Five Restaurant Openings to Watch in May
Coming this month: Vessel returns, dining amongst Chihulys, and modern Korean at Pike Place Market.
Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on May 01, 2012 at 10:15AM
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Two of our most-wanted April openings have rolled into May, so we still hunger for the arrival of Crumble and Flake patisserie on May 5, as well as Cafe con Leche, which unleashes its Cuban menu today. Meanwhile, here are five more places to anticipate in the coming weeks.
Cha:n
The owner of Bacco Cafe in Pike Place Market has turned the restaurant’s lower level into a separate restaurant that blends his native Korean food with Western techniques and market produce. The 38-seat space opens onto the same charming courtyard as Marché and Inn at the Market and the menu is split between more traditional small plates (say, bulgogi with grilled mushrooms and scallions) and modern (ooh, kimchee bacon paella). The opening? Why that would be today, May 1, at 5pm.
Collections Cafe
The new Chihuly exhibit going in at Seattle Center will have a companion restaurant with some solid culinary credentials. James Beard–winning chef Jason Wilson of Crush helped develop the menu. In the kitchen, a Canlis vet and the former executive chef at The Hunt Club are running the show. The name, of course, refers to the restaurant’s proximity to all things Chihuly, even housing some of the glass artist’s personal collections of old-school radios, cameras, accordions and other acquisitions. The opening date is set for May 21.
Benito’s Chicago Eatery
Chicago native Ben Kulikowski is bringing his native cuisine—Italian beef, deep-dish pizza, and the Chicago-style dog—to Ballard, along with a rotating seasonal menu. Right now he’s in the thick of training cooks, but plans to open his doors in the middle of the month. Delivery throughout the neighborhood comes later this year.
Seattle Center House
It seems that each passing week day brings word of a new occupant in the Armory’s turbo-charged food court. Many of these arrivals are food trucks making their first brick-and-mortar forays, others are new outposts of well-known local establishments. Most Seattle Center House occupants will open their doors in June, but look for a few organized folks to be up and running by the end of May.
Vessel
No, seriously. Vessel is totally reopening this month. Unless I just jinxed it by writing that sentence. After suffering through some of the setbacks that are all too common on bar and restaurant projects, construction is moving along, and owner Jim Romdall hopes to reunite Seattle with one of its most impressive cocktail bars in the coming weeks if all goes well. The impending Olive Way location (lease issues shuttered the Fifth Avenue original in December) will offer lunch and dinner service, much to the delight of nearby Nordstrom employees.
Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Vessel, Crumble and Flake, 5 Openings This Month, Benito's, Collections Cafe, Chan
