Let’s just get one thing out of the way: Most contractors that protest a bid or proposal award will lose. Why? Because the deck is stacked against them.

The public contracting process, initially developed as a fair, transparent basis for competition, sometimes lacks both fairness and transparency. Some agencies enact their own public contracting rules, which they interpret and execute with increasing subjectivity, and sometimes without much uniformity – even among different bids on the same procurement. Read More

As lawyers, our time is often not our own. Whether we are up against a deadline or a lunch with the in-laws, it is useful to have a restaurant or two in the “I’d love to have lunch but may need to leave in a hurry” category. Here are a few of our local favorites.

The conveyor-belt format and attentive wait staff at the downtown Blue C Sushi (1510 Seventh Ave., Seattle; 467-4022; bluecsushi.com) makes a quick and graceful exit from your meal easy to manage. On a Friday, Blue C was packed to the gills, but there was no wait if you were willing to sit at the counter.

We started with the sesame noodles, which were nicely chewy and not too salty. The spider roll startled, with a deep-fried antenna of some sort sticking out, but turned out to be crunchy and very nice. The star of the show was a fusion item: a sublime spicy-tuna taco, crispy on the outside and fiery on the inside. We were pleasantly full after 20 minutes.

The real test for a rapid exit at a sit-down joint, however, is how quickly you can get the attention of the waitress. Our waitress, Kaela, seemed to have telepathic powers. As soon as one of us spied her, she made eye contact and came over immediately. When all was said and done we enjoyed a delicious and economical meal and had settled up within 25 minutes. Hard to beat!

If you are looking to give an out-of-towner a taste of iconic Seattle without playing tour guide for an entire afternoon, we suggest Lowell’s in Pike Place Market (1519 Pike Place; 622-2036; eatatlowells.com). Patrons order at a counter near the entrance, take a number and wait for the meal to be delivered. It seemed like a strategic location for a meeting place where one might want a quick exit.

We did not find lunch at Lowell’s to be as quick as expected. But when we found an open spot on the third floor, which was buzzing with patrons, the view reminded us why Lowell’s has been around for almost 100 years (literally).

We tried the pulled-pork sandwich, seafood salad and Alaskan cod/seafood tacos. The seafood was fresh and the tacos were the standout. If the speed of the service did not allow us a quick exit, at least it would certainly have been easy to lose someone quickly after lunch in the crowds at the market.

Another obvious choice to try for this month’s column was the “express lunch” at 820 Pike Street. Not surprisingly located at 820 Pike Street (219-5555; 820pike.com), this SWW favorite is the successor to what was Bambuza Bistro. Ownership has changed and there has been a slight remodel, but the menu remains very similar.

We split the green papaya salad, the coconut chicken curry and bul-gogi beef. The food was fresh and flavorful, although not as spicy as we remembered. (We suspect that a request for additional spice would have been quickly accommodated.) We found the service for lunch quick, although not quite as express as the name would imply. We were seated and served, paid, and out the door in under an hour. This is a good choice when you want to get in and out in a snap.

What better way to control the length of your dining experience than to serve yourself? For an expedient and inexpensive meal, we think Indian restaurants serving lunchtime buffets are spot-on. This is a perfect spot for the lunch date with an old friend you haven’t seen in awhile and don’t have much in common with anymore.

Try Bengal Tiger (6510 Roosevelt Way NE; 985-0041; bengaltigerwa.com) or India Bistro (6417 Roosevelt Way NE; 517-4444; seattleindiabistro.com). Bengal Tiger has a vast selection of vegetarian items, including curries and paneer. On the weekends, Bengal Tiger has an even larger buffet with various soup selections. The buffet at India Bistro is smaller than its neighbor’s, but offers great butter chicken and naan made fresh for each customer. At either venue, you will enjoy the food and be in and out in a flash.

That brings us to our favorite spot for that potentially awkward blind date that took us down this path. We had heard about Potbelly Sandwich Shop (1429 Fourth Ave.; 623-0099; potbelly.com) and wanted to see what the buzz was all about during a quick lunch break from a recent deposition. With T-40 minutes until we needed to be back before the court reporter, we jumped into line.

We must warn you, your first foray into Potbelly can leave you feeling like a newbie. Before we could even peruse the sandwich offerings on the signboard in front of us, a young man with an electronic device approached demanding, albeit politely, a decision. “Ham and cheese,” we ordered.

Who were we to slow down the overly efficient process? See the opportunity this provides on a first date? The perfect excuse to avoid any small talk while deciding what to order (there is no time for such nonsense at Potbelly!), plus an impromptu test of wits to see what your date is made of.

We were at a counter watching our sandwiches spit out of the toaster within a minute. Industrial cans of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, jam and Potbelly peppers sat on shelves behind the counter, and a line of chipper staff rapidly assembled toppings onto melted cheese. From the register, only four minutes later, we watched a classic coffeehouse acoustic guitar player strum feverishly from his perch upon a stool. Loud conversations and the wails of the coffeehouse singer-songwriter dominated, creating a cacophony quite unusual in Seattle.

We shared a table with some other attorneys we met in line. Our sandwiches were tasty. We were jealous of the milkshakes our neighbors had the sense to order. And we did not find ourselves bored for one minute with new friends to chat with and a bustling, boisterous lunch crowd to survey.

The thing that secured Potbelly’s first-place finish as the best place to meet a stranger for a date is its location. Right downtown, in the Metro ride-free area, it’s easy to evacuate a disastrous date by walking out the door and right onto the next bus that pulls up in front of you. Hopefully you grabbed a milkshake to go.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Farron Lennon at 206-407-1571 or flennon@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the February 2012 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.

All businesses want to save money.  And they don’t want to spend money on lawyers if they don’t have to.  But using your advisors is about more than the bill.  There are a number of protections that come with making the call to your attorney.  Those protections can turn out to be very important if a dispute gets bigger, or goes farther than the business originally anticipates.  Here is a case in point:

A contractor’s sub has a jobsite accident that results in damage to a third party.  The third party files an administrative claim with the state agency that oversees such matters.  The claim leads to an investigation by the state agency.  The agency issues a citation to the prime contractor.

Stop.  Call your attorney.

In our story, the contractor does not call the attorney, because the contractor’s principal is certain the accident was not the contractor’s fault and therefore there can be no liability, so an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) is sure to overturn the citation.  So the contractor decides to appeal – on its own – the citation by the agency.  The principal undertakes an internal investigation, soliciting e-mails and other documents from the contractor’s employees as well as other external persons who may have knowledge about the accident.  The principal conducts extensive research, takes voluminous notes, lays out a strategy for the conduct of the hearing on the citation, argues the matter to an ALJ, and loses.

The fact of losing the hearing is not that notable or unusual.  Every case or claim has a winner and loser, and the outcome may not have been any different if an attorney had gotten involved at the beginning. 

But the ALJ’s decision is not the end of our story, because the third party, who has received an award from the agency, has determined that the award is not sufficient to cover the damage she suffered.  So the person sues the prime contractor and other subcontractors in court for the difference between what the person believes are her true damages and the amount that she was awarded by the state agency.  Then, she demands copies of all the contractor’s records relating to the accident, including all notes, e-mails, diagrams, photos, post-its, and any other scintilla of information or data in the contractor’s possession relating to the work or the accident.

Remember all the strategizing the principal did?  And all the questions he asked of his employees?  And the answers those employees gave – some of which were very damaging to the contractor’s position?  All of that information is discoverable, meaning it must be turned over to the other side.

“Why?” you may be asking.  The answer is because the contractor did not engage its attorney at the beginning of the investigation, or at the latest when the contractor received the notice of the citation from the agency.  Had the attorney been engaged in the investigation, the interviews of company employees, the internal document gathering, and the development of the strategy for the initial agency-level hearing, much of the information sought by the other party in the lawsuit would be protected by either the attorney-client privilege or the attorney work-product doctrine.

The attorney-client privilege is a legal concept that protects certain communications between a client and his or her attorney and keeps those communications confidential.  That means that anything said to the attorney by the contractor, its principal or employees is generally confidential and cannot be discovered by the other side unless the privilege is waived.

The attorney work-product doctrine is similar to, but broader than, the attorney-client privilege.  The work-product doctrine protects materials that are prepared in anticipation of litigation.  So, internal communications that are in response to questions or requests from the attorney in the above scenario are likely protected from discovery.  The “bad news” responses from the contractor’s employees are likely protected (although if the employees are deposed they must give accurate answers – the information or impression itself is not protected, only the communication about it to the attorney or at the attorney’s direction).  The “road-map” to the hearing that the contractor prepared?  Also protected by the work-product doctrine (assuming the contractor prepared such a document if he’d hired counsel), so long as it is prepared at the direction of the attorney.

So, the moral of the story is that what may appear at the outset to be a cost-effective way to approach a dispute could turn out to be disastrous strategy costing a great deal more in terms of potential damages than what the attorney’s fees might add up to.  The point is not to suggest that you, the client, should not investigate and do everything you can to get at the truth of the matter.  The point is to avail yourself of the protections the law provides so that you can get at that truth more fully and without handing the keys to the company to the other side.

There is an old adage in the law:  “The attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.”  The same can be said of the contractor who represents himself.  Contractors are very good at building things and at managing business risk.  Lawyers (or at least most of us) are lousy at building things.  Lawyers hire contractors to do remodels or build new homes for a reason – we trust that work to the experts.  It is a wise contractor who understands that the reason he has a relationship with his attorney is to enable him to entrust his legal problems to someone better suited to addressing those problems and managing legal processes than is the contractor himself.

In 2011, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 961, a partial ban on a requirement of subrogation waivers in construction contracts. Since the legislation became effective in June 2010, much confusion, overstatement, hand-wringing, and general angst has ensued.

Click here to read the full article as it appeared in the December 30, 2011 issue of the Daily Journal of Commerce.

At the same time we are launching this blog, we are launching a monthly column in the Portland Daily Journal of Commerce called “Construction Zone.” Each month a member of Schwabe’s construction team will provide insight into a different area affecting the construction industry. This month’s column addresses a recent change to the law regarding contractual subrogation waivers, which was passed by the 2011 Oregon Legislature.

We hope you enjoy and get some value from this blog. We will be posting regularly, and we would love your feedback – what topics interest you, what are we missing, how can we make this a more valuable service for you? In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Doom: The perfect excuse for our annual happy hour issue. This year we are adding a few more favorite spots to help us forget the doom of the unknown – or of the evening traffic jam.

Go Swank

If the world was ending, it would be worth setting aside a few pre-apocalypse hours for a final get-together with your friends at a bar. Not just any bar, of course; this is the last happy hour of your life, presumably.

If you want that ultimate libation to be a statement of your insouciance in the face of impending incineration, of your dignity in dealing with doom, then let us suggest the chic Art Lounge on the ground floor of the Four Seasons (99 Union Street, Seattle; 749-7070; fourseasons.com/seattle/dining/art_lounge). You can have your drinks at the bar, in comfy armchairs or at tables by windows that overlook the old Seattle steam plant on Western, with Elliott Bay beyond.

On a Tuesday evening visit, the lounge was moderately crowded, but a window table was available. Our waitress was pleasant, prompt and professional. Notwithstanding the high ceiling, noise levels were reasonable and it was easy to carry on a conversation, although the background music was a bit on the loud side. The bar itself is a spectacular, modernist creation, creatively lit and minimally decorated.

Drinks and appetizers are on the pricey side, however, and not really very much cheaper during happy hour (5 to 7 p.m. daily). The cocktails are a bit on the frou-frou side, including a “Lusty Lady” (Absolut ruby red vodka, cranberry and prosecco) and a “Gelt-y Pleasure” (Absolut citron, frangelico, prosecco and gold sugar dust).

This reviewer had the $4 mini burger, which was pleasant but unexceptional. If you are a cheese lover, the unlimited access to the cheese and antipasto bar for $14 is really quite good. Bottom line: This lounge is a first-class choice to celebrate any important occasion with your friends or colleagues. With a good sunset view of Elliott Bay and an elegant ambience, it is a great choice for a last toast before the lights finally go out.

Stay Close to Home

No need to travel far to watch the world end if you live in West Seattle. Our new favorite local hangout is The Cask (2350 California Ave. SW, Seattle; 938-2275; thecaskseattle.com). We stumbled (not literally, of course) upon this place, and when we first walked in we knew we loved it. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed; the bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable.

It is a great place to unwind after work or just chill on the weekend. It is mellow enough that you can actually have a conversation. This is definitely a “locals” place; you will not find the Alki tourist crowd.

What we really love about this place, besides its welcoming atmosphere, is its beer and ale selection. The Cask carries some mighty delicious ales, hard ciders and lagers from around the world. We recommend the Black Douglas ale, a dark, ruby ale from Scotland, or Brew Dog, a Storm Whisky IPA that has been aged in Islay Scotch whisky barrels.

If you want to stay close to home in Capitol Hill, there are many choices, but the eggplant fries entice us to choose Poppy (622 Broadway East, Seattle; 324-1108; poppyseattle.com). Words like eclectic and unique might be overused in food reviews, but Poppy truly deserves such descriptions.

A recent group outing resulted in more than one of us exclaiming more than once, “I have never tasted anything like this before.” Everyone wanted to come back. The cocktail list is creative. Try the “Loveless” for a complex gin drink. The wine list is well worth perusing.

Happy hour is from 5 to 7 p.m., with a late-night happy hour from 9 to 10 p.m. After a few of the specialty cocktails featured in the happy hour, you should be in a better mood to meet your doom.

Comfort Food

It is possible that some people might want to resort to comfort food as their last meal. For that, we feel fine sitting at the copper counter at Harvest Vine in the Madison Park area (2701 E. Madison, Seattle; 320-9771; harvestvine.com).

Chef Joey and his able crew serve wonderful Basque/Spanish-style pinxchos (tapas) and other delightful, locally sourced, small plates. Keeping with the theme, they sport a wonderful list of Spanish wines. The menu changes to accommodate what is in season.

For a wonderful “last meal” consider a bowlful of spicy, greasy and salty pardon peppers, the (definitive) gazpacho soup, (perhaps the best) beet salad (you have ever had), and either fish, seafood (try the scallops!), lamb or slices of the exquisite jambon.  Of course, this would all be served with copious amounts of earthy Spanish rioja wine and Harvest Vine’s fine bread, and if there is still time before the doom, the flan by owner and pastry chef Carolin Messier will get you started on your heavenward journey.

Harvest Vine is open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. and for weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Special, near-monthly dinners showcase interesting Basque/Spanish food and wine, and sell out quickly, especially if the end of the world is nigh.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Christopher Howard at 206-407-1524 or at choward@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the January 2012 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.

Originating on the Indian subcontinent, curry, in one variation or another, is now extremely popular in China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Carib­bean, North America and, of course, Great Britain, where it has practically displaced fish and chips as the national dish. Curry enthusiasts (there are entire magazines devoted to curry) rave about its cancer-fighting properties, its endorphin-producing spiciness and even its aphrodisiacal qualities.

This is a professional publication, so we’ll skip over that last attribute and go straight to the cooking.

Ballard is home to India Bistro (2301 NW Market St.; 783-5080; seattleindiabistro.com), featuring North Indian-style cooking. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner; we went for lunch.

The dining area is clean, bright and presentable, although casual; you will not embarrass yourself by bringing a colleague or client here. Most tables were occupied by 12:30, although noise levels were manageable and we had no trouble holding a conversation.

We started with the buffet lunch ($7.95). The selection was limited. The tandoori chicken was spicy and moist. The other dishes on the buffet line included a mushroom curry, and a curry made with cabbage and peas. Sad to say, the food tasted tired and bland, without the wonderful aromatic nose that really good Indian food has. The vegetable pakoras had been out for a while and were no longer crispy and hot.

We ordered a lamb vindaloo (medium spicy) from the menu, and had much better luck. It came in a tomato-based sauce with long-grain, saffron rice on the side. Tomato sauces can overwhelm, but this one was bursting with complex flavors and a real pleasure to eat. The rice had just the right chewy texture. This kitchen is capable of preparing good-to-excellent food, but order off the menu because you won’t find it on the buffet line.

For most people looking for Thai food on lower Queen Anne, Tup Tim Thai (118 W. Mercer St.; 281-8833; tuptim.com) is the place to go. The dining area is simple, open and clean, with average noise levels. Be prepared for a quick, friendly greeting, often with a joke from Nat if he’s at the front. Somehow the restaurant always manages to seem fairly busy, but you’ll rarely have to wait for a table.

There are five curries on the menu: red, yellow and a recently added emerald (green) curry, along with a Penang curry and Mussaman curry. This reviewer orders takeout for dinner from here about once a week, so we’ve sampled all five. Each has its own distinct flavor, but the beef Penang (Penang neua) is simply one of the best Thai dishes this reviewer has tasted. The coconut milk balances out the spiciness of the curry while allowing the flavor of the curry to come through. The basil adds a snap to the flavor, while the peppers add a snap to the texture.

The beef can sometimes be a tad overcooked, but in this dish that’s not a bad thing. It comes as spicy as you like it, and with each additional level of spice, it seems as though extra flavor in the curry comes out. Served over white rice that’s always done well, never mushy, it makes a divine meal.

A trip to Tup Tim Thai isn’t complete, however, unless you cool off the heat from a curry with a dish of coconut ice cream. This ice cream is made from coconut milk with coconut flakes, and topped with crushed peanuts. It’s the perfect end to a spicy, flavorful curry dinner.

As you walk into Root Table in Ballard (2213 NW Market St.; 420-3214; roottablerestaurant.com) you can tell it takes its name seriously. The restaurant is warm and inviting. Large paper lanterns adorn the space, and the tables and chairs are made out of gnarled pieces of wood.

The menu doesn’t disappoint either, whether you are a curry lover or simply looking for some delicious Thai fare. We started out with curry corn fritters dipped in a spicy peanut sauce, followed by the main affair, known as the “Menage-a-Thai.” This yummy dish features your choice of meat and jasmine rice over steamed veggies, with three different curry sauces on the side. The red curry was our favorite, as it was the spiciest, but the buttery yellow and the cool green curry were excellent as well.

If you are looking for a unique twist on the season, the pumpkin green curry is another great choice. With about half of the entrees on the menu featuring some type of curry, you will be sure to find something that satisfies your lust for spice.

Overall, the curry scene in King County is alive and well, with lots of good, imaginative choices out there. We’re always on the lookout for a good curry, so if you have your own favorite curry joints, we’d love to hear from you.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Michael Herbst at 206-407-1570 or at mherbst@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the December 2011 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.

Election Night “Blue Plate” Special

Every other year, on the first Tuesday in November, the Washington State Democrats tend to host an election results party in the vast ballroom of the Westin Hotel. Before the polls close, we recommend grabbing dinner at the nearby Icon Grill (1933 Fifth Ave.; 441-6330; icongrill.com) lest the champagne hit you on an empty stomach.

In preparation for November 2012, which will be the next opportunity to attend, we found two reviewers who had never been to the Icon Grill. We sent them on a recon mission.

At the door, our reviewers found the host’s greetings friendly and rapidly followed by significant visual stimulation. The decor is, to say the least, potentially distracting. Peach and orange hues dominate, with much to look at, including glass sculpture and myriad light shades.

“The food was good. We tried two specials that are not on the menu: a Dungeness crab risotto and an asparagus and chevre salad. The menu certainly had enough on it for us to want to come back again to try more,” the reviewers said.

The political food operatives plan to return for “hog-wild mac n’ chz” (macaroni and molten cheese sauce with barbecue pulled pork and caramelized sweet onions). They were also taken by the dessert menu, which featured a very oversized Texas funeral fudge cake (a seven-layer cake, large enough for four to split, that comes with both ice cream and a bottle of milk).

The service was friendly and attentive upon entry and departure, but not especially prompt in between. This can be good or bad depending on your schedule, but overall our reviewers plan to go back.

The Hunt for “Red” October Burgers

If your favorite color is red, or even purple, then a trip to the PumpHouse Bar & Grill (11802 NE Eighth St., Bellevue; 425-455-4110; pumphousebellevue.com) may be for you. Known for being the location where former Republican Rep. Jennifer Dunn would take her staffers for a treat, Washington State Republican Party members can frequently be spotted there.

Our political food operatives heard word of a recent sighting of Washington State Republican Party Executive Director Peter Graves and Democrat rising star Cyrus Habib, so the political food team took a trip to the PumpHouse to see what all the fuss was about.

The parking lot smelled of bacon and the air was filled with cheers and testosterone when the team visited this sports bar during Monday Night Football. The fried foods were addictive and delicious, the mugs frosty and the beer poured just right. The burgers were greasy and tasty.

Frankly, for a few moments, in the neon light, the team forgot that they were less than a minute from The Bravern in Bellevue, Washington, and not in Bellevue, Kentucky. We approve.

New Money Meets Campaign Finance

Fundraisers can be stuffy, but not at recent political hot spot The Nabob (819 Fifth Ave. N.; 281-9850; thenabobbar.com). Former City Council candidate Maurice Classen is part owner in the bar, which has seen a high volume of events this year. From the Classen race to a young professional’s fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Rep. Jay Inslee in late September, this spot is on the rise for the younger political crowd, especially for young attorneys investing in politics.

The Nabob is a fun neighborhood watering hole. The food menu is limited, but it offers some good options for sharing and snacking.

“Really, this is a place for drinking and relaxing. There are lots of tables, and the atmosphere is comfortable and inviting,” our political team said.

You can also entertain yourself with traditional bar games such as pool or darts, and The Nabob has a wide variety of board games available. All in all, The Nabob is a great place to sit back and spend an afternoon or evening, or both.

Get Out the Vote

When deciding to delve into the spots in King County to get political, we could not help but give a shout-out to Neumos (925 E. Pike St.; 709-9442; neumos.com) and adjoining MOE Bar (1425 10th Ave.; 709-9951). These neighboring and jointly owned venues were the location for several fantastic events encouraging civic engagement.

In July, Neumos hosted Candidate Survivor — a Seattle City Council candidate forum organized by civic engagement nonprofit the Washington Bus (washingtonbus.org). The event gave 400 younger voters the chance to get to know Seattle City Council candidates. It pits candidates against each other, and asks them questions about subjects from transportation policy to skinny-dipping in Lake Washington, and it gives the audience the power to send text messages to vote for their favorite candidates.

Oddly, City Council Member Jean Godden showed her talents on stage by giving the crowd advice on “sexting.” When it’s not filled with elected officials dead set on scaring young voters for life, Neumos is a great spot to see a band with reasonably priced drinks and a fun ambiance.

Next door is MOE Bar, where Washington Bus and The Stranger held a “State of the Union” watch party in January. Any day of the week, MOE Bar is a fantastic spot to grab a drink and a snack before heading to see a band next door.

We recommend starting the night off with a “So Fresh, So Clean,” a drink made with Hendrick’s gin, Batch 206 vodka, lemon juice, cucumbers and 7-Up. Pair it with an order of halibut from Pike Street Fish Fry (925 E. Pike Pl.; 329-7453; pikestreetfishfry.net) and have it delivered to your table. We also go wild for the grilled asparagus and the smoked chili mayo.

Days of Yore

Vito’s Restaurant & Lounge (927 Ninth Ave.; 397-4053; vitoseattle.com) is frequently described as possessing a certain amount of Rat Pack glamour with an undeniable history for power deals and misdeeds. During its heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, it would certainly have made this list.

In January 2009, Vito’s closed its doors shortly after an allegedly gang-related killing took place in the restaurant. But the doors reopened in April 2010, and at least one political event has taken place since then — the co-birthday party and fundraiser for Port Commissioner Rob Holland and the 101st birthday of former Gov. Albert D. Rosellini. While Gov. Rosellini did not attend, instead saving his energy, a good time was had by all.

Gov. Rosellini passed away October 10, and in his memory you can check out this Seattle landmark. We recommend pairing the “Gnocchi Verdi” with an episode of “Mad Men.” The bartenders are very knowledgeable and can direct you to some nice bourbon.

Fringe Movements

Several days after protesters with the Occupy Seattle group began camping out in Westlake Park, Big Mario’s New York Style Pizza (1019 E. Pike St.; 922-3875; bigmariosnewyorkpizza.com) came to the rescue, providing pizza to the protesters and setting up a special. Anyone wanting to feed those camped out in Westlake could buy a discounted pizza and Mario’s would deliver it to the protesters.

More than 100 slices were reportedly delivered on the third night of the protests. One of our favorite pizzas in Seattle is the Big Mario’s mushroom, pesto and caramelized pear pie.

While this article hits the presses on the fringe of the election season, by visiting the above locations all year long, you can keep the election excitement alive all year-round.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Jamila Johnson at 206-407-1555 or at jjohnson@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the November 2011 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.

Nothing is more frustrating than finding yourself hungry for a full meal and not being able to find an open kitchen. These are our solutions to your late-night eating dilemmas.

Open ‘Til Midnight or 1 a.m.

Want access to a Tom Douglas restaurant after seeing a play with a client? The Palace Kitchen (2030 Fifth Ave., Seattle; 448-2001; tomdouglas.com) is open until midnight. While The Palace may print up a fresh menu every day and it has a good variety of local Northwest-style food, it is well known for its “Palace Burger Royale.” You can expect the chef to do a good job on your steaks, too. Like most any other Tom Douglas restaurant, save some room for the coconut cream pie for dessert.

Another client-friendly, midnight kitchen for the post-theater crowd is Ten Mercer (10 Mercer St., Seattle; 691-3723; tenmercer.com), conveniently located by McCaw Hall and the Seattle Repertory Theater. We recommend taking anyone here who has a gluten allergy, as the restaurant has a separate, gluten-free menu. Try the fresh halibut on udon noodles with a Szechuan broth for a tasty meal.

Want a cheaper, edgier, likely client-free, post-theater location? Try Café Mecca (526 Queen Anne Ave N., Seattle; 285-9728). On all nights but Friday and Saturday, the kitchen is open until 1 a.m.; it’s open all night on Friday and Saturday. It’s a quick walk from Seattle Center to this bar-and-restaurant combo where the corned beef hash is surprisingly memorable, even if parts of the night that led us there might be hazy.

2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

A few years ago, after striking out trying to find a full kitchen open, we discovered that much of the International District kept its kitchens open until 2 a.m. One personal favorite is Sea Garden (509 Seventh Ave. S., Seattle; 623-2100), serving a full menu until 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

There are many excellent seafood items, but try either the prawns or the Dungeness crab in black bean sauce. You can probably pick the crab you want from the fresh tank. Late dining in the International District does not draw a different crowd or provide an ambience different from earlier evening dining, and there is ample late-night street parking.

Remember earlier this year when we reviewed Meander’s Kitchen (6032 California Ave. S.W., Seattle) in the “Dining Alone” column a few weeks after the diner opened? Since then, Meander’s has taken off. Still nestled below the old Chinese restaurant sign, owner Miranda Krone expanded the 13-seat spot to include the neighboring space after winning Seattle’s “Favorite Diner” in Seattle Weekly.

Now, Meander’s is also open from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. It is a fantastic time to try our favorite item, “The Red Eye”, and savor some cheese grits on the side.

Finally, check out Lil’ Woody’s (1211 Pine St., Seattle; 457-2128; lilwoodys.com), reviewed last month, as it intends to open late-night hours in the future (promising “soon” to be open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights).

Open All Night

The classic all-night option in Seattle is 13 Coins, with locations in Seattle (125 Boren, 682-2513) and SeaTac, conveniently near the airport (18000 International Blvd., 243-9500; 13coins.com). This is usually the first option to come to mind for dining after midnight, to the point that you may have quite a wait if you have not made a reservation.

You can get a private, high-backed booth or sit at the bar to watch the chef prepare the made-to-order hollandaise for the “Dungeness Eggs Benedict” — a favorite for out-of-town clients if you are picking up or dropping off at the airport. The “New York Steak and Eggs” is also a perennial favorite.

Beth’s Café (7311 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle; 782-5588; bethscafe.com), a favorite of the Travel Channel, “does not close.” It is open 363 days a year, 24 hours a day; closed only for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The breakfast menu is available 24 hours a day.

Beth’s is both an after-hours destination and an experience. No doubt most of those who read this article will have visited Beth’s Café at some point or another. This will not be new to you. However, for those of you who have not experienced Beth’s yet, it is worth the wait, and wait you will. At 12:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning, there was a wait. Driving by at 10 a.m. on Labor Day morning, there was a line of at least 30 people waiting to get into the café.

There is much to tempt you on the menu, but Beth’s claim to fame is the omelets. Two sizes only — six or 12-eggs, the latter accompanied by all-you-can-eat hash browns (as seen on “Man v. Food’s” Seattle edition). I mean really—who EATS that much? Apparently everyone. While I sat waiting for my breakfast burrito, those omelets were coming by me faster than a Labrador at a dog park. The breakfast burrito was HUGE, spicy and delicious, accompanied by the bottomless hash browns.

Then there’s the atmosphere: Where else can you enter a literal modern art gallery and order greasy hangover food any time of day or night? This is definitely a place to bring newcomers and visitors to Seattle, as it is a Seattle institution and deserves the status.

The Hurricane Café (2230 Seventh Ave., Seattle; 682-5858; hurricanecafe.com) is perhaps Seattle’s quintessential 24-hour locale after a night of serious drinking. The music is loud and the food is a blocked artery waiting to happen.

All around, The Hurricane Café is exactly what it is supposed to be: open in case one needs food to soak up one too many drinks from the firm’s holiday party or a night reliving one’s youth. The diner fare has all the classic breakfast options; our personal favorite is undoubtedly the biscuits and gravy.

Dining Out With Schwabe has a confession: At all hours, we are a little enamored with The 5 Point Café (415 Cedar St., Seattle; 448-9993; the5pointcafe.com — not to be confused with the Five Spot). Maybe it’s the catchy slogan — “Alcoholics serving alcoholics since 1929.” Maybe it’s the very public battle its owner had to obtain outdoor seating on the outskirts of Tilikum Place Park in Belltown.

Whether it’s while grabbing an early breakfast on the way into work or late-night drinks and diner fare, The 5 Point is, frankly, just interesting. During the 2010 primary election, we spotted Congressman McDermott celebrating with folks from the political blog Publicola and the civic engagement organization The Washington Bus. Earlier this year, we spotted news crews speaking with owner Dave Meinert — organizer of the Capitol Hill Block Party — about what we presumed to be the city’s late-night initiative.

The full menu is served 24/7 and the chicken-fried steak weighs 11 ounces (translation: It’s heavy; perhaps the largest in town).

Also open all night, Randy’s Restaurant (10016 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila; 763-9333; randys-restaurant.net), previously reviewed in our “Scary” article [Bar Bulletin, July 2009: https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=07&Year=2009&AID=diningout.htm].

Next time you are suffering from insomnia, working far too late or just simply suffering from Night of the Living Dead Syndrome, you don’t need to drive around looking for a place whose kitchen is still open.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article, or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Christopher H. Howard at choward@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the October 2011 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.

Lesson No. 1: Bring an Apple for Teacher (and Your Burger)

While looking for lunch on Capitol Hill, we were saved by a plain, black chalkboard sign. In choppy, white chalk letters, it commanded us to “Eat a Burger.” We followed the sign’s advice, just like we once followed the instructions of our fifth-grade teacher. We were glad we did.

It was inside the new burger joint, Lil’ Woody’s, 1211 Pike Street, that we met “The Trotter.” The Trotter is a messy burger and we mean that in the best possible way. It is covered in caramelized onions, apples and Hills bacon chopped into little pieces and drenched in Woody’s own horseradish. You can easily find yourself full from it alone, but we also give credit to Lil’ Woody’s for naming its fries (and the special salt with them) “crack” and encourage taking up the habit and washing it all down with a Molly Moon’s Handmade Ice Cream shake served on premises.

The owner, Marcus Lalario, has a winner on his hands. He is also part owner of Captain Blacks and the HG Lodge, and an investor in Havana, The Saint and Molly Moon’s.

Lesson No. 2: You Are Never Too Old For Grilled Cheese

When tasked with trying new things, one of Seattle’s newer restaurants, which happens to be down the street from our office, popped into mind: RN 74, 1433 Fourth Avenue, 206-456-7474. RN 74 is the latest venture from restaurateur Michael Mina.

RN 74 is named after the main highway that runs through the Burgundy wine region of France. True to its namesake, RN 74 offers “simple interpretations of regional French cuisine” and, of course, a wide variety of wines. One of these “simple interpretations” that is a must try is grilled cheese fondue. This dish is served with tiny squares of grilled cheese and a “fondue” pot of tomato soup.

Also of interest is the “Last Bottle Served” Train Board, which, similar to a train station departure board, is constantly updating patrons on the status of the wine stock. Expect to get service from a number of employees — as the tips are shared, anyone who walks by will care to help you get that new glass of chardonnay. Also, for anyone who misses “Ally McBeal,” let’s just say the restroom setup and style make you think John Cage will be peeking out of any corner.

Lesson No. 3: Bring Your Beer in a Brown Paper Bag

This month we discovered a new diner that we adore: The Lucky Diner, 2630 First Avenue, 206-805-0133. And true to the best diners, it has something about it that is unique, but hard to place.

The Lucky Diner brings an old-school look that screams Norman Rockwell nestled within Belltown. The menu is a new take on classic diner fare with hearty breakfasts and late-night hours for coffee after the theater or a night at the bar. But the lesson we learned was not the pleasure of the chicken-fried pork and eggs (although they are pretty tasty), but the small touches added to the experience. For instance, the diner serves its bottled beer in a paper bag with the restaurant’s logo delicately stamped on the bag.

Despite the urge to try new things, the Dining Out Team is quite nostalgic about the diners of Seattle’s past. Many of these beloved diners have not survived — our largest woe was the loss of Minnie’s on Capitol Hill and Lower Queen Anne. Maybe The Lucky Diner will fill that void.

Lesson No. 4: Make Friends Outside Your Clique

It can be too easy to stay within the core of downtown for happy hour or to dive deeply into the neighborhoods, but Dining Out With Schwabe eyed some construction at the corner of Fifth and Wall, outside the hectic downtown world where the parking was ample. Thinking we were embarking on a new restaurant, we learned it was merely a new location for an established local, known to many, even if new to us: Amore Infused, 522 Wall Street, 206-462-4552.

When we stepped in to this new location for the “infused” Italian cuisine, the environment seemed somehow a bit surreal, perhaps due to what seemed like mixed metaphors between the two halves of the bar area. As we dined in the lounge, the servers seemed particularly proud of the cucumber-infused vodka that allows you to drink your salad. For those clients coming into downtown for happy hour, this may be a parking-friendly alternative, especially on Wednesday when happy hour is all day.

The team went through the “Blue Glacier Martini” listed as the signature cocktail, the “Dirty Ernie” and the “Cucumber Mist,” made with the house’s aforementioned cucumber-infused vod­ka. We learned the infused reference is to an Italian style infused with other European and Northwestern influences. It might also refer to the bar’s wide selection of vodkas infused on the premises.

We also tried a variety of the happy hour food items. Well received: the marsala burger sliders and the jojos, and the free basket of truffle oil popcorn.

Lesson No. 5: White Wine Totally Goes with Bacon

In addition to delectable treats, the Dining Out gang also has a hunger for learning. So why not satisfy both cravings at once at TASTE Restaurant, 1300 First Avenue, 206-903-5291, where you will learn how to pair some of the Northwest’s best wines with the perfect plate of food.

TASTE’s wine list reads like a cheat sheet, arranged by taste and aroma profile — “Black, Bitter and Blue” for some of the reds and “Caramel and Honey” for a few of the whites. The staff, led by TASTE director and local winemaker Danielle Custer, are skilled at pairing great local wine with the perfect meal or snack.

And you want to know the best part? TASTE loves to share its wisdom with its guests. Settle in for a group study session led by your server. Or opt for the learn-on-your-own model with TASTE’s “Flights & Bites” menu, which offers three pre-selected pairings (our last meal on Earth might have to be the Wilridge “estate mélange blanc” and stuffed fig with bacon combo). At TASTE, you really can learn something new every day.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Jamila Johnson at jajohnson@schwabe.com or Christopher Howard at choward@schwabe.com; see also www.schwabe.com/dining_out.aspx.

Originally published in the September 2011 issue of the King County Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.