First Look: The Saint

17-Sep-2008

Sunday evening found me at The Saint, a newish bar/restaurant on the Northwest end of Capitol Hill. Owned by the same person as Havana, there’s quite a lot of emphasis on drinks, too. At The Saint it’s all about tequila, although there is a full bar including beer, wine and some interesting Mexican soft drinks.

I started with one of those soft drinks, grapefruit Jarritos. I really liked it. Not too sweet, with a decent grapefruit taste and very refreshing. Soon after I’d received my soda the group I was meeting started trickling in. Baskets of crispy tortilla chips were presented with three types of salsa: a red; a green; and a salsa fresca. I love having a selections of flavors and temperatures like that!

While we were meeting we also ate and it seemed that most folks at the table chose one of the pork dishes. Several of us had the slow-roasted pork in banana leaf, which was excellent. It was served with beans, tortillas and pickled vegetables. Others had pork enchiladas (I think). We must have hit the end of Happy Hour (or maybe they extended it for us) because all of our meals were only $5!

You can’t miss the building – it’s a bright turquoise place built into one of the little triangular shaped block where multiple streets converge. There are lots of windows which makes the brightly painted interior very cheery. Photos of matadors line the walls and after dark orb lights and candles bring a cozy feel.

I’d like to go back again when I can really focus more on the food and cocktails. This would be a perfect little hang-out if I lived in the neighborhood. Unfortunately for me it is on Capitol Hill, which means for those of us driving to the area, parking is a pain but if you live in the area it’s just a nice little walk away.

The Saint
1416 E Olive Way

Capitol Hill
Seattle