea, has come on the market for the first time in more than 25 years at a listing price of $7,796,000. The 6,000-square-foot home has 825 feet of beach front on Admiralty Inlet and sits on 112 pristine acres.

This is a second home for its owners, who are a bit on the reclusive side themselves but are said to have been early investors in Starbucks. They certainly made sure all their favorite amenities were included: They installed an 18-hole golf course on 82 acres (it follows the shape of the island and is modeled after famed Scottish courses), a writer's studio, a 2,500 square foot greenhouse in which they produce magnificent flower baskets from Barclay's seeds, and a horse barn with four stalls. There is also a frame guest house with a recording booth. The property is sited on rolling lawns on the bluff side and has sea views to Mt. Rainer.

The four bedroom, four-bath main residence, evocative of East Coast cottages, blends antique tiles, Tiffany glass work, and a master wing with a fire place and glass dome, according to the listing.

The island itself is reachable by ferry and a bridge from Indian Island. There is one market, the Nordland General Store, which if you blink, you may drive right past it. The island was plotted in 1889, and settled by families newly immigrated from Norway who saw its similarities to the Norwegian fjords. Many of the descendants of the original families still live on the island.

Suzanne Charnos of Windermere Realty in Seattle is the listing agent.

Gallery: Marrowstone Island

Source

Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, marrowstone island, MarrowstoneIsland, seattle, washington real estate, WashingtonRealEstate

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Small Splurge: A Selection of Fall Wines

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Click Wine Group, the privately held, Seattle-based company that owns and imports wine from around the world, has a standout collection of vintages in $10 - $13 range, starring Root: 1 from Chile and the indefatigable Fat Bastard. Their Global Wine Collection consists of signature varietals from world-class appellations with easy to pronounce (and sometimes amusing) names and appealing, consumer friendly packaging aimed at taking the intimidation out of wine. They have something for virtually every palate and autumnal occasion. To meet growing consumer demand, Root: 1 recently added two new varietals to its lineup: a smooth, richly flavored Carmenere and a crisp, fresh Chardonnay. Carmenere is Chile's signature varietal, a deep colored, full-bodied wine that offers the charm of Merlot and the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Produced in Colchaugua Valley, Root: 1 Carmenere is deep red in color with gentle tannins and rich flavors of plum, blackberry and spice. Root: 1 Chardonnay is not the heavily oaked kind that has become a wine snob's cliché, but rather a fine balance of fruit and acidity. Grown in the cool, coastal Casablanca Valley, renowned for producing the best white wines in South America, Root:1 Chardonnay is fresh, expressive and balanced with melon, honey and toasted hazelnut flavors. Also well worth trying is the Root 1: Sauvingnon Blanc, a crisp wine with citrus notes and a fresh, clean finish. The ungrafted rootstock produces a bright, tropical fruit flavor that pairs perfectly with salads, seafood and creamy pasta sauces.

Tags: Chile, click wine group, ClickWineGroup, Fat Bastard, FatBastard, Root: 1, Root:1, Seattle, South America, SouthAmerica, wine

Tour Deadliest Catch Boat In Seattle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Love the crab-catching action on "The Deadliest Catch?" The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle is offering a package that includes a tour of the Sea Star, one of the fishing boats used on the Discovery Channel show. The 104-foot boat is docked near the hotel. Guests who check in by September 6 can board the boat, check out the crab pots and pilot house and sit in the captain's chair. Local crew members of the Seattle fishing boats from the series serve as tour guides. The Edgewater package includes overnight accommodations for up to two adults and two children, the Sea Star tour, logo tote bag and souvenir Sea Star photograph. Packages start at $223 plus tax.

[via USA Today]

Source

Tags: deadliest catch, DeadliestCatch, edgewater hotel, EdgewaterHotel, sea star, SeaStar, seattle

Four Seasons Seattle To Drop Prices

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The building that houses some of Seattle's most expensive condo units is planning to give potential buyers a little relief. The Seattle Times says that The Four Seasons Private Residences is planning to cut prices in response to the lackluster real estate market. The article says that is has been nearly six months since a sale closed at the Four Seasons. There are 36 condos spread out over 11 stories above the 10-story Four Seasons Hotel downtown. So far 11 condos are still unsold including a two bedroom currently priced at $8.706 million. The amount of the price reductions or when they will take place hasn't been released yet. Bellevue Towers in downtown Bellevue, Washington also recently reduced prices an average of 20 percent because just 45 of the project's 539 condos have sold.

Source

Tags: condominiums, condos, four seasons, FourSeasons, seattle

Small Splurge: More Delicious Summer Wines

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Click Wine Group, a privately held, Seattle-based company that owns and imports wine from around the world, features a great selection of recession-friendly vintages with average prices of between $10 - $13. Their Global Wine Collection consists of signature varietals from world-class appellations with easy to pronounce (and sometimes amusing) names and appealing, consumer friendly packaging aimed at taking the intimidation out of wine. They have something for virtually every palate and summertime occasion.

Fat Bastard Chardonnay:

To craft Fat Bastard Chardonnay, grapes are sourced from all over France's Languedoc-Roussillon region. The golden yellow wine with pale-green tints has expressive stone-fruit aromas with soft floral undertones and well-balanced citrus and acacia notes. Soft oak gives warmth and balance to the palate. Serve with fresh crab or shrimp, or with a roasted pork tenderloin and vegetables. Try also: Rosé.

2 Up Shiraz:

Named for a popular game of chance in Australia, 2 Up is an elegant, intense and exceptional quality Shiraz that is hand-crafted from a blend of grapes carefully selected from highly prized local vineyards. According to Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate, 2 Up represents "the type of wine value that simply can't be found in California." Goes well with Italian dishes, ribs, and grilled meats such as aged beef and lamb.

Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon:

Chile is one of the very few grape growing regions in the world where original European rootstocks have survived, producing the intense fruit flavor and authentic varietal character of Root: 1 wines. Rich ruby color with aromas of ripe berries and soft plum are followed by tastes of black cherry, soft vanilla and dark chocolate characterize their Cabernet. Artfully accompanies grilled meats, ripe cheeses, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and chocolate. Try also: Chardonnay.

Tags: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Click Wine Group, ClickWineGroup, France, Germany, Robert Parker, RobertParker, Seattle, smallsplurge, Washington, wine

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