Ballardblog.com

Since 1907, the citizens of Ballard have joined forces in attempt to “free Ballard” from Seattle hegemony. One store, Archie McPhee, helps us Ballardians in this everyday struggle.

A cross between a cracked-out tiki bar and the magic shop in Pee Wee Herman’s Great Adventure, Archie McPhee’s features thousands of random and quirky toys, candy, party supplies, costumes and miniatures—think yodeling pickle figurines, giant underpants, etc. Among the random shit-fest, is a “Free-Ballard” retail industry, featuring an array of wearable propaganda such as hats, T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even games and toys. McPhee’s started the modern-day “Free Ballard” movement about eight years ago, and has been promoting the liberation of Ballard with pride and a sense of humor ever since. Download your own “Free Ballard” poster, courtesy of Archie McPhees here. And if you don’t jive with the “Free Ballard” campaign, there are thousands of other reasons to go there. Temporary tattoos, counterfeit Australian coins and bills, or maybe you’ll run into Blayne from Project Runway.

www.archiemcpheeseattle.com

2428 NW Market Street

Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm, Sundays 11am-6pm

Perched beneath the shadows of the Ballard Bridge like an anchored looming pirate ship, is the Jolly Rogers Taproom, adorned with skull and cross bone flags and a fortified iron-gate patio for the summer patrons. When we spotted a lively bunch of Ballardians enjoying the summer evening out on the terrace, we knew we would fit in well here. 

Home of the Jolly Rogers Winter Ale, loaded with 9% alcohol and guaranteed to make your eyes drift in opposite directions and snarl at strangers, the Taproom hosts 14 freshly brewed uniquely Northwest Maritime ales and lagers. Also fresh is all the produce in the menu; the onions and pickles are chopped in the Taproom’s kitchen before they’re drowned in deep-fried deliciousness. We recommend the onion rings; they’re so huge and thick you could plop one on your head and it’d pass for a yarmulke.  

Even though we were the obnoxious drunk girls talking too loud on our cell phones, no one punched us out, and to us, that is good service and good people.

Jolly Rogers Taproom

1514 NW Leary Way

Ballard WA 98127

www.maritimebrewery.ypguides.net

If you’re walking down Market Street, and you pass a non-descript door with only the marking, “Live Girls!” posted to a sandwich board and a staircase leading to a dark basement, your better judgment might guide you to keep on walking. In most cases that’s usually a smart bet, but not this time.

Market Street (between Ballard Avenue and Leary Way) has been the home of the Live Girls! Theater since 2005, and has been dedicated to promoting local women playwrights, directors and artists ever since. Their goal is to “empower women artists to be leaders and provide the public with opportunities to see plays by women”, and that’s hot, because let’s face it, like in many other industries, women are severely underrepresented in theater. While there are many talented women playwrights out there, most produced plays are not by women. Live Girls! Theater helps bring the female perspective to the forefront.

As a small, fringe theater group, their company members commit to a year of supporting the Live Girls! mission by partaking in various aspects of administration and production. It’s entirely volunteer-operated, so let’s support our local Girls!– go to the next production or pony up some cash and be a sponsor.

Here’s what’s coming up next at the Live Girls! Theater:

World Premiere!

June Carter Cash Project

Sept 12 – Oct 4

Fri 8pm Sat 4pm and 8pm

“In 2008 Live Girls! will commission three one-act plays from local writers.  Each writer will choose a song recorded by the iconic songstress June Carter Cash and create play inspired by that song.  These three new plays will be produced together in one evening as a tribute to this legendary singer, writer and humanitarian.”

Other show listings can be found on the Live Girls! web site: http://www.livegirlstheater.org/. Ticket and donation information are also available.

Sitting unmarked on Ballard Avenue for the past nine years was at one point the largest distributor of handmade, original greeting cards in the United States. Souvenir, owned and curated by Curtis Steiner  (www.curtissteiner.com) with a friendly sales associate named Liberte, is less of a boutique and more of a decorative art gallery, full of quirky and eccentric surprises from the all original handmade cards (only $6.50 each!) made from vintage photos, match boxes and gold leaf to early 20th century botanical lithographs. Steiner is a real artist and craftsman– his stuff, 1,000 Blocks, is a permanent feature in the Seattle Art Museum–as anyone could probably decipher from the glassine baby doll dresses dangling in the storefront of his shop. This store is more than just retail, it’s a museum of treasures, but here, you’re encourage to touch– and even wear the exhibits. 

5325 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
View on Google Maps

Tel 206-297-7116

Hours: Tue-Sat 11-5.30, Sunday 12-4

When we approached the super chic, super crowded bar, Ocho, 24^th and Market, our Ballardian defenses immediately set in. We were a little intimidated and skeptical of the latest bar and restaurant to open in the historic neighborhood of Ballard. But with usual Ballard congeniality and sincerity, we were greeted with friendly smiles from the staff and a complex, savory and smokey aroma from the tapas roasting in the back. We came for the margaritas, and stayed for the margaritas… and the sangria, shrimp, chorizo and grilled peppers. This Spanish-styled restaurant serves authentic tapas without the Euro price. The average dish (from 4pm-2am) is $4.00.

 But they don’t mess around with the booze. The cocktails are quirky and artistic. The Picador, a vodka or gin based cocktail with cucumber and maraschino liquor, is garnished with a stick of rosemary with a skewered beet. Their margaritas are $10 and it’s even named “The $10 Margarita” in the menu. The popular pint-sized drink is not Patron based, as one might suspect with the price, rather El Tesoro—a liquor that’s considered a work of art among Tequila epicureans. And the sangria, $8, is based more with a generous serving of Brandy rather than cheap wine. Which explains why we were loaded after only one round—even with our livers of steel.

Seattle Weekly’s annual issue, featuring the coveted ”Best of Seattle” Reader Poll is in the making. But first, they need people to vote, and we’d like your  vote as “Best New Blog”. Go to http://polls.seattleweekly.com/polls/bestof08/ to represent and be counted. Voting deadline is July 25th. Make Ballard proud.

Chili-man, Mike Semandiris, contacted Ballardblog and asked us to inform our loyal readers that the Chili Parlor will be closed this week due to intense construction interference, but will be up and ready to cater to your chili and beer desires by Friday night (July 11th) and onward.

And to make up for the temporary closure, the Parlor will offer a “Construction Special” all next week: $1.00 Miller High Life Pints 4pm-7pm Monday through Friday.

Thanks, Mike! We will see you soon..

Edith Macefield (1922-2008), Ballard’s most famous “hold-out”, brought national attention to the community when she refused to sell her property of almost six decades to commercial real estate developers. Just around the corner, Mike’s Chili Parlor is Edith’s retail equivalent.

Crossing the Ballard Bridge, you can see the words “MIKE’S” and “CHILI TO GO” on painted plywood and flickering neon signs, circa 1955, modestly promoting the Parlor’s existence off of 15th and Ballard Way. The same construction monstrosity that bordered Edith’s home also casts a shadow on its north-end over the dusty brick bar. Like two rebel bookends nestled against a bourgeoisie mega-center, the two properties are remnants of Old Ballard, representing a similar struggle against gentrification.

We visited the the Parlor because we’ve heard that it is the home of Seattle’s best chili. And we were thirsty. In the short time that we were there, we immediately felt at home; the bartender was boisterous but called us “honey” and little touches of the “old country” graced the interior of the building.

We ordered the “Big Ass Bowl” of chili (seriously, that’s the name of the size) with onions, cheese and jalapeños, and the chili pasta. The sauce was peppery and not too thick or floury, like the junk that comes in a can. This stuff is definitely homemade, with generous meat portions and greasy-deliciousness. And the chili pasta is pretty much sheer- genius. Two of the best things known to man (chili soup and spaghetti noodles) are harmoniously united for the ultimate sense of satisfaction. The Parlor is obviously on to something, considering that they were featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfCMw28qXAU.

As we finished our meals, eyes crossed and hands on our bellies, a pack of middle-aged rabble-rousers came parading through the door, sporting softball t-shirts with the sponsor’s name, “Mike’s Chili” on the chest; clearly, this place is home to some. I discovered that fourth-generation Chili Parlor owner, Mike Semandiris, was right in the middle of all the softball raucous and I wanted to meet the man behind the chili.

The Parlor was originally a residential home to Mike’s great grandfather, who emigrated from Greece to the States with a vision and a mission. Grandpa Mike opened shop in 1922 and they’ve served generations of industrial Ballardians with fulfilling lunch specials and a trusty menu of various chili creations ever since.

 We inevitably discussed the giant commercial retail structure surrounding the Parlor’s western and northern walls. Mike had a lot to say about his experience watching Ballard develop. “It used to be a lot sunnier out here on the patio, and the ongoing construction, which was supposed to conclude in 14 months, has very much impacted the business. The entire road [Ballard Way] to enter is closed, so people have to circle around and come through the back side, and half of our parking is gone [temporarily].” Two year’s later, the construction is far from finished. Apparently the developer that had offered Edith $1 million for her home also encountered a cold response from the Chili proprietors. “My dad and I were here when one of the developers walked into ‘talk’; my dad just put his hand up and said ‘we’re not selling’ and they’ve never come back.” Damn straight.

“You know, I love that people care about Old Ballard and keeping it from becoming Bellevue, but if you really value local businesses, you have to frequent them. You might pay an extra dime or two, but that’s what it takes these days to compete against the chain stores.”

Ska, soul and rock and roll are brewing in the streets of both Ballard and Georgetown. Get Down Moses (already awesome for naming itself after the Joe Strummer & Mescaleros song on the Streetcore album), is no stranger to Ballard. After playing just two and a half weeks ago at the Tractor Tavern, GDM will revisit our humble home, July 5th at the Bit Saloon. Cough up just $5 and spend your hangover with GDM. You can preview their music at www.myspace.com/getdownmoses. I recommend “Sodo”, a Sublime/Operation Ivy beckoning anthem (with extra heavy organ jams) to Seattle’s gritty industrial district, Georgetown, “where the trains and the beggars meet.”

Following the 5th of July, the Georgetown Orbits, a more traditional, straight up Reggae influenced band, will open for the legendary Skatalites on the 9th at Nectar Lounge (not Ballard, sorry).  Here’s your chance to witness one of Jamaica’s earliest reggae pioneers and one of Seattle’s own torch carriers. You’re welcome.