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News & ArtsTuesday, December 15, 2009
Chow Cafe Septieme to Close on New Year's Eve
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 1:54 PM
So says CHS. I haven't been to Septieme in ages because, well, let's not speak ill of the very-nearly-dead. But once upon a time I worked at Septieme—for two years when it was downtown, for two shifts after the cafe opened on Broadway—and I practically lived in the place when I was writing my first two books. My boyfriend and I decided to adopt our son—after his birthmom picked us, we had to pick her back—sitting in a booth at Septieme with our son's ultrasound photo sitting on the table in front of us. We made the call to the adoption agency from the pay phone that used to be by the door and ordered another bottle of Chimay to celebrate.
I want to say that I'll miss Septieme once it closes for good, but that feels like a lie. I've been missing Septieme for years now—it was never the same after Kurt sold the place. Septieme's closing feels less like a death and more like a release.
1
I haven't been in that place for years either. It's more like someone decided to pull the plug on a living corpse.
2
I went there a week ago after a long time away. Won't be going back beofre the final hoorah. It feels like the real Septieme is already closed.
3
Auf Wiedersehen Schweinschnitzel, Lemon drops, funky red walls (in the bar), and most of all, the divine Rodney...
Dan, you were in there three (?) years ago after you and Dina had a reading at Bailey/Coy...you read the disgusting emails written by megadouche Bill O'Reilly and Dina read...?....either the memoirs of Monica Lewinski or was is Hillary Clinton?
Good Times.
Dan, you were in there three (?) years ago after you and Dina had a reading at Bailey/Coy...you read the disgusting emails written by megadouche Bill O'Reilly and Dina read...?....either the memoirs of Monica Lewinski or was is Hillary Clinton?
Good Times.
4
Yeah, there's no going back now. But it was a great truly awesome queer-friendly but never hypey joint for soooo long. Eternal thanks to Rod for his years of being there for us, and to that one Latino server who paraded the finest ass ever seen in this town, and the properly unfortunate attitude to go with it.
5
In the mid-90's, when I first starting making enough money to eat out decently, I was there at least once a week. I liked the smoking section booths—I would've preferred it even if I didn't smoke then—and the blond waiter with the glasses, he was good. It was a good place for a time.
6
Where did I get "queer-friendly"? It was plain old queer, especially when they had a trifle in the case.
8
after kurt sold the place victor ruined it. that place was like my living room for years and i even tried to stick with it after the sale but i don't think i lasted a year. i've missed rodney since i stopped going and will miss him more until i can find out where he lands because i'll give that place a try. i also miss all the old regulars there. good luck to the good staff, good riddance to the bad and i hope victor just gets out of the restaurant business all together or at least just sticks to running craptastic mexican places...
9
I still miss the buttermilk biscuits from the downtown shop. So glad Mr. Rod got the hell out of there.
10
@7, they're working on it, nail shops and Subway's. Broadway's Seattle's own bit of Kent right here in the city limits!!
11
Can someone explain why people have this sense of nostalgia for Cafe Septieme? Something besides "I used to go there all the time." or "It was queer-friendly." I've been there, but not back in the good ole days. Reading Dan's link, it seems like the owner was a nice guy. Is that it?
12
Which brings up a question I've been meaning to ask...
When will the old Broadway crowd migrate to downtown and begin to open up fabulous coffee shops and restaurants in the City? I mean, Pride moved into the City, shouldn't the rest of the community follow?
When will the old Broadway crowd migrate to downtown and begin to open up fabulous coffee shops and restaurants in the City? I mean, Pride moved into the City, shouldn't the rest of the community follow?
14
I will miss walking by and drooling over the cake display between the bar and restaurant. I haven't been in for years (the final straw was when the kitchen repeatedly "forgot" to make our food) but I always loved the pineapple upside cake, cheap but drinkable wine, smoking in the bar (when it was legal), and having a fancy night and sitting on the restaurant side.
Here's hoping something local and fun opens in its place.
Here's hoping something local and fun opens in its place.
15
Cafe Septieme has always run on fumes. The food was always respectable, occasionally excellent, but almost no one who ever worked there understood what (minimal) service means. The fact it's last as long as it did is testament to its only true success: as a minor social hub.
20
Wow. Weird to think when you were adopting your son, Dan, you were still using a pay phone. How old is he now?
21
When I lived in the neighborhood in the mid to late 90s, my roommate and I were there all the time. The food was decent, the desserts and coffee were really good, and we liked the atmosphere. We weren't in a hurry usually, and the slow service meant we could just kind of chill out and chat without feeling like we were getting rushed off. Most of the time we'd each just eat the Septieme salad (really nice for a house salad) and split a bottle of wine before stumbling home. I miss those days.
22
Actually I miss Andy's diner, which was in that space before Septieme. You could get corned beef hash, potatoes (baked, mashed, or fries), a vegetable (usually peas), a salad, and a cup of coffee for under 3 bucks.
23
What makes/made Septieme great was that it really did feel like a French neighborhood bistro...it didn't feel odd to spend two+ hours hanging out and eating and drinking and having good conversations...in most other restaurants, I'm ready to go after 35 minutes. Septieme was comfortable yet classy, shabby yet elegant, decadent yet plebian. The kitchen WAS highly inconsistent, but when it was good, it was great. And, I don't get all the gripes about the service (and, I'm a picky bitch when it comes to that), but I always tried to sit in Rodney's section and he took good care of me.
(As for the desserts, they were pretty meh in my book...)
A toast to Septieme. We'll miss you...esp when you're replaced by either a nail salon, Quiznos, or some high end Eastside type bar/restaurant.
(As for the desserts, they were pretty meh in my book...)
A toast to Septieme. We'll miss you...esp when you're replaced by either a nail salon, Quiznos, or some high end Eastside type bar/restaurant.
24
@22 That was over 10 years ago...even if Andy's was still in that spot they wouldn't be able to afford charging $3 for that meal...
25
Aw, man. I just recently discovered it a few years ago when my GF and I went to Pan's Labyrinth. We ate there before the movie, and I think I enjoyed the restaurant better than the movie that followed. It's a shame we won't be able to go there again the next time we visit Capitol Hill.
26
Back when it was in Beltown, the Septieme had a very different vibe. It was a cozy, tastefully done space, with an enchanting, small outdoor garden area. The food had a french flair, and IIRC the waiters wore black-and-white garcon getups -- hah, maybe one of them was Dan!
The husk left on Capitol Hill was little more than mediocore Seattle diner. Sucks for the Hill, though, to have yet another empty storefront.
The husk left on Capitol Hill was little more than mediocore Seattle diner. Sucks for the Hill, though, to have yet another empty storefront.
27
I met Septieme in April 2000 after returning to Seattle from a failed six-month experiment with San Diego that caused me to miss both WTO and the Kingdome implosion. Before leaving, I had lived in Belltown for five years and enjoyed the Battery Street Cafe. Totally unaware of the connection, I walked into Septieme, sat at the bar, and asked the bartender what to order for dinner. The man I came to know and love as Rodney recommended the blackened catfish with mashed sweet potatoes. So began a love affair that frequently cost me more than the month's rent.
By the way, for those of you who are looking for Rodney, he's at McCormick's on Fourth - blessedly just two blocks from my place of work - currently for lunches. Reinstate the three-martini lunch and tip your server well.
Rodney excepted, I agree that the service suffered after Kurt sold. Before that, in addition to Rodney, were Chris (now at Dahlia), Vance (now at Dinette, fired from Septieme by Victor for closing shop in honor of our Mexican friends' solidarity march on Cinco de Mayo - oh, the irony), Stephanie who made celebrity return visits after moving to Tennessee, the hottie hipster bartender with the neck tattoo, the hottie diner-style server with fabulous blue eyeshadow, and Freddie, the hot-assed Latino with an attitude.
Memories I'll always cherish: sidewalk seats for Pride, daylong summer Saturday "open houses" with all the friends who would pass by, Ricard with all the accoutrements, Scrabble tournies, solo evenings with my jounal, Dominic the server and Dominic the I-75/Rick Steves party planner and Dominic the dinner companion, true latte bowls, gorgeous flowers and rotating art, Erica working on her laptop while she was still sporting her Louise Brooks hairstyle, Kurt's beautiful dessert case, and laughing at - while loving - the menu of a supposed French bistro.
Under Kurt, the food was solid, the service adorable, and the community impact profound. I will miss you so much, my pre-Victor Septieme.
More...
By the way, for those of you who are looking for Rodney, he's at McCormick's on Fourth - blessedly just two blocks from my place of work - currently for lunches. Reinstate the three-martini lunch and tip your server well.
Rodney excepted, I agree that the service suffered after Kurt sold. Before that, in addition to Rodney, were Chris (now at Dahlia), Vance (now at Dinette, fired from Septieme by Victor for closing shop in honor of our Mexican friends' solidarity march on Cinco de Mayo - oh, the irony), Stephanie who made celebrity return visits after moving to Tennessee, the hottie hipster bartender with the neck tattoo, the hottie diner-style server with fabulous blue eyeshadow, and Freddie, the hot-assed Latino with an attitude.
Memories I'll always cherish: sidewalk seats for Pride, daylong summer Saturday "open houses" with all the friends who would pass by, Ricard with all the accoutrements, Scrabble tournies, solo evenings with my jounal, Dominic the server and Dominic the I-75/Rick Steves party planner and Dominic the dinner companion, true latte bowls, gorgeous flowers and rotating art, Erica working on her laptop while she was still sporting her Louise Brooks hairstyle, Kurt's beautiful dessert case, and laughing at - while loving - the menu of a supposed French bistro.
Under Kurt, the food was solid, the service adorable, and the community impact profound. I will miss you so much, my pre-Victor Septieme.
28
You didn't say if you were in the original "original" Cafe Septieme which had something like 5 tables and you could just talk your order to the barista a few feet away -- or the SuperSized Septieme with the garden courtyard and eggs brioche.
As always, the original (original) was the best ...
30
Septieme was at its best in its original, ORIGINAL incarnation as a shoebox in an alley behind the Seamens Club back in 1961...there was no seating, no food, but the atmosphere was divine; authentically French, (the shoebox was a Christian Louboutin) and Rodney's father Sidney, was the best waiter EVUH!!! All other versions after that one, SUCKED and I rule because I remember the bestest, oldest days!!!
31
nooo!!! all faults aside, septieme is two blocks from my house and they have ridiculously cheap breakfast/brunch. it's the obvious option for dragging my hung-over ass to brunch on a saturday/sunday morning to try and choke down some wonderfully greasy eggs and potatos. sadpants.
32
nooo!!! all faults aside, septieme is two blocks from my house and they have ridiculously cheap breakfast/brunch. it's the obvious option for dragging my hung-over ass to brunch on a saturday/sunday morning to try and choke down some wonderfully greasy eggs and potatos. sadpants.
33
I can't tell you how many hangovers I've nursed there over a plate of huevos rancheros. Yeah, it changed but it was still an old familiar. RIP, Septieme.
34
After Victor fired Vance over letting the staff go to the immigration rally on May 1, 2006, I never went back.
Karma.
Karma.
35
Victor is an asshole. After the immigration rally when he fired his staff I never went back either. Hes a fucking hypocrit.
36
My wife and I loved that place, we never had the opportunity to visit the "original" cafe septieme but the Broadway one was amazing. The night I proposed to her I gave her a big photo frame with Cafe Septieme right in the middle because it was our place. A lot of memories there. The staff was very very nice, and the food was excellent. Not the absolute best, but it was such a good Seattle flagstaff. It will be missed on this end. And it did not feel like a living corpse with its plug being pulled.
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