Hungrygrrl

As I’ve said before, we live in West Seattle–a relative island, compared to capitol hill or ballard. We get excited when anything opens up near the south end.

So I could barely contain myself when I saw there was a new bar in south park from the owner of 9Ib hammer. Truthfully, it seems a little crazy to open a bar in south park. I’ve been to a restaurant or two there and eaten some mediocre to pretty good mexican food. But I’ve stayed away from the bars. South park bars range from dingy to downright scary. Places to go if you’re looking for a fight.

Loretta’s was different. It felt instantly cozy when we walked in. The place is all wood–wood tables, wood bar, wood ceilings. It was like the hull of a ship. A phonograph by the door played everything from Neko Case to old blues. And there was a case in the back full of fishing lures and old manuals, as if this place just stepped out of 1943.

We ordered a few Manny’s. They have a fair selection of drafts including the usual suspects–imperial IPA, 9lb hammer porter, some kind of pilsener.

Sadly, this is not a place you come to eat. The menu runs from hamburgers to steak and is a bit on the pricey side (6$ for a hamburger with no sides, 17$ for a ribeye). You might think you’d deserve a little something special for those prices, but you’d be wrong. The hamburger is standard fare, the steak is a far cry from what I could make at home and the mashed potatoes on the side appeared homemade but had almost no flavor. Even a little gravy from the pan juices might have spiced things up.

Perhaps they jacked up the prices to keep out the riff-raff.

But despited the mediocre food, the crowd was laid back, grooving along to the stereo, sipping beer in the dim light. We felt happy in our newfound bar. If you can’t make it to Georgetown, maybe georgetown comes to you.

I’ll definitely be back. But next time I’ll eat at home.

………………………………………………………………..
Loretta’s
8617 14th Ave South
Seattle, WA