Nosh Pit

The Waterfront Seafood Grill’s New Name: Aqua By El Gaucho

More Aquas may be on the way.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 29, 2011 at 09:19AM 0 Comments

The bar at Waterfront Seafood Grill

Photo: Randall PR

The Waterfront Seafood Grill at Pier 70—site of the legendary Real World house—is owned by Mackay Restaurant Group, which also owns El Gaucho. In an attempt to marry the brands a decision has been made to change Waterfront’s name to Aqua by El Gaucho, according to the restaurant’s gaucho-in-chief, Chad Mackay.

“We are aligning our two brands; people don’t know they are related,” said Mackay in a telephone interview Wednesday. So he hired a consultant to help the company come up with the name Aqua. He said the El Gaucho brand is recognized worldwide, and he wanted that branding to rub off on Waterfront. “For years we put up with a generic name.”

One of the attractions to “Aqua by El Gaucho” was that it wasn’t site-specific—Mackay would like to reinvent the restaurant in other cities. “I think Portland is a natural,” he told me, though he added that the restaurant group is looking at locations in other cities. There may be another El Gaucho on the way too, Mackay hinted. (The chain currently has locations in Belltown, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Portland.)

The lobby at the Pier 70 restaurant has been overhauled, and there’s new paint, carpeting, and a restroom remodel. Among the kitchen upgrades is a plancha grill for high-heat searing and a number of new grilled items will be added to the menu, including an expanded selection of steaks.

Fans of Waterfront’s happy hour need not despair: It, plus Waterfront’s most popular app and entree choices, will remain on the menu.

The Mackay group will celebrate the new iteration of its waterside restaurant at a private event on October 5.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News

New Chef for Poco Wine Room

Closing? Who’s closing? Poco announces a change in the kitchen.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 29, 2011 at 10:38AM 0 Comments

Despite its for-sale status, Poco Wine Room hires a new chef.

Photo: Poco Wine Room via Facebook

After announcing, in early August, their plans to sell Capitol Hill vino bar Poco Wine Room, owners Peter Moore and Bart Reynolds clarified in a newsletter this weekend that the bar will not close simply because it’s on the market.

And in fact, Poco has a new chef. Zephyr Paquette, who has cooked at Cafe Flora, Dandelion, and Elliott Bay Cafe, will replace Ally Rael in the kitchen.

So, who is buying? “We’re talking with some great potential buyers, and we’re expecting to have some great news for you later this year,” write Moore and Reynolds.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Capitol Hill, Seattle Chefs

Now Open: Blue Moon Burgers on Capitol Hill

Go to Broadway to get your burger.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 18, 2011 at 12:01PM 0 Comments

No lunch plans? Capitol Hill’s Blue Moon Burgers is now open.

Photo: Blue Moon Burgers via Facebook.

People, it happened.

The Capitol Hill location of Blue Moon Burgers, (the local chain’s Blue Bayou burger just won Seattle Met’s best burger in South Lake Union contest), is finally open.

You’ll find it at 523 Broadway E.

UPDATE: The POS system is not yet up and running so bring cash if you want to eat.

Add a Comment »

Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Restaurant News

New Dining Trend? PA restaurant bans babies

Are more no-kid policies on the way?

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jul 11, 2011 at 08:38AM 2 Comments

Baby ban: Another restaurant says no to kids at the table.

Photo: Family Guy/Fox Broadcasting Company

It takes three to make a trend, we’re told. So perhaps it’s premature to wonder if kid bans are the new farm to table (something, please be the new farm to table so that we don’t have to say “farm to table” any more.) Still, with news this morning from WTAE Pittsburgh by way of Eater National that a restaurant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania will no longer serve children under six, you have to wonder: Will we be seeing more baby bans around the country?

“Nothing wrong with babies, but the fact is you can’t control their volume,” the restaurant owner told WTAE. “There may be restaurants that prefer to cater to such things. Not here.”

Earlier this year, Top Chef alum Dale Levitski made headlines when he introduced a kid-free brunch at Sprout in Chicago. I wrote a story asking local restaurants if such a policy would work in Seattle, and an interesting debate sprung up in the comments section.

“I would never eat somewhere that tried this,” wrote Chef’s Wife. “Look, I’m the wife of a chef and a restaurant owner; I get it. But a restaurant doesn’t haven’t to become Chucky [SIC] Cheese. It’s possible to be food-forward and kid-friendly, and I think that’s what Seattle restaurant patrons want.”

Larry had a different take: “It seems many parents (not all) think that just because they popped out a couple kids that it gives them the right to haul them anywhere and ruin other people’s experiences.”

While reporting the article, I asked The Herbfarm’s Carrie Van Dyck to weigh in with her thoughts on kids and fine dining. I did not have the chance to include her remarks in the original story, but they showed up in a Nosh Pit post a few days later.

Van Dyck says it’s about each individual kid and whether or not they can handle the experience, but it seems like other restaurateurs are feeling less tolerant these days. Guess it remains to be seen whether bans will become widespread…and whether they’ll spread all the way here. Meantime, parents, here’s a list from restaurant critic Kathryn Robinson of local restaurants where kids should always be welcome.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurants, Restaurant News, kids stuff, Family and Relationships, Family Friendly

Seatown Takeout Counter Now Named Rub With Love Shack

The Tom Douglas product line gets a dedicated retail outlet.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jul 06, 2011 at 12:41PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lindsay Borden

Chickens roast at Tom Douglas’s Seatown.

When Seattle Met critic Kathryn Robinson wrote of Tom Douglas’s Seatown Seabar in her 2010 Best Restaurants roundup, she made mention of the swoon-worthy foods on offer at Seatown’s neighboring to-go counter: “English muffin sandwiches by morning, then creamy turkey potpies and Southern corn grits and fragrant rotisserie chickens, and chocolate chip cookies for after.”

But as Hanna Raskin reported several weeks ago, the takeout branch is now operating on a stripped-down scale, so some of said chow is no longer available. One bit of info Raskin didn’t mention, however: its new name, Rub With Love Shack.

Seatown general manager Gretchen Geisness says the moniker has been in place since the beginning of June. While chickens and three sandwiches—a turkey, barbecue, and porchetta variety—can still be ordered on the fly, the changeover makes way for a dedicated retail outlet for the entire Tom Douglas product line. Fifteen of the eponymous meat, poultry, and seafood rubs, four sauces, and two gift sets are in stock.

Why the rebranding? Geisness said TD’s team wanted to create a distinction between the sit-down restaurant and its sidekick—customers couldn’t tell one from the other, she noted. She added the Shack now has a “warehouse-y” feel and picnic benches out front.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Tom Douglas

Jill Kinney Replaces Patric Gabre-Kidan at the Book Bindery

She’s an industry vet.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jul 01, 2011 at 02:25PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lindsay Borden

The beautiful Book Bindery.

We learned several weeks ago from Allison Austin Scheff that Patric Gabre-Kidan had left his post at the Book Bindery for a design gig at Method Construction. Former New Yorker Jill Kinney has taken over his role as general manager.

Kinney—chef Shaun McCrain’s “other half,” she points out—has worked at the Fremont Canal crowd-pleaser since December as the service director. Gabre-Kidan, who was integral to the buildout of the restaurant and helped to see the Bindery through its opening, told Kinney in May he was leaving. She officially came on as GM June 1.

When asked if she has previous industry experience, Kinney chuckled—“You can say I’m one of those restaurant people.” Growing up she cut her teeth in the restaurant her mother owned, and since then she’s been chalking up an impressive resume at places like Per Se (wonder if that’s where she and McCrain met?) Jean Georges, and Michael Mina. Here in Seattle she oversaw the opening of Thierry Rautureau’s Luc.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News

Dinette Owner’s Response to Neighborhood Challenges: Let Them Eat Lunch

A mid-day sandwich bar brings casual fare (biscuits!) to the East Olive Way eatery.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 23, 2011 at 12:54PM 0 Comments

Lovely Dinette: Now serving sandwiches at lunch

Photo: Dinette

The challenges of operating a destination restaurant on East Olive Way are not few. To begin with, parking is a beast. Dinette owner Melissa Nyffeler used to direct customers to a pay lot on Summit, but then that became a p-patch. A community garden is a lovely thing—who could argue otherwise?—but its presence means now Nyffeler is left sending customers to a “sketchy” lot full of broken glass that doubles as a napping spot for transients. “It’s embarrassing,” she said.

“When I moved to the location six years ago,” Nyffeler continued, “Lark, 1200 Bistro [now Chao Bistro], and Dinette—those were the only places you could go for food that was a step above pub food.” Since then, dozens of high-end restaurants have opened on the other side of the Hill, where parking is still dodgy but decidedly less so. Circumstances there are such that people no longer have to walk more than a block or two before stumbling into a nice restaurant.

Over on Olive, however, there is a dearth of retail and dining destinations, not to mention a resident base that skews towards twenty-somethings. Street traffic tends to seek out cheap eats—not entrees that run upwards of $20. La Bête opened up around the corner in the former Chez Gaudy space last year. That has helped some, said Nyffeler. But business isn’t what it should be given Dinette’s high marks among the critics and on customer feedback sites like Yelp. “We have so many happy customers, I feel like it should be busier. And I think the location is the problem. We’re a little too fancy for this part of the Hill.”

The solution: adapt. This week (as first reported on SLOG) Nyffeler rolled out a new lunch program she’s calling Summer Sandwich Bar: a revolving menu that includes five or six sandwiches served on breads from Columbia City Bakery plus sides like kohlrabi slaw and an arugula salad with shaved pecorino. Available in the lounge and on the sidewalk patio, the sandwiches cost between $6.50 and $8.50.

So far so good: Nyfeller sold twice as many sandwiches on Wednesday as she did Tuesday, her first day in the lunch biz. An Italian beefwich with cured and roasted steak from Painted Hills is already a popular item, and a truffled egg salad-wich has also garnered fans. If ‘wiches continue to draw a crowd, Nyffeler said she’ll continue serving lunch in future seasons—possibly in the restaurant’s dining room as well—and may add soup and mini sandwiches to the menu.

And it’s not inconceivable that we’ll be seeing lower priced items—including sandwiches—on Dinette’s dinner menu as well. “I’m seeing how it develops,” said Nyffeler. “I don’t mind changing what I do. I would be happy to appeal more to people in my neighborhood.”

Summer Sandwich Bar at Dinette is open 11:30am to 2:30pm Tuesday through Saturday. Attention biscuit lovers: Nyffeler said she’ll be serving up homemade biscuit sandwiches, plus bloody marys, this Saturday, June 25 in the lounge.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Capitol Hill, Lunch, Sandwiches, Seattle Restaurants, Biscuits

Chinese Restaurant Lucky 8 to Open Next to Oola Distillery at 1413 E Union Street

Expect: a bar, takeout, and vintage kung fu movies.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 09, 2011 at 09:51AM 1 Comments

Kung Fu movies: coming to 1413 E Union.

Two days after the opening of Lucky Diner in Belltown comes news of Lucky 8, a Chinese restaurant slated to open at 1413 E Union Street.

When Oola Distillery owner Kirby Kallas-Lewis leased the entire building at the corner of 14th and E Union, he did so with plans to create a multi-use space. The build-out has included an events venue specially designed to accommodate dancing performances and parties.

In a recent interview with the CHS blog, Kallas-Lewis said that early plans for a hardware store in the building had been abandoned. “The hardware store is definitely not happening. Ideally, it would be a bar/restaurant, with an evening presence as well as a daytime presence.”

As it turns out, that bar/restaurant will be a Chinese eatery called Lucky 8, according to Kallas-Lewis, who told me he signed a lease agreement with its operators on Wednesday. Lucky 8 will have a small bar area, project “cool black-and-white retro kung fu movies” on the wall, and offer takeout.

And that’s all I’ve got so far. Follow-up questions are in and I will update with more information as soon as I have it.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Restaurant News, Breaking Food News

Kids and Fine Dining: More Thoughts

Dale Levitski advises Seattle chefs to “be confident;” Herbfarm owner Carrie Van Dyck says it “depends on the kid.”

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 05, 2011 at 01:40PM 3 Comments

Dale Levitiski, banner of children.

For this month’s Seattle Met I wrote a story about Dale Levitski, chef at Chicago restaurant Sprout, and his policy of banning any child under 12 during weekend brunch (check out the article’s comments for a lively debate on the matter).

Here are two things that I couldn’t squeeze into the article but that I thought might interest you.

First, I asked Levitski what he would say to a Seattle chef who wanted to implement an adults-only brunch but was nervous about backlash. Here was his advice: “Be confident! The customer is not always right. This is your restaurant. You’ll take some bumps and bruises put people will come around.”

Secondly, I wasn’t able to include the conversation I had with Carrie Van Dyck. She owns fine-dining standard barer the Herbfarm with her husband Ron Zimmerman, and had some interesting insights to share.

“Depends on the kid,” was Van Dyck’s main message. Given the multi-hour meals at the restaurant, Van Dyck says that some children just can’t handle it. But, she says, she’s known (lucky) kids who have grown up eating at the Herbfarm and now bring their own families there. That said, Van Dyck admitted that kids between age 1 and 6 are always “questionable.” After age 6, “it depends on how they are raised.”

She wouldn’t tell me any dishy stories about young kids who tore up the Herbfarm while the parents sat idle, but Van Dyck did recall a time when a family brought a one-year-old baby who kept crying the whole evening. The Parents “had to keep getting up,” to sooth the baby, which distracted them from enjoying the meal.

And that, says Van Dyck, is the biggest problem that restaurateurs have with kids acting out of turn: it’s not the crying or the annoying other customers, it’s the fact that the behavior prevents their parents from enjoying the experience.

Oh and interesting factoid about the Herbfarm: the restaurant will actually make kid-friendly food—hamburgers, etc—upon request. Who knew?

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Brunch, Chefs, Family and Relationships

Marjorie Is Expanding

The petite East Union restaurant makes room for a private dining area and “weekend overflow.”

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Apr 26, 2011 at 03:12PM 1 Comments

Donna Moodie kicks it in the expanded digs. Photo courtesy Marjorie.

To any and all who have endured lengthy waits at Marjorie, happy news! The colorful Capitol Hill jewel box with seating for just 40 is getting bigger, per a post on the restaurant’s blog. “We are planning on creating a lovely and intimate private dining room, and a place to house a little of that weekend overflow,” it reads.

That’s a picture of owner Donna Moodie in the space, situated to the rear of the restaurant.

I have a message in with Moodie and will update details as they come.

Until the expansion is completed, keep in mind the alfresco seating out front is a) charming and b) sometimes a speedier option than waiting to perch inside.

Keep on top of more more food and restaurant news. Friend Nosh Pit on Facebook.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Capitol Hill

Five Corner Market Closed

Less than four months after opening, the Ballard gastropub calls it quits.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 18, 2011 at 10:07AM 0 Comments

Five Corner Market shuts up shop after a short run.

Word from the press release pile: Five Corner Market, which opened just this December in the former Lombardi’s space smack dab in the center of Ballard, closed on April 12.

Per the release: “Owner Steve Hayter said that the concept received an enthusiastic reception in Ballard, but there ultimately wasn’t enough patronage to sustain the business.”

The building, at the corner of 22nd Ave NW and NW Market Street, remains one of the best pieces of restaurant real estate anywhere in town as far as location is concerned—Lombardi’s had been in business for 23 years before it closed last fall.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Ballard, Seattle Restaurant Closings

Marjorie’s New Chef Revealed

Owner Donna Moodie confirms that Larry Monaco is now running the kitchen at her Capitol Hill cafe.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 23, 2011 at 02:14PM 0 Comments

Larry Monaco with Q13 News people.

Photo: Q13 Fox News

Seattlest broke the news that Marjorie chef Kylen McCarthy had left for How to Cook a Wolf, and then everyone (okay, maybe not everyone ) wondered who would take over at the Capitol Hill cafe.

Then CHS blog got ahold of a tweet authored by exclamation point-prone chef Larry Monaco, whose resume includes a stint working at NY’s Gramercy Tavern. (Man I love Tom Colicchio, you?)

Here’s the tweet:
“I got some news!!!!!!! I am the new head chef at Marjorie in Capitol Hill!!!!!!! I can’t wait for you all to come in and eat.. Cheers!!!!”

Marjorie owner Donna Moodie confirmed the news to me yesterday, writing:

“Larry Monaco…was in the house last week, but it is official today, when he has full menu control. He has over 10 years of experience, some in NYC, some in LA, and in Seattle he worked at Veil, Queen City Grill, and Hotel 1000. He is charmed by the warmth of Marjorie, and we are charmed by his enthusiasm and talent. I love his NYC experience at the Gramercy Tavern and Tabla. He is doing his first wine dinner on 3/29 when we plan to host Tedeschi Winery with Riccardo Tedeschi presenting the family wines.”

I look forward to checking out Marjorie under Monaco.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Restaurant News, Capitol Hill, Seattle Chefs