Friday Night in Seattle--Decadent, Delicious, Different, Disappointing

Friday night out in Seattle promises the dazzle of the urban environment. Especially for those from the outer cities--Poulsbo, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Silverdale, etc--who take the ferry in with the hopes of having a good time.

Starting out at Fado, Irish Pub and Restaurant, I'm immediately swayed by our waitress to try their new summer ale. Samuel Smith's Organic Strawberry Fruit Ale, a beer brewed in England with an ABV of 5.2%, is light and refreshing. Not my usual taste, but still worth trying. Half the allure is the organic title it bears due to this new world we live in where the thought is that any food that isn't organic is slowly killing you with hormones and pesticides. Would you like an ORGANIC beer? It's better for you. Why yes, yes, I would.

Picture I snapped with my smart phone during dinner.

After I overwhelm my senses with fruit ale, I settled in to peruse the menu. With a vast array of food to offer, I feel confident I can find something to eat. Fado offers authentic food such as Bangers and Mash and Homemade Shepherd's Pie. They also offer a number of dishes marinated in Guinness, a tempting treat for anyone who's a fan of this dark and creamy beer. I'll be honest, what caught my eye immediately was not their main dishes, but their dessert--Black and Tan Brownie with Guinness Ice Cream--don't mind if I do! But I pushed through the immediate desire to forgo real food for this decadent dessert and settled on a Smoked Turkey RLT, rashers are Irish bacon therefore RLT not BLT. What appeared in front of me was nothing short of excellent. The fries were crispy on the outside and golden in color and the actual RLT was perfect as well, but I saved half to take home with me because my mind was still on Guinness ice cream. With no hesitation I ordered the dessert and eagerly awaited its arrival. In fact, had I not been so eager, I might not have noticed that the waiter almost delivered it to the table beside me. The most incredible part was the dessert did not let me down. It was everything the menu promised and much, much more. Even trying to describe the actual dish would fall short, so you'll have to take my word for it and try it yourself. Fado has multiple locations and for my Texas people there is a location in Austin and in Dallas.

After dinner we moved on heading into Pioneer Square, a place I'm told used to be the place to be, but now resembles an area that has fallen on hard times. Every other building is boarded up, abandoned, and forgotten. While there are still some cool little niches to be had, it is obvious that Seattle's night life has moved elsewhere.

After a little Google-ing, we decide to try out a nightclub, Trinity. The website shows pictures of people dancing in a crazy party environment where you can almost feel the sweat and sexual tension floating of the dance floor. What Trinity was actually like can only be described as disappointing. With a $10 cover charge per person before entering, one is expecting something spectacular behind those doors. It's not. Trinity just looks like another bar. The dance floor is off to the right, behind curtains, and down a ramp. I decided to have a drink before going to dance. My first mistake. I pay for my expensive Tequila shot, down it, and then decide to check out the dance floor. I walk though the curtains to find that no one is dancing. The dance floor is deserted save for some stragglers standing on it, just talking. All of a sudden, I'm one of the stragglers, dazed and confused. Why is no one dancing at a dance club? I decided it was time to go. After leaving, the only thing I took with me was the stamp on my wrist that branded me as having been there and is now starting to fade from my shower.

With multiple disappointments down on Pioneer Square, I decide it's time to head back to a place I know is good, The Owl n' Thistle Irish Pub and Restaurant. It's pretty close to Fado and a short walk back to the ferry. The sound of music greats us on the street even before we enter the bar. Upon entering we find two older men, one playing the violin and the other playing guitar. They are playing authentic Irish songs and oldies such as Mr. Tambourine Man and Leaving on a Jet Plane. The crowd does not seem to be paying much attention as they're caught up in their own conversations and dulled by multiple drinks. In fact, one older gentleman was so sloshed he fell out of the chair he was attempting to sit in. The band incorporated this into their act. Very amusing, since it was happening to someone else.

Finally, it's time to catch the last ferry home. What can be seen on this 12:50 A.M. ferry is party goers, exhausted and ready to be home. In the hour it takes to make it back to Bremerton Harbor most sleep while others make quiet conversation.

Friday evening comes to a close when one is finally back in the comfort of their own bed, musing over the evening's events.

"And Soon the Darkness" because you will be falling asleep during this movie...

Image courtesy of comingsoon.net.

In an age where I can access movies from instant streaming, I expect to be able to find a decent movie. Netflix offers an array of movies in diverse genres. For instance, I turned on my TV a few days ago to find the catergory title: Horror featuring Strong Female Leads. Well that's awfully specific. Thanks Netflix! Perhaps Netflix assumes that because I watched Silence of the Lambs, which has Jodie Foster as a strong female lead, that I have an extreme desire to watch more movies like. Alright, sure. Let's go with that thought.

So, per Netflix's suggestion, I decided to take a spin through this genre. After what seemed like an eternity of slim pickings, I decided on "And Soon the Darkness." Two girls biking across Argentina by themselves meet up with inevitable trouble...death to follow. Now I don't know about other viewers out there, but I'm thinking to myself, "Well, obviously. Two American girls, obviously foreign and unfamiliar with the language, travel to a remote area...what else could possibly happen besides they get kidnapped and tortured or whatnot?" Seriously, who's watching the movie where two American girls bike through Argentina, and nothing happens--no one is.

But I try to move past it, telling myself maybe this movie will be different. Maybe it will have some incredible plot twist. What a let down. Following in much the fashion of the typical horror film where the slutty girl dies and the "virginal" girl lives against all realistic odds, this movie disappoints again and again. In fact, take away Mike Myers, add in a corrupt cop selling young woman into the sex trade, and I guarantee you've already seen this movie.

If the predictability wasn't bad enough, the character development is thin at best. You don't feel any relationship build with the characters. In fact, when the slutty girl gets kidnapped after conducting herself in a less than polite manner at the local cantina, you kind of don't blame the kidnapper. Yeah, she probably had it coming. That's what happens when you get drunk, act rowdy, and take home a man you've never met before. Stupid.

So, take my advice and don't waste your time on "And Soon the Darkness."