Seattle Sports Bars: First Round
Let me start this out with a YAY Huskies! For a minute there I was unsure if they’d make it through their first game on Thursday. I felt my earlier post coming back to haunt me, what with all my anything can happen talk. Phew! The game today (@ 2:30 p.m.) against Illinois is going to be another nail-biter, I’m sure.
As any college basketball fan knows this first round has been pretty exciting with last minute three-point shots and 18-point comebacks. It’s hard on the blood pressure but good for the purveyors of beer. Which brings me to my first round of Seattle Sports Bar reviews.
Thursday night I meant to spend a couple of hours at Rocksport over here in West Seattle, but a quick drive through of their tiny-tiny parking lot convinced me that many, many others had the same idea. So, I traveled back up California to Mission. Now, Mission is NOT a sports bar, so I forgive them their one-game showing, no sound playing lackluster performance in that arena. I do so love Mission. They have great food, good service, and a pretty decent happy hour. Plus, they put the TV on the game I wanted to watch and served me up some tasty nachos. Overall, I would only have Mission as a back-up for sporting events, but like I said, it wasn’t a complete wash. I was full and happy when I left.
Last night, however, I expected a little more. I left work early to meet up with a friend at Fox Sports Grill to catch the NC State/California game. While I was not wrong about the game being fan-friggin-tastic, I was wrong about thinking I’d get there before the crowd.
TVs: If you’re lucky enough to get a spot around the bar, you’ve got it made. There’s a HUGE screen up there playing the main game and smaller screens around it so you can catch the action on the other games. This is a great set up. The sound is only on for the one main game though, so if you came to see one of the other games, too bad for you. Another downfall is that if you’re not fortunate enough to come in time to grab a spot at the bar, you’re regulated to a dining area. There were only two TVs in the dining section I was in and the game I wanted to watch was on the TV further away from me. It seems to me that FSG wants to also be a restaurant, but it’s a sports grill. More TVs please! Or at least make them closer to the tables. OR, make the large central bar screen viewable from elsewhere in the place. Why spend so much money on a screen when only the bar crowd can see it?
Drinks: Good selection there. I was disappointed to note that their sweet happy hour specials are only for the bar area. Noticing a trend here? I did notice on my way out that there was some sort of wine cellary area. What’s that all about?
Food: The food was all right. Not bad at all, but not spectacular. I guess just having been to Mission the night before left me with higher hopes. Maybe I felt that since I was in their silly “restaurant” section with fewer TVs and no specials that there’d be more than just standard bar fare. Why do people come in here if not to see a game? I can say for sure that it’s not for the haute cuisine.
Service: The waitstaff was considerate and attentive, especially considering the crowd.
Overall: I would only go there again if I wanted to catch a game during lunch (it’s 1.5 blocks from the office) or if I was sure I could get a spot at the bar. Otherwise, there’s got to be a better place to go. I’m still open for suggestions. Sport is definitely on my list, but not for these early round games.
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Well, when I was looking for some place to eventually be disappointed by A&M beating my Orange, I tried Sport first.
Bar was SRO, tables were booked, and, despite the fact that the patio had open tables, they were closing it down. Considering it was already 10m into the game, I basically said a few words unfit for publication and headed to the Magnolia Village Pub. I love the place, went to see lots of football games over my years in Seattle, but it was packed, so I turned around and headed up to Goofy’s.
Goofy’s was a failure. It wasn’t packed in the least, but they did not have regional feeds. All they had were the local feeds.
Getting considerably pissed and lower on blood sugar, I headed to my last chance and only success: Bleachers. They were a bit packed, but there was a seat at the bar, I had an awkward view of the game and I had a perfunctory order of cheese sticks and they forgot my onion rings.
I recommend checking out the Ram in U-Village, esp if a local team isn’t playing.