Nosh Pit

Altura Pushes Back Opening Date [Update: Not really]

Meantime, Chef Nathan Lockwood dreams up things to do with heirloom tomatoes.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 11, 2011 at 09:27AM 0 Comments

Expect to see these guys on Altura’s opening menu.

Photo: heirloomtomatoplants.com

UPDATE: Rebecca Lockwood writes to say that the restaurant IS on track for a mid-September opening after all so…just kidding?

In July, the CHS blog interviewed Rebecca Lockwood about Altura, the restaurant that she and her husband Nathan are opening on North Broadway this fall.

Altura will specialize in Italian-inspired dishes prepared using foraged and local foods. Nathan, formerly chef at The Ruins, will do the cooking.

A few weeks later in the construction process, Rebecca says that an opening—earlier projected for mid-September—will more likely arrive at the end of that month as late as early October. As for menu specifics, she says her husband is still tweaking his recipes and is not ready to disclose the particulars. However: “I can tell you he is excited to be opening in time for the end of tomato season…expect delicious dishes with our favorite heirlooms.”

Further reading:
Glenn Drosendahl at Puget Sound Business Journal has plenty of details surrounding plans at Altura.

Also: You too can grow heirloom tomatoes! Seattle Met contributor Bill Thorness explains how.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Capitol Hill, Tomatoes

The Buildout Commences at Terra Plata

This is really happening.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Aug 03, 2011 at 09:55AM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy Twitter

It appears the soap opera that is Terra Plata really truly finally has mellowed out.

A brief recap: The Tamara Murphy restaurant anchoring Melrose Market was supposed to open over a year and a half ago. Disagreements over the triangular space (and whether it delivered on the promise of a separate dining room, to be exact) led to delays and a very public flare-up between Murphy and developers Liz Dunn and Scott Shapiro. Those two then called off the project. Murphy fired back. Then an also-public, multi-month legal battle followed. Murphy won the suit, though more negotiations were necessary. Throughout it all lingered an is-it-or-isn’t-it-happening haziness.

Pics posted on the restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter accounts suggest the agreement the parties met has stuck: Over the past two weeks construction workers have been busy building out the space. Pictured here are the bar and, below, the tabletops, made with cedar from the original Elliott Bay Book Company.

Terra Plata is projected to open in September.

Photo courtesy Twitter

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Capitol Hill, Dining-World Drama

Slideshow: Inside Li’l Woody’s on Capitol Hill

Seattle’s newest burger biz is a late night, kid-friendly shack on Pine Street.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Aug 02, 2011 at 02:07PM 0 Comments

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The Woody’s mascot is a tot-friendly take on Sasquatch. “It’s fun to do something that’s not 21-plus,” the bar owner says.

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Lalario and a burger buff from Captain Blacks spent about five months building the regionally focused menu. Perfecting the recipes for the homemade sauces and spices also took some time. Eventually Lalario plans to sell those condiments as well as other local products, like the Boat Street pickled figs found on the Fig and Pig listed here. That and the chili–topped New Mexican are Lalario’s favorites.

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Woody’s will stay open until 3am on weekends. Though this part of the Hill is less trafficked at night, Lalario isn’t concerned: “I feel strongly enough about our burgers that people will wander down for them.”

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The mezzanine and ground level will accommodate up to 40 eaters.

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Lalario says the Painted Hills patties are cooked fresh—not frozen—and formed by hand.

UPDATE 8/23: The late-night weekend hours are coming soon.

Burger joints are the golden child of the restaurant world: Everyone flips for them yet they court even the ficklest gourmands, and they’ve thrived in a brutal economic climate (see this charticle of Seattle’s burger boom).

The latest joint to fuel that boom is Li’l Woody’s, set to open publicly the week of August 8, if not a few days before. Heading up the shack is Marcus Lalario. A familiar name on Capitol Hill (he co-owns Captain Blacks and HG Lodge and has stakes in a handful of other spots), Lalario toyed with going burger for years. He moved forward with the idea when a space neighboring Marination Station opened up, but when that fell through Lalario found himself rehabbing 1211 Pine Street, the sliver once belonging to Juliano’s Pizza.

Now much brighter and more open and with a meaty menu complemented by shakes, sodas, and floats, Lalario feels Woody’s is fit to become “the Peach Pit of Capitol Hill.”

To see if Nat would approve, and for a glimpse at that menu, click through the slideshow.

All photos by Seattlemet.com photographer Lucas Anderson.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Capitol Hill, Late Night, Burgers

New Restaurant Review: Cuoco

The South Lake Union pasta house “lacks a fresh vision.”

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Aug 01, 2011 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

Photo: Olivia Brent

The pasta station at Cuoco.

As was mentioned in this post re: Tom Douglas’s SLU coup, Kathryn Robinson dedicates her most recent review to TD’s Terry Ave pasta house, Cuoco.

It’s Douglas’s 15th venture and “visually it may be the showpiece of his entire collection,” the Seattle Met critic decides. Though some of the pastas were “sticky, even gummy,” Robinson does discover two dishes she likes: a Yukon gold ­gnocchi and lamb-stuffed ravioli. In the bistecca—“a major romp for the palate”—she tastes Douglas’s visionary flair, but the plate wasn’t enough to salvage Cuoco from what she deems a lack of originality: “Cuoco feels derivative; as if Douglas cast his hungry eye around town cherry-picking concepts he admired.”

For more, read the full Cuoco review.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Tom Douglas, Restaurant Reviews

Breaking Down Tom Douglas’s South Lake Union Empire

The man opened five new joints there this year.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jul 29, 2011 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

Photo: Olivia Brent

A pretzel from Brave Horse Tavern.

Yes, five, and in typical TD fashion, they’re all nestled close to one another. Serious Pie and Dahlia Workshop share quarters on Westlake and Harrison, while Brave Horse Tavern, Ting Momo, and Cuoco are housed in a rehabbed warehouse on Terry Avenue.

If your brain is overwhelmed by that much Douglasness in not very much space, Seattle Met critic Kathryn Robinson has a guide to all his new nosheries (well, all of them except one: Cuoco gets its own review.) In it find a breakdown of each joint with handy details like optimal times to visit, Tom’s favorites from the menus as well as hers.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, South Lake Union, Tom Douglas

Slideshow: Inside Experience Music Project’s Pop Kitchen + Bar

Plus photos of the splurge-tastic food.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jul 27, 2011 at 12:07PM 2 Comments

Pop is located at 325 5th Avenue North.

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Pop is located at 325 5th Avenue North.

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The dining room spills into the lobby of Experience Music Project, much to the enjoyment of these nuggets.

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Pop is open from 10-10 and serves lunch and dinner. Chefs Rebecca Cameron and Susanna Holt spent months developing the new American menu.

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The bar boasts an extensive cocktail list and 14 brews on tap.

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A salad bar is available to the lunch crowd.

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The Mastiff: applewood smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, house balsamic onion jam, pickled onions, mustard, and aioli top a kobe frank cradled by a Macrina brioche bun.

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The house burger: applewood smoked bacon, Willapa Hills blue cheese, and house balsamic onion jam atop a Macrina bun.

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The Cheese Dream: sharp cheddar, fresh mozzarella, aioli, and Pleasant Valley pickles, also on Macrina brioche.

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In-house pastry chef Erin Cameron keeps the desserts menu well-stocked.

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The Blueberry Buckle: oat streusel, candied walnuts, and lemon olive oil frozen yogurt.

UPDATE 8/15: Slog reports Cameo McRoberts is no longer in the kitchen.

Just like the museum in which it resides, Pop Kitchen and Bar is a jolt to the senses. The colors are loud, the atmosphere space-age, and the aesthetic anything but the timbered trimmings our eyeballs know so well.

The food, too, is far from muted. Cameo McRoberts (formerly of Little Water Cantina on Eastlake) helms a deluxe Americana menu tricked out with splurgey flourishes. (Healthful ones will nonetheless find plenty of veg-heavy options.)

To get an eyeful of those dishes and for a look inside the just-opened restaurant, click through the sideshow.

All photos by seattlemet.com photographer Lucas Anderson.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings

Lucky Diner to Stay Open Round the Clock on Weekends

The all-the-time eats begin August 7.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jul 22, 2011 at 07:15AM 0 Comments

The Lucky Diner, soon to serve round the clock on weekends.

Photo: The Lucky Diner via Facebook

In other cities, this wouldn’t be big news.

But Seattle has had, historically, such a dearth of places to eat in the wee hours. That’s changing though, with a crop of late-night options popping up on Capitol Hill. And now, from Belltown, another bit of auspiciousness for those of us who like to dine in the off-hours: As promised, the Lucky Diner will stay open 24 hours from Friday through Sunday. This starts August 7, per a company press release.

The concept at Lucky is modern diner: classic diner fare like omelets and patty melts but with some higher-end flourishes. Smoked salmon and corn chowder, for instance, is not something you’d see (or care to see) on the menu at Denny’s. There is also a fit menu, a kids menu, and a bunch of vegetarian and gluten-free options. The Lucky Diner is owned and cheffed by Justin Mevs.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Breakfast, Late-Night Grub, Late Night, Diners, Seattle Restaurants

More on Momiji, the New Japanese Restaurant from the Owner of Umi, Kushibar

Details on the first Capitol Hill project from Belltown restaurateur Steven Han and partners.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 30, 2011 at 08:58AM 0 Comments

Tablemaking in progress at Momiji, a traditional Japanese restaurant opening this fall on Capitol Hill.

Photo: Momiji via Facebook

Update from a Momiji rep 08/17: “Cody Burns will be general manager of Momiji and coordinating the sake and wine list.
Will Doherty is the…bartender coming over from Umi.”

Over the past few months CHS Blog and Eater Seattle have brought us news of Momiji, a new Japanese restaurant from the people behind Umi Sake House and Kushibar that is currently under construction at 1522 12th Avenue on Capitol Hill.

I called up owner Steven Han to learn more. Here’s what he told me:

Han was inspired by the culinary tradition of Kyoto, a city well-known for its multi-course meals presented in garden courtyards by servers wearing traditional kimono. “When you go to Kyoto,” Han said, “there’s a higher-end style, and ingredients are fresh.” Momiji’s take on this centuries-old tradition will be somewhat less formal—servers will not wear kimono, for instance. But at Momiji he hopes to capture a similar spirit using local ingredients and focusing on fresh fish and vegetables. Running the kitchen will be chef Chris Vilayphanh, head chef at Umi. Han says Vilayphanh will split his time between the two restaurants until Momiji hits its stride. The kitchen staff will be made up of many Umi and Kushibar alums plus “other people I’ve wanted to hire for a while.”

As Eater originally reported, Han enlisted Whidbey Island woodworker Craig Yamamoto to design the space; it will center around a garden courtyard with a Japanese tile roof. The garden will be encased with glass doors that can be opened in warm weather. Han believes the restaurant will be so elegantly designed that people will walk by and assume Momiji offers a formal experience only, but in fact there will be “something for everyone.” At the sushi bar, equipped with its own hood and grill, ingredients will be stored under the counter as opposed to above. The idea is to encourage one-on-one conversations between the sushi chefs and the customers.

A full bar with four tables will be the place for happy hour or a casual cocktail. Umi general manager (and partner) Cody Burns will move over to Momiji to return to what Han says is his true love: bartending. Burns will be in charge of the program and bar staff.

To Han, the answer to the question “Why Capitol Hill, why now?” was so obvious that he scoffed at it. “Capitol Hill is booming,” he said. So when the Dawson Plumbing building went up for sale, Han took out a loan and bought it. “I think there’s nothing up there like Momiji,” said Han. “It’s something that doesn’t really exist here.”

Han hopes to open Momiji in late September. Follow the restaurant on Facebook updates on its progress.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Capitol Hill, Seattle Japanese Food

Lucky 8: Chinese Delivery Coming to South Capitol Hill

Owner Bracey Rogers reveals plans for his dine-in and to-go operation, set to open at 14th and Union this Fall.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 14, 2011 at 09:26AM 4 Comments

General Tso’s and Kung Pao chicken: coming to Capitol Hill doorsteps this fall.

Photo: ctltampa.com

When Bracey Rogers and his wife Marcy Akiyama started asking friends what sort of restaurant they’d like to see on Capitol Hill, they heard the same answer over and over: Chinese delivery. It made sense to them.

“I’m too lazy sometimes to get over to the great restaurants in the ID,” said Rogers. “There’s not much of this type of food on the Hill.”

And so, they are bringing it. Between now and October—the target opening month—they’ll be converting the 1,400 square-foot space next to Oola Distillery (across the street from Skillet Diner at 14th and Union) into a 25-seat restaurant with a five-person bar and a to-go operation that includes both takeout and delivery. Rogers said Lucky 8’s delivery operation will “start pretty small,” possibly expanding to serve a wider area as the restaurant matures. He plans to do bicycle deliveries, and would like to buy some used parking attendant vehicles and paint them bright colors. The logistics of the latter have not been fully explored.

The to-go menu will focus on what Rogers called “Americanized Chinese food”: General Tso’s, Kung Pao Chicken. But dine-in guests will have access to a second menu featuring more “authentic” Chinese dishes, according to Rogers. A local chef has signed on, but is not ready to have his name attached to the project because he is currently employed elsewhere. (I’m pretty curious, you?)

Lucky 8 will serve dinner seven nights a week and lunch on weekdays. Happy hour? “I’m sure we will have one,” said Rogers. And while he and his wife would love to collaborate on a cocktail menu with Oola owner Kirby Kallas-Lewis, who is leasing the space to the couple, they’ve yet to discuss the details. Kallas-Lewis seems game. In an email to me last week he wrote: “I hope to work closely with them in the cocktail portion of things—specialty drinks, etc.”

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Capitol Hill, Chinese Food

Critic Watch: Revel Rousers

Seattle critics heap praise on the Korean street-food spot in Fremont

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 10, 2011 at 03:47PM 0 Comments

Critics’ Darlings Seif Chirchi and Rachel Yang of Revel have a lot to smile about.

Photo Courtesy Jackie Baisa

(New series! When all of our local critics jump on one restaurant and review it, we compare what they say.)

Wow, but Seattle’s food critics enjoy their Revel. Let’s have a look.

I didn’t encounter any dish I wouldn’t happily have again.

That’s the Seattle Times’ Providence Cicero in her review back in March.

In an article with a dek that refers to the restaurant as a “spectacular winner,” Seattle Magazine’s Allison Austin Scheff speaks of the joys of thumbing her nose at other cities via Revel:

Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into ‘other city’ envy…. But when a restaurant like Revel comes along right here at home, it’s one more notch in our belt, and the competitive food nerd inside me can’t help herself: Eat your heart out, suckers.

Bethany Jean Clement at The Stranger was a bit more mellow in her assessment, but she had good things to say nonetheless.

Revel feels like a grown-up dining hall—loud, crowded, fun. But, you know, with tasty updated Korean food.

Surly Gourmand, writing for Seattle Weekly’s Voracious blog, had this to say:

There’s nothing quite like Revel in Fremont. For years the region was devoid of fine dining, sandwiched between Wallingford and Ballard, both bastions of high-end neighborhood restaurants. Previously, diners in Fremont had to settle for a seemingly endless parade of Thai restaurants, or Cuban sandwich shops that keep unicorn’s hours, or shitty overpriced Mexican food that was really just a front for a 24-hour frat party. Now, with Revel, Fremont finally has a real contender. May their competitors die in a raging fiery lava flow!

This magazine’s Kathryn Robinson came to her own enthusiastic conclusions:

Here’s the thing: Street food—comfort food—has no business being technically flawless, even less being groundbreaking. Revel’s is both.

And finally, the new girl. Seattle Weekly’s Hanna Raskin chose Revel for her first-ever Seattle review. She had a few finger wags—not enough servers, for one—but in the end she joined the other happy critics.

When I think about returning to Revel, my mind fixates on the corned-lamb salad…I suspect what I liked best about the salad was what I like best about Revel: It was gutsy, unexpected, and nonchalantly delicious.

And there you have it: total consensus.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Restaurants, Fremont, Revel, Critic Watch

Taking Stock of Two New Vegas-Style Restaurants

Our reviewer gives Munchbar and Pnk a go.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 10, 2011 at 03:03PM 0 Comments

Vegas, Northwest style. Inside shots of Munchbar and Pnk.

Seattle Met critic Kathryn Robinson digs in at dine-then-dance eateries Munchbar and Pnk. The two are bound by several common denominators—both in malls, both loud, both laden with Vegas glitz. “But,” Robinson writes, “there the similarities end, for Bellevue Square’s frenetic Munchbar—an actual Vegas export, modeled on an outpost at Caesar’s Palace—aims lower, demographically and gastronomically.”

And Pnk? “The food—though flawed—is real, a little higher up the food chain than Munchbar’s…”

For more on Munchbar and Pnk, including an eyebrow-raising bubblegum vodka cocktail, read the review.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Restaurant Reviews

The Nosh Pit 6: New Restaurants to Try in May

Here’s where we’re pulling up a chair this month.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on May 02, 2011 at 08:16AM 2 Comments

Il Corvo churns out handmade pastas on the Pike Place Hillclimb. Photo courtesy Il Corvo

Artusi
Petite pasta house Spinasse nearly doubles in size thanks to this adjacent bar taking over the corner of 14th and Pine. With a “focus on apertivo culture,” Artusi offers elbow room for 25 diners.

COA Mexican Eatery and Tequileria
The Maple Leaf eatery you’ve been reading lots about is (obviously) heavy on the agave and taps the Mexican heritage of owner Edgar Carreon. The locally minded menu boasts salsas and other sauces made in-house each day. Sights are set on May 20.

Il Corvo
Isn’t it adorbs? Lecosho alum Mike Easton puts down roots on the Pike Place Hillclimb with this wee pasta bar. Handmade bigoli, farfalle, maccherone, and ravioli are the calling card, plus a small selection of antipasti you can try weekdays 11-3. Also in the works are private dinners, pasta-making classes, and alfresco seating. Last we heard, Il Corvo was doing business as of May 2.

Paratii Craft Bar
The cocktail program sounds venerable enough, but it’s the piranha soup that’s catching our eye.

Skillet Diner
After months (years?) of building chatter, food folk can finally tuck into their poutine while taking a seat. Faithfuls should expect a heftier regular menu than they’d find at the roving counterpart and a mid-to-late May open. Murmurs of late night grub, too.

Stopsky’s Delicatessen
Top Chef alum Robin Leventhal (is it time to ditch that tag-on yet?) and Andrew Meltzer, Columbia City Bakery co-founder, head this Mercer Island Jewish deli. With food informed by a Northwest POV, Stopsky’s promises to be more than a grab-and-go destination: the 35-seater will serve breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, and eventually dinner. Also on tap is a mercantile tendering condiments, cheeses, house-made mustard and pickles, and more.

BONUS!

The Pantry at Delancey
Not really a restaurant but more mulitipurpose kitchen, the Pantry is certainly worth keeping on your radar. Brandon Pettit (co-owner of Delancey), Brandi Henderson (Delancey pastry chef), and instructor/caterer Olaiya Land will operate cooking classes, catering, family-style dinners, and a limited retail space out of this addition behind the Ballard pizzeria.

Keep tabs on more openings. Friend Nosh Pit on Facebook.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings