📍Queen Anne Beer Hall, Seattle
On Saturday, August 10th I was looking for a bar to catch the US Men's Basketball gold medal game against France in the 2024 Olympics. I wanted to go to a place that was busy, but not too busy. I wanted the game audio but to hear people react to what was gearing up to be a good game. I wasn't thinking about the food.
A friend suggested Queen Anne Beer Hall. It's a fairly massive room that could probably fit over 200 people. Many of the tables were empty but a few had people. The charm of a place like this is that crowd. One among many, cheering together. We arrived a few minutes before tipoff and made our way to the bar in the back.
It's been a few years but I fondly remember Pilsner Urquell accompanying every meal I had in Prague. They had Pilsner Urquell on tap here. It was an individual tap, separated from all the rest. It was soft and clean to drink with just a bit of bitterness to finish. It was the perfect beer to sip on during the game.
As we counted down to tipoff, the TV feed highlighted the Women's 400m Relay. The Americans quite literally ran away with it. We didn't have audio but the place was jumping. Turning around, quite a few tables filled in from when we arrived. The type of crowd we needed for the atmosphere I wanted was coming in. The game audio came on and my checklist for a place to watch this game was complete. Even if you didn't come to watch this game, you were now here to watch this game.
Every LeBron James drive and dunk had the crowd jumping and cheering. Overhearing conversations nearby, you could hear snarky remarks about playing time and other storylines from the game. The US was leading but it felt much closer at halftime. The bar had someone on a microphone shouting out everyone wearing Team USA jerseys and other patriotic clothes. I took this time to order a second beer.
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The atmosphere only ramped up after halftime. France cut the lead against the US and the room was brimming with anxious overconfidence. Then Steph Curry took over. The room that was generously 20% full at tip-off was now packed. Each bucket led to overpowering cheers and USA chants. The US team was victorious on Steph Curry's late-game shotmaking.
Double Smashburger at Queen Anne Beer Hall
As the game ticked towards the end, we ordered smashburgers. I got the double, my friend got the single. The burger sauce came on the side, by default. I haven't seen that in too many places. It was a ketchup and mayo-based burger sauce with a bit of sharpness, likely from horseradish. The benefit of the sauce on the side is the ability to dip the well-salted fries.
The burger came on a squishy white bun. According to the menu, each patty is about 3oz. These were smashed right to the edge. Lacey, crispy edges hit that ideal for a smashburger. You get soft bread with salty American cheese and hot crispy beef, it's the textural and mouthfeel combination that makes it all work. The execution and focus here offers insight into why smashburgers are so popular.
Team USA got the gold, I got the burger. Mix in the atmosphere and you get a memorable and enjoyable afternoon. It'll be hard to replicate this but we have as good a chance as anyone in four years.
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