Nosh Pit Blog

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Restaurant Shifts and Shakeups

This week: Two new food trucks are on the road, Stowell slices are just around the corner, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Apr 13, 2012 at 10:15AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

The drawing of that guy pounding a slice? Soon can be you at Ballard Pizza Co.

OPENINGS
Cutters Crabhouse
Cutters Crabhouse, formally known as Cutters Bayhouse, reopened Wednesday after a lengthy two-month renovation. Cutters lead chef Simon Zatyrka also has a revamped menu to show off.

Jemil’s Big Easy
The Cajun truck opened for business this week. Find chef Jemil Aziz slinging jambalaya, etouffees, gumbo, and po’boys at various locations around town.

Scratch Deli
Former Whole Foods butcher Ian Thackaberry has opened a food truck dedicated to sandwiches crafted with locally sourced ingredients. Find Thackaberry (and his tantalizing chicken salad with hazelnut pesto aioli) at Wine World in Wallingford.

Starbucks
Out with the old, in with the Starbucks. My Ballard reports the NW Market St space that briefly housed 5 Corner Market Bar and Kitchen (and before that, Lombardi’s Neighborhood Italian for 23 years), now has all the trappings of a Starbuckian experience.

Trader Joe’s
The West Seattle store opens today, and the walls are graced with murals of neighborhood landmarks, says West Seattle Blog.

CLOSINGS
Kiki
The Pine Street restaurant and bar is closing temporarily, according to Capitol Hill Seattle. The owners have long been searching for a buyer to take over; CHS guesses the temporary shuttering means they’ve found one, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

COMING SOON

A Terrible Beauty
Seattle Weekly brings word via Facebook that the Irish pub is opening its third location this summer in South Lake Union.

Ballard Pizza Co.
Ethan Stowell slices…they’re getting closer and closer. No pizza till next week officially, but we’ve got a peek inside.

Essex Bar
That collective squeal heard throughout the city Monday was prompted by the news that Delancey owners Brandon Pettit and Molly Wizenberg are turning the neighboring umbrella store into a craft cocktail bar. Seattle Magazine has more details on the food and drink menu, but here’s a teaser: Don’t expect pizza.

Isola Bella, Sicilian Cafe
Per Eater Seattle, local chef and restaurateur Enza Sorrentino is moving into a space on First and Bell. She’s planning to dispense baked goods and coffee by day, and arancini, meatballs, and pizza by the slice at night.

Molly Moon’s and Trophy Cupcakes (…and Cupcake Royale)
The city’s sweets magnates are playing do-si-do: Cupcake Royale, which is launching an ice cream line, is taking up residency at the downtown Chocolate Box space. That means current co-occupant Molly Moon’s has to move out. Meanwhile, MM’s is partnering with Trophy Cupcakes: Starting May 12, the baked goods will be available at Molly Moon shops on 13 occasions throughout the year And pints of ice cream can be added to cupcake deliveries, and Trophy parties can be rounded out with scoops of Molly Moon’s dessert.

Narwhal
Seattle Magazine brings word that Renee Erickson and Jeremy Price of The Walrus and The Carpenter and their partners are hitting the road this summer with an oyster food truck.

The Neighbor Lady
Central District News reports the Neighbor Lady has pushed its opening date back to April 20, if not later.

Top Pot
The doughnut empire is expanding: the eighth cafe is slated to open this July in the Pacific Building on Third Avenue.

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Tags: Oysters, Cupcake Royale, Jemil's Big Easy, Ballard Pizza Co, Trophy Cupcakes, Seattle Food Trucks, Molly Moon's, Cupcakes, Ice Cream, Ethan Stowell, Top Pot, Crab, Ballard, Scratch Deli

Openings

First Look: Ballard Pizza Company

Ethan Stowell’s newest Ballard Ave outpost will offer pizza, pasta, and lots of exposed brick.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Apr 10, 2012 at 09:45AM Speech Bubble 4 Comments

Ballard Ave’s new pizza destination will open its doors next week.

View Slideshow »

Ballard Pizza Company hasn’t yet opened its doors (that happens next week), but here’s a safe bet: Ethan Stowell’s by-the-slice pizzeria will be known to many for the giant faux pizza cutter protruding from the outside signage. It’s a nice complement to Bitterroot BBQ’s rotating piggy down the street.

The 50-seat restaurant is located at 5107 Ballard Ave NW, a block north of Stowell’s latest restaurant, Staple and Fancy. While the chef’s other restaurants apply his regional stamp to rustic Italian fare, he found his pizza inspiration domestically, creating thin-crust pies that pay homage to New York’s signature slices, best consumed folded lengthwise, often while walking down the street. Make that walking down the street late at night—Ballard Pizza Co. will be open until 3am on weekends, and 11pm Sunday through Thursday. As the sign out front attests, the restaurant will also sell whole pies.

This is the first venture from Stowell’s new Grubb Brothers company, which focuses on fast-casual dining designed to be family-friendly but also appeal to adults who want to grab dinner somewhere, but can’t swing a $20 entree on a random Tuesday night. However, ingredients are still locally sourced and of non-dubious provenance. Slices start at $2.50; a large cheese pizza is $15, and the add-on toppings options should please both picky kids (pepperoni, pineapple) and food nerds (arugula, eggplant, spicy coppa, fresh mozz). Also on the menu are a trio of salads, some pasta and gnocchi offerings that should look familiar to Stowell aficionados, and some rotating specials like a pork belly porchetta.

Running the kitchen is Jim Seath, who came over from Staple and Fancy and previously worked at Union. The pizza maestro is Michael Gifford, another Union alum who left for Portland in 2007, but returned to Seattle for the job. Ballard Pizza Co. will also sell pies to go. And delivery service starts in June. Hit up the slideshow for a look inside, and more details on the drinks, the decor, and the pin-up girls posing outside the walk-in cooler.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Pizza, Ethan Stowell, Ballard Pizza Co, First Look

Openings

Five Restaurant Openings to Watch in April

Coming this month: Ethan Stowell’s pizza by the slice, shabu shabu in the International District, a cartwheel-inducing bakery, and more.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Apr 03, 2012 at 10:20AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Ballard Ave’s new destination for pizza by the slice opens next week. Photo: Ballard Pizza Co. via Geoffrey Smith via Twitter

Ballard Pizza Company
The first of Ethan Stowell’s fast-casual restaurants arrives the week of April 8. The space, at 5107 Ballard Ave NW, just up the street from Staple and Fancy, will sell full pies, as well as giant New York–style slices—the kind you fold in half for optimal consumption. Hit up the restaurant’s website or check back here for updates.

Crumble and Flake
Jeez, Neil Robertson hasn’t even opened his Capitol Hill bakery yet, and the man is already appearing on Best Pastry Chef lists. The anticipation is not without good reason: Robertson’s desserts wowed Seattle diners, first at Canlis, then at MistralKitchen. His 500-square-foot space, likely opening in late April, will be a diminutive bastion of croissants, scones, kouign-amann, cookies, brownies, filled-to-order cream puffs, and macarons.

Café con Leche
Details here are a little thin, but it’s still safe to get excited. The man behind the former and beloved Paladar Cubano truck that shuttered in 2010 is bringing Cuban sandwich goodness to SoDo in the form of Café con Leche at 2905 First Ave S. Owner Pedrito Vargas says he doesn’t have a specific opening timeline yet, but hungry fans can count on April. The menu, he says will be “the only traditional Cuban food in Seattle” and similar to the sandwiches and plates from the Paladar Cubano days.

Shabu Chic
Judging from the Twitter frenzy when we wrote about Shabu Chic a few weeks ago, I’m not the only one excited to see this shabu shabu restaurant open in the International District. Each seat comes outfitted with an individual induction burner, so diners can swish, swirl, and season their own personal supply of delicate broth and thinly sliced rib eye. Diners can fill those seats starting Friday, April 6, for lunch.

The Neighbor Lady
Stephan Mollmann, the owner of Twilight Exit, and Twilight bartender Shira Bray are bringing stiff drinks and creative, veggie-focused food to the Central District. While Mollmann isn’t big on schmancy cocktail lists, he does promise Southern-classic libations in a genteel setting he hopes will become a relaxed neighborhood hang. Chef Meagan Lass, formerly of Cafe Flora, has dishes for the carnivores, but the menu will definitely be a safe haven for vegetarians.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, The Neighbor Lady, Ballard Pizza Co, Crumble and Flake, Shabu Chic, Cafe con Leche, 5 Openings This Month

Coming Soon

Ethan Stowell Shares Details on Forthcoming Pizzeria, Roman-Style Trattoria

Well, technically he shares them with a newspaper in Montreal. But details, nonetheless.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 23, 2012 at 12:30PM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Oh, Canada: Ethan Stowell heads north to share details of his by-the-slice pizzeria slated for (surprise, surprise) Ballard Ave. Photo by Geoffrey Smith.

Ethan Stowell spent the week in Montreal recreating his Staple and Fancy restaurant for eager patrons as one of the six Seattle chefs at the city’s annual Montreal en Lumiere festival. And apparently crossing the border put the chef in a chatty mood. Stowell, who made the latest James Beard Award semifinalist list earlier this week, shared a few details with the Montreal Gazette about the by-the-slice pizza joint, Ballard Pizza Co., he’s planning at 5107 Ballard Ave NW.

Stowell told the paper he’s planning New York-style pies, a departure from his usual Italian ethos:

I didn’t want to do Naples-style, like those little 12-inch pies. I want to do huge New York style slices, so you could just come in and go, whether it’s early in the day or super late at night. A place to hang out, something casual and fun. I really love the challenge of doing things differently, but also better, and making sure it’s less expensive than you would expect. I appreciate the art of the pizza – those beautiful Italian pies. But I also wanted it to be approachable, to taste great, and to not have the bill to be the issue. I’m also going to open a classic Roman-style trattoria. We’ll serve things like braised artichokes, a mozzarella bar, stewed oxtail, really classic Roman pastas.

So there you have it: Yet another reason to hang out on Ballard Ave later this year. And a trattoria project to look forward to…perhaps on 15th Avenue?

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Tags: Pizza, Pizza, Coming Soon, Ethan Stowell, Ethan Stowell, Ethan Stowell, Ballard Pizza Co

Tracking 2012

Five Openings I’m Awaiting in 2012

We’ve celebrated the newcomers and mourned the shuttered. Now let’s look ahead.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Dec 28, 2011 at 01:15PM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

This year: hair salon. Next year: majorly anticipated bakery Crumble and Flake.

The Internet masses will be slogging through a few more days of “year in review” posts/articles/tweets before 2011 makes its grand exit. Hence I’d like to take a minute to cast an eye toward the future and point out a few restaurants that have me counting the minutes until next year arrives.

Ethan Stowell’s fast casual undertaking
One of Seattle’s most accomplished (and delightfully sardonic) chefs is still working on a series of fast casual establishments under the name Grubb Brothers (along with wife Angela Stowell and business partner Chad Dale). The first joint to open its doors is likely to be Ballard Pizza Co. some time this spring. But the group’s restaurant plans also include steak frites, fried chicken, sandwiches, and more. Hence whatever spot becomes a reality first, chances are I’ll be waiting outside the front window, chanting “o-pen, o-pen, o-pen!” like the ladies in those ghastly old Mervyn’s ads. Hey, nobody accused me of having an active social life. Estimated open: Majorly TBD.

The return of Restaurant Zoe
There is some fast and furious buildout happening over at the former La Panzanella bakery, now home to Oola Distillery and soon Restaurant Zoe (also, Chinese restaurant Lucky 8). Scott Staples’s first restaurant is planning to reopen mid-January in its new Capitol Hill digs. It shouldn’t take a relocation to get diners excited about an enduring favorite. But, nonetheless…excitement. Estimated open: January.

Skelly and the Bean
Zephyr Paquette’s forthcoming Capitol Hill restaurant is many things: an incubator. A community space. An ambitious experiment in membership-based funding. So it’s easy to get sidetracked from the fact that Paquette is a pretty badass cook. And said badassery will be in effect Wednesday through Saturday, when Paquette will be in the kitchen and her multi-faceted space is a restaurant, plain and simple. Estimated opening: Late January or early February.

Crumble and Flake
Pastry chef Neil Robertson garnered a loyal following at Canlis, cemented it at MistralKitchen, and now he’s adding to the roster of great food and drink spots creeping down Olive Way. What’s currently a hair salon will soon become Crumble and Flake, a tiny shop that Robertson will fill with a takeout counter and whatever cream puffs, cookies, and croissaints he feels like conjuring up in the tiny shop’s kitchen. Estimated open: April-ish.

Queen of Ballard
Don’t get me wrong, I’m plenty interested in Manhattan Drugs, the Capitol Hill spot from Laura Olson and Chris Pardo, that’s probably opening in the very first days of 2012 (in other words, late next week). But the small plate Scandinavian restaurant the couple is planning over in Ballard puts an interesting spin on the neighborhood’s heritage and will be unlike any other place I can think of in town. Estimated open: January or February.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Restaurant Zoe, Ethan Stowell, Queen of Norway, Skelly and the Bean, Ballard Pizza Co, Crumble and Flake, Zephyr Paquette, Neil Robertson