Nosh Pit

Two New Specialty Shops Set to Open in the Melrose Project

First-time business owners bring artisanal touches to the urban marketplace.

Posted by: Tiffany Wan on Mar 11, 2010 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

An architectural rendering of the Melrose Project, located between Pike and Pine Streets on Capitol Hill.

In the coming weeks look for two new storefronts at the Melrose Project on Capitol Hill.

Sheri LaVigne will finally open cheese shop Calf and Kid after flaky financial backers bowed out last summer. Expect to find local offerings from Black Sheep Creamery, Blue Rose Dairy, Mt. Townsend Creamery, and more, as well as a variety of cheese accompaniments (olives, pâté, crackers) and fresh bread. LaVigne plans to work with Homegrown (a soon-to-be fellow Melrose Project merchant) to offer a daily sandwich featuring cheese from Calf and Kid.

“There’s great cheese counters in other grocery stores,” she said, “but in my store it’s going to be an incredible amount of expertise from myself and the other employees behind the counter.”

Bonus: Sampling is highly encouraged. LaVigne is shooting for an early-to-mid April opening.

Though Marigold and Mint will primarily function as a flower shop, owner Katherine Anderson, a Harvard-educated landscape architect, will also carry a selection of seasonal produce—lettuce, carrots, pears, plums, broccoli, and kale— from Oxbow Farm, which is located south of Duvall.

She also plans to operate a produce delivery service between May and October. (Note half-portion orders will be offered.) During the off-season, Anderson will stock starter vegetable plants, like heirloom tomatoes, and she hopes to grow edible flowers and sell them to bartenders and chefs. Marigold and Mint will have a soft opening April 1.

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Tags: Openings, Capitol Hill, Cheese, Locavore News, Grocery Shopping

A Four-Course Dinner at Rover’s for $49?

Chef Thierry Rautureau opens his casual new Mad Valley bistro Luc in April. Sample the food today.

Posted by: Caitlin King on Mar 09, 2010 at 01:30PM 1 Comments

“The corner of 28th is happening baby,” says Thierry Rautureau, chef and owner of Madison Valley’s fancy French food mecca Rover’s.

It’s just not happening yet.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t preview the food. Luc, Rautureau’s much anticipated bar, kitchen, and to-go counter at the corner of Madison Street and 28th Avenue East is now set to open in April. Between now and opening day, Rautureau is serving items from the upcoming menu at nearby Rover’s.

Beginning this week, “A Taste of Luc” is a four-course meal for $49. Dishes include smoked salmon tartine with herbed goat cheese and capers, trout Almandine with potato, a grilled pork chop with Dijon mustard rub, sage, parsnip and spinach, and desserts like butterscotch creme brulee.

This being Rover’s, you might still want to dress fancy.

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Tags: Openings, Madison Valley, Chef in the Hat

Another Burger Joint Comes to Ballard

Seattle Burger Co celebrates its grand opening on Wednsday, March 10, but you can try one of the bargain-priced burgers today.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 02, 2010 at 01:19PM 2 Comments

Nine days ago Ballard’s newest burger joint, the Seattle Burger Co, opened softly at 2008 NW 56th Street. Today owner William Wen reports the restaurant has “ironed out the kinks” and is ready for its grand opening next Wednesday, March 10.

In a neighborhood replete with burger joints, Wen says his burgers stand out not only for quality ingredients like Tillamook cheese and ground chuck from Oregon, but also their “aggressive” low prices. Those prices range from $3.85 to $6.59 for beef, veggie, and chicken burgers augmented with lettuce and tomato, peppered bacon, wasabi mayo and sweet teriyaki sauce, and other such edible accoutrements.

Seattle Burger Co also serves shakes, floats, fries, and onion rings. Stop by and see how it compares to the likes of Zak’s, The Counter, Lunchbox Lab, and all the others.

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Tags: Hamburgers, Openings, cheap eats, Ballard

Something Unexpected at the Hard Rock Cafe

There aren’t a lot of surprises at the new Seattle Hard Rock, until you get up to the roof.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 08, 2010 at 10:54AM 3 Comments

The new Hard Rock Cafe on Pike Street at First Avenue will have its soft opening on February 10; I went over this morning for a sneak peak.

Downstairs, the place looks exactly like what you’d expect from a Hard Rock Cafe: there is a gift shop, and booths with individual TV screens—diners vote on what song they hope to hear next over the sound system. Seattle rock paraphernalia lines the walls. There’s an acoustic guitar along the body of which Eddie Vedder taped notes on the lyrics to “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” to help him remember; an incoherent ramble of a letter sent by Courtney Love to Spin Magazine; a totally 80s jagged white electric guitar that once belonged to Heart.

Inside a drinks menu are bright images of cobranded cocktails like the Blue Devil: Captain Morgan, Curacao, margarita mix, and Monin wildberry syrup. Yowsa.

I asked director of operations Kelly Marshall what differentiated the Seattle restaurant from the 161 other Hard Rocks around the globe and she pointed to the beer taps—the Hard Rock here pours Northwest brews like Deschutes Black Butte and Mac and Jacks. She talked about the “Java Lava” burger: an espresso-rubbed patty covered in some kind of tangy coffee sauce, and the philanthropic partnership the Hard Rock has brokered with nearby Pike Place Market. She also mentioned that the Hard Rock Seattle is working towards a gold-level LEEDS certification, the first in the company.

One level up is the stage area: capacity 400, according to press materials. The Hard Rock has started booking local bands and shows will begin in early March. The memorabilia continues on the walls upstairs, so you can engage in the incongruous activity of watching some struggling band while standing next to a framed man purse once toted by Jimi Hendrix.

Go up one more level and you’re on the Hard Rock’s surprising rooftop deck: a very beautiful, understated lounge with gas firepits and its own small bar, not to mention an addictive view of the market and sound beyond. It was really quite something to walk around this virgin space this morning, before one Blue Devil has been poured in the face of one distressed jeans-wearing douchebag, before one Black Eyed Peas song has defiled the state-of-the-art sound system.

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Tags: New Restaurants, Downtown, Openings

Emmer and Rye Now Open on Queen Anne

If you want to eat there, make a reservation.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 01, 2010 at 09:55AM 3 Comments

Seth Caswell

Emmer and Rye, Seth Caswell’s new local and seasonally focused eatery, is now open for business, and the dinner menu is surprisingly affordable: small and large plates range from $4 to $17. The brunch and cocktail menus aren’t yet posted, but rye whiskey lovers—a group that includes Rocky Yeh, who helped Caswell set up the bar —can look forward to a proper cocktail.

The project has been long in the making for Caswell, the former chef at Stumbling Goat and president of Seattle Chef Collective. Along the way he lost his main investor and parted ways with his bar manager; in 2009 he started hosting weekly dinners at Art of the Table to raise funds. All of this has contributed to a lot of buzz and anticipation: if you want to eat at Emmer and Rye, make a reservation. Here’s the number: 206-282-0680

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Tags: Openings