Seattle Times writes: Arresting pub grub & cocktails at Tavern Law

Tan Vinh took a look at our Happy Hour and wrote in today's Seattle Times, "Tavern Law in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood has gussied up pub grub (oxtail banh mi sandwiches, cheeseburgers topped with pork belly) and fine cocktails, $7 at happy hour.

No furniture has been moved around or replaced at Tavern Law. Yet, things feel a bit different, a bit more approachable. The speak-easy style bar feels less self-conscious now.

It's partly the food. Less dinner fare and more pub grub, albeit gussied up: an oxtail banh mi sandwich one week, a cheeseburger topped with pork belly another week.

It's also the cocktails. All specialty drinks cost $9 now, none more. There's happy hour now too, with $7 cocktails — a rum drink with aggressive notes of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg called Kingston Cocktail; a sparkling take on the mojito called Old Cuban; and an English Fizz that tasted like a spiked Earl Grey iced tea with a squeeze of lemon.

That fizz sounds about perfect when Tavern Law starts outdoor seating in mid-July. And that succulent burger, coated in provolone and topped with two slabs of sous vide pork belly, the soft bun spongy enough to absorb the fat that would have dripped on your shirt otherwise. Juicy and rich. And evil. Just pure evil.

Tavern Law, 1406 12th Ave., Seattle, runs happy hour 5-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and all day Sundays with selected cocktails for $7 and well drinks $4. All food 10 percent off (206-322-9734 or www.tavernlaw.com)."

Photo of David Nelson pouring an Old Cuban cocktail at Tavern Law. A Gun Club sits in the foreground. Photographer = Joey Anchondo, Seattle Times

Tavern Law in the Seattle Times

Thursday's Seattle Times takes a look at our neighbors along 12th Avenue, everything from this street's great restaurants, to shops and martial arts schools. Tan Vinh described us as "The city's premier speakeasy-style cocktail lounge and worst-kept secret. It's located upstairs through the bank-vault door. Pick up the rotary phone to get buzzed in."

Thanks for including Tavern Law, Tan.

Photo by Kristin Zwiers for Tavern Law.

“Spurred on by success Spur team to open Tavern Law”: Nancy Leson, Seattle Times.

Click on blog title above to read all of the article:

In her column Seattle Times food and restaurant writer Nancy Leson tells the story of our team’s newest venture opening this summer. As well as updating readers on the food and focus at Spur, Leson wrote that “now they're set to do it all over again with Tavern Law -- a "speakeasy bar" expected to open late next month at the Trace Lofts complex on Capitol Hill.

Today, the windows at 1406 12th Avenue stand covered, but what we'll eventually find inside is seating for 80, upstairs and down. "It's going to have a very dark-wood masculine feel downstairs, with a beautiful mahogany curving bar and a vintage cooler behind that," says Tough. A 20-foot Venetian-plaster mural depicting a lovely lady draped in a glamorous gown will overlook bookcases, dark leather banquettes and booths, and we can expect "some little surprises along the way."

It will come as no surprise that these roaring 20-somethings and masters of the memorable menu plan to replicate the formula that's brought them so much praise. Nor that (barman David) Nelson will fuel the fire on the Hill with another classic cocktail agenda. "David's staying true to that era," says Tough.

McCracken describes their chalkboard menu as short and ever-changing "so it doesn't get boring." We might find tweaks on a wedge salad with Green Goddess dressing, perhaps a Monte Cristo sandwich, or clams and oysters dolled up in Casino finery. McCracken insists their fare will be "less fussy" than Spur's but no less appealing. Prices? They'll call $15 the ceiling.

"Capitol Hill is a vibrant, fun neighborhood and there's always energy out on the streets," says McCracken of their decision to hit the Hill with their second location. And given the proximity of colleges and an oft-changing restaurant landscape, "Capitol Hill will always stay young," says Tough. "People go out every night of the week." Unlike Belltown, "it's not so much a destination spot, it's a self-contained neighborhood."

If anybody can capture the zeitgeist of Capitol Hill and its growing collection of go-to eat-and-drinkeries it's these young cowboys of cuisine…”

construction photo of Tavern Law’s future space and mural by Kat.
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