Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Iowa Public High School Invites Ant… | Twitter Just Bought Posterous »

Monday, March 12, 2012

Chow About the Gumbo

Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 2:15 PM

A long, long time ago, I would go to the Virginia Inn and have the gumbo. (And then I would head down to the old Cyclops for the chocolate-zucchini cake.) The gumbo at the Virginia Inn was awesome. For years. Then it got pretty consistently un-awesome. Then it got awful. I pretty much stopped going to the Virginia Inn for the gumbo or anything else. But a few months ago I was walking up 1st Ave and I decided to stop in and check out the ~~newly-expanded~~ some-years-ago-expanded Virginia Inn. I ordered the gumbo with some trepidation. Would it be as good as I remembered? Or as lousy as I remembered?

It was awesome.

Was it a fluke? Was it one awesome batch of gumbo in a sea of un-awesome batches? I stopped by again. Another awesome bowl of gumbo. Again. More awesome gumbo. Today. Again, Virginia Inn, with the awesome gumbo.

So, like, for what it's worth... the gumbo at the Virginia Inn is awesome. Consistently awesome. Just add tabasco and beer.

FacebookShare

Comments (16) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Best Gumbo I ever ate was at Evelyn's in NOLA. Felix's is a close second. Never had a good gumbo in Seattle, so I will be sure to hit the Virginia Inn real soon. Thanks for the tip.

Posted by Rotten666 on March 12, 2012 at 2:20 PM

So less than two hours ago you post about the login lady at the hotel you've been staying in this week. Now you post you had lunch at the Virginia Inn.

You're in town but staying at a hotel? In my family this means the house is temporarily uninhabitable due to either heavy renovations or a big old fight. Either way, flying monkey thoughts are with you.

Posted by gloomy gus on March 12, 2012 at 2:21 PM

Any thoughts on the gumbo at New Orleans in Pioneer Square?

Posted by snapfin on March 12, 2012 at 2:27 PM

They expanded the Virginia?

I need to get out more.

Posted by WFM on March 12, 2012 at 2:45 PM

Gahd, I still can't think of or pass by the VI without remembering the old days when it was a dive bar and Homer Spence worked there. It's still a pretty nice unpretentious room.

Posted by Fnarf

on March 12, 2012 at 2:47 PM

homer spence
*sigh*

Posted by reverend dr dj riz on March 12, 2012 at 2:55 PM

Best Gumbo I ever had was at a shack along the coast, west of Nola.

But in Seattle, there's a number of good places. Virginia Inn is a good choice, the owners speak French, and they do a good Seattle job of gumbo.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on March 12, 2012 at 3:05 PM

@2 Thank you. That was what I was wondering, too. I never thought that he might be out of the house because of heavy renovations. Let's hope that's all it is.

Posted by PaulBarwick on March 12, 2012 at 3:15 PM

Soup Daddy in Pioneer Square has great gumbo too.

Posted by Gern Blanston on March 12, 2012 at 3:17 PM

Now, when will Cyclops revert to the old Cyclops. For starters, they'll need jello molds.

Posted by the idiot formerly known as kk on March 12, 2012 at 7:03 PM

Wow. Coincidence. I just went to VI on Saturday for the first time in probably a decade. I stopped going because the food got terrible. What with the cold clammy cramped room and insufferable drunks, it wasn't worth it when the food went south.

But Saturday's visit was excellent. Great Rubin. Great soup. Excellent service. Well behaved customers. Comfy space. Obviously management is doing something right.

Posted by tkc on March 12, 2012 at 7:48 PM

I love the Virginia Inn. The food is great but the drinks are even better. And the space is really pretty.

Posted by curtisp on March 12, 2012 at 7:51 PM

Hilltop Ale House up on the Queen Anne plateau has fantastic - and very spicy - gumbo.

Posted by blackhook on March 13, 2012 at 12:41 AM

@13 - seconding the gumbo vote for the QA Hilltop Ale House.

I've been a fan of the Virginia Inn dating back to their daring smoking ban, quite a rarity, and an appreciated one.

Posted by Karlheinz Arschbomber