Havana, Capitol Hill

A blue-eyed pilot with a devastating, dimpled smile once showed me around Chicago. It was November and bitter cold. To warm up we slipped into a little Cuban restaurant downtown and spent hours sipping caipirinhas. That afternoon I learned that Cuban cocktails can be dangerous. Ditto all-American pilots.

Those close to me know that when it comes to danger, I avoid activities with a high risk for broken bones (downhill skiing, mountain bike racing) while jumping head first into those with a high risk for a broken heart (flirting with bartenders, professing love on second dates). So when the aforementioned flyboy landed in Seattle last week, I naturally threw caution to the wind agreed to meet him for drinks at Havana. Where better for us to romp down memory lane than this Cuban-inspired hotspot?

Havana is glamorous without the glam, laid back yet utterly sexy. With its palm plants, vintage sconces and soaring, embossed tin ceilings, Havana evokes another place and time; I wouldn't be a bit surprised to run into Hemingway himself at the bar. You can sip your perfectly made Mojito or one of the inspired house specialties at large booths beside picture windows or head upstairs for more privacy in the intimate loft. Tuesday nights bring great DJs and hot dancing, I hear.

Take note: The entrance to Havana is hard to find. Unmarked and tucked in the back of the parking lot that sits across the street from Caffé Vita, the obscurity of it all makes visiting Havana all the more exotic.

Havana
1010 E Pike ST
(206) 323-2822