The List is Out: Best Bars 2011: 10 Top Seattle Bars Right Now

The Best Bars of 2011? And Tavern Law plus our little upstairs spot made the list!

Seattle Met mag wrote, "Tavern Law attracts a comely crowd that sips expertly wrought flips, slings, sours, and punches while snacking on small plates (foie gras, fried oysters) rich enough to hold up against those potent pre-Prohibition potables. But the real magic is upstairs at Needle and Thread, the bar’s second-level spirits sanctuary. Lined with artisan bottles and sepia-toned nudie photos, this 30-seat “speakeasy” benefits from the undivided attention of one silk-vested, mustachioed barman who crafts each drink to order. (There’s no menu, so prepare for a conversation). Tavern Law, 1406 12th Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-322-9734; tavernlaw.com"

Photo of The Last Word by Ryan McVay for Seattle Met. Thank you Seattle Met!

Tavern Law’s Needle & Thread Makes Worth Magazine’s “Elite List of the Top Ten (Secret) Hot Spots” in the World

The Top Ten. Claire Willett’s article in the February - March issue of Worth magazine begins, “Walt Disney holed away with Hollywood bigwigs at Club 33. Parisian cinephiles built a cinema beneath the Trocadéro. International artists create forever hidden work in abandoned New York subway tunnels. Man’s fascination with the clandestine is strong. Today, secret places are more likely to be luxe and exclusive than dangerous or debauched. The following 10 have the additional bonus—and challenge—of being rather difficult to find. Something hidden this way lies..."

From London to South America, Sydney to Hong Kong, and straight to us here in Seattle— check out this great story on where to travel around the globe for a bit of hidden pleasure.

Thank you Bob Peterson for the wonderful photo of Tavern Law’s not-so-secret main bar and to Worth magazine for deeming us worthy of the list.

Tavern Law's Nathan Weber: Answers 5 Questions from Seattle Met Mag

Jess Voelker interviewed Weber for today's "Five Questions for the Bartender" feature while photographer Anne Dixon snuck in to snap this portrait.

The mag writes, "Weber brought his impressive resume—which includes stints at San Fran’s Washington Square Bar and Grill and Solstice Restaurant and Lounge—to the cocktail bar on Capitol Hill, and the rest was history.

“I worked with old masters of bartending, who instilled a very old-school approach in me. Working at industry hangout Solstice, Weber met heavy weights like Neyah White and Dominic Venegas. “Spending time with great bartenders really advanced my understanding of building craft cocktails,” he says.

But it was the late, great Neil Riofski who inspired him to be a bartender in the first place. “I watched him and I thought, ‘I want to learn how to do that.’""

Click on blog title above to read the entire story by Seattle Metropolitan magazine. Thank you Jess!