Elliott Bay Cafe

Housed in the basement of the historic Pioneer Square Elliott Bay Book Company, the Elliott Bay Café is surprisingly bright and spacious, with nooks and crannies for folks who like a little privacy. The café is always filled with huddles of eclectic people, from gay knitting groups, to studying students, to couples sitting closely together, kissing and groping one another (oh no, that was us). Well, the café is a great place to people-watch, read a purchase from upstairs, or attend a book reading by a local, famous author. It’s even a great place to flirt with the tattooed and vintage-eye-glass-wearing baristas. But it’s not a great place for coffee.

Although my steamy decaf latte was topped with the mandatory, foamy, perfectly formed leaf, the complete lack of flavor disappointed. I also ordered a macaroon to share with my sweetheart. But I hesitated, wondering if it would be rude to ask for the cookie without the fruit fly. Still, the round mound of moist coconut, soaked in dark chocolate looked delicious, despite it’s dual use as a fruit-fly landing pad, so I couldn’t resist. Certainly, we eat food all the time that has already been sampled by a medley of bugs, like every salad we order in a restaurant, or the toppings for our frozen yogurts, that sit out all day awaiting our order.

Anyway, even the cookie disappointed. Instead of a crunchy outer meringue layer enveloping a gooey, sweet center, it was just a gobby scoop of under-baked, overly-sweet coconut that crumbled in our fingers as we attempted to eat it. I could have purchased a bag of coconut for the same price and enjoyed it more. At least the chocolate was good.

So, score one for the cute baristas. Two for the terrific brick floors and historic atmosphere. Three for the people watching. Four – a great place for a lesbian couple to make out and hardly anyone notices, and even if they do, they smile at you, practically egging you on for more. But don’t go for the coffee. I hear the grilled sandwiches are great. And they do serve lots of bottled beverages….