The Broadway Grill Is Closing

Comments

Bye bye, gay Denny's!

Totalpukoid on April 23, 2013 at 12:14 PM

I agree with the owners' assessment that the food had gotten better. Ate there a few times recently after some time away, and it was pretty tasty indeed. But, the name change did irk. The 'blank on/at blank' naming protocol is so ten-years-ago. And if you're looking for a new name to spark up the joint, find a new name. Shuffling words around -- Really shows the effort to refresh the place, dunnit?

Eastpike on April 23, 2013 at 12:15 PM

That was a perfect summary of what that place used to mean. We always thought of it as a place for fags who couldn't unclench enough to revel in the glory that was Septieme.

I will say this for the Grill, I'd never peed into ice cubes before they opened.

TomJohnsonJr on April 23, 2013 at 12:17 PM

I hooked up there, I'm straight and they we're ladies, but stil, good times.

steakhaus on April 23, 2013 at 12:24 PM

So sad. Matt did such wonderful things for the place. This was truly shocking news.

Baby Blue on April 23, 2013 at 12:24 PM

Oh for hell. Where are we going for Thanksgiving dinner now? Charlie's? They serve laboratory created turkey loaf. Julia's? I keep expecting to run into Waylon Flowers and Madame every time I go in there.

--MC on April 23, 2013 at 12:25 PM

They used to have great drinks and were a fun place to take a date for non-gay couples too.

Will in Seattle on April 23, 2013 at 12:26 PM

Awwww maaaan crap! I've always loved that place. We used to call it The Bar With Too Many Adjectives. I'd meet my parents there for lunch and such. My mom loves that freaking chandelier.
Crap.

Lissa on April 23, 2013 at 12:27 PM

I think I only ate there twice, but I loved Monday karaoke. I will miss singing Patsy Cline songs and drinking cheap scotch and sodas. Now I'll have to go back to The Crescent...

ERIN! on April 23, 2013 at 12:28 PM

The Grill's closing!?!?!? It's official Capitol Hill is no longer gay.

Cato the Younger Younger on April 23, 2013 at 12:32 PM

SLOG HAPPY AT THE BRAODWAY GRILL!!!!!!!!

Who's up for that?

Cato the Younger Younger on April 23, 2013 at 12:33 PM

Wow... Kinda sad to lose that place.

You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me on April 23, 2013 at 12:38 PM

What? Is there/could there be a Save Our Grill? That place was awesome and seemed like it would survive the transition from gay ghetto to gentrification.

Boooooooo.

I say this even though my credit card had been part of the great hacking of 2011.

TheMisanthrope on April 23, 2013 at 12:50 PM

I used to go there all the time with my (hetereosexual female) ex-wife in the early 90s.

I had no idea it was gay.

But then when I listened to Yes, Queen, Bowie and Elton John in high school, I had no idea either!

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on April 23, 2013 at 1:06 PM

good riddance.

terrible food and terrible staff.

Rowlf on April 23, 2013 at 1:09 PM

Cheers Broadway Grill, you served me a crisp martini as a fresh faced 19yr old on my first night of 12 years in Seattle. I remember fondly that martini and the really nice guy who obliged me as I watched the twilight moon. Ah the 90s is Seattle were awesome.

Space Sausage on April 23, 2013 at 1:24 PM

I'll miss you, beloved crack nachos.

zachd on April 23, 2013 at 1:42 PM

@15, when were you there last? Seriously, it has dramatically imporoved. It took the new owner about a year, but it was way better and the last time I was there it rocked. Drinks, food, and service were spot on. I'll try to get there again before they close if in town.

nador on April 23, 2013 at 1:47 PM

Has anyone been around long enough to remember when this was Baffert's? If so, what years was that? Was Baffert's gay?

peterga on April 23, 2013 at 1:51 PM

Things I won't miss? Those tiny-ass wicker chairs that were clearly not designed to seat anyone over 6'0" tall, and getting my credit card info stolen due to a security hole in their computer system.

UNPAID COMMENTER on April 23, 2013 at 1:53 PM

I ate there once 10 years ago and that was it for me. It was awful. So while I can't say I'll miss it, I suspect it will be replaced with something far worse, like a national chain. :(

ian on April 23, 2013 at 2:02 PM

I'm sorry to say I'm with Rowlf. I had the poutine there, and was disappointed, and when I ordered a dirty martini, the waitress had to ask around the staff what was in a dirty martini. I eventually got a glass of gin-tinged olive brine. Still, the atmosphere and culture of the place is not to be ignored, and as a mainstay of the gay hill, it will be missed.

MacCrocodile on April 23, 2013 at 2:08 PM

Kinda mean for a farewell post, don't you think, Dom? Someone from there piss you off? Anyway, yes it was run-of-the-mill fare (although their chop salad was all I ate, and there was a period when it was damn good). When I first moved here, I had some good gay times there, and I'll remember it fondly. Why rip apart a diner on its way out? It's a little like bitching about someone at their funeral because they failed to stay young.

Michael of the Green on April 23, 2013 at 2:26 PM

@22 anyone without knowledge of a dirty martini (booze 101) should not be in the food service industry.

Rowlf on April 23, 2013 at 3:07 PM

The Grill is where I met Dominic, oddly enough, though I'd been reading him for years. Met a lot of good people there, in fact, and am very sad to hear that it's closing.

Even if Matt did often give me crap for ordering off of the kids menu, still love him, and will miss hearing CJ rocking out singing on Monday nights.

dagard on April 23, 2013 at 3:37 PM

I don't think Dom was ripping on the CURRENT state of the Grill...the food and service WERE terrible for much of the 2000's and my brother DID get food poisoning there...in 2001. It's doubly sad that the Grill is leaving because it WAS getting better...the food and service, plus the vibe was different. It's much more of a mixed crowd and not so snotty gay like it was back in the day.

michael strangeways on April 23, 2013 at 3:57 PM

@19:

Yes, I remember Bafferts (hence the bronze "B" on the sidewalk that predates its incarnation as "The Broadway Grill".) But then, I also remember Ernie Steele's, Fred Meyer's, and the fact that there was a time when there wasn't a single Thai restaurant to be found anywhere on the Hill.

I want to say B'Way Grill opened in the early '90's, maybe around '91?

COMTE on April 23, 2013 at 4:32 PM

Seattle beloved Bacon Strip Drag and Variety Show will be closing as well. Sylvia O'Stayformore announced that after moving from Rebat to chop Suey and then to the Grill, enough was enough. This is doubly sad because Bacon Strip was often a launching venue for many fine Seattle performers.

thatsnotright on April 23, 2013 at 4:41 PM

@27: Oo! Oo! I remember Ernie Steele's and the Fred Myers! It took up that whole block with one loooooooong blank wall and it never seemed to get tagged for some reason.

Lissa on April 23, 2013 at 6:27 PM

It always sucks when a Seattle institution goes away.

I had no idea that it was a gay icon, either.

Haven't been there in probably seven years but when I'd gone there over the years, I always had a good dining experience.

Clearly I missed the bad times, but this seems to me like a classic case of mismanagement.

How else do you fuck up a location like that, other than the landlord extorting you on a new lease?

Still, sad to see them go...

CPN on April 23, 2013 at 6:40 PM

Always hate to see more of old Seattle disappearing and heaven knows Broadway doesn't need any more empty storefronts, but really, when Hamburger Mary's moved out of the Broadway Market and the Market Cinemas and the Jade Pagoda closed, and the Pink Zone (later) and The Cramp (earlier) closed, Broadway was over in my opinion.

Don't get me started on the Grill though. Didn't get a chance to re-try after the few disasters I experienced there from long ago. Won't miss it, but best wishes to the employees - even the waitress who went home in the middle of my meal right after bringing an unopened bottle of wine to the table.

Bauhaus I on April 23, 2013 at 9:31 PM

well sorry to say this does not suprise me. The service sucks and there has been no creative change to the menu in along time. It has so much potential. So sad and I hope something fabulous goes in there.

Rabbitpants on April 23, 2013 at 10:57 PM

Will the last hipster on Broadway please turn off the lights.

RIP Broadway Grill, RIP the 1990s on Broadway, RIP everything that used to be great about living here.

certaindoom on April 24, 2013 at 6:43 AM

I am sooo not surprised. Staff is unremarkable and weekend management...well, where should I begin.

anti-vigilante on April 24, 2013 at 8:43 AM

Twas the first place that I screwed up my courage and used the men's restroom after I decided to transition. After that being a complete non-event, I felt free to pee in men's restrooms all across the nation. Thanks for the boost of confidence, Broadway Grill.

Hawke on April 24, 2013 at 5:35 PM

I used to love the Broadway Grill back when I lived in Seattle a number of years ago, but I moved back recently and have gone there a few times. The items I liked on the menu were gone, replaced by generic, uninspired crap. Everything I tried there was mediocre, and the atmosphere felt different. After the last time I left I had already concluded that the restaurant I loved didn't exist anymore. This is just making that official.

(I'm not sure how people can think the menu improved... the food was very average compared to what it used to be when I went in the past year.)

Jajuka on April 28, 2013 at 12:50 PM

The Broadway Grill Is Closing

Comments

Please wait...

Add a comment

Preview

Editors' Picks

Seattle Does Not Have a Spending Problem, Big Business Has a Greed Problem

Karuna Long Is Serving Cambodian Deep Cuts at Oliver’s Twist—But He Needs Your Help

A Militia Adopted Three Highways in Washington

The Architect Who Wants to Redesign Being Dead

The Stranger’s Endorsements for the August 1, 2023, Primary Election

Going Off-Leash with Seattle's Magnuson Park Dog Walkers

Support The Stranger

Comments

Please wait...

Add a comment

Preview

Editors' Picks

Just Can't Get Enough?

Sign up for our newsletter for news recaps, updates, and more!