Nosh Pit

Belle Epicurean in Madison Park Opens Provisions

The pantry is stocked with condiments, cheeses, wine, and other such stuff.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jan 10, 2012 at 01:39PM 0 Comments

It’s now open. Photo courtesy belleepicurean.com..

Pantries and mercantiles were a hot-and-heavy trend of 2011 (some successful, some sadly not), but we’ve yet to see the last of them.

Today the Madison Park Belle Epicurean opens Provisions, an auxiliary shop amply stocked with on-the-go wares. Types of things you’ll find: books on food and wine, condiments, rotating cheeses, take-and-bake items, cake mix, and “other ingredients we use,” says owner (and pastry extraordinaire) Carolyn Ferguson. Her oenophile husband Howard will stock plenty of bottles as well.

Oh, and Ferguson added wine tastings are lined up for every Thursday this month from 5–8. Do stop by.

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Tags: Food Trends in Seattle, Belle Epicurean, Pantries and Mercantiles

Local 360 Mercantile Shutters

After six months the pit stop for local produce and meat closes.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Nov 14, 2011 at 01:46PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Local 360 Mercantile ahead of its June 21 opening.

A rep from Local 360 writes to say it’s lights out for the restaurant’s neighboring mercantile, which opened in late June. Though the eatery anchoring First and Bell is often abuzz, the retail arm fell victim to too few customers.

Before it opened owner Marcus Charles told Nosh he envisioned the space serving as an “oversized pantry” for the neighborhood. Indeed, it stocked produce, freshly cut meats, dairy, libations, and baked goods but apparently wasn’t enough to draw a steady crowd. Charles shuttered the operation on Monday.

The space will undergo a minor remodel to accommodate large groups, chef’s dinners, and private events and is slated to reopen by the end of November.

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Tags: Belltown, Seattle Restaurant Closings, Pantries and Mercantiles

Local 360 Mercantile To Open Tuesday, June 21

The supply store will stock meat, produce, dry goods, beer and wine—all from around these parts.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 14, 2011 at 02:07PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Local 360 Mercantile, photographed back in February

Belltown: If you’re tired of shlepping it to the SLU Whole Foods to pick up your Washington-made, all-natural whatnot, this should come as welcome news.

The mercantile from Marcus Charles, the man behind Local 360 restaurant, will be open for business beginning Tuesday, June 21.

Like the restaurant—which opened in the former Flying Fish space last winter—the retail operation will focus on sourcing local products. Those will include meats, produce from Full Circle in Carnation, custom condiments (pickles, dressings, ketchup, mayo), dairy products from Twin Brook Creamery in Lyden, dry goods, and wine and beer from Washington. It will be open from 11am to 8pm daily.

The store, which takes up the space once occupied by Flying Fish’s private dining room, has a separate entrance from its sister restaurant next door. The inhouse butchery, run by meat carver Ben Frey, will supply both eatery and shop.

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Tags: Belltown, Locavore News, Grocery Shopping, Grand Opening, Pantries and Mercantiles

A Chat with Olaiya Land About the Pantry at Delancey

The cofounder fields our burning questions.

Posted by: Katie Ormsby on Apr 27, 2011 at 02:21PM 0 Comments

Olaiya Land, Pantry at Delancey cofounder. Photo courtesy olaiyalandcatering.com.

Family-style dinners for 26, a summer-long roster of enticing classes, a trio of seasoned toques…it’s no wonder Seattleites are pumped for the Pantry at Delancey, the community kitchen opening behind the beloved Ballard pizzeria.

With the launch date fast approaching (look for it in May), we got in touch with cofounder Olaiya Land, a cooking instructor at Delancey and owner of an eponymous catering company. Here, she shares what about the Pantry has her most excited.

What made you decide to open the Pantry?

Brandon Pettit (co-owner of Delancey), Brandi Henderson (Delancey pastry chef), and I are a group of friends who work really well together. I met Brandon back when we worked at Boat Street Kitchen, and we’ve been friends since. He’s like a mad scientist when it comes to cooking; the Pantry will let us play off of each other to create new and exciting things.

What inspired the venture?

There’s a vibrant DIY scene in Seattle, and we love farmers markets. So that really influenced us along with local cheese makers, bee keepers, et cetera.

A big part of the Pantry will be cooking classes. Who do you picture attending these classes?

We’d like to reach a wide range of Seattleites. Realistically we’ll probably draw mostly from Seattle’s uber-foodies, but I’m super excited about also introducing people to cooking. We’re offering a wide variety of classes that meet different skill levels. But I think most classes will work for even a beginner cook.

What are some of the main challenges of catering versus working at a restaurant?

With catering, you have to be very flexible. Since you’re cooking in a new kitchen each time, you don’t know what to expect. It can be stressful, especially huge events like weddings. But it’s also very exciting.

In addition to cooking classes and catering services, the Pantry will host family-style dinners. How many people can fit at these events?

We’ll have a dinner table that’s 16 feet long, and we hope to eventually be able to host up to 26 people at each dinner.

What excites you most about the Pantry?

We want to host community events, which I’m looking forward to. Basically we would host someone like a farmers market vendor for a talk and cocktails. I think we’ll be able to fit about 35 people at those. I’m probably most excited, though, about getting people to cook and realizing it’s not difficult. I want to empower them and get them cooking for their friends and family.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Pizza, Ballard, Pantries and Mercantiles

Artisanal Mercantiles Are Popping Up All Over

Let’s track the trend.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Mar 15, 2011 at 11:33AM 0 Comments

Eat now, take grub home for later. The mercantile at Belltown restaurant Local 360.

Welcome news for those who prefer to take home a souvenir or two along with their doggie bags: when it opens, Poquitos will operate an in-house mercantile. The for-sale counter will stock yums courtesy our neighbors to the south: Mexican Coke, those fruity, pucker-sweet Jarritos sodas, Rancho Gordo Heritage Beans, chocolates and sugars.

The Pike/Pine restaurant is the latest in a spate of eateries to tempt diners with goodies on their way out. Consider:

Gourmet victuals line the entryway of Sitka and Spruce, which, we shan’t fail to mention, is situated in the granddaddy of Seattle’s mercantile boom, Melrose Market.

Similar in mindset but smaller in size is the still-to-open canteen at Belltown restaurant Local 360. Like Melrose, it, too, will tender cheeses, meats, and produce from multiple purveyors, though you won’t find more than one person proffering in there. Worth noting is the fact that the mart will stock a line of Local 360–branded products; pickles, condiments, and the like. Last we heard from the 360 folks the shop was due to open imminently; we’ll let you know when we hear it’s a go.

The trio of occupants on the corner of Westlake and Harrison also ride the one-stop-shop vibe. Upstairs is Serious Pie II, downstairs a bakery, Dahlia Workshop (Lordy, that fried chicken biscuit), and Soul Wine tasting room and grocer. Not far away is On the Fly, the Flying Fish deli that carries a handful of locally produced goods, like creamed honey from Ballard Bee Company.

Spot the piggybacking anywhere else?

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Restaurant Trends, Pantries and Mercantiles,

First Look: Local 360 Mercantile

At Belltown’s new food hall, the restaurant is up and running, but still to come is an artisanal minimarket.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 08, 2011 at 09:27AM 3 Comments

Unlike the oft-compared Melrose Market, Local 360 will not house multiple vendors, nor do the restaurant on First Avenue and the mercantile—once the private dining room of Flying Fish—share an open-air space. Instead, each one has its own entrance; the doorway to the right of the window here is on Bell Street. “We wanted to expose as much of the original as possible,” says Charles of the building hailing from the early twentieth century.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Unlike the oft-compared Melrose Market, Local 360 will not house multiple vendors, nor do the restaurant on First Avenue and the mercantile—once the private dining room of Flying Fish—share an open-air space. Instead, each one has its own entrance; the doorway to the right of the window here is on Bell Street. “We wanted to expose as much of the original as possible,” says Charles of the building hailing from the early twentieth century.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

A wall separates the entry pictured before and the baker’s quarters, supplied with a hefty mixer straight out of Nana’s kitchen. And yes, these cookies did smell divine.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

The mercantile’s butcher will also tend to the needs of the restaurant. Pictured here is Ben Frey. (Check out that tat!)

The idea is not to fill the role of full-on grocer, rather a one-stop-shop for an evening’s worth of noshing, says Charles. One example: ready-to-go BBQ kits in summer.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Lining the walls will be a variety of Local 360–branded products produced in house, such as pickles, dressings, and condiments, like ketchup and mayo, and old-timey tchotchkes and antiques.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

“The possibilities with the mercantile are endless,” noted flack Kerri Harrop, hinting at bake-at-home meals and restaurant-prepared to-go items. Harrop guesses the mercantile will start carrying these goods come spring. Harrop and Charles envision produce lining the beds behind her, and mentioned sourcing from Full Circle Farms.

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In addition to butchered meats, look for cheeses sourced from creameries such as Golden Glen and Samish Bay.

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A hang-all-day type of place, the restaurant portion of Local 360 is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and on weekends, for brunch and late-night until 1am. Charles, a Belltown believer involved with the bar JuJu and the Crocodile, thinks this drop-in-whenever atmosphere could help invigorate the neighborhood.

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Chef Mikey Robertshaw, a Boston transplant who has lived in Seattle for about seven years, says Harrop. His resume includes stints at several Seattle notables including Union, Restaurant Zoe, and La Bete.

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If you stop in for coffee, order a PB&J bonbon to go with it. “People are going nuts over those,” Harrop said.

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Since debuting early in the new year, Local 360, the ambitious multiscoped venture situated on First and Bell, has steadily rolled out a menu heavy on comfort food and even heavier on sustainability: ninety percent of raw ingredients are sourced within 360 miles of Seattle.

A lofty restaurant anchoring the front of the house encourages all-day lazing, while a backroom mercantile, set to open in late February or early March, will cater to a grab-and-go clientele. Managing partner Marcus Charles likens the space to an “oversized pantry” where shoppers will find wine and beer, dry goods, fresh produce, and cheeses, plus a full-time butcher.

To learn what the 360 folks have in store and to peep the mercantile, click through the slideshow.

All photos by Lucas Anderson.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Belltown, Pantries and Mercantiles