Nosh Pit

Neighborhood Food News: Breakfast Pretzels and $8 Lunches

Plus: Oola happy hour at Tavern Law, Peter Canlis’s wine celebration,and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Mar 28, 2012 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Thai Curry Simple’s walk-up in Cap Hill, now open later. Photo courtesy of their Facebook.

CAPITOL HILL
Eater Seattle shared the good news that the Thai Curry Simple walk-up window has extended its hours. It’s now open Monday to Friday 11 to 8, Saturday 11 to 5.

Tavern Law will be showcasing the wares of nearby distillery Oola tonight, March 28, from 7 to 10 with a special Oola-centric happy hour. On the menu: $7 bee’s knees and Moscow mules.

Lucky 8s is launching a lunch special: patrons choose one item from each of three categories (fortune, luck, and happiness—aka starter, entrée, and side) for $8, available to dine in or take out.

Yikes: Terra Plata got burgled this weekend. Capitol Hill Seattle blog reports that more than $3,000 in tools and construction equipment was swiped from the rooftop deck.

Poquitos is putting on a fundraiser this coming Monday, April 2, for the families of three skiers, Jim Jack, Chris Rudolph. and John Brenan, who were lost in a recent avalanche. The event begins at 4, and chef Manny Arce will be roasting two whole pigs and offering $2 tacos on the patio—ski attire is suggested.

DOWNTOWN
The Icon Grill has a new facade but a historically inaccurate quote. And Hanna Raskin has something (amusing) to say about it.

GREENWOOD
King 5 reports that last weekend a grease fire erupted at Rickshaw, interrupting a night of karaoke. No one was hurt.

QUEEN ANNE
Canlis is presenting the 2009 vintage of its Peter Canlis Syrah from Buty Winery to the wine-drinking world. On Friday, March 30, the Canlis crew is having a five-course celebration of good wine and good food in the restaurant’s penthouse.

SOUTH LAKE UNION
Just a reminder that breakfast at Brave Horse starts today, March 28. Finally, those pretzel breakfast sandwiches …

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
The hi-hat cupcake is coming back to Trophy Cupcakes next weekend. The chocolate-dipped, marshmallow-topped cupcakes are almost as elusive as the Easter bunny—they’ll surface for just two days on April 7 and 8. (Also, Hunger Games cupcakes through Sunday, April 1.)

An article on Sightline Daily kicked off a discussion of Seattle’s supposedly tragic food cart scene. We’ve got some catching up to do with our neighbors to the south for sure, but we don’t think it’s so bad up here, especially not with bellies full of crepes and beignets …

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tavern Law, Lucky 8, Oola Distillery, Terra Plata, Brave Horse Tavern, Trophy Cupcakes, Seattle Food Trucks, Canlis, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Food News Roundup, Thai Curry Simple

Neighborhood Food News: Seattle’s James Beard Finalists, Restaurant Week Is around the Corner

Plus: A pho-mapping quest, calzones in Magnolia, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Mar 21, 2012 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

Serious Eats doesn’t hate them…

BRYANT
Grand masters of chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony, will be leading a spring tea gathering on March 24. Beginners are welcome, but a kimono is recommended.

DOWNTOWN
Serious Eats just reviewed Seattle soda company Jones Soda’s Au Naturel drinks—their verdict: “not terrible.” The team also took a crack at Starbucks’ new Evolution Fresh juices, though not in the new Bellevue store.

MAGNOLIA
Neapolitan joint Queen Margherita is now folding pizzas in half and offering calzones. Also new (to Margherita, not to the world): Caesar and panzanella salads.

RENTON
A little bit of a trek, but this Friday, March 23, a traditional Swedish Easter smorgasbord is going down at Ikea. It costs $10, starts at 5:30, and involves many kinds of salmon and, of course, meatballs.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Seattle Restaurant Week begins April 8, with more than 150 restaurants participating in the three-course, $28 meal deal this year. There are some exciting new additions to the lineup, as well as a QR code contest, Eat and Seek, with opportunities to win gift cards and hotel stays and the like.

Seattle Weekly has teamed up with the Seattle Pho-natics to create the Pho File, a list of all the city’s many pho spots, complete with a overviews of the restaurants’ offerings and atmosphere. And they need help. Contact Hanna Raskin for an assignment, aka a new pho place to try and dish on.

The pared-down list of James Beard Award nominees is finally out, and two out of five of the Best Chef: Northwest nominees are from our city: Matt Dillon of Sitka and Spruce and Jason Franey of Canlis. And Tom Douglas too, in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. Again. Some local food writers got nods too.

It’s Hunger Action Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about hunger in King County. There are various ways to take part: donate, volunteer, host a dinner party, or go see a fruit ninja contest at the Microsoft Store.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Pizza, Tom Douglas, Food News, Food News Roundup, James Beard Awards, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Canlis, Sitka and Spruce

Neighborhood Food News: More Pasta at Il Corvo and Dine Around Seattle Is Coming Right Up

Plus: Cheese field trips with Calf and Kid, Proletariat Pizza delivers, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 29, 2012 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Shortened hours means more pasta at Il Corvo.

CAPITOL HILL
Melrose Market cheesemonger The Calf and Kid is reviving the elementary school joy of the field trip with day trips to Yarmuth Farms to tour the creamery, pet the baby animals, and eat a big, cheesy lunch.

DOWNTOWN
The bad news: Il Corvo, the fresh pasta joint tucked into a gelato shop, is closing Mondays, cutting its days to Tuesday–Friday. The good news: Owner Mike Easton is closing Monday to have more pasta-making hours, so he will actually be able to keep serving lunch until 3 on the days the shop is open and can have more beautiful specials. (Like ‘naked’ nettle ravioli).

GREENWOOD
Phinneywood reports that Chuck’s Hop Shop is hosting a beer tasting to raise money for Vision Greenwood Park tonight, Wednesday the 1st, from five to eight.

LYNNWOOD
There’s a new Whole Foods opening soon up north—the grand opening will be on Thursday, March 15. An hour of hoopla begins at 8, and the doors officially open to the public at 9. Then on Saturday, March 17, the store is having a family-oriented celebration from 10 to 2…free samples?

U DISTRICT
As part of Free First Thursday, the Burke Museum will be opening its Hungry Planet exhibit to the public free of charge. The exhibit explores the interplay between food and culture through photos of families in their markets and homes with a week’s worth of groceries, as well as a special display about traditional Native American foodways.

WEST SEATTLE
Proletariat Pizza is trying out a new delivery service—available Monday through Wednesday to addresses nearby the White Center shop, according to Eater Seattle.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
On Thursday, March 1, the new Washington liquor legislation kicks in, making it possible for restaurants and bars to work directly with distillers and distributors without the state as a middleman. But things might not really change too much, for now at least.

Food-lover magazine Bon Appetit named the Hot Cakes bacon, oatmeal, raisin cookies served at Stumptown as one of the nation’s best coffee shop desserts. (And they’ve got a recipe!)

On the subject of accolades, Where Ya At Matt was counted amongst the nation’s 20 best food trucks by the most well-known arbiter of taste in the restaurant world, Smithsonian Magazine.

Dine Around Seattle, the 3-courses-for-$30 restaurant extravaganza, begins Thursday, March 1, with more restaurants this year then ever before. Start making your lists and your reservations.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Pizza, Il Corvo, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Liquor Privatization, Food News Roundup, Liquor Laws, Food News, Pasta, Dine Around Seattle, Awards and Accolades, Where Ya At Matt

Neighborhood Food News: Tutta Bella Serves Presidential Pie, Belle Clementine Offers Meal Series Subscriptions

Plus: Grant Achatz seeks Seattle dining advice, Woodland Park Zoo teams up with Caffe Vita to save tree kangaroos and bring us coffee, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 22, 2012 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

Hot Cakes’ molten take-n-bake chocolate cakes are now available online. Photo courtesy of the Hot Cakes website.

BALLARD
Belle Clementine, the communal supper club, will be making subscriptions to its Seasonal Meal Series available today, the 22nd. Sign up in advance for a spot at one of the shared tables for multiple springtime meals and make yourself a Clementine regular.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Tutta Bella was lucky enough to make a pie for President Obama when he was in town last week. They crafted a spicy pizza topped with local peppers and sausage, appropriately titled “Il Presidente.” It’ll be on sale at all Tutta Bella locations this week, reports the Seattle Times.

Autumn Martin’s Hot Cakes are now available nationwide via her website. She’s opening a shop on Ballard Ave this spring, but to hold you over till then, her take-and-bake cakes, sauces, and cookies are all available online.

Grant Achatz, internationally lauded chef of Chicago’s molecular gastronomy mecca Alinea, is coming our way this weekend and Twitterland is full of suggestions about where he should eat. Tilth? Canlis? Walrus and the Carpenter? Chime in.

It’s James Beard season, and Seattle’s food folk have earned a lot of nominations. Shining Northwest stars from places like Cafe Juanita, Spinasse, Boat Street Café, and more are up for awards. Canlis took home three nominations, including Best Chef Northwest for Jason Franey, the first year the chef was eligible.

Woodland Park Zoo and Caffe Vita have teamed up to bring the first ever coffee from the isolated Yopono Uruwa Som forests of Papua New Guinea to Seattle. After the forested region became a protected conservation area, Woodland Park’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation program and the coffee company stepped in to help farmers create a sustainable, profitable coffee crop. The tasty and sustainable coffee is available at all Caffe Vita locations and Woodland Park ZooStores.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Pizza, Food News, Food News Roundup, James Beard Awards, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Woodland Park Zoo, Belle Clementine

Neighborhood Food News: Lark’s Successful Kickstarter Cookbook, Take-out Neapolitan in Magnolia

Plus: Save the Ding Dongs at Mod Pizza, an upcoming restaurant radio show, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 15, 2012 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

John Sundstrom of Lark is using Kickstarter to launch a cookbook and accompanying e-book.

CAPITOL HILL
Lark chef John Sundstrom is putting together a cookbook, without the help of a publisher. Sundstrom’s chosen to instead call on the foodie community via Kickstarter to raise the money to shoot the photos, edit the book, and create not just a cookbook but an e-book to boot. And since this was announced on February 6, he’s met and surpassed his $33,000 goal, proving the viability of his non-traditional approach— the motivation for which Rebekah Denn of the Seattle Times explains nicely.

MAGNOLIA
Neapolitan-style pizzeria Queen Margherita just started offering carry-out. Now you can put off that stone pizza oven project and still have wood-fired pies at home.

RAVENNA
Ravenna Blog reports that Café Da Pino had a minor fire last Thursday night, caused by faulty wiring. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t too extensive.

WALLINGFORD
Some post-Valentine’s sweetness is happening at the Wallingford Community Kitchen cooking event this Friday the 17th, with plans to make peanut butter cup pie and other chocolate desserts. Register today and bring an appetizer or main dish to share at the Friday gathering.

ON THE AIR
Joshua Henderson of Skillet fame and Julien Perry are teaming up for a radio show. Expect raucous discussions of restaurants. More details here.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
MOD Pizza can’t bear to see the Ding Dong go into extinction, a possibility due to snack manufacturer Hostess filing for bankruptcy. MOD has been selling Ding Dongs since the pizzeria opened, and now its locations are cutting the pastry’s price in half, down to a mere 50 cents.

West Coasters rejoice, ice cream maker Parfait has further expanded its delivery program. Insulated boxes packed with dry ice and delicious pints of ice cream can now be shipped to all of Washington, Oregon, and Utah, and parts of Idaho, California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana.

New York Magazine has compiled a truly sweet tooth–tickling list of the country’s 101 Most Crazy-Awesome New Desserts and a few Seattle spots made the list: A La Mode’s Blue Hawaii pie, and The Confectional’s decadent quadruple-chocolate cheesecake.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cookbooks, Pizza, Food News, Food News Roundup, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Seattle Food Delivery, Lark

Neighborhood Food News: Full Tilt Gains an Ice Cream Lab, Trophy Cupcakes Delivers

Plus: Met Market gets in the Valentine’s spirit, Tom Douglas Wants to Send You to Hawaii, Wild Ginger riffs on the Gauguin exhibit, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 08, 2012 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

Trophy Cupcakes now delivers. Photo courtesy their website.

BELLEVUE
John Howie is getting in on the Sunday supper trend. These new weekly meals will be sized for four and, of course, centered on a shared steak.

CAPITOL HILL
Eater Seattle reports that tonight at Bako there will be both free snacks and fashion. It’s a Wednesday night grab-bag of an event: a DJ, a fashion show, vodka drinks, and $5 Bako gift cards.

DOWNTOWN
Another downtown restaurant is finding menu inspiration at the Seattle Art Museum. Wild Ginger is creating a menu inspired by Gauguin’s Polynesia, on exhibit at SAM through April 29. The menu will be available tomorrow, but here’s a teaser: twice-cooked Indonesian wings, first simmered in a myriad of Southeast Asian spices, then fried and coated in hoisin barbeque sauce. Even better, these dishes are accompanied by a new tropical cocktail.

GREEN LAKE
Free babysitting at Café Bonjour on Valentine’s Day. Parents eat, kids play under supervision. (But if you have scored a sitter, boy have we got Valentine’s dinner ideas for you. Here and here.)

QUEEN ANNE
Metropolitan Market is going all out for Valentine’s: from 5-7 on Thursday there will be a champagne tasting, crab cakes, oysters, and chocolate covered strawberries at the Mercer Street location. And from 4-7 that same day, sample Cupcake Royale’s Deathcake and Macrina Bakery’s chocolate cherry heart loaf. Both pastries will be at the Queen Anne Ave location for sample and for sale on Saturday.

WEST SEATTLE
Full Tilt Ice Cream is expanding, though not with a new retail location this time (yet.) According to the West Seattle blog, the ice creamery is taking over a 6,061 square-foot space to use for manufacturing, storage, and as a laboratory, with tentative plans for retail space and perhaps a gallery in the future. The new space will allow Full Tilt to crank out more goodness, as well as give kids mouthwatering tours.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Tom Douglas wants to send you to Hawaii. Two tickets to Kona, three nights at a swanky hotel, and a big seafood dinner are up for grabs. Drop by any of his restaurants to pick up the contest questions, or download it here and drop it off.

Dangerous: Trophy Cupcakes are now available by delivery. A day’s notice and a minimum order of a dozen cupcakes (maybe a batch of February’s special dark chocolate raspberry cupcakes…) will get you delivery for $15 in Seattle, $20 in Bellevue.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tom Douglas, Full Tilt, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Cupcakes, Food News Roundup, Wild Ginger, Sunday Suppers, Free Food, Contests, Trophy Cupcakes

Neighborhood Food News: Capitol Hill Burger Exchange, Andrew Zimmern Loves Canlis

Plus: A new flavor at Full Tilt, Ballard Loft’s fourth anniversary, double chocolate biscuits in West Seattle, and more.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Jan 11, 2012 at 09:45AM 0 Comments

The Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern is a Canlis fan.

BALLARD
Help Ballard Loft celebrate its fourth birthday tonight with half-off wine and other rockin’ happy-hour deals.

CAPITOL HILL
Late-night favorites Li’l Woody’s and Big Mario’s are teaming up for a two-week long “burger exchange” starting January 15. Li’l Woody’s will be offering Big Mario’s chicken parm sandwich and Big Mario’s will be serving the Trotter hamburger as a pizza.

Table 219 has officially been transformed into comfort-food-dedicated Americana, and is now open for brunch six days a week. Menu items include maple-glazed pork belly with a mozzarella pancake for breakfast, duck confit nachos, and French onion mac n’ cheese for dinner.

QUEEN ANNE
Travel Channel’s deep-fried-tarantula-and-frog-heart-eating Andrew Zimmern named Canlis one of his favorite restaurants of the year. We agree.

U DISTRICT
Curious about raw foods? Thrive is offering a class for raw newbies at the Roosevelt Square Whole Foods tomorrow, January 12, from 6:30 to 8:30. $40 per person, or $70 for two, in Whole Foods’ Eat Well Kitchen.

WEST SEATTLE
West Seattle Farmers Market has reopened after its holiday hiatus, with two new vendors: Finnriver Artisan Hard Cider and Spirited Wine and Honest Biscuits . Try sparkling black-currant cider and double-chocolate biscuits with nuggets of Theo’s organic chocolate baked inside on Sunday from 10 to 2.

Avalon is having a birthday too. Pourquoi Pas will play there tonight to celebrate the restaurant’s first anniversary.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Full Tilt Ice Cream has a brand new morning-inspired flavor: cornflakes. Following famed Momofuku Milk Bar’s—see Christina Tosi’s book in our November 2011 gift guide —cereal milk, the ice cream is speckled with caramelized cornflakes and Full Tilt is already down to the last few scoops. But never fear, a new batch is in the works and will be available at all four locations this weekend.

And it’s not technically restaurant news, but who can say no to Girl Scout cookies? The Girl Scouts of Western Washington are having a food blogger recipe contest —enter for a chance to win the ultimate prize: cases upon cases of Thin Mints and Samoas.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Food News Roundup

Neighborhood Food News: New Breakfast and Lunch Spots

Plus: Thaiku auctioning decor, B&O isn’t closing—yet, and more.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Dec 21, 2011 at 10:45AM 0 Comments

Photo: Amos Morgan

B & O Espresso will be around a bit longer.

BALLARD
Allecia Vermillion reported last week on the closure of Thaiku and Fu Kun Wu. Now, MyBallard says there will be an auction December 29 of decor, kitchen appliances, and furniture. Preview the items at the restaurant starting at 8am, the bidding kicks off at 10.

CAPITOL HILL
In last Friday’s Action Items, we mentioned the impending closure of B & O Espresso due to a new development. Turns out the coffee shop has reached an agreement to not shutter until the ground breaking, which means it’ll be there for most of next year, and maybe longer, says Eater says.

Another addendum to already-reported news: In addition to brunch, Terra Plata also kicked off lunch service last week.

In what may be a response to Molly Moon’s morning offerings, Old School Frozen Custard has added breakfast service. Starting at 7, the custard shop will be serving quiche, bagels, pastries, and oatmeal, along with coffee and tea.

QUEEN ANNE
Mezcaleria Oaxaca announced that today, the 21st, is the start of lunch service. From noon to 3 Wednesday–Saturday, try midday exclusives like memelitas, tamales de rajas, enfrijolas, and carne asada tacos, among others. Entrees range from $7 to $12; the bar will not be open, sadly. UPDATE 8PM: “Due to high demand,” bar service will in fact be offered.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
All three Homegrown locations are serving up breakfast sandwiches all day, from 8 to 8. Also new: a smoked ham, Beecher’s cheese, and sage aioli sammy.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Food News Roundup

Neighborhood Food News: Biscuits, Brunch, and Christmas Dinners

Plus: Parfait delivers ice cream, Bigfood introduces mobile oyster grill, and more.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Dec 14, 2011 at 02:07PM 0 Comments

Order chocolate or caramel sauce to go with your cream delivery from Parfait.

Photo courtesy Parfait.

CAPITOL HILL
For one final weekend at the Broadway farmers market, Honest Biscuits will be selling “kick-ass” biscuits made from local products like Beecher’s cheese and Theo chocolate. CHS reports that the biscuit business from Arthur Stone has plans to move to West Seattle after the Broadway stint.

Tamara Murphy’s Terra Plata has added brunch service from 10 to 3 on Saturdays and Sundays. The brunch menu includes oysters Rock-a-Terra, a dish featuring a Pacific oyster topped with greens, chorizo, and cheese, baked and served with a Blood Mary shot. In addition to Bloody Marys, the Melrose Market eatery offers blood orange and ginger mimosas.

INTERBAY
The street food scene may have slowed a bit for the winter, but it hasn’t stopped. Interbay Eats has some big-name trucks on board for a new food truck pod, including Skillet, Snout & Co., and Buns on Wheels (the only formally committed one so far).

EVERYWHERE
Are your in-laws not professional chefs? We’ve got you covered this Christmas, with a rundown of restaurants serving dinners both Christmas Eve and Christmas. The lists feature some of Seattle Met favorites such as Crush, Tilth, and Copperleaf.

Bigfood, the rural-legend inspired food truck, has introduced Seattle’s first mobile oyster grill. Owners Matt Pontious and Tyler Rebman hope to fire it up once every couple weeks throughout the winter.

Adria Shimada’s ice cream truck Parfait, which introduced home delivery this year, is expanding that service. Delivery is now daily, including the upcoming holidays. Preorder online for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Ice cream delivery requires a minimum of two pints ($10 each with discounts for more than three). You can also order Shimada’s $10 jars of Sauce au Chocolat or Sauce au Caramel to top it off.

SEATTLE IN THE NEWS
Rob Roy, in Belltown, and Tavern Law, on Capitol Hill, have been named two of the 50 Best Bars in America, by Food and Wine magazine. They seem to be in no particular order, but Rob Roy landed at 43, and Tavern Law at 48.

MEDIA DOINGS
Over at The Stranger, Slog has been busy with a bit of a charity face-off against New York–based gossip-regurgitator/time-waster site Gawker. So far Slog has raised more than $15,000 for the Northwest Harvest food bank, and the ante has been significantly upped with the latest prize —two nights at Vancouver’s downtown Pan Pacific Hotel. Donate by Friday, December 16 to make yourself eligible.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Food News Roundup, Neighborhood Food News Roundup

Neighborhood Food News: Warm Up with Cocoa and Hot Dogs at the Capitol Hill Ice Rink

Plus: Family style dinners at Golden Beetle, free latkes, oysters are back in town, and more.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Dec 07, 2011 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Cal Anderson ice rink rendering courtesy of Hunters Capital LLC.

BALLARD
This week Maria Hines’s restaurant Golden Beetle introduced family style dinners, served nights Thursday–Sunday. The $29-a-person dinner requires at least two diners to share the communal plates.

BELLEVUE
Goldbergs’ Famous Delicatessen is celebrating Hanukkah by offering a free latke with any dinner entree ordered after 5. The potato pancake, a traditional Hanukkah food, will be gratis with dinner for the month of December.

CAPITOL HILL
The Cal Anderson Ice Rink, one of our reasons to love winter in Seattle, opened this week with coffee, cocoa, hot dogs, and roasted sunflower seeds thanks to Caffe Vita, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, and Cure. The $1 for a bag of sunflower seeds goes to Peace for the Streets.

If you’ve been seeking new burger frontiers, you’re in luck. Marjorie has introduced the True Burger, a 10-patties-a-night special creation of owner Donna Moodie and chef Paul Hyman.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Cold temperatures mean oysters, and Allecia Vermillion did the legwork to put together a guide to oyster happy hours in Seattle. You can find oysters for as low as 50 cents each, or, you can go big with the Walrus and Carpenter oyster picnic.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Food News Roundup

Neighborhood Food News: Eat and Drink for a (Few) Good Cause(s)

Plus: Ballard Brothers is getting a liquor license, Orcas Island’s Chimayo gets a second identity, and more.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Nov 30, 2011 at 10:50AM 0 Comments

Like this, but with more monkeys.

BALLARD
Good news for us drinkers, Ballard Brothers Seafood & Burgers has applied for a liquor license, according to MyBallard. Owner Drew Greer says it’s what the people want.

DOWNTOWN
This one comes from the “Say what?!” file. The Pink Door is celebrating its 30th anniversary by donating 30 percent of profits over a 30-day period starting December 1 to charity Solid Ground. Here’s the kicker: When the festivities jump off during Thursday’s dinner, guests will be served desserts and drinks by monkeys. “Merry prankster monkeys,” apparently, which is code for humans dressed up in elaborate monkey costumes.

Thursday, December 1, go on a tour of 21 Washington wineries at The Hotel Monaco for Kimpton Seattle Hotels’ annual Red Ribbon event benefiting Seattle’s Lifelong AIDS Alliance. For $30 you support a good cause while drinking some of our state’s best wines paired with small bites, plus you take home an etched keepsake wine glass. If you’re lucky, you might also take home a hotel stay or airfare for two as a raffle prize.

ORCAS ISLAND
When Hanna Raskin reviewed Chimayo back in September, she mentioned an impending name change. Well, it sort of happened. The restaurant is now Sazio di Notte, offering Italian cuisine from 5 to 9, but it’s also still Chimayo from 11 to 2:30, when they serve Southwestern lunch.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Via Tribunali, Pizzeria 22, and Cornuto Pizzeria are teaming up to exchange pizzas for coats to benefit youth served by the Atlantic Street Center. Call it “Pizzas for Parkas” or “Coats for Kids,” either way you get a free margherita pizza in exchange for new or gently used coats for kids up to 18 years old. The drive is on now and runs till December 12.

It’s time for Page Ahead’s Bubbles for Books campaign. Drink champagne at any of the participating restaurants and your money will go toward literacy services for children. There’s a long list of participants, including Bastille, Canlis, Daniel’s, and Toulouse Petit.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Charity Dinners, Food News Roundup

Restaurant Shifts and Shakeups

This week: Cafe Munir is bringing Lebanese cuisine to Seattle, Local 360 Mercantile closes, and more.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Nov 18, 2011 at 09:15AM 0 Comments

The future home of Cafe Munir. Photo courtesy of Rajah Gargour.

BAINBRIDGE
Open today, the 18th, Hitchcock Delicatessen and Charcuterie joins sibling restaurant Hitchcock in owner Brendan McGill’s arsenal. Pick up a house-smoked pulled pork sandwich or heirloom potato salad with homemade bacon from the deli. As for charcuterie, McGill offers cured Basque-style chorizo, air-dried duck breast, lonza, bacon and pancetta, items that also punctuate the menu at the restaurant next door.

BALLARD
Lebanon native Rajah Gargour came to Seattle in 1993 with experience running a Mexican-style catering operation in London. Now, after cooking at Serafina, Szmania’s, and Marco’s Supper Club, he’s opening Cafe Munir to remedy our city’s sad lack of Lebanese cuisine. After eyeing the location for years, Gargour hopes to open his cafe in early December.

BELLEVUE
Opening early 2012 in the Hyatt Regency comes Koral, a new American tavern from the people behind Pearl Bar & Dining. Co-owner Mikel Rogers says the restaurant, filling the space left by the Twisted Cork, will be “a place where everyone feels welcome,” and will serve daily dinner and a weekend brunch.

BELLTOWN
Local 360’s neighboring mercantile has shuttered; owners say the local meat and produce shop didn’t generate traffic like the cafe and bar. Scheduled to reopen by the end of November, the space will hold large groups, chef’s dinners, and private events.

CAPITOL HILL
Little Uncle, formerly Shophouse, the Monday night pop-up at Licorous and then La Bete, is getting a place of its own—sort of. Starting sometime in early December, the walk-up window will serve lunch four days a week. The popular pop-up dinners will continue to take place Mondays at La Bete.

CENTRAL DISTRICT
From Eater, word that kosher bakery Beehive has shuttered for good, three months after opening. Eater describes it as “a twist in what would have been a comeback story… [for] the site of two previous murders.”

EASTLAKE
Arriving today in the spot vacated by Kristo’s Eastlake comes a grill with a nautical theme. Ship Canal Grill, from owners Dominic Wood and Wes and Daphne Larson, will be serving burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and seafood amid old photos of the neighborhood, and imbibers will sidle up to a bar featuring a model of the grill’s namesake bridge.

FREMONT
Hot on the heels (wheels?) of the company’s new ice cream truck, Bluebird Microcreamy opens its third location today, November 18. Fittingly, the Fremont Ave spot—serving fall flavors and classics—is right next to Pie.

RAVENNA
Eater reported that Heidelberg Haus opened last week serving southern German cuisine from 5 to 10:30 Tuesday–Sunday. Ravenna blog posted the menu, featuring the usual schnitzel and spaetzle, among others.

SOUTH LAKE UNION
Since it closed in August, McCormick and Schmick’s Harborside has been undergoing a transformation that involves the former chef from Ray’s Boathouse. Reopening November 22 as just Harborside, the Peter Birk–driven eatery will focus on sustainable seafood given the green light by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Seattle Restaurant Closings, Food News Roundup, Revamps