The corner of 14th South and Cloverdale Street in South Park has been one of the busiest in the city of Seattle for decades because it's a crossroads between White Center/West Seattle, the Boeing Company, SR 99, and the neighborhood itself.
Now people passing through have a good reason to stop.
Uncle Eddie's, a public house, has opened at 8601 14th Ave S. under the ownership of Michael Goldsmith and Keasa Jones who are partners in life too. Goldsmith is familiar to people in West Seattle and Burien as the long time manager of the Elliott Bay Brewery. Now he has brought those 17 years of experience to his own new restaurant/bar. Jones is also an architect and did most of the interior design which is reflective of Goldsmith and Jone's wish to honor the area with a simple, warm, decor. "It's an updated sort of blue collar public house," explained Goldsmith," and it's carried out in everything from the restrooms to our logo." The logo is a black and white depiction of the South Park Bridge tower, the Duwamish River and an airplane flying overhead while the restrooms have black and white movie star photos in frames on the walls.
Open to all ages Uncle Eddie's is loosely named after Goldsmith's uncle but more thematically about an imaginary uncle who has a bar and lives upstairs. On the walls are fishing poles, old athletic trophies, ceramic Wild Turkey bottles, classic beer signs and classic pinball glass plate art, supposed "momentos' from Uncle Eddie's life. In fact they are the product of a favorite pastime of Goldsmith and Jones, antique shopping, "Now our house is bare," Goldsmith said laughing.
The actual bar is custom made and topped by thousands of pennies with clear epoxy poured over them.
The building has been around since 1927 and served as a clothing store, cleaners, shoe repair shop, furniture store and hispanic butcher shop or carniceria.
Uncle Eddie's will offer custom sandwiches ranging from $11 to $15 including Pulled Pork Cubano, Chicken Chile Verde, Seattle Cheesesteak, BBQ Brisket, Garbanzo Fritters, Egg Salad, and many more. Snacks available include Jalapeno poppers, Mini Meat Pies, Rosemary/Garlic Fries, Kielbasa Corn Dog Bites, and array of soups and salads. Goldsmith describes the menu as "Straightforward, respectable comfort food. The focus is on house made from scratch ingredients highlighting gooey, delicious, big sandwiches." The menu was developed by Chef Jed Lutge.
"The day we met we had a shared vision about what we wanted to create," said Goldsmith.
Local beers are on draft and the bar is well stocked for cocktails. Something unique made by well known Bar Manager and West Seattleite Allison Hill is a selection of Beer and Bump offerings pairing beers with a shot of liquor often based on their flavor profile and both at a discounted price.
There are four TV's at Uncle Eddie's but they are just there to let you keep an eye on the game. Music (of all kinds) will play most of the time. "I think sports are fun but I think there are a lot of folks who want to focus on each other who want to commune and relax."
Uncle Eddie's will offer the full kitchen from 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday with the bar open until Midnight. On Friday and Saturday Kitchen open till 10pm and the bar will stay open till 1am. There's seating for 49 and plenty of parking in the lot just west of the restaurant.
When the warmer weather arrives they will offer outdoor seating in a courtyard area.
Ever since the new bridge was completed the area has seen some new investment and some businesses are getting facelifts while others are introducing new ideas and bringing fresh energy.
South Park is no stranger to people passing through. Now they have a great reason to stop and stay awhile.
