Revelations come at unexpected moments in life; I wasn’t at all prepared for my discovery of Hilliard’s Beer the other night at the Hopvine. I asked if my favorite, Maritime‘s Old Seattle lager, was on tap, and the waitress said, “Nope.”
Well, what have you got that’s like Old Seattle?
That’s why I ended up drinking Hilliard’s Hils Pils, which greets the palate with a fruitier blast than Maritime’s more easy-going lager. That went down well, so it was followed by the malty Regimental Scottish Blonde.
Then came that growler of Cast Iron Stout, pictured, hurried home to get a real cap on it. (There was a Hilliard’s glassware raffle, is the thing: “We didn’t expect that anyone would be filling a growler up tonight,” said one of the capless Hilliard’s crew apologetically.)
Seattle Beer News has a more in-depth report on the new Hilliard’s Beer brewery, ” located in a small industrial strip in Ballard, just a block north of where Maritime Brewing had their original location.” They point out the Hilliard difference, which is a focus on selling their beer in cans. (Cans!)
They are still dialing in their recipe for the saison, but I had a sample of it on draft and quite enjoyed the full-flavored, fruity (citrus & pineapple) profile. It was smooth and refreshing, despite coming in at around 8% ABV.
The brewery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but you’re invited to drop in and sample the wares at the Tap Room on Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturdays, noon to 10. Especially if you’re a bit hopped out from Seattle’s IPA craze, you owe it to yourself to make a Hilliard’s run. This is happily drinkable stuff.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Oyster New Year at Elliott’s Oyster House this Saturday, November 12th, starting at 5:00 p.m.
Your entry fee ain’t cheap ($95, and the $125 VIP tix are already sold out), but it gets you tons of seafood and booze, as well as the good feeling that comes from helping to restore the Henderson Inlet shellfish-growing region in South Puget Sound.
Along with being a benefit, it’s also the biggest oyster party on the West Coast, with more than thirty varieties of local oysters shucked to order and a seafood buffet with just about everything you can think of (geoduck tartare, anyone?). Get a taste of what to expect in the photo gallery above. There’s also live music, microbrews care of Pike Place Brewing, Boundary Bay, and Maritime Pacific, and vino from over forty wineries from Washington State, Oregon, and beyond.
Oyster New Year offers up so much to do that you might want to eat and drink yourself sick while tweeting your good time with the hashtag #ONY. Don’t miss out on the oyster luge, which is an impressive interactive eating experience, especially after a few glasses of wine, and be sure to cast your vote for the most beautiful oyster. As always, beauty is in the eye of the bivalve beholder.
The brochure from the Belgian Tourist Office tells me the country has 28 castles. Appeals to my childhood fantasies. 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. That sounds educational and fun. 500 types of beer (each with its own glass). I’m getting thirsty. And over 2,000 chocolate shops. Alright, when is the next flight?
All this and much more in a compact country where Brussels is somewhat central and most everything is accessible by Belgian rail. Ah, the romance of rail travel, which in Europe is so easy, enjoyable and reliable.
Might I mention this is a country of mussels, Magritte, and many famous cartoon characters, like the Smurfs? And which will celebrate 2012 as the Year of Gastronomy?
With so much to do in a place that is often overlooked in European travel, here are just a few ideas for a memorable trip to Belgium, where we stamp this week’s Passport to Pleasure—a hedonistic quest for great food and good times for two, from nibbles to naughtiness.
BRUSSELS
You’ll land at Brussels Airport, just northeast of the city. If it’s late, it’s convenient to stay at the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel just steps from the airport entrance. If it’s incredibly early and you can afford the luxury, the Sheraton is a great place to get a rest and get refreshed.
It’s a quick train ride to the city, and when you step outside Central Station, prepare to be blown away by the historic Grand Place. This is the site of the May Jazz Marathon and the August Tapis de Fleurs (when it becomes a huge canvas for flowers), and it’s one of the most beautiful squares in the world.
Courtesy of Hotel Amigo
You can spend a lot of time admiring the splendor of the Grand Place, but lunch beckons. If you’re meat-loving carnivores, make your first meal Viva M’Boma. It’s a short walk away, though the fish market eateries at Saint Catherine Square just might distract you. At the restaurant, ask for an English menu, or try your hand at the ubiquitous cursive handwriting in French on the blackboard menu. Located in an old triperie, you’ll want to eat offal here. It’s a wonderful place for a first meal in Belgium. Viva M’Boma…long live the grandmother, indeed:
Calf’s brain “meuniere”
Mix of veal kidneys and sweetbreads (served with French fries)
Pot-au-feu with veal cheeks, oxtail, and marrow
Satiated, you can stroll the city without succumbing to the temptations of the street food and snack shops. Then again, it’s vacation, so sample away. You’ll find the famous frites (with a wide variety of sauces, going way beyond ketchup), waffles (Brussels style and Liege style), speculoos (gingerbread-like cookies made in wooden molds, given to well-behaved children during the celebration of Saint-Nicolas on December 6), and more.
But there are other temptations as well. For example, not far from the Manneken Pis, but far more interesting, is Lady Paname—a boutique that sells “Sex Life Accessories.” Here they say that every day is Valentines Day. Inside is a classy salon-like atmosphere with erotic art and photography, sexy clothes, books, and all kinds of sex toys and paraphernalia. (I laughed when I saw collectible figurines of characters from the Pirates adult video, which I recently “reviewed.”) With a sensual smell of something seductive in the air, Lady Paname offers a sensual feast for the nose, eyes, and other senses:
Lady Paname from BrusselsLife on Vimeo.
Speaking of seduction and sensuality, you can’t walk the streets of Brussels (or most anywhere in Belgium, it seems) without noticing all the chocolate shops. Explore without feeling a need to eat, for you’ll have endless opportunities. The Valrhona store has lots of interesting information, so you can use education as an excuse to visit this export of France without offending the Belgians around you. But be sure to visit the stunning Pierre Marcolini shop in Le Sablon (the antiques district) for a jewelry store-like experience. Most of the small shops sell various-sized boxes of mix-and-match filled pralines; if you’re looking for pure chocolate, you might also want to go to a grocery store to buy solid bars from makers like Cote d’Or.
When you’re in the mood for sensuality of the surrealist type, head over to the Magritte Museum. You’ll want to budget ample time to learn the history of what may be Belgium’s most intriguing artist and to enjoy the vast display of his art. Here are over 200 of his works, making this the largest collection of his paintings (and some sculptures) in the world. The man had quite the imagination, and his work will likely inspire your imaginations as well.
Orphyse Chaussette in Le Sablon is an ideal place for dinner to experience a bistro atmosphere. Be sure to climb the spiral staircase to the funky bathroom for a birds-eye view of all the knickknacks scattered about the restaurant. Your meal might vary from mackerel to foie gras with passion fruit to a chicken leg stuffed with pork and veal (along with chorizo and mushrooms). Pictured is white asparagus with wild asparagus.
Make friends with Hotel Amigo as a perfect (and perfectly exquisite) place to overnight in Brussels. Just around the corner from the Grand Place, it’s central and convenient to transportation and sightseeing options. Rooms are contemporary with classic touches, with Belgian comic characters (including Hergé’s Tintin) in the spacious, marbled bathrooms. Inside the rooms and out is art from the surrealistic to the classic, and outside your windows the view says historic, urban Europe. With any and all amenities available, Hotel Amigo is a most comfortable and classy place to stay.
Courtesy of Hotel Amigo
WEST TO FLANDERS
From Brussels, it’s quite easy (and fast) to hit some favorite spots in Flanders—the Dutch part of Belgium.
Bruges is like a fairytale setting that’s come to life, and perfect for a pleasant daytrip. A World Heritage City with medieval architecture and many waterways, it’s a romantic town for strolling or taking a canal cruise. And if you find yourself in the narrowest street in town (Stoofstraat), note that this was part of the former red light district (and that you can find remnants of red light districts in Belgium’s larger cities):
Bruges is bursting with chocolate shops. Some sell sexually suggestive chocolates right in the window. Dumon Chocolates is in a striking little building that seems to be in miniature from afar. There’s even a chocolate museum that is quite educational.
Most intriguing is the Chocolate Line (above), where shock-o-latier Dominique Persoone and his crew play with chocolate, pushing the boundaries of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. Persoone has worked with some of the finest chefs in Europe; perhaps more relevant to the “Passport to Pleasure” theme, he has also painted bodies in chocolate for Spencer Tunick’s nude art photography.
You can enjoy similar play with chocolate lipstick and body paint available at the store. Or, if you prefer to consume your chocolate the more traditional way, try some of Persoone’s classic pieces, or some of the “his way” creations (high quality chocolates using fine ingredients), such as Atlanta (ganache, almond praline, Coca-Cola, pop rocks), Green Tokyo (bitter ganache, marzipan, Japanese wasabi), and Monkey’s Favorite (caramel of coriander and a peanut-salted praline). A sampling of Chocolate Line’s treats:
Ghent is a delightful city, well worth a stay. It’s bigger than Bruges, and while not as large as Brussels, it’s a collegetown and a cultural center. Many days there’s an outdoor market to be found (the Sunday market has some of the best roast chicken to be found anywhere), and chances are there’s a festival or two in town. Like Bruges, there are waterways and winding roads that make for good strolling, as well as a medieval core. Here you’ll find Gravensteen, a 12th century stone castle that just might appeal to the S&M sides of you, for inside you’ll find a torture museum.
Ghent has just about everything you can want: outdoor cafes, chocolate shops (check out Daskalides, shown above, for some of the best eating and drinking chocolates in town, and Yuzu for some Japanese-influenced treats), “noses of Ghent” (also called cuberdons, these are cone-shaped candies that are gummy), an historic mustard shop (Tierenteyn-Verlent), charcuterie shops, cheese shops, pubs with endless varieties of Belgian beer, etc.—and that’s just food.
Near Vier Tafels (a Flemish restaurant that serves unique meats like kangaroo and even giraffe—once), check out a cute shop called ANINA Soap Creatories. Shopowner and artist Karien Vandekerkhove learned soap rolling from a Master Savonnier in Melbourne and a few years ago launched “AdorAballs,” handmade soaps with 100% extra virgin olive oil, pure spring water, and organic essential oils. The store has tables with artistically arranged balls and blocks of soap with combinations like Thai lemongrass and Corsican lemon, French lavender and lavender seeds, and even Belgian Chocolate and Japanese Mint.
Most fascinating is a natural history museum called De Wereld van Kina. Targeting young schoolchildren with interactive exhibits of birds and the like, the museum also has a permanent sex education exhibit that’s quite progressive by our standards, and worth a look regardless of age. Through hands-on and multi-media exhibits, here you learn about sexual hygiene, consent, healthy relationships, condom use, and so much more. The red-light district and educational peep show booths are particularly exciting. It’s playful and positive and fun for the kids, who learn about sex in a perfectly natural way. (The exhibit also contains a Scandinavian sex education video that I show to university students in America, many of whom are skittish to watch it and then shocked to find out it’s intended for middle school students.)
There are so many places in Ghent and throughout Flanders to get a spectacular meal. Pictured above is the traditional Belgian dish witloof (chicory in bechamel sauce with cheese) as prepared at the café in Vooruit—the performing arts/social(ist) center in Ghent. And below is filet Americain (steak tartare), served with frites at Café Parti.
If you want to see greatness in the making, get to Boury restaurant in Roeselare. In a mansion on the main street, young chef Tim Boury (with too much talent under the age of thirty) opened his own place less than a year ago. The style is contemporary and the cuisine is classic, updated. Even lunch is an elegant affair, and touches like towels scented with eucalyptus and geranium are terrific. Be sure to note the sleek bathrooms at the entry, as they’re well-disguised. Part of the experience:
An opening drink
Watercress mousse with eel
Bulgur with shrimp and tzatziki ice cream
Halibut with langoustine paste, langoustine sauce, mashed potatoes, sea spinach and white asparagus
Strawberries with lemon ice cream pannacotta discs
A look inside the restaurant
EAST (AND SOUTH) TO WALLONIA (AND THE ARDENNES)
Head in the opposite direction from Brussels and you’re in Wallonia—the French part of Belgium.
There are lots of activities in the Ardennes, the hilly terrain providing texture to the land. Some of the sites are a little more remote, perhaps requiring a bus or taxi from the train if you don’t have a rental car. Go to the Wepion region at the right time and you’ll enjoy ripe strawberries that are some of the sweetest in the world. There’s even a strawberry museum to explore if you’re so swept up by the fruit.
Speaking of unconventional museums, L’Abbaye de Stavelot, founded circa 650, plays host to various exhibitions—most recently an Andy Warhol affair that offered great contrast between colorful pop art and an historic old building. Of course, you’re more likely to find beer brewing than art hanging in a typical Belgian abbey. It’s possible to visit and sample beer at some locations, while others are closed to the public. For example, you can knock a few down at Maredsous, whereas you’ll need to sample your Rochefort brews at one of the pubs in town such as La Gazette Gourmande, which has quite the comic book style menu.
With a population of about 400, Durbuy bills itself as “the smallest city in the world.” The setting is picturesque, and you’ll enjoy the array of historical buildings. But just as you think you’ve gone completely back in time, a stop at the Osez Jozefine store will enable you to buy some provocative sex aprons and other novel items.
Up the hill is Confiturerie Saint-Amour, a traditional jam factory with copper preserving pans that makes jams and jellies of wildflowers and fruits—think dandelion and elderberry—and even massage oils. Stroll around and you’ll see a charcuterie shop and a brewery and some pleasant eateries. For example, the Victoria grill restaurant serves up a simple but intriguing “poulet Victoria” that puts a whole new spin on grilled chicken. (You can learn more and get an adapted recipe here.)
Highly recommended for lunch is Lemonnier in Lavaux-Saint-Anne. You’ll feel like you’re dining in a contemporary art gallery; feel free to walk around and see the entire space. Service is appropriately attentive and the food is fabulous with occasional flourishes of whimsy. And there are nine bedrooms above the restaurant if you feel like making this an overnight stay. Samples of the food:
An amuse bouche trio: local ham with melon, crab with fennel, and a fun little version of moules frites
A basket of breads
White asparagus with eggs, butter, and parsley
Red point trout with green peas, morels, and lettuce
Meringue with chocolate and passion fruit coulis, along with passion fruit and banana ice cream
You shouldn’t travel to the Ardennes without a visit to Spa. It’s not just the place where a company produces mineral water of the same name; it’s a famed location for healing hot springs and the reason “spa” is used for such health and wellness retreats today. Spa is the site of old Roman bathhouses (people starting come to this area for healthy restoration in the 14th century), but the jewel is the newly renovated Thermes de Spa. High up and accessible only by a hillside funicular, it features numerous saunas and hydrotherapy pools in a stunning indoor/outdoor setting. You can also sign up for various wellness treatments and packages.
Since you’re living it up in Spa, why not stay at the RadissonBlu Palace Hotel? Privileges include discounted entry to Thermes de Spa, as well as a dedicated funicular so that you can walk out of your room in your bathrobe and head right to the spa.
Round out your first-class stay with a real treat: dinner at a castle. Manoir de Lebioles is in the middle of an Ardennes forest; getting here feels like living in a fairytale. (You can also choose to stay in one of Manoir de Lebioles 16 luxurious rooms and suites, and enjoy a spa treatment, too.) The gourmet restaurant may be one of the most impressive places you’ll ever eat, with both the setting and the service spectacular. And the food is great, too. Feast your eyes:
Scallops, peas, mashed potatoes, and Iberian ham
Lamb with candied aubergines
Perhaps the most memorable meal you can enjoy in Wallonia would be a dining experience at Li Cwerneu in Huy. Arabelle Meirlaen is the country’s only female chef with a Michelin star. Li Cwerneu means “town crier;” you’ll find one among the whimsical but tasteful and contemporary art pieces in this intimate, 20-seat restaurant. When the dishes come out from the kitchen, you’ll notice that the art has moved to your plates, maybe too pretty to eat at first, but take a bite, and the flavors are as good as the looks:
Amuse bouche called “garden of herbs and wildflowers,” with country cheese, deactivated charcoal, almonds, carrot, radish, and a snail
“Gold ingot foie gras with nuggets and dust”—mousse of foie gras, nuggets of roasted almonds, gold, maple syrup, and balsamic caramel
Brittany fresh prawns marinated with beetroot and ginger
Veal (“cute calf”) with citrus, celery and turnip
Assorted cheeses (the center is a special “house” cheese)
Passion fruit cake, rhubarb, cotton candy, and dandelion sorbet
Several months ago, Google threw me a link about a microbrewery planning a Mudhoney tribute beer. (A tribute is well-deserved; the 23-year-young band is currently touring with Pearl Jam.) I clicked, curious how the brew would compare to Elysian’s crisp, decent Loser Pale (originally with the band’s guitar-goosing Steve Turner and Mark Arm on the label). I landed on the loud, proud site for Burnt Hickory Brewery, a fledgling Atlanta, Georgia-area outfit boasting a band-beer line and the credo “Higher gravities for higher minds.”
Intrigued, I reached out to brewmaster/PR chief Scott Hedeen about the brewery, its music ties, and its “super fuzzy big muffy honey brown” Mudhoney ale. Multiple emails later—traded as Hedeen boiled and bottled brews and battled to “get BHB off the ground”—I can tell you that if the wry guy knows anything better than he knows beer, it’s punk/grunge/rock music. (And sorry, Elysian. Scott’s impassioned underground approach makes your toast to early Sub Pop seem a little flat.) But I’ll let him tell you instead.
Q: Tell me about Burnt Hickory Brewery and that “higher gravities” line.
“Gravity” is a brewing term that refers to the ummph the beer packs. A higher-gravity beer is one with a lot of flavor and much more alcohol. The tagline says that our beers are bigger, but so is our view. BHB is a small brewery, so kinda like the Brave Little Tailor, we are building our hype with huge beers.
Q: How long have you been brewing?
It was 20 years ago today, really!, that a friend of mine and I brewed KNUTSAK. My first attempt at homebrewing was not that successful, but it worked. I see brewing like playing guitar: It’s easy to pick it up and play “Louie Louie” but it takes a longer time and a lot of practice to play “Search and Destroy.”
Q: What’s the story behind the “band beer”series?
Dan Hobson of Killdozer and I were going back and forth via email about beer. He threw out, “Hey, want to make a Killdozer beer?” I thought about it for like two seconds and moved ahead. From there, it kind of exploded. Imagine, I could combine my love of craft beers and bands that I loved!
I don’t make any money on these beers, nor do I ask for any. It’s a way for me to pay tribute to the bands, and—who am I kidding?—build the brewery’s fan base. As of this writing we are over 1500 fans on our Facebook page and are still brewing in my basement. And we do break out punk singles and play them as we brew.
Q: Why a Mudhoney beer?
In 1988, I saw Mudhoney at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. About 30 seconds into the second song, they went into overdrive. It was Blue Cheer meets Black Flag. To top it off, they finished the set with the Dicks’ “Hate The Police.” I was hooked. (I kinda felt bad for Live Skull, the headlining act, having to follow that.) So if I had any band to make a beer for, why not them? I contacted Steve Turner and got his thumbs-up.
As with our “higher gravities” theme, it’s 8.5% ABV. I dropped a bottle off at the local record store and heard back that it was “too sweet.” I told them that it’s a mega honey ale. I knew they really didn’t drink it because they were able to type afterwards.
Q: Why does that label look familiar?
That’s an Ed Fotheringham image from Mudhoney’s “Thorn” single. Steve said Ed would be cool with the use of it. (I hope he is … I’ll send him a bottle if he reads this.)
Q: I assume the Mudhoney guys will get a taste of it.
Yes, [drummer] Dan Peters got a case of the beer last month. Said he loved it. He’s going to hand out bottles to the band.
Q: What about the rest of us?
Distributing beer is a big deal. To get it from the brewery to the bar on draft takes a lot of legal and physical wrangling. So far via Facebook, et al, we are building a fan base. I’m getting a lot of emails looking for the beers all over the country. I feel awful when I have to tell someone, “Sorry.” We are still in the process of going legit and will be soon. The beers I make now are strictly for promo. They are not for sale for legal reasons, but will be soon, I hope.
Q: Bummer! Well, the rarity of the beers should keep demand high.
A grass-roots, punk-rock-type attack plan is what’s making the BHB a success. I think of it like early DIY punk singles. Some of our beers are like the Necros’ “Sex Drive” single. A lot of people talk about it, but only a few have ever seen it. We are opening a legit brewery here outside Atlanta in November of this year. We’ll be up to our ass in alligators but loving the ability to work on getting our ales on shelves.
Q: So if a Seattleite visited at the end of the year, could he drop by the tasting room?
We are getting our local license tonight, actually. Now we’re waiting on Uncle Sam to say yes. We’ve rented a warehouse and bought the gear. So, soon!
Q: Given your interests, you’ve probably visited Seattle at some point.
Yeah, it wasn’t until 2001, but I was able to hit Fallout Records and see Bruce Lee’s grave. Pioneer Square was pretty awesome. The bookstore there was awesome. [Ed. note: Wah wuh.]
Q: Were you into our famous “grunge” scene?
It’s funny to see what was written about it in the “Flesh and Bones” fanzine in the late ’80s. About a rock scene where Soundgarden was playing a huge festival with t-shirt sales and stoners in Halo Of Flies shirts scalping tickets in the parking lot. It seemed so funny back then—and I actually owned thrift store flannel shirts, btw!—but as we know it all came true. Why shouldn’t it have? Right? Think about the rock scene of the late ’60s and the rock scene of the late ’80s/’90s. [The former] needed a Led Zeppelin, a Black Sabbath, a Mountain, etc. And we got ours. I’m glad to be able to say that I remember laughing at Chris Cornell on stage at CBGB in late ’89, because he was THAT singer. The one who started the show with his shirt ALREADY off.
Q: So what would you name a Soundgarden beer?
“Chris Cornell’s Chest.” Or “Nothing to Saison.”
Q: A Pearl Jam beer?
Who are they? Maybe “Mookie Blaybock.”
Q: The Gits?
“Mia,” of course.
Q: Aside from Mudhoney, did you dig other bands from that bunch?
Well, Nirvana was amazing. I’ve always told people that Cobain was able to wrestle together a brilliant fusing of Black Sabbath and Cheap Trick. Then, being able to do it with an SST/Homestead/Touch and Go records ethic. I saw them as the four-piece in ’89 and they were good. Then in 1990, as the three-piece, they were better.
Other than Nirvana, I loved that Swallow 45—the yellow one. The Deep Six comp was a great find for me. The U-men were awesome. As was Green River, Blood Circus, and Love Battery.
By the way, a shirt I bought off [Krist] Novoselic in the street outside the old 930 club in WDC? It was a parody of John and Yoko’s Two Virgins cover, but with [Jonathan] Poneman and [Bruce] Pavitt of Sub Pop’s heads on Lennon and Ono’s naked bodies. I sold it last year on eBay for $800.
Q: And you put that cash into the brewery, of course.
Actually, it paid for a Marshall Super Lead head—a vintage one. I don’t think Cobain would’ve minded.
All this could be Costco's...then yours. (Actually, it's the bar at Still.) (Photo: MvB)
Publicola (natch) tips you off to the latest Elway poll on Initiative 1183 (aka “Costco’s liquor-privatization initiative”), which shows a full 50 percent in support of I-1183 statewide. But not so fast.
First, as Publicola cautions: “It’s worth noting, though, that most pundits say a measure needs to initially poll at around 60 percent so it has a cushion to withstand the inevitable negative campaigning of an election.”
And secondly, as the Seattlepi.com’s Chris Grygiel adds, 54 percent of Seattle respondents were opposed.
Predictably, law enforcement and religious groups have looked askance at a proposal whose success is based on increasing total liquor sales in Washington. They’ve been joined in this by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents some 1,000 workers currently employed by the state in its liquor stores. (The UFCW argues, persuasively, that union employees running state liquor stores are more stringent about not selling alcohol to minors than private enterprises.)
I-1183 calls for the closure of state liquor stores and the liquor distribution center; private sellers would then be licensed, with the state still collecting a 17 percent vig from total liquor sales. To forestall corner booze emporia popping up, the initiative requires stores to have 10,000 square feet of retail space. But there’s no denying that the hope (or fear) is that greater convenience and “non-uniform wholesale pricing” would tend to increase liquor sales.
The state’s Office of Financial Management agrees, and offers this rosy prediction for a state beleaguered by deficit, should Washington adopt I-1183:
…total State General Fund revenues increase an estimated $216 million to $253 million and total local revenues increase an estimated $186 million to $227 million, after Liquor Control Board one-time and ongoing expenses, over six fiscal years. A one-time net state revenue gain of $28.4 million is estimated from sale of the state liquor distribution center.
So what’s Seattle’s problem? Democrats. We’re loaded with them, and 62 percent don’t seem to care for anything with “privatization” in the name. Seattle Republicans and independents, by contrast, are in favor 57 and 54 percent, respectively. It’s a little strange, in that initiative sponsor Costco is beloved by Democrats, at least those running for office. Maybe the emphasis should be on “de-socializing” liquor, instead?
