(not) the hottest spot north of havana
mussels and clams
There’s a reason Seattle is included as a chapter in Douglas Copeland’s City of Glass. Trips to Seattle are as much a part of being a Vancouverite as loving sushi and yogawear. So when my friend, Pat, and I felt restless and hungry for a little getaway, Seattle was the obvious choice.
The day started with another mecca for Vancouverites: the Seattle Premium Outlets. And after a morning of power shopping on a gorgeous, sunny day, we were ready for some beer and food.
We checked into our hotel, the lovely Sheraton Seattle – thanks to a fabulous deal on Priceline – and headed down to Pike Place Market.
I had only been to Seattle once before, so maybe my memory of the market was skewed, but I was sure there were some restaurants or pubs with a water view, a la Granville Island. Nope. There wasn’t. If you know of any, please let me know, ‘cause we certainly couldn’t find any.
What we did find was Copacabana Café, which essentially looks over the market and has some water views from the patio – and was voted by Seattle Weekly as Best Irresistible Outdoor Seating.
It was a little bit difficult to find an appetizer on the menu that wasn’t soup or a salad, so we settled on the mussels and clams – and a couple of Dos Equis for good measure.
I’ve had my fair share of good mussels – the best, of course, being in Spain. But being one of my favourite foods, it actually doesn’t take much to impress me when it comes to mussels.
I wasn’t impressed. The broth is the key to good mussels, and this broth had little flavour to it. I think it was supposed to be white wine and butter, but it tasted more like diluted chicken broth. Some of the mussels didn’t open – which is a huge pet peeve of mine. The clams were okay, but nothing special. And there were only four little pieces of white baguette to sop up the juices – but hey – I wasn’t all that interested in the flavourless broth anyhow.
With tax and tip, our bill came to about $40 CAD – and for two bottles of beer and some mediocre mussels and clams, I’d say forget the view and find somewhere with at least good tasting food.
Copacabana Cafe
1520 1/2 Pike Place
Seattle | WA
206.622.6359
