Absinthe has come to Belltown. Cecy Graf (left), a native of New Orleans who worked for 15 years as a financial manager for a Seattle law firm, has opened Absinthe Brasserie in Belltown. She takes over the space at First & Battery that had been occupied by Lost Pelican, and before that by Bisato and Lampreia. Graf's restaurant experience came before she left Louisiana, when she worked in bars on Bourbon Street in NOLA.
Absinthe Brasserie is opening with seven absinthe labels on the list, and more on the horizon (Pacifique for starters) as they become available. The current selection includes Grüne Fée, La Clandestine, Butterfly, St. George, Lucid, and Nouvelle Orleans in addition to Pernod Absinthe.
As Riley Green demonstrates (above right), the absinthe service is "traditional," with ice water dripping from an ornate fountain onto a sugar cube on a slotted spoon atop the glass. Service is also available for two ("Tête à Tête") and for four or more. There's also a list of older, almost forgotten cocktails on the drinks menu.
"I'm not an absinthe expert," Graf admits, "but I am from the Big Easy. And we're getting Gwydion Stone to come in for staff training." Stone, a Seattle-based artisan distiller (Marteau) was the first to champion absinthe after the Feds lifted the ban a decade ago.
The brasserie's kitchen is in the hands of a chef from Florida, Dan Schwartz, and will feature southern comfort food like hush puppies, sweet-potato fries, fried green tomatoes, gumbo, catfish, crawfish pasta, and seafood po-boys.
There will be two happy hours daily, from 4 to 6:30 and from 10 to closing. At 1,500 square feet, Absinthe Brasserie seats 40 indoors, with space for another dozen or so at sidewalk tables. After a soft opening last week, Graf plans a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend.
Official website: www.absinthebrasserie.com
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