Inside, candles dimly light a loft and cushioned corners where intellectual conversations and flirting drift across the art-packed walls and into carefully crafted cocktails and trendy cheap beer.
Curious visitors step through the outdoor smokers and duck their heads in to see what the crowds are all about, and are delighted or intimidated by the sophisticated surroundings. Behind the bar, the heavily-tatted, Batman shirt-clad Keith Bartoloni greets guests in his Boston accent, grounding the cramped crowd back into the casual neighborhood. Without Keith, Hazlewood may have been a scene-y, trendy bar, but instead, it's a Ballard institution.