Belltown Challenge: Glassblowing Studios vs. Indian Restaurants

After a long hiatus, the Belltown Challenge is back! To be honest, I kind of forgot about it for a few months. But no more! The rules are simple: whichever business that has the greater numbers wins. Wins what? Nothing, except the honor of knowing that they won. Hey, everybody's scrapping to win kudos from an unemployed blogger! Anyhow, today's contest is between glassblowing studios and Indian restaurants. Think that this is going to be a blow-out? You might be surprised!

Let's start with glass blowing studios:

Known simply as Seattle Glassblowing Studio, these guys are situated at 5th & Bell. The studio has been around since 1991, but I'm pretty sure it's been in Belltown for less than that. Every time I walk by (which is fairly often), they always have something interesting out on their sidewalk. Around Christmas, they had all these massive tree ornaments and at Halloween, they had full-sized glass pumpkins. Wouldn't it be cool if we had a "Glassblowing District?" Well, unfortunately the economy can only sustain one studio in this neighborhood. The next closest one you'll find is in Pioneer Square. I used to work above it. They did mad business with the tourists. Those are the only studios I know of. I'm sure there are others, but they definitely aren't in Belltown or Pioneer Square. So the grand total for this crummy neighborhood is one. Let's count the Indian restaurants now.

You would think that the popularity of Indian food meeting the abundance of restaurants in Belltown would spell an overwhelming victory for Indian eateries, but you'd be wrong. Observe:

Behold, the Tandoori Hut, located on 2nd, between Vine & Cedar. As you can see, it's a lot bigger than a hut. I used to get takeout from here all the time, but recent economic circumstances don't allow for that. It's a shame, because they're quite yummy. And takeout is the way to go, because despite their best efforts the place has, like, zero ambiance. But if you drop by for their lunch buffet, you have no choice in the matter.

And that, folks, is the only place in Belltown for Indian food. Yes, there's Pabla at 2nd & Pine, but that's downtown. It is also quite tasty, but it doesn't count. I keep thinking that there has to be another Indian restaurant in Belltown, but I've wracked my brains and I can't think of any others. If I'm wrong, let me know.

So let's review the final score:

Glassblowing Studios 1
Indian Restaurants 1

It's a tie! Nobody wins, but nobody loses! Congratulations to both competitors!