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RSS icon Comments on Sayonara, the Globe

1

This week sucks my ass.

Posted by Levislade | December 18, 2007 2:34 PM
2

wow...if this keeps up, the only things left on the Hill that predate the year 2000 will be The Stranger and KFC, (and despite their denials, they are BOTH full of transfat).

Posted by michael strangeways | December 18, 2007 2:37 PM
3

did Mad Season every play a secret show there? was the owner married to any member of REM? then i don't care. let's report on the important stuff, people.

Posted by Sporting Fellow | December 18, 2007 2:37 PM
4

I ate there once, back in 2000. Had the biscuits and gravy. Was disgusted, never went back. Turned me off of vegan food for a good three years. All my hippie friends loved the place and I could never understand why...

Posted by NaFun | December 18, 2007 2:39 PM
5

Holy Crap, when I had the usual (greens and beans) there last time (august?) me and the cook got in a shouting talk from oven to booth. Fun time. Of course I meandered, my angle was a a series of Carnegie Mellon anecdotes (Ode to Billy Joe, butt-quarter mug target paractice, fire-breathing, Kafka Romance Dissolver - see Miss Manners). yeah, sadly missed, but since that old guy left a year or two, it hasn't been the same anyway. I loved their wordplay [open/closed] sign. Anyone relate? "NOPE?" ;)

Posted by June Bee | December 18, 2007 2:39 PM
6

Globe always kinda reminded me of an old fashion veg holdout - food that was pretty bad, but no one cared because there was no other choices. I was surprised it was still there even years ago.

Can't say I ever had a good experience there. Don't tell me the Black Cat is still in business too?

Posted by Dougsf | December 18, 2007 2:40 PM
7

What the fuck is left on Cap Hill anyway? Besides the homeless shooting up in Cal Anderson Park with the Stranger staff watching..

Posted by Just Me | December 18, 2007 2:40 PM
8

Does anyone know whatever became of the old Coffee Messiah sign?

Posted by NapoleonXIV | December 18, 2007 2:46 PM
9

— I've been filling my tub with vegan grub at the Globe (at least twice a week) since 1997, the place has gone through changes but always had great vegan food. It will be missed for sure. Bummer, for real.

: (

Posted by Aaron Edge | December 18, 2007 2:46 PM
10

RIP biscuits and gravy, plate-sized pancakes, Saturday cake day (back in Robin's time), and the amazing community that congregated there over the years. The last few months were sad to watch as everyone bailed from a sinking ship. Only thing left like it in the city is the Wayward Cafe.

Posted by Trevor | December 18, 2007 2:52 PM
11

Off the top of my head, Just Me: Machiavelli's. Capitol Club. Bill's Off Broadway. Hot Moma's. Bauhaus. Vitta. Cafe Presse. Crave. R-Place. The Cuff. Piecora's. Babeland. Honey Hole. Linda's. Ballet. Six Arms. Chop Suey. Club Z. Madison Pub. 611 Supreme. Smith. Liberty. 22 Doors. Taco Time. C.C. Attles. Chapel. Septeime. Julia's. Bailey/Coy Books. The Deluxe. Siam. Vivace. Charlie's. Broadway Grille. Clever Dunne's. The Redwood. Summit Public House. Top Pot Donuts. The Roanoke. Victrola I & II. Twice Sold Tales (for now). Dick's. Havana. Cha Cha. Purr. Barca. Comet. Stumptown (welcome to the 'hood). Nuemo's. Baguette Box. War Room. The Eagle. Goods. Cafe Stelina. Ha Na. The Egyptian. Harvard Exit. Northwest Film Forum.

And on and on.

Posted by Dan Savage | December 18, 2007 2:52 PM
12

Also, poetry is always worse than pancakes. Period.

Posted by Levislade | December 18, 2007 2:57 PM
13

Good riddance crappy hippy food emanating from a dark kitchen (ALWAYS a bad sign).

Posted by K X One | December 18, 2007 2:58 PM
14

good fucking riddance to this horrible place. one less place in business that helps give vegan food a bad reputation.

Posted by kinkos | December 18, 2007 2:59 PM
15

Yum, Italian!

Seriously, if they do it right, a really good authentic Italian place would be wonderful!

And you can do vegan Italian fairly easily, by the way. Pasta, tomatoes, garlic, basil, most real Italian food is not meat-heavy at all, and nothing like a nice lemon chicken braised with herbs like in Firenze!

Can't wait!

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 18, 2007 3:02 PM
16

The one thing I've never understood about Vegan's is the passion for trying to form tofu and other soy-proteins into artificial meat.

Vegan bacon and eggs, anyone?

Posted by NapoleonXIV | December 18, 2007 3:08 PM
17

@8 - Coffee Messiah! I mourn the loss of that place every time I walk by. What a fabulous trinity, with Apocolypse Tattoo and Holy Smoke... Now a noodle house with no hint of sacrilege.

Posted by rtw | December 18, 2007 3:09 PM
18

Another sign of loss in Cap Hill. but hey, maybe now Whimsy can expand! (Anyone else think that's the crappiest, most out of place store ever? It's like a tacky Eastsider version of retro, without and style)

I was shocked that they survived the storefront renovations that happened in the last year or so, to be honest.

Posted by genevieve | December 18, 2007 3:09 PM
19

Gah, crappy typing! Re: Whimsy, I meant to compare it to Retrofit, the store, not retro, the adjective.

Posted by genevieve | December 18, 2007 3:11 PM
20

No more Home Fries From Heck at the Croc, no more Globe biscuit/gravy/tofu goodness. God doesn't want me to go out for breakfast ever again.

Posted by madamecrow | December 18, 2007 3:22 PM
21

Dan you forgot CLUB LAGOON!

Posted by update | December 18, 2007 3:27 PM
22

This place has been dying for a long time. My sister in law was long a regular there. When she last went in this fall, she ordered Biscuits and Gravy. the guy who had bought it freaked out at her because he took it off the menu (the trademark item) "because it takes too long to cook and people are complaining."

When she questioned this decision, he threatened to 86 her. They HAD been friendly until that point but he just ranted and raved about the asshole customers and the like.

The man didn't want the business to continue. It was once a great place, but it was done.

Posted by Charlie | December 18, 2007 3:27 PM
23

Genevieve, yes! I actually looked all through Whimsy, gaping at the odd and ugly things, torturing myself by insisting I had to find one thing that I'd put in my home before I could leave. I settled on a pillow that had one plain side. Gah! I can't figure out who that stuff is aimed at.

On topic: I loved the wheat-free vegan pancakes... loaded with walnuts and bananas or blueberries. Good coffee, too. The tofu fajitas were my favorite lunch on the hill until they removed the griddle a month or two ago—two huge, healthy, delicious meals worth for $8. This is sad news. What this city doesn't need is another meat-heavy Italian (or French for that matter) restaurant.

Posted by Amy Kate Horn | December 18, 2007 3:31 PM
24

Although it's sad to see the Globe go, my favorite hippie-food restaurant is the Sunlight. The brown rice salads with avocado and tahini dressing taste like Jesus.

Posted by Dominic Holden | December 18, 2007 3:36 PM
25

Levislade @12, Poetry is basically overproof language. It's ike strong liquor -- just because you can't handle it doesn't mean it isn't good.

Posted by Irena | December 18, 2007 3:40 PM
26

Yeah, the owner michael was a total douchebag and basically willed the place into non-existence. Talk about bad service - the last time I went in there he basically told me to get lost because I wasn't a loyal enough customer. ah, alcohol, and it's disastrous effects on the brain. I had my first art show at the globe, back when Robin was the owner - those were the good old days...

Posted by steven miller | December 18, 2007 3:42 PM
27

Even when I was a vegan I never understood the blind allegiance to this shitty restaurant with its terrible food and (purportedly) terrible owner. The biscuits and gravy always seemed to be better suited for wheat-pasting than ingestion. The Wayward is definitely much better eating for your dollar, as is the Sunlight mentioned above.

Posted by christopher hong | December 18, 2007 3:47 PM
28

I went to the Globe once. I found the vegan food to be a mash of tofu with whatever. Most Americans don't seem to know how to cook real vegan food. It's alot more than just tofu folks.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn | December 18, 2007 3:50 PM
29

Went once, thought the food was bland but I liked the giant transparent word panel things... Those were neat.

Posted by Katelyn | December 18, 2007 4:01 PM
30

@16 ... the reason why we eat all the fake meat products is not that we are trying to replace meat, it's just easy.

Vegetarian food is generally high preparation, a few veggie burgers here and there are just need a microwave and viola! Sustenance, although with too much salt!

Seriously, we aren't deluding ourselves, we've been taught to eat American and doing our best to accomidate.

Posted by OR Matt | December 18, 2007 4:03 PM
31

#30 - good point. Just eat a REAL Mediterranean diet that has hardly any meat, a little fish and chicken, and you'll be fine.

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 18, 2007 4:07 PM
32

@31

Who cares ... some of us vegetarians are JUST fine the way we are. If you had to pick me out of a crowd, I would be the LAST one you thought would be a vegetarian.

However vegan is something I will never do ...

Posted by OR Matt | December 18, 2007 4:14 PM
33

I adore Michael in all of his bitchy glory, the space makes me happy, and the food is delish. This news is sad, sad, sad.

Posted by violet_dagrinder | December 18, 2007 4:15 PM
34

@ 26

Alchohol? I thought he was tweaking on something?

I used to go every now and then with my boyfriend, but one time we went and that guy was there and he screamed at his employees and some of the customers the whole time we were there.

I never wanted to be within 100 feet of that guy ever again.

Too bad he didn't sell it to someone who wasn't a whiny douche.

Posted by thaumaturgistguy | December 18, 2007 4:24 PM
35

The owner, Michael Whats-his-face, is an obnoxious, lecherous bitch-drunk. I would often (outside the restaurant) see him literally stumble around in a drunken stupor, holding on to some younger boy-toy, yelling at people and hitting on teenage(-ish) boys.

I mourn the loss of any independent business in the city, but please tell me that he drank himself into bankruptcy and is living in a cardboard box. Please. I want to piss in that box.

Posted by JC | December 18, 2007 4:25 PM
36

Seattle officially sucks now.
I'm moving to Portland.

Posted by treacle | December 18, 2007 4:46 PM
37

this is sad news. the globe is by far my favorite restaurant, mostly because of great memories there.
it was the first all vegan restaurant my first bf and i went ever went to when i moved to seattle. i still remember going there for the first time after we broke up and tearing up remembering the 'good ol'times'.
however, as time passed i reclaimed the globe as a place to hang with friends on the weekend. i also got to meet rilo kiley, ted leo, death cab and others while eating there, as well as a bunch of other awesome seattle musicians and bands. it seems like all of the seattle gestapo vegans hate the globe (i'm looking at a few certain people who have already posted on this thread. you know who you are), for whatever reasons. but on a personal level, sad news.

ps
they had the best fucking cinnamon rolls in the city.

Posted by sad vegan boy | December 18, 2007 4:57 PM
38

isn't it funny that the vegans who were long timers there claim it was delicious but that anyone who happened in once or twice thought it was crap?

Posted by Bellevue Ave | December 18, 2007 5:03 PM
39

I too miss Coffee Messiah.

But, life changes, and turnover in the restaurant business is fairly high, as we all know.

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 18, 2007 5:04 PM
40

And don't forget Dick's.

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 18, 2007 5:05 PM
41

The food and coffee there sucked. the employees were not very pleasant. the hippies loved it because they got to be among their own kind without intruders (minorities) they don't like. It's the same thing with some people who ski, snowboard and hike.

The Sunlight sucks, too. Bad food, crappy/rude service to those of us who don't fit "the look" of Seattle (same thing with a lot of places on Capitol Hill). I gave Sunlight a few chances before giving up. Their rudeness borders on harassment. I may go again for a test and then file a complaint like those people who were treated like crap at a Dennys years ago. It was that bad (and humiliating), folks. Don't go! Oh, this happened to me at CC's once, too. A fat gay dude asked me for "my papers." Man, their are some mean people in Seattle.

I miss SilenceHeartNest in U District (I know they have relocated). Great service.

And that place before Wayward Cafe was great, tasty food. It is great now, too. Nice staff.

Man, there are some nice people in Seattle.

Posted by DayOutDayIn | December 18, 2007 5:07 PM
42

That entire building was bought in about 2004-05 (I don't remember) for a couple million I think, from what I gathered from the tax records. It was bought by those guys around the corner in that Madrona Real Estate group. They gutted all the apartments upstairs and renovated and then set to work on the retail floor.

They were attempting to get upwards of $22-24/sf so it was a matter of time before the Globe folded. Their rent was something kind of cheap - I'm thinking $500-$600/month.

I called that Michael guy at the time and he was definitely pissed about the rent increase. He said it was something like "5 times higher" or whatever.

That's why everything in that entire square block is run down and/or turning over - remember the old record store? The corner mini-mart? Say goodbye to Bootyland next. and then the crummy laundromat, vacuum repair store, etc... will be renovated to justify the higher rent.

I just don't get how these people don't understand that you can't ask a business to pay the kind of rent that you arrived at by multiplying your investment times 2 years divided by your investors percent increase in profit. Look at the Trace. Same problem.

Posted by fug seattle | December 18, 2007 5:29 PM
43

last time I ate at that crap hole I got the biscuits and gravy. To go. I got to work, only to find out that they must have been out of busciuts because I had a blue berry scone and gravy. I shoved it through their mail slot on my way home. Seriously this place was once great, but that has been about ten years ago.

Posted by opus | December 18, 2007 5:55 PM
44

I always hated the food at the Globe. I prefer a little "circle of life" with my food.

But, I used to date hippies for some sick reason (probably just the long hair) and so the Globe was necessary a few times.

Posted by It's Mark Mitchell | December 18, 2007 6:35 PM
45

@38--
I used to live about 5 blocks away from the Globe. I was vegan at the time. My (also vegan) boyfriend loved the place. This was when the old guy was the owner: I did like the taste of their menu items, they really did taste good. I was a regular at that time...

However, about a month or so after the ownership changed, I ALWAYS got the shits after eating there. I ate there about twice a month, and without fail, stomache all afternoon...and it wasn't that I had had too much coffee or anything. It was horrible! I didn't want to believe that my favorite spot would give me the shits!

But it did (consistently) and it all began with the new ownership...ew ew ew.

Posted by Morgan | December 18, 2007 7:05 PM
46

When I first moved into town, I applied for a job at the Globe. I handed Michael a resume and he said flat out that he didn't hire women, because the kitchen was too greasy and girls get grossed out by that.

I didn't have the sense to throw the book at him, which I should have done.

Posted by Bee | December 18, 2007 7:08 PM
47

26, 34

That dude was on crack, or at least social crack. I was a regular for awhile, but then I quit going after he would hit on my boyfriend and act downright mean to me (while we were together!).

Crazy asshole. God, now I want to stroll in there and tell him good riddance to his face. A little to aggressive for this town though.

Posted by Globe hater | December 18, 2007 7:13 PM
48

I used to know a Michael who cooked there. Hope he didn't degenerate into the above-referenced Michael!

Posted by kittyname | December 18, 2007 7:38 PM
49

That dude once yelled at me for having cut my hair. On the one hand, I was flattered that he liked my old haircut (I do them myself), but, on the other, it's my fucking hair, dude.

Hair grows back, of course. vegan restaurants and rock clubs, maybe not so much...

Posted by Eric Grandy | December 18, 2007 8:04 PM
50

The food at The Globe is terrible. In Williamburgh Brooklyn where I used to live there was a real chic Vegan alternative restaurant with cheap meals. They had a $25 soup and bread plate that was out of this world. The pumpkin cilantro was my favorite.

I moved to Seattle two years ago from Manhattan and as a "Stranger" in Seattle I can't understand how anyone could eat at a creepy hippy dive like The Globe. Good riddance.

Posted by Issur | December 18, 2007 8:35 PM
51

i liked the globe's food but whoever the owner was sucked. i thought he was lying when he said he owned it. anyway, i didn't move to seattle for the food.

Posted by josh | December 18, 2007 8:58 PM
52

14. Kinkos, you gave an appropriate eulogy in your restaurant review of their place:

My girlfriend and I had brunch at the globe a year or two ago and it was quite possibly the nastiest most disgusting meal we've shared in this fair city. It gives vegan food a bad name (vegan food can be and usually is quite good, but a proliferation of crappy places like this ruin that reputation). I'd rather eat a sweat sock at the back of the #43 bus for breakfast than eat here again. It's that awful.

Posted by Gomez | December 18, 2007 9:22 PM
53

I rather liked the Globe, and I'm not even a vegan or vegetarian.

But I'd rather see vegan food in general wiped off the face of the planet rather than this little place. That's a non-sequitur, but it's really fucking early.

Posted by mjg | December 19, 2007 5:09 AM
54

The Red Sky Poetry Theatre ran for over 23 years, there.

The poetry wasn't always good, but often it was, and it had a good, supportive community vibe. John Olsen would try out new work there and others, Doug Nufer, Marion Kimes, Paul Hunter, the crew.

You'd go to Red Sky when you couldn't stomache the absolute egomaniacalness of the slam.

Robin, the former owner, was the sweetest sweet heart that ever sweeted.

Ironically, the new owner cut the throat of Red Sky Poetry Theatre supposedly so as to save cash.

This makes me sad.

Seriously, my Seattle is gone.

Posted by noel | December 19, 2007 7:56 AM
55

i want to add to the "vegan food doesn't have to just be tofu and other crap" argument. i joined the legions of people who can't do soy a few years ago, and haven't been able to go to places like the globe ever since.

there are plenty of creative ways to do vegetarian and vegan food without shaping tofu into 100 variations. i used to love the gravy til i went there and waited an hour for it only to get some brick-heavy biscuits with separated gravy that basically looked like glow-in-the-dark oil and water, with a few lumps of flour.

i liked the idea of the globe, but i bet the italian place will have more tasty vege-head variety.

Posted by kim | December 19, 2007 8:17 AM
56

it is the same michael that used to be the cook.

Posted by omelette | December 19, 2007 11:11 AM
57

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Posted by Maria | December 19, 2007 12:25 PM
58

I was a Globe regular for the past 8 years, up until about 2 months ago, when Michael threatened to 86 me "just like I've done to a bunch of other customers". Because, "Who do they think they are telling me how to run my business?" Now I know he'll blame the high rent or something, but the fact is, he ran this place into the ground with the nasty way he treated his staff and patrons. I'm glad he'll be getting the break he obviously needs from all the stress.

Posted by Dee | December 20, 2007 8:06 AM
59

Italian food? La Spiga is just down on 12th. It’s sad to see the place go. My kids and I loved it. Biscuits and gravy with a side of potatoes. Can’t go wrong there. Great local café food. Café Messiah…the Globe… the hill is loosing its teeth. We’ll be left with a nice little homogenized world. We should change the name from Capital Hill to West Bellevue.

Posted by James | December 21, 2007 6:31 PM
60

I cant belive the comments...the pancakes are a standard I rate other cakes on. The biscits and gravey...yummy. I never in all the years since it opened every had a bad meal. Dirty tables yes, long waits yes. Pancakes bigger then your head!!

Posted by tim | December 24, 2007 8:47 PM

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