Nosh Pit

Lucy Damkoehler Heads to Hot Cakes

MistralKitchen pastry cook Jill Severson steps into the top spot.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on May 11, 2012 at 02:40PM 0 Comments

Hot Cakes will be a hotbed of sweets talent. See what I did there? Photo via Facebook.

An exciting new project in Ballard is causing some changes in one of the city’s premier restaurant pastry programs. Lucy Damkoehler, whose doughnuts back in her days at Taste at SAM are now the sweet stuff of legend, is leaving her current post at MistralKitchen. She’s joining another talented dessert doyenne, Autumn Martin, at her forthcoming Hot Cakes shop.

Stepping into the top pastry role at MistralKitchen is Jill Severson, who now gets to be the boss of the station she has worked since chef William Belickis opened the restaurant in late 2010. Severson has a pastry background and worked under both Damkoehler and her predecessor, Neil Robertson, whose new Crumble and Flake bakery sells out faster than a Friday night performance of the Book of Mormon.

Per the press release, Mother’s Day will be Damkoehler’s final hurrah in the kitchen, and Severson will debut her first dessert menu early this summer.

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Tags: Mistralkitchen, Shift Change, MistralKitchen, Shift Change, Lucy Damkoehler, Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery, Jill Severson

Taco Time Enters the Food Truck Biz

Curb cuisine gets corporate.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 11, 2012 at 01:00PM 1 Comments

Coming to a curb near you. Photo via Facebook.

Contrary to what we’ve come to expect, Seattle’s newest food truck isn’t brought to you by some fledgling chef with ambitions of one day opening her own eatery. Taco Time, the Northwest chain with more than 70 locations, will roll out a four-wheeler in mid-June, says a rep for the company.

The truck will hit 50 events—neighborhood block parties, Mariners games—throughout Washington State until Labor Day, with other cameos planned throughout the year. Locations won’t be preannounced but made known via Twitter, presumably in an attempt to generate traction.

Taco Time Traveler is being launched in conjunction with the company’s golden anniversary. The crew, 30 employees plucked from various local Taco Times, will shill free grub: tacos (hard and soft), burritos, Mexi-fries, salads, etc. It’s the same stuff you’d find at the restaurant, with a seasonal focus, noted the rep.

Sigh. One can’t help but think this (literal) marketing vehicle portends a turning point in mobile dining—a concept celebrated for its novelty. Then again, curbside corporatization isn’t exactly new. Last summer, and the summer before that, Seattle eagerly ate up the taco truck Qdoba launched. Nor is it surprising. Street food is the purview of whiz-bang chefs turning out invigorating and admirable fare—which explains why it’s so popular, and why brands looking to up awareness want in on the buzz.

Awhile back Kurt Dammeier, owner of Maximus Minimus, shed some insight on the truck-as-promotion racket. Do read on.

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Tags: Street Food, Taco Time, Seattle Food Trucks

Restaurant Shifts and Shakeups

This Week: Crumble and Flake debuts and sells out quickly, A BIG Vij’s announcment, Volterra to open a 2.0 on the Eastside, and more.

Posted by: Brandon L. Bye on May 11, 2012 at 10:45AM 0 Comments

Walk up. Knock a few back. Walk on. Elliott’s Seafood Cafe. This summer. Yum.

OPENINGS
Athena’s
West Seatte blog reports Nick Parisi, owner of the mural-ified Athena’s food truck, has finally opened his brick-and mortar on 16th and Holden in West Seattle. Athena’s is open daily from 11 to 8, serving Greek cuisine.

Crumble and Flake
Overheard at the desk adjacent to mine, Crumble and Flake is selling out of pastries by noon. You’ll have to rise early, like a baker, to enjoy Neil Robertson’s pastry creations. Hours are Tuesday thru Friday 7 to 5 and Saturday and Sunday 9 to 4– closed on Mondays.

COMING SOON
Shanik
Meeru Dhalwala, wife of chef Vikram Vij and overseer of the kitchens at their insanely popular Vancouver restaurants, has signed a lease on a space at Terry and Republican. The long-awaited Indian-inspired destination is in its early stages, but Dhalwala hopes to open in November.

Total Wine and More
The Delaware-based chain is opening a superstore in Bellevue. The 30,000-square-foot space will be selling to Eastsiders in late June.

Volterra
Don Curtiss and Michelle Quisenberry of Ballard Ave Volterra are planting a second restaurant on the Eastside. Volterra 2.0 will debut at 121 Kirkland Avenue in early fall.

Elliott’s Seafood Cafe
Seattle Weekly‘s Hanna Raskin reports the opening of a sidewalk oyster bar on Alaskan Way. In addition to the walk-up oyster bar, the Elliott’s Oyster House offshoot will have patio seating near the boat dock and an indoor dining room. Elliott’s Oyster House’s Robert Spaulding will helm the cafe kitchen, while maintaining his current post.

Fogon Cuisine of Mexico
According to Capitol Hill Seattle blog, the people behind a popular set of Eastside Mexican restaurants are stepping into the shuttered Kiki to give Capitol Hill a go. The proprietors are aiming to open in June.

Rumba
The former Capitol Hill fashion dealer space will turn into a rum bar, reports CHS. The new project, an offshoot of Tango will feature tons of rums and rum cocktails paired with Caribbean-style food like empanadas. It will open in “late summer” 2012.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Coming Soon

School the Chefs

This Saturday local celeb chefs team up with kids to create a delicious (and cheap) school lunch. Come watch.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on May 11, 2012 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

This Saturday. the final showdown. Photo via Skillet.

Warning: This is going to make you wish you were still in grade school. To celebrate the progress that’s been made in the past couple years in the Seattle Public School lunch program, a pack of local celeb chefs will be teaming up with actual kids this Saturday in a competition to put together healthy, delicious, cost-effective lunches. The teams have to keep the cost per plate below $1.25, while still making it tasty enough to wow the likes of Joshua Henderson, Skillet bacon-jam master, and Leslie Mackie, Macrina’s pastry queen.

The event is a joint effort of the Next Fifty (which happens to be in the middle of Sustainable Futures, a two-month celebration of conservation) and good ol’ Tom Douglas, fresh off his big Beard win. It’s also a celebration of the improvements that have been made in the school lunch system since 2010, when the district got a grant that enabled them to seek out the aid of a local chef in overhauling the cafeteria, says Grist. And who could Seattle schools have chosen other than T-Doug?

Over the past few years some of Douglas’s chefs have logged some serious hours back in elementary school, testing out new recipes on kids and figuring out how to make $1.10—the amount allotted for food for each lunch—taste good and be good for growing kids.

Saturday’s event is free and open to the public, and everyone gets to sample one of the Douglas team’s cafeteria options, a curry with couscous, and cheer on their cheflets. And envy the fact that these kids got to spend the afternoon cooking with some of the best chefs in the city.

School the Chefs
Saturday May 12
Noon to 4
Seattle Center

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Tags: Tom Douglas, Joshua Henderson, Good Causes

Restaurant-Food Cart Hybrid Takes Root in Portland

This is pretty cool.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 10, 2012 at 02:20PM 0 Comments

Lardo, soon to be a brick-and-mortar. Photo courtesy Karen Brooks/Portland Monthly.

An interesting development from our sister publication to the south. A couple of enterprising culinarians are teaming up for a restaurant-food cart hybrid on Portland’s Hawthorne Boulevard. Here’s how it works.

Craft sandwich operation Lardo, of the Good Food Here pod on SE Belmont, is moving into a brick-and-mortar space at 1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd. In the parking lot sweets shack Sugar Cube, an alum of Good Food Here, will set up its trailer. The restaurant will seat 40, while a tented patio, presumably near Cube, will accommodate 100. Culinary incubator ChefStable is driving the (genius, don’t you think?) business model.

Here in Seattle several food trucks have straddled both the restaurant and roving worlds—and with great success —but those are instances of brand building. We have yet to see a collaboration with such moxie, in which curbside and fixed operations partner and share resources. Will we ever? Who knows. Seattle is a bastion of progressive thinking, but given the hesitation with which some restaurateurs approach food trucks, one does wonder.

What do you think? Would something like this work here?

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Tags: Street Food, Seattle Food Trucks

Crumble and Flake: Go Early

The diminutive patisserie is selling out before lunchtime.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on May 10, 2012 at 01:30PM 0 Comments

Neil Robertson’s creations are worth setting an alarm clock. Photo via Crumble and Flake.

Crumble and Flake opened this past Sunday, and Neil Robertson’s diminutive pastry shop on Olive Way has been busy. Really busy. “Selling out of everything by noon” busy.

The woman who rang up my purchase this morning suggested coming in before 10am to ensure a decent selection. The patisserie opens at 7 on weekdays and 9 on weekends; it’s likely to be packed this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. The handful of items I’ve tried thus far have all been pastry perfection. Especially the croissants, which are are, as advertised, both crumbly and flaky (and well worth a trip across town).

Robertson and his small staff run a tiny operation, and it’s likely that his salted peanut butter cookies, dainty scones, and cinnamon rolls wouldn’t be this incredible if he were churning out Franz-sized batches. During my visit, the pastry chef was too busy to chat as he pulled trays from ovens and replenished his glass cases.

Crumble and Flake has taken to Facebook and Twitter this week to announce when everything is sold out, and apologize for the scarce supply. But no apology necessary, as far as I’m concerned—part of supporting small-batch artisans is contending with those small batches. So, pastry fans, set your alarm clocks if you want to sample Crumble and Flake. And if you’re biding your time until the frenzy abates slightly, there are plenty of destination-worthy bakeries in this city to feed your pastry cravings.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Bakeries, Crumble and Flake, Pastry Frenzies

Three New Brunch Destinations

Twisted duck, dim sum, and rabbit pot pie issue a weekend wakeup call.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on May 10, 2012 at 10:30AM 2 Comments

Skelly and the Bean brought in a certified (by me) chicken and waffle expert for its new brunch service.

I’ve had breakfast on the brain lately, probably because of all the Mother’s Day brunch emails alighting in my inbox. Three notable and decently new restaurants in Capitol Hill and Madrona have recently fired up a regular brunch service as well.

Bako
The Canton and cocktails destination that brought new life to the old Jade Pagoda space now does brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10-3. What this means: a destination for dim sum on Capitol Hill. Plates include dumplings of shrimp or pork, crispy daikon cakes and, on the slightly less Chinese end of the spectrum, breakfast sliders. Prices start at $5.50 a plate.

Skelly and the Bean
The House that Zephyr Built expanded to brunch service this past weekend (to get in a few services before the Mother’s Day craziness). And the person manning the kitchen for brunch is Mario Campos, who previously cooked at Brouwer’s Cafe, then went over to The Publican, er, wait, The Burgundian to make chicken and waffles so good they visit me in my dreams, and guarantee I will follow this man and his brunch stylings wherever he may go. Menu mainstays will include farro porridge, a seasonal scramble, and the intriguingly named twisted-duck biscuits. Some waffle experimentation is in the works, so cross your fingers.

Restaurant Bea
After reviving the former June address in late March, Restaurant Bea (pronounced “bee”) starts its brunch service on Saturday, May 19, also from 10-3. Chef Tom Black, formerly of Fuller’s and the Barking Frog, walks the line between polished and gluttonous in his florally festooned new digs. His morning menu will have brioche pudding, seafood crepes, a lamb burger, and the rabbit pot pie that is fast becoming the restaurant’s signature.

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Tags: Brunch, Bako, Skelly and the Bean, Restaurant Bea, Morning Matters

Molly Moon’s Capitol Hill Expansion Plans Postponed

But a collaboration with Beecher’s is in the works.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 09, 2012 at 03:10PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Mix this with Molly Moon’s and you’ve got yourself a whopping dose of dairy.

Molly Moon Neitzel is tabling her expansion plans on Capitol Hill. In February Neitzel acquired the storefront left vacant by kid clothier Flora and Henri with the hopes of beefing up the kitchen of her neighboring Pine Street ice cream shop.

Neitzel will retain the prime piece of real estate, namely for administrative purposes—at least for now. The end goal is still to turn it into an open work space where, for example, toppings and sauces are produced (yes, there are plans to retail those in the future), or freshly baked cookies for the Parker’s Praline sandwiches can cool. But Neitzel doesn’t envision that happening until the summer of 2013. Meantime, Neitzel will also likely host events in there, such as ice cream demos—something she’ll be doing a lot of in the coming weeks during her national book tour.

In related news, the confectioner has teamed up with another local dairy kingpin for a new flavor. Beecher’s Flagship will hit all Molly Moon’s locations on May 17. Pints can be purchased at the Beecher’s in Pike Place Market and the Seattle and Bellevue Pasta and Co stores. The ice cream will grace the dessert menu at Mercer Island restaurant Bennett’s as well.

As Neitzel herself suggested, a scoop would pair swimmingly with a piece of apple pie. Yum.

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Tags: Ice Cream, Molly Moon's, Molly Moon Neitzel, Beecher's

Neighborhood Food News: Poquitos’ New Custom Beer, a Bigger, Better Queen Anne Farmers Market, and a Sequel to Modernist Cuisine?

Plus: free ice cream, canned tomatoes, and a tequila festival.

Posted by: Brandon L. Bye on May 09, 2012 at 11:00AM 2 Comments

Double scoop at Full Tilt. Photo via Facebook.

BELLEVUE
Eater reports, Nathan Myhrvold and the top-flight culinary team responsible for the much-lauded opus on the science of food and cooking, Modernist Cuisine, are currently working on a sequel.

CAPITOL HILL
Poquitos is the latest restaurant to have its own custom-brewed house beer; the Hombre Mexican Lager, brewed by neighbor Elysian, first started pouring on Cinco de Mayo. It’s actually a Vienna-style lager, a style ironically now associated with Mexico, thanks to Austrian brewers who emigrated there. Put away the IPAs with the winter sweaters; it’s finally time for lager and linen.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Full Tilt Ice Cream will be offering free ice cream (up to a $10 value) to anyone paying with LevelUp, the new pay-with-your-phone app, Friday, May 11. This deal is available at the Ballard, White Center, and U-District locations.

NAPLES, ITALY TO SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria introduces its own private-label canned tomatoes. The 6-pound, 9-ounce cans ($10) are available in all locations, so customers can enjoy at home the central ingredient in Tutta Bella’s fine pies.

PHINNEY RIDGE
The Northwest Tequila Fest is coming to the Phinney Neighborhood Center on August 18. Tequila tastes, Mexican food, and cocktail contests will win the day. Phinneywood reports, tickets sales start in June. The cost of the event has not been set.

QUEEN ANNE
The Queen Anne farmers market returns June 7, and the number of vendors has grown from an average of 32 vendors in 2011 to 50 this year, reports Queen Anne View. Notable newcomers include Among other familiar vendors, crowd-pleaser Rachel’s Ginger Beer is set to return. And some new faces will peddle their wares, too. Market hours run on Thursdays from 3 to 7:30.

WOODINVILLE
On Saturday, May 19, Woodinville Whiskey Co. will celebrate the unveiling of its signature bourbon whiskey, Mash Bill No. 9. – the newest addition to the company’s microbarreled collection. As part of the celebration, complimentary whiskey-infused pulled pork sandwiches will be available for the first 200 people that purchase a bottle of the newly released bourbon. These events are massively popular. Get there early.

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Tags: Full Tilt, Woodinville Whiskey Co., Poquitos, Tutta Bella

Mother’s Day Eats: Beyond Brunch

Dinner options and an overnight spa stay take Mother’s Day festivities beyond brunch.

Posted by: Rachel Walls on May 09, 2012 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Pamper Mom with a weekend getaway at the Salish Lodge and Spa. Photo via Facebook.

Salish Lodge
Turn Mother’s Day into Mother’s Weekend with a night at the lodge and spa. The special lady gets $50 towards the spa treatment of her choice, a bottle of sparking wine, and sugar-dusted truffles. Then indulge in a three-course breakfast with a vegetarian omelet, smoked salmon hash, or the “Railroad Avenue” featuring eggs, pork-apple sausage, ham, and bacon. Visit the Salish Lodge website for reservations and pricing information.

Crush
The four-course dinner features Quinault River spring salmon tartar, duck sausage bucatini pasta, 48 hour–braised beef short ribs, and a coconut caramel citrus candy bar. Make a reservation online.
When: 5
Price: $75

Herbfarm
An evening of nine courses revolving around foraging finds from the “field, forest, and seashore.” Menu includes Chinook salmon, wild mushroom gateau, licorice fern duck, and more (it’s nine courses, remember?). Arrive 30 minutes early for a garden tour. Reservations required.
When: 4:30
Price: $195

Volunteer Park Cafe
A baby arugula salad with chevre and strawberries precedes an herb-roasted chicken with a tomato, asparagus, and white bean panzanella. Chocolate raspberry tart closes out chef-owner Ericka Burke’s three-course supper—and did we mention Mom gets a complimentary glass of champagne? Reservations required.
When: 6
Price: $30

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Tags: Mother's Day 2012, Mother's Day Brunch 2012

Slideshow: Mobile Food Rodeo 2012

Get stuffed all over again.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 08, 2012 at 11:30AM 1 Comments

The cavalcade of trucks parked outside Fremont Studios, making for a colorful (and fragrant) couple of blocks.

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The cavalcade of trucks parked outside Fremont Studios, making for a colorful (and fragrant) couple of blocks.

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A dash of Sriracha spices up Indian tacos from Off the Rez.

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Get ’er done: Nolan Stamps takes a bite out of a kalua pork sandwich from Fusion on the Run.

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Newcomer Crisp Creperie proved a popular stop. The line was so long it reportedly took up to two hours to get a crepe. Don’t say we didn’t warn you about that wait.

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Now that’s teamwork. Employees at Contigo demonstrate how a taco hand-off is done.

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Lynn Rehn of My Chef Lynn checks in with son Rocky, who helped man the truck.

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Rehn’s signature lamb burgers.

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With seating scarce, attendees took to the next best option: the curb.

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Plugged in: The Rodeo rounded up more than 30 top trucks, including familiar names like Maximus Minimus and Skillet, and more recent ventures such as Jemil’s Big Easy (which apparently keeps its condiments rather high).

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Crazy crowds meant food went fast. Molly Moon’s ice cream was out by 3:30—just as the heat hit its peak.

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Get ’er done, part II: Robert Howard dominates his Buns burger.

Where film buffs have SIFF and fashion folk Black Friday, food truck people have the Mobile Food Rodeo, an all-day opportunity to binge on all manner of curb cuisine.

This year’s bonanza brought in an impressive 35 trucks and took place Sunday in Fremont. Crowds were thick and lines long, but the grubbing was undeniably good (and that sunshine—glorious!). Hit the slideshow for a recap of the feast, and for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Seattle’s mobile community, behold this feature on food trucks.

All photos by Seattlemet.com photographer Lucas Anderson. Full disclosure: Seattle Met was a sponsor of the Rodeo.

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Tags: Street Food, Seattle Food Trucks, Mobile Food Rodeo

New Food Truck: Lucky Devil Doughnut Co.

These aren’t your typical fried cakes. Also: malasadas!

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 08, 2012 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Luck Devil Doughnut Co. spreads the malasada gospel. Photo via Facebook.

Doughnuts of all stripes are found in this city, but rarely does one encounter malasadas. Sweeter and eggier than your typical doughnut, malasadas are of Portuguese origin and when traditionally done, devoid of fillings. In Hawaii “they’re all over the place,” says Josh Goldman. “They’re incredibly popular.”

And so shall they be in Seattle. Today Goldman and his brother Gabe launch Lucky Devil Doughnut Co., a food truck devoted to the sugar-dusted orbs. They cost $1, are fried on the spot, and taste best when still hot, advises Josh, who has spent time in Rover’s, Ray’s Boathouse, and Tom Douglas kitchens. He’ll be the guy running the show; Gabe, a graphic designer, is more behind-the-scenes and the one responsible for the truck’s fetching look. Growing up the brothers spent considerable time in Hawaii, hence the focus on malasadas.

Traditionalists will find cake doughnuts as well as maple and chocolate bars. The Hole-y Rollers, or doughnut holes, are gussied up with some decidedly less traditional toppings, including nacho cheese, buttermilk ranch, and sour cream and onion. There are “special” offerings, too, that go for $4 (“they’re bigger,” notes Josh) and also lean toward the creative. Consider the Lucky Devil: chocolate cake dipped in a chocolate glaze made with ghost chili (supposedly the world’s hottest pepper) then finished with cherry drizzle. Or the Surfer’s Breakfast: scrambled egg and Spam between two doughnuts, either glazed or plain. And the orange-stuffed one with guava and passion frosting that the Goldmans call POG. Coffee drinkers will be delighted to learn the increasingly prevalent Lighthouse Roasters is providing the beans.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays Lucky Devil is at California and Edmonds; Fridays find it in Wallingford at 45th and Corliss. And on Mondays it’s hitting the Starbucks headquarters. Hours are 7–3, according to Josh.

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Tags: Street Food, Doughnuts, Seattle Food Trucks, Lucky Devil Doughnut Co.