Ballardblog.com

Saturday revealed a few treasures during the deliciously sunny hours of the day. A faint breeze kept me at a very comfortable temperature for a walk around the neighborhood. Where to eat? Wandering down Ballard Avenue uncovered an unassuming storefront of glass with a neon sign of lips and the intriguing name of “Madame K’s”. The aroma of browning crust and bubbling tomato sauces made my hands open the door and seek seating.

Madame K’s plays upon the alleged previous life of the building, that of a brothel. The wait staff is friendly and flirty and an actual joy to chat with. Be warned, they are generous with the portions and the garlic. If you don’t care for garlic, this is not your place. Being that I can eat cooked garlic like candy, I was in heaven.

Being the middle of the day, I chose to forgo the much-touted Sangria, but I managed to get my own buzz off the scent of the dessert they called a “screaming orgasm”. No, there’s nothing dirty about it, unless you get melted chocolate on your hands. A skillet-sized fresh-baked cookie with ice cream on top, I was sorry I’d eaten enough pizza to fill me so full I couldn’t get one. Although with the size of the portions, it’s probably better enjoyed with a date or a bunch of friends. Please note there is no seating for anyone under 21. Madame K’s can be found at 5327 Ballard Ave NW, (206) 783-9710.

I indulged in a personal vice and wandered back up to the Guitar Emporium to gaze at the beautiful instruments in the windows hanging like delicate ornaments. This neat little corner shop has been offering classes, instruments, and events since 1989 in guitar, mandolin, banjo, lute, and bass fiddles. Not only can you find a glossy new 6 or 12-string, they also carry a revolving stock of vintage and used instruments. Need a guitar for community center or school classes? Check them out. Want an old Fender Stratocaster? Come see if there’s one on the wall! I can’t do more than pick out notes, but I love riffling through the sheet music and listening to the salespeople. Make sure to look at the window posters or ask the employees about what’s going on in the local acoustic world of strings!

Guitar Emporium
5349 Ballard Ave NW
(206) 783-7607

Hidden by the neon lights of Azteca on Market and 24th Ave, a faintly stained glass window has four letters etched into a sign. “Ocho” – it reads, denoting the number “8″ with zero known significance to the restaurant it is named for but has a couple other digits that work with it. 

7 – Possessive power lesbians clinging to their rights to the side of the bar that uncomfortably angles into the inward-opening door and pound their “$10 Margaritas” that consequently result in their falling off their benches later. 

6 – Other seats of the “L”-shaped bar that are occupied by rosemary and beet garnished martini-sippers who are not willing to give up their spot for a cancer patient on crutches. Tough luck.

5 – Remaining tables of the restaurant with no more than 2 chairs at each and 5 people crowding around to stab at one tiny tapas plate for the white-wine soaked clam. 

4 – The average priced tapas on the chalk-written menu that hangs on the far wall which you’ll need to order more of to fill you up but will keep you busy licking your fingers in between plates. 

3 – Consummate cooks whom fill the kitchen (on a busy night) which can not harbor any more people nor talent.

2 – FOH servers (one cocktailer and one bartender) who make you feel as if you could stay for hours although you know they want their tables to turn so they can possibly get more people in the box they work in.

1 – First-timer (me) who can’t stop obsessing over the sherried-mushroom bruschetta plate (real name to not be attempted by someone who hasn’t spoke Spanish in eight – ocho- years). 

0 – People who will be disappointed by Ocho. 

Salud,

Erin

I was wondering where I was going to get my vintage furniture fix when Collective closed.  Jeremy Schneyer and his wife Kelly who were driving forces in the original Collective decided that their next adventure would begin in Portland.  Portland vintage aficionados will benefit from their eye at their new shop, Janus Home, in downtown Portland but their departure left a gap in Ballard, after all, how would all those new condo owners furnish their new spaces without the funky shop that housed a little bit of everything, each piece unique and as far away from the cookie cutter Pottery Barn vibe as possible?   After all, one of the great fears of long time Ballardites is the yuppification of Ballard and a nightmare vision of chain stores and restaurants invading the unique character of this part of Seattle.

Well Collective fans can rejoice in the fact that Collective has reopened, minus the Schneyers at 5339 Ballard Avenue just a few doors north of their previous location. The shop not only fits well with the newly hip Ballard vibe, but Ballard has long been a bastion of sustainability and eco consciousness and the fact that the items in Collective have had a previous life makes for responsible shopping practices. 
www.collectiveinballard.com

Hailing from San Francisco, the Haute Trash art show is visiting Ballard from April 18 to May 10th, at the home of New York Fashion Academy (You know, the place that’s brought in all those well-dressed, aspiring fashionistas, wandering the historic area of Ballard?). The exhibit kicked off its three week residency at NYFA with a couture fashion show, presented by Re Store and twenty-five Washington-based artists and designers “upcycling” waste into art and culture. The sixth annual Recycled Art & Fashion Show returned to honor Seattle’s Zero Waste Resolution Number 30990, and what a party it was! Models rocked actual shower caddies as pretty believable board shorts, and my favorite, a conglomeration of aluminum cans, plastic wrappings and some metal shiny things to create a non-traditional Japanese kimono silhouette. But if you did not get a chance to see the show, well, there’s always next year, but you still have a good couple weeks to check out the gallery. The exhibit doesn’t have a fashion emphasis, rather a wide variety of mixed media art installations (photography, sculpture and other 3-D creations) all celebrating imagination, innovation and irony; art is everywhere, even in a trash can.

(Photo by Smohundro. More on Flickr here.)

From: Ballard Gossip Girl

Ballard is changing. We know this, but it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to two Ballard businesses this weekend.

The lanes will go quiet at our beloved Sunset Bowl, the lounge will go dark, and another institution will be lost to the developers. For over 50 years the Sunset Bowl has been a place my family has enjoyed. My grandmother was on a league there in the late 50′s and continued to bowl at the Sunset regularly as long as she could. My dad took me there when I was a little kid for birthday parties, it was a place to hangout in high school, and I rediscovered the Sunset after I returned from college and found one of my best friends in the bar singing Karaoke. I have so many great memories of the Sunset. I don’t know if they still cash checks for you at the desk, but they would before and I always got a great story about my uncle out of the cashier. It truly is a piece of my history in Ballard. Goodbye Sunset. I will miss you.

The other business that will close this weekend is The Market Street Grill. The Market Street Grill was ahead of its time for Ballard. It opened long before the first of the new condos were being built, and probably could have held on longer if all the residences were full. Johnny was a great host, always cheerful and friendly. The food varied, I have had some great meals, and some not so great but at least they were trying something different. We read on the My Ballard blog that it was only closing for a few days, but that wasn’t what we saw on the sign last night.

I hope you will try to stop in and say goodbye. Please share your memories. Thank you.

The Ballard Jazz festival is coming up rapidly — 4/23 to 4/27. Tickets are now available. Wow. It is going to be a huge five days of Jazz in Ballard. From ballardite and the festival website:

The Ballard Jazz Festival continues its tradition as one of Seattle’s truly unique cultural events as it completes its fifth season with the expanded 5-day Festival April 23-27, 2008.

Starting as a community event to highlight the thriving neighborhood of old town Ballard and Seattle’s world-class jazz musicians, the Ballard Jazz Festival quickly grew into a nationally recognized festival featured in JazzTimes & Modern Drummer magazines and in an MSNBC report on international jazz festivals. Even with it’s growing successes, the Ballard Jazz Festival’s main goal continues to be the celebration of this community and of the artists who live here.

The unique atmosphere of historic Ballard Avenue sets the stage for the Ballard Jazz Walk. Music and listeners pour from the clubs on Ballard Avenue creating a New Orleans party atmosphere with opportunities to see more than a dozen top-flight recording bands and mix with hundreds of other music lovers, while experiencing some of Ballard’s great music and dining establishments. Again this year we will be expanding the number of venues and musical groups to accommodate the capacity crowds for the April 25th Jazz Walk.

Entering an exciting new period for the festival, we’ll be partnering with the Nordic Heritage Museum for the first of many outstanding concerts and events planned for their auditorium. In addition to offering time & space for additional festival events and an even more intimate community feel, it will also give the festival a chance to pursue relationships with cultural presenters in Northern Europe, expanding exciting future opportunities for the festival. Past concerts have featured artists from
New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Seattle and beyond with the 2005 performance by the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group recorded and released by Origin Records. “Live In Seattle” went on to reach #9 on the National Airplay Charts and spread the word of the Ballard Jazz Festival throughout the world. The concert also was awarded “NW Concert of the Year” by Earshot Jazz.

The festival kicks-off once again with two days of Brotherhood of the Drum at the Sunset Tavern. Featuring bands led by some of Seattle’s world-class drummers, previous shows have included performances by Michael Shrieve (Santana), Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden), Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple), and many others. This event is always a musical highlight that sets the tone for an incredible weekend of music.