Bloody good

My friend Keli has been going on and on about the wonders of the Bakon Bloody Mary she discovered recently at a bistro near her Seattle neighborhood. I was not particularly interested in the concoction because #1.) Tomato juice is on my Top 10 Most Disgusting Things You Can Drink list; #2.) I live in Spokane.

But then, as fate would have it, Eric and I ended up in Seattle this weekend so Keli and I could run the Lake Union 10k. We also used the opportunity to drag Keli and Ryan to a few Seattle hot spots we’d been drooling over since seeing them on the Food Network … Beth’s Cafe, Red Mill Burgers, and the Confectional to name a few (OK, so technically one or more of these were first seen on the Travel Channel, but people often forget there are food-centric shows on the Travel Channel, so I’m pandering to the lowest common denominator here). In turn Keli and Ryan introduced us to a few new places that SHOULD be on the Food Network (or the Travel Channel, ahem) … Casa Patron, Via Tribunali and Trophy Cupcakes to name a few more.

Now, back to that Bakon Bloody Mary. Our whirlwind weekend of gastro travel landed us at the BluWater Bistro in Greenlake, one of the homes (there are also BlueWaters in Lake Union and Leschi) of Keli’s favorite drink. We sat at the bistro’s sidewalk, basking in Seattle’s August sunshine and people watching the locals in the park across the street, until a pint glass brimming with murky red fluid — rimmed in coarse salt and swizzled with bacon, an olive, a pickled bean and a couple citrus garnishes — was brought to the table. Let me just say, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to eat or drink something that you really don’t want to eat or drink, ask real nicely if someone can garnish said dish with a strip of crispy bacon. You’ll find you can pretty much get anything down, so long as there’s a hint of salty pork goodness to lessen the wretch factor.

Anyway, Keli points the straw in my direction and double dog dares me to go for it. Gripping ever tighter to the Sweet Tea-heavy Arnold Palmer I’d ordered, I leaned across the table and, well, go for it. Guess what? I didn’t totally hate it. I’m not sure I’d ever order a full pint for myself, but I will gladly go halfsies with someone. Or, I might just skip the tomato juice all together and ask for a glass of bacon, beans and olives swimming in Bakon Vodka.

And, before you get all bent out of shape about the fact that I found this surprisingly tasty concoction in a Seattle bar, let me say this: The bistro is owned and operated by a local boy, Dan Anderson, who graduated from North Central High School in 1989. And, I’m willing to bet a similar drink can be found right here in our fair city. It’s just that I’d never had reason to look for it. But I will now, and I’ll let you know when I find it. Or, better yet, you let me know your favorite place for a Bloody Mary (extra points for BACON/BAKON) and I’ll go give it a try. Double extra points if it doesn’t make me gag.