We parked not very far at all from this new bar, just around the corner, which location would turn out later to be rather fortunate. The front of Via Tribunali doesn't look like much--you would think it was the multi-paned glass door of a garage, able to raise and lower with ease, and you'd be right. The space used to house a repair show, some time ago, and the door is still there. Just inside the door is a room of sorts, beyond which is the real wall of Via T. In the summer, the door will likely always be open, and there will be half a dozen tables right out at streetside, which is why I say this will be your summer lunch place is you're clever.
Inside, it's narrow, because it's just a storefront wide. There are tables, the big bar and more tables behind. At the end of the bar, on the bartender side, is the wood-fired pizza oven, so it's warm to sit there, even in the chill of winter. The place was packed again with people, Thursday apparently being a busy night at everyplace we went to. The bartender was friendly, the staff was attractive in a tattoos and piercings way, the crowd was lively and busily stuffing their faces, and all was good.
We crammed in at the actual bar, asking kindly people to scoot down one seat, which they gladly did. People tell me all the time, or rather, I overhear them commenting to each other more often, that Seattle is painfully unfriendly city. Which may be true, but damn we're polite. So there were three seats exactly between the waitress station and the kindly folks, and we sat and looked over a menu while ordering drinks. Again, I was a tonic guy, while Brandon and Bridgit availed themselves of a delightful wine menu. We ordered a meat and cheese assortment, not huge but filled with delightful options, as well as a very thin crust pizza full of goodness. Bridgit is eating meat again, as opposed to her earlier appearances on this site, so she set too with gusto, and everything was quite good, the food, the drink, the wine, the environment. I still like the pizza at La Vita e Bella better, but this was a close second.
By this time, we had recieved our invites to Bridgit's wedding reception. We had all agreed that it was like no time at all had passed since last we had hung out, and as soon as this became clear, we were invited. We had all thought there might be some awkwardness--it had been a long while, and things had been odd for a time--but nothing of the sort. And so we got to look forward to a delightful evening at Campagne, which I've already mentioned elsewhere.
The food being done, the drinks being dry, we decided to move on, and thought that maybe one more bar would be good. But before we made that trip, we rounded the corner back toward the car, and there was Frites, which I've also already talked about, but which was, in every way, a complete delight. Bridgit was planning to go here again, if she could manage it, before departing for New Orleans; I didn't hear if that happened, but I like to think it did.
Via T (as I'm now going to call it full time, because I keep stumbling over the full name) was a delight as well, and in the summer, I intend to find my way to the al fresco seating, and enjoy it often. If I can beat the crowds that will surely be there.
Posted by Jason at February 13, 2005 01:23 PM