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POCO Wine Room; a glass of something special!

It’s a quiet and warm spring night in 2008 when a couple of new friends, Peter and Bart invited me to join them for a glass of wine at their newly opened wine bar, POCO Wine Room. We hit it off immediately over our respective love of wine or more importantly champagne! I still remember arriving that first evening not knowing what to expect, the entry in this brand new building is sleek and modern, situated on the corner of the building with sun pouring in from the two story floor-to-ceiling windows. I opened the door and was immediately captivated by the simple elegance and warm groove that glows from every corner of the eclectic room. By far the most striking feature is the wood textured wall that anchors the space and borders the stairs. An architectural element unlike anything else you will find in Seattle, the two story wall was designed and built by Rick Jones, POCO Manager. Be sure to ask Rick about it when you stop in! The upper space is intimate, romantic and beautifully decorated--the perfect date spot.

Over the years POCO has grown to be known as THE wine bar on Capitol Hill, it doesn’t get any better! Two years ago a wonderful outdoor patio was opened that is the perfect spot for lazy summer evenings sipping wine and visiting with friends. Each year the boys produce two NOT TO MISS gatherings, “Holi-GAYS” and “Summer-GAYS”, two events that bring hundreds in for amazing food, wine tastings and of course…glasses of bubbly! But if by some chance wine or the signature beer is not your style, you can always get an amazing top shelf cocktail stirred to perfection and properly chilled. My recommendation is the “Manhattan” and let me tell you, it’s made with love!

I recently had the opportunity to dine with Peter and sample the newly engineered summer menu by Executive Chef Ally Rael. I’m not quite sure how to put this but I had assumed that because of the relatively small size of the space the menu would be limited to a few items that exist only to compliment the wine. I have never been more wrong or pleasantly surprised. First of all, Ally is a creative and vibrant thinker when it comes to the dishes that she prepares. Working out of a kitchen that is smaller than most people’s pantries, she creates plates that will make bigger restaurants feel like fast food. Organic, simple, elegant, plated beautifully and served with a style that has become famous to POCO. Although everything was amazing there were three things that stood out for me. These items were inspired and unusual, a truly unique experience found only at POCO. The first adventure was the Chicken Liver Pate. I know---- pate is not for everyone and normally not even for me, but there was something special about this recipe. It was delicate and flavorful, full of life with a subtle bite that kept me coming back for more! The second dish was the Candied Salmon Buccatini, frankly, this was beyond expectation, full of flavor and served beautifully with a crisp white wine that has become one of my favorites. We sampled many items that evening, but we finished with the Dark Chocolate Mousse, not for calorie conscious but certainly for the chocolate lover.

As we wrapped up the evening we began to discuss how POCO got started, where it has been and where it’s going. They have assembled an amazing team of people that work at POCO, professional, stylish and fun with an uncanny ability to remember your name as easily as your favorite glass of wine. Peter and Bart are not only business partners but partners in life and their collaborative styles sparkle together. They sponsor far too many events, groups, sports teams and non-profits to mention but it seems that they are never too busy to volunteer or help out. In 2009 they were named the GSBA New Business of the Year and have been the GSBA Champagne Sponsor for the last 3 years…fitting I think. You really can’t come to Seattle without a stop at POCO.

You can find POCO Wine Room at 1408 east pine street, Seattle, WA 98122  ~ 206.322.9463
pocowineroom.com

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By Jerome M Bader, Director of Marketing Greater Seattle Business Association & Travel Gay Seattle

The Lobby Bar: Check Into One of Seattle's Best

The sign for The Lobby Bar, illuminated in a neon green light, instantly grabbed my attention and pulled me across the busy intersection of Pike and Broadway like a moth caught on it's final flight towards a bug zapper. Unlike the moths final experience I'm happy to report that my experience was defiantly buzz worthy.

At The Lobby Bar I found it incredibly easy to approach and strike up a conversation with people around the lounge. This was a refreshing experience to have in a gay bar because other times it has felt like I wasn't only approaching one person but their entire group of friends who would be circling around them like winged monkeys. In fact I was surprised to actually have multiple people come up and start conversations with me.

Walking into the lounge I was quickly greeted by a friendly bartender named Dave who offered me one of The Lobby's newest signature drinks, the 23 oz Lobby Long Island. Thankfully it was Long Island Thursday because the drink was only $6.00! How could I say no to a drink of that size, quality and price? I could get two Lobby Long Islands for the price of a smaller drink at another bar and still have enough cash left over to sample one of the items from the food menu.

The patrons of The Lobby Bar that night covered almost every demographic present on Capitol Hill. From gays, lesbians, straight couples and Seattle hipsters, the crowd was defiantly mixed but yet delightfully gay. I enjoy going into mixed bars, the atmosphere is usually more relaxed and less intense then when you get an entire lounge full of gay men or women.

The Lobby Bar is the official viewing party for Ru Paul's Drag Race and will be having its grand kick off in January when the new season kicks off. I was happy to find out that I could still get my weekly drag dose on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm when The Lobby Bar hosts an outrageous version of the classic game show Family Feud.

The Lobby Bar is the perfect place to meet people, connect with friends or enjoy one of The Lobby Bar's premium cocktails. The Lobby Bar is the newest LGBT lounge and defiantly one of the best.

JOSHUA MICHAEL RUMLEY

TRAVELGAYSEATTLE.COM

Purr Cocktail Lounge: Purr-fect Pride Party Place

I'm already making plans to meet my posse at Purr for Gay Pride this year. Perhaps you should do the same. I recently met with Barbie, owner of Purr and former bartendress extraordinaire at legendary Manray (so sad it's gone), to get the dish on what's she has up her sleeve for this year's annual celebration. She most definitely has a reputation to live up to. Ask anyone and they'll tell you Purr Cocktail Lounge was the place to be last year.

She wouldn't unveil everything to said blogger but I was able to glean a few of the exciting events planned at what has become the mecca of gay bars in the Emerald City. The big news is a huge block party hosted by the bar again this year. On Saturday, June 26th from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., eleventh Avenue (between Pike and Pine Street) in the heart of Capitol Hill (a.k.a. Gaytown) will be cleared for partygoers. Guest DJ's The Perry Twins from LA will be spinning tracks to get people moving. Music will play all day and well into the night!

What else is happening? Well, I suggest you arrive early in the week and catch none other than Kim Kuzma, award-winning Canadian pop/soul singer with an amazing voice. She'll be performing live Thursday night, June 24th at Purr. I just checked out some of her tunes and let's just say she's uber talented. BTW, Purr also serves excellent Mexican inspired dishes if you get hungry. Try the Grande Burger; it's amazing!

We'll keep you posted on all of the events at Pride Seattle 2010. Also check out Purr Cocktail Lounge's website, purrseattle.com, and become a Facebook fan, search for Purr Seattle.

See you here!

-- Doug Aguiar