Ice Cream on the Radio

Seattle has a lot of ice cream places these days... how do they stack up? Listen to 94.9 KUOW tomorrow morning at 9AM to hear Bluebird owner Josh Reynolds, Molly Moon, and other local ice cream artisans talk about what they have to offer, before they put some of their specialty flavors to the test!

update: CHS coverage of the interview

New Flavors: Maple Hickory, Olympia Marionberry

Trying to stay cool during this week's record heatwave? Look no further than Bluebird, where we've got 2 new flavors to help you chill out. Try the smoky, woodsy Maple Hickory, or go for another local treat with Olympia Marionberry. Remember, we've got 8 more flavors to choose from, delicious iced tea, and cold Columbia Gorge smoothies. And vegans, rejoice: our Oregon Blueberry sorbet is back in stock!

Thank you party!

Friday: Warm Weather, Ice Cream, and FREE BEER!
In celebration of our successful first week of business, we'd like to thank the people who made it possible--you! We'll have a keg from our neighbors at Elysian Brewing Co starting this evening at 5:30. Feel free to give us a call or stop by the shop and pick up an invitation. See you tonight after work!

It's official: Bluebird is the place to be this weekend

DailyCandy.com -- "the insider’s guide to what’s hot, new, and undiscovered" -- has chosen Bluebird for the "EAT" section of "What to do this weekend." Come see what everybody's talking about, get a taste of our trademark Elysian stout and snickerdoodle flavors, and check out our full lunch menu, because at this rate, we won't be "undiscovered" for long.

Our space

One of the things that sets Bluebird apart is our space. We provide a comfortable atmosphere to hang out for a while with friends as you leisurely enjoy your ice cream, tea, or meal. In case you haven't had a chance to stop by, take a look at these pictures to see what you're missing. (Click for full-size.)

Bluebird as it appears from Pike Street. Peer through the huge shop windows, an artifact of its days as an auto dealership, and see what's on our menu today.

Bluebird strives to reflect the community from which it was borne. One of its methods of accomplishing this is by using upcycled materials. Here, you can see the seating on a church pew from our prior tenant, the Church of the Undignified, at tables fashioned from Hamilton Middle School's basketball court. Bar seating is also available overlooking Pike Street. Every month, we'll decorate our walls with work from a new local artist, and offer it for sale. This wall features art by Jennifer Culp.

For your entertainment, we offer a huge selection of board games, National Geographics, and hardcover books. On top of the piano/condiment bar you'll find our community book exchange, where you can take a book for free when you leave one of your own.

The stage was also made from Hamilton Middle School's basketball court. Most hours of the day, its furniture makes for a cozy hangout nook. At night, we'll have local bands playing or performances from other creative artists. Email IceCreamCapHill@gmail.com if you're interested in booking a performance.

More art for sale above the stage, from Seattle local Allison Choppick.

From bottom to top--our counter, our selection of teas, our menu (on a blackboard, for ease of updates as our offerings are constantly in flux), and a window to the upstairs space which we are hoping to turn into more seating and a space for free reservation by Capitol Hill community clubs and organizations.

Thanks to our Twitter followers @kevinseattle and @khig for these additions. Follow us on Twitter and tag your photos with #bluebirdpics if you want to be featured here.

What better complement to ice cream is there than free beer? Stay tuned for future events.

Always happy to serve at Bluebird.

View of the Bluebird team from our upstairs tenant, Snowmonkey's House of Monsters--check out this monster-themed art gallery next time you're with us.

Bluebird opens: Seattle amped

Even before our opening, Bluebird's homemade ice cream excited and intrigued Seattle media. Our Elysian Stout ice cream, in particular, could now justifiably be described as "famous," with the Stranger calling it "not-to-be-believed-beery-rich-and-amazing" and 107.7 "The End" urging its listeners to come down and give us a try.

Now that we are open, the rave reviews keeps rolling in. Take a look at our yelp page:

I felt so comfortable hanging out there...Take your friends, take your significant other, take your kids....they will all love it!

This is high quality traditional ice cream, like you've never had before...even in ice cream saturated Capitol Hill this place has staying power. Check it out.

Well? You heard them. Check us out! We're on Pike & 12th, we're open late, and we'd love to serve you.

Bluebird opening is featured story at Cap Hill Blog

We got some great press this morning from the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. They interviewed our owner and gave a nice little summary of what we do, what we're about, and what's going down tonight at 5. The word is spreading, Bluebird's opening will be the place to be tonight!

Bluebird opens July 9th!

After months of anticipation, Bluebird finally opens its doors on July 9th! Be among the first to try our delicious homemade ice cream as you continue Capitol Hill's art walk with pieces by two local artists. Could it get any better? Snag an invitation and there'll be free beer from our neighbors at Elysian Brewing Co.

Bluebird ice cream wins acclaim in Sneak Preview

Top Chef contestant and local Seattlite Robin Levanthal dropped by unexpectedly yesterday with Audrey from Babeland for a special sneak peek. They gave us high marks. Thanks guys!

Check out what Robin had to say at her Twitter page (1 2 3), and while you're at it, follow us.

Learn more about our artists

Bluebird is proud to feature the work of two local Seattle artists, Jennifer Culp and Allison Choppick, in our shop on Pike and 12th. Here's where you can see more of their work before the art walk on Thursday.

www.gildedcandy.etsy.com
www.menageriemurals.blogspot.com
http://allison-chopstix.blogspot.com

About Us

Putting this shop together has been a learning experience, an adventure, and a labor of love. In January I set out to open a business that would serve the community in some way – I wanted the focus to be local and to create a neighborhood space that would bring people together. The idea of the ice cream shop was born, oddly, on a cold, wet night in the dark of my first Seattle winter, and from there it grew into the shop I opened, with the help of dozens of friends along the way.

The ingredients we use are almost entirely local, organic whenever possible. The dairy comes from all-natural, hormone-free cows in Washington and Oregon. The stout is brewed at the Elysian, and the coffee is roasted at Stumptown. All of the fruit comes from the Northwest. The baked goods are from Seattle bakers that we think supply good-quality, local, natural products. If you want to know more about Domovoi, ask Curt upstairs in Snowmonkey’s (he owns it). Mighty-O doughnuts will be coming soon.

Look around: everything has a story. The furniture is all salvaged and handmade out of materials gleaned from the greater Seattle area and put together with the help of friends. Ken and Pete flew across the country from the East Coast for a week in May and helped me build the tables and do a hundred other tasks when things were really getting crazy. My friends here in Capitol Hill have helped me paint, haul furniture, taste-test early versions of ice cream flavors, and have supported me from the beginning. I also discovered a ton of amazing people in this neighborhood who have welcomed me and the shop with open arms. I don’t own a car, so I relied on borrowing friends' vans, carpooling, and the bus. My best friend Mark and my brother Ben came to Seattle for the summer to work in the shop – say hi to them. I couldn’t have done this without everyone’s help.

Thank you for supporting Bluebird. If you have any ideas about things you’d like to see in here, or if you want to hear more about any of the ingredients, artwork, or furniture you see, feel free to talk to any of us. I’m looking forward to many more good things to come in this place.

- Josh

New Winter Hours

Weekdays: 12PM-10PM(ish)
Weekends: 12PM-10PM(ish)

Summer Hours
Weekdays and Sunday: 12PM - 10PM
Friday and Saturday 12PM - 11PM

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

All our ice cream is made on-site at our shop on 12th & Pike. Our dairy is all-natural and comes from local Washington and Oregon cows that are not treated with rbGH (growth hormone). Flavors change seasonally and often. Recent flavors have included:

Vanilla Bean made with a puree of real vanilla beans	Chocolate Pudding dark chocolate blended into creme resulting in a deep cocoa flavor that matches its name
CB's Peanut Butter made with fresh roasted organic Valencia peanuts grown in the USA from local roaster CB's Nuts of Kingston, WA	Northwest Strawberry a summertime favorite, made with fresh Northwest-grown strawberries
Snickerdoodle cinnamon and brown sugar-a best seller	Sorbets vegan, various flavors
Elysian Stout made from dragon's tooth stout, brewed next door at The Elysian Brewery	Caffé Vita Coffee roasted two blocks from our door, on Pike Street
Maple Hickory sweet maple meets smoky hickory	Triple Berry blueberry-boysenberry-raspberry
Theo Chocolate Chunk Made with chunks of Seattle-based Theo chocolate, the world's only certified organic and fair trade chocolate maker	Coconut- Mint -Chip (vegan) a twist on a classic: mint chocolate chip ice cream made with coconut milk
Pumpkin Series a rotating and evolving series based on your grandma's pie recipe	Apple Pie chunks of fresh Washington apples in a cinnamon and brown sugar ice cream
Olympia Marionberry local tart treat	Bourbon White Chocolate white chocolate ice cream with festive holiday bourbon
Peppermint Mocha a chocolate-coffee ice cream blended with a touch of peppermint	Egg Nog a seasonal favorite
Peppermint White Chocolate Chip peppermint ice cream with white chocolate chips	Champagne Sorbet for the new year
Coconut Caramel (vegan) made with coconut milk	Caramel Newman-O made with caramel ice cream and chunks of Newman-O cookies
Oatmeal Cookies & Cream a twist on the classic vanilla and chocolate cookie ice cream. Made using Mom's homemade chocolate-chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies (literally!)	Horchata (vegan) our frozen version of the traditional Hispanic rice milk and cinnamon drink
Orange Bergamot	Carrot-Ginger
Mexican HOT chocolate (vegan) spicy	HeartBEETS beet ice cream with a fudge swirl
Thai Tea (vegan)	Pistachio roasted pistachios mixed in with pistachio ice cream
Grasshopper mint & chocolate cookie ice cream with bits of chocolate Newman-O sandwich cookie	Caramel Creme Egg sweet cream and caramel ice cream with Theo milk chocolate shavings
Mighty-O (vegan) Brownie batter ice cream made with coconut milk and chunks of chocolate Mighty-O donuts	Birthday Cake Royale Cake batter ice cream with bits of cake from Cupcake Royale
Phluffhead Milk chocolate ice cream with caramel swirls, pieces of dark Theo Chocolate, and homemade fluff from Street Treats	Battles Caffé Vita-Elysian Brewing Coffee-Stout ice cream
Candied Ginger Candied Ginger was conceived specifically to pair with DRY Soda's unique flavor palette. Ginger ice cream with bits of candied ginger throughout

TOPPINGS

peanuts-banana-honey-granola-whipped cream-hot fudge-sprinkles-cookie crumbs-caramel-corn flakes-chocolate syrup

Scoops - Shakes - Hand Packed Pints - Sundaes

Shakes

Custom shakes with flavors of choice made to order

Root Beer Float

your choice of ice cream with Thomas Kemper's soda pop

TEA

Our loose-leaf teas are brewed in an infuser right at your table for full flavor, or steeped in a hand-packed teabag to go. Our selection rotates and currently includes:

BLACK

Russian Caravan Assam & Lapsang Souchon blend	Blackberry Lemongrass Sage blackberry tea, sage, lemongrass & lemon peel
Darjeeling tippy golden, flowery orange-pekoe	Peach
Pike Place Spice spicy, sweet, cinnamon-orange tea from Pike Place Market	Connoisseur Darjeeling, Assam, & Ceylon blend
Pu-erh semi-oxidized black tea leaves, pressed into bowl-shaped cakes.	Earl Grey flavoured with Bergamont oil
NEW: Holiday Tea chocolate-mint with dried raspberries

GREEN

Dragonwell
Chinese longjing tea

Jasmine
flavored with sweet Jasmine leaves

Gunpowder
rolled to retain flavor and aroma, with a pungent finish

Moroccan Mint
a drink of hospitality, typical in North Africa and southern Spain

HERBAL

Seattle Sunset Rosehips, vanilla, chamomile, spearmint leaf, wintergreen leaf, lemon peel, wild cherry bark & herbs	Peach Ambrosia rooibos, rosebuds, red rose petals, eleuthero root, lemongrass, lavender flowers
Raspy Rose rosehips, raspberry leaf, peppermint	Yerba Mate high in caffeine
Ruby Lemon Mint hibiscus, lemongrass, peppermint	African Red Bush rooibos, source of antioxidants
Chamomile from the dried flower, various healing properties	Peppermint Leaf
Winter Spice peppermint leaf, spearmint leaf, chamomile, hibiscus, lemongrass, cardamom, ginger, anise

SANDWICHES

All of our sandwiches are made on 100% organic bread from Essential Baking Company. Sandwiches are grilled to order.

Freebird Turkey
(French Sourdough) Sun-dried tomato spread, with lean turkey cuts from Bob's quality meats in Columbia City, organic Willie Greens spinach, and Tillamook's pepper jack cheese

Ballard Lox
(Multigrain) Lemon-zested dill spread, Wild Alaskan salmon, organic cucumbers, and speckled amish lettuce from local roots farm in Carnation.

P-Patch Veggie
(Multigrain) House-made garden hummus, speckled amish lettuce from local roots farm, organic cucumbers, organic green bell peppers, organic carrots

Farmer's Daughter
(Multigrain) Stone-ground mustard, organic Washington grown Granny Smith apples, Tillamook vintage white cheddar, vinaigrette-marinated organic white onions

Molly's First Date
(Walnut Bread) Peanut butter, honey and dates combined in a spread with Granny Smith apples generously sprinkled with cinnamon

Lumberjack
(Multi-grain English Muffin) Comes with all-natural seasoned sausage, organic Stiebrs eggs and Tillamook sharp cheddar

Treehugger
(French Sourdough) This vegetarian breakfast sandwich comes with Stiebrs eggs infused with nutmeg, carmelized onions and Tillamook sharp cheddar

Slawsome
(Potato Baguette) All-natural BBQ pulled pork with homemade tangy green cabbage slaw

Molly's Caprise
(Ciabatta) This traditional Capri sandwich comes on organic Ciabatta and includes slices of fresh mozzarella, organic roma
tomatoes, organic basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

SALADS

Olympic
House-made balsamic vinaigrette, organic green leaf letuce, organic spring mix, organic cucumbers, organic Fuji apple slices, organic walnuts, feta cheese, organic cranberries, and lemon wedge

Cowardly Brutus
Pan-seared then baked chicken from Bobs Quality Meats, house-made balsamic vinaigrette, organic green leaf lettuce, organic spring mix, organic cucumbers, organic Fuji apple slices, organic red bell peppers, lemon wedge

Brutus
House-made balsamic vinaigrette, organic green leaf lettuce, organic spring mix, organic cucumbers, organic carrots, and lemon wedge

SOUPS

rotating flavors

BEER

Bluebird has 8 rotating flavors at all times from local breweries. Stop in to see what we have on tap.

Full Espresso Service

We use organic, fair-trade espresso. Beans come from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Fremont Coffee Co.

Signature Flavors

Afogado
made with ice cream flavor of your choice

Beer Float
made with beer of choice and ice cream flavor of choice

Bluebird's Bird's Nest Sundae
made with your choice of ice cream flavors

Calendar of Events

January 2012

Bluebird is still seeking bands and other creative artists to perform on our stage. If you are interested, contact bluebirdseattle@gmail.com

Calendar is subject to change. For the latest information, or to book an event, call Bluebird at (206) 588 - 1079 or email at bluebirdseattle@gmail.com

Contact Bluebird

HOW TO FIND US

We are located at the corner of East Pike Street and 12th Avenue in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, on the block between Elysian Brewery and Boom Noodle, directly next to Samadhi Yoga.

View Bluebird in a larger map

Capitol Hill
1205 E Pike St.
Suite 1A
Seattle, WA 98122

Phinney Ridge/Greenwood
7400 Greenwood Ave. N
(corner of 74th and Greenwood)
Seattle, WA 98103

Fremont
3515 Fremont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103

EMAIL

bluebirdseattle [at] gmail.com

TELEPHONE

206-588-1079

ON THE WEB

Become a fan of Bluebird on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

HOURS

Daily 12:00 PM to 10:00(ish) PM
Summer Hours:
Sunday - Thursday 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 12:00pm - 11:00pm

BLUEBIRD VENDORS

You can always buy your favorite flavors at our shop at 1205 E. Pike St. in Capitol Hill, or you can also visit these other vendors throughout Seattle:

A la Mode Pies (ONLINE)
Aster Coffee Lounge (Ballard)
Bedlam Coffee (Belltown)
Bottlehouse (Madrona)
Cafe Hugo at Richard Hugo House (Capitol Hill)
Caffé Vita (various locations)
Cornuto Pizzeria (Greenwood)
Dutch Bike Co.(Ballard)
Elysian Brewing Co. (Capitol Hill)
Elysian Fields (Pioneer Square)
Elysian Tangletown (Tangletown / Wallingford)
Enlighten Coffee Shop (Root Table - Ballard)
Fixx Coffee Bar (Central District)
Fremont Coffee (Fremont)
High 5 Pie (Capitol Hill)
Hunger Restaurant (Fremont)
Ken's Market (Phinneywood)
Kiss Cafe (Ballard)
Lights Out Waffles
Madison Market (Capitol Hill)
Plum Bistro (Capitol Hill)
Rock Box (Capitol Hill)
Roy Street Coffee & Tea (Capitol Hill)
Street Treats (mobile truck all over Seattle)
Sweet Iron Waffles (Downtown)
The Independent Pizzeria (Madison Park)
The Local Vine (Capitol Hill)
Twirl Cafe (Upper Queen Anne)
Vermillion Gallery and Bar (Capitol Hill)
Via Tribunali (various locations)
5 Corners Mini Mart (Queen Anne)
15th Ave Coffee and Tea (Capitol Hill)