The Product Management training this week with Silicon Valley Product Group was amazing and will yield lots of better practices and outcomes for the company. Lots of folks from other offices were in Seattle to attend, and so we got to know dinner in the neighborhood a bit better at the same time as getting to know each other a lot better, too.
Wow.
Here are a few highlights of places we went in the neighborhood.
This legendary place (just a block up from the light rail station on S. King) was the perfect host for a little offsite time together for UX practitioners. You enter through a somewhat surreal indoor mall that has a karaoke bar, a travel agency, a kotaku shop, and a papered-over empty storefront. You go up a semi-circular staircase that is definitely among the best that the 80s had to offer on a midrange budget, and you enter a paradise of simple but pleasing bar food, drinks, and lots of friendliness. Bonus: You can order potstickers and smoked salmon from the same menu.
This little place is great for lunch near the Seattle office, but now I know they can do family-style dinners by pre-appointment and make it look like a snap. They are so nice and talented and love what they do. For 60 people, they put out hot and cold buffets with something for everyone. At the time, I said nothing about the whole pig, and subsequent guidance from Ellen has been NOT TO DISCUSS THE PIG. Check. Bonus: They serve regular dinner every night and the place is quiet and the food is great.
Fine, it's not even slightly in the neighborhood. It's in Belltown. But, like the places we went that WERE in the neighborhood, it's small and so friendly it melts your cold, rainy, moody heart. At No Anchor, they're serious about beer, and they have fun with the menu without losing the plot (Things you actually want to eat). Bonus: The most beautiful cauliflower dish you'll ever see.
A gem on First Avenue very near the Seattle office. The perfect menu for groups with various preferences, and a lovely, warm, welcoming room to enjoy the great food in. We went on Hallowe'en and they kindly did not mention the unicorns in the room. Bonus: Desserts worth sticking around for.
PS: Shoutout to a good time at The Garage as well, always welcoming and full of energy if not in the neighborhood, per se. Thanks, Paul!