Skylark Cafe & Club

Skylark Cafe: The Place to Be in West Seattle

If you live in West Seattle (which includes an increasing number of Seattleites trying to escape insane rents and mortgages) and it is too cold for a beach party on Alki (half the year) then there is one place to go: The Skylark Cafe and Club. You might think that the singularity of the music venue would have it resting on it's geography and not trying too hard, certain of the West Seattle crowd. But this is not the case with the Skylark, which serves up excellent grub AND a bomb variety of talented local music, a hard combination to find in this town. The menu is straight people-pleasing, stuffed with attractive options like Disco Fries (a variation of poutine), dang Case-a-Dillas, and the Ghetto Platter (tater tots, fried chicken strips, and onion rings). I had the chicken-fried steak which was surprisingly delicious, and I am from the South where the dish is a freaking institution. The brunch menu also looks delicious and I am sure that it has filled many a hungover belly of the West Seattle partiers. At night, a wide variety of musical acts take the stage, always free, sometimes all ages, and usually rockin''. Tuesday brings karaoke to the Skylark for fans of the ego-massaging entertainment, and Wednesday is open-mike night for aspiring musicians. My only tiny complaint is the lack of a dance floor, but remember that this is Skylark Cafe and Club, not Skylark Club and Cafe- the food comes first. And thank goodness, because I am hungry, and anyplace serving up that mean of a chicken-fried steak deserves a visit, even if you are not throwin' up Westside fingers and claiming Alki as your hood. Just over the bridge, Skylark is well on its way to becoming one of Seattle's hottest new venues. Check it out.