Closings
Farewell to the offbeat cocktail bar beloved by Esquire magazine.
Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Dec 13, 2011 at 08:30AM
The owners are busy scouting new locations; meanwhile the jazz performances will move to Copper Gate. Photo courtesy of Thaiku/Fu Kun Wu
As My Ballard noted yesterday, Thai restaurant Thaiku is closing after 10 years in the neighborhood. Shuttering along with it is tucked-in-back bar Fu Kun Wu, which Esquire magazine previously named one of its “Best Bars in America” back in 2006. Earlier this year Fu Kun Wu fell victim to a strange editing error in the magazine that also affected Zig Zag Café.
A bit of a sleeper favorite with an apothecary theme, Fu Kun Wu specializes in both live jazz and cocktails infused with herbs—a heady combination indeed. The last day for both Thaiku and Fu Kun Wu will be December 23; the bar is going out in style with an all-night happy hour that kicks in at 5pm, while Thaiku will continue serving lunch and dinner until the bitter end. The shuttering is reportedly due to unresolved disputes with the landlord.
According to the release from the Thaiku folk, the owners plan to “reincarnate in another form” elsewhere, and do so within the next year. Meanwhile the weekly jazz nights are heading over to sibling bar Copper Gate.
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The Downtown cocktail lounge will serve its last drink on Thursday, December 23.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Dec 19, 2010 at 10:20PM
Downtown cocktail lounge Vessel, the Fifth Avenue bar often admired and discussed on this blog, will serve its last cocktail on Thursday, December 23.
“Long story short: lease issues,” wrote Jim Romdall, bar manager, on his Facebook page. Romdall gathered friends and colleagues of the bar together on Sunday, December 19th to share the news. “We are very close to securing a new space to reopen with, and the new concept is very exciting.”
Over the past few years, Vessel has been the training site for some of the city’s best and brightest bartenders.
I am very excited to learn what’s on the horizon. I’ll speak to Romdall as soon as possible and update with details.
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Bar Openings
The bar in the Press Building is no more.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Nov 30, 2010 at 08:51PM
Backwards K, outdated bar. Kurrent closes.
When I think of Kurrent, I think of James MacWilliams.
The bar manager at Canlis first worked at Kurrent. This always intrigued me and made me wonder if, in some parallel universe, there was an erudite and innovative barman who moved up from a cosmo-crowd nightlife spot called Kanlis to a fine-dining establishment called Current, where his supportive bosses wisely indulged his instincts surrounding sous-vided cocktail garnishes and invited him to design his own well.
Anyway, Kurrent was on the retail level of the Press condo building on East Pine, and had white barstools. And now it is no more.
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Openings and Closings
Owner Erik Guttridge is seeking a new Pike/Pine space for his gallery and bar.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 02, 2010 at 09:00AM
As the Capitol Hill Seattle blog first reported on June 1, Grey Gallery on Capitol Hill is currently seeking a new location. The current iteration of the gallery/bar will close on June 19.
A press release sent out on June 1 explains that owner Erik Guttridge decided to move due to conflict between the building’s owner and landlord, who are currently embroiled in a law suit.
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Closings
Two Bellevue drinks destinations call it quits.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 15, 2010 at 09:12AM
After about eight months in operation, Stir Martini and Raw Bar closed its doors this weekend.
The list of places to get a good glass in downtown Bellevue just got shorter. This weekend marked the closings of Stir Martini and Raw Bar as well as Twisted Cork Wine Bar. Both venues belonged to the Solstice Restaurant Group.
Steel-accented Stir opened just this past summer, touting specialty cocktails and a bountiful array of tasty sea creatures.
An early sign of trouble at Twisted Cork came this January, when Solstice announced it was shuttering high-end 0/8 Seafood Grill, the restaurant adjoining Twisted Cork, and expanding the wine bar to fill the entire space. Oh and then there was the fact that Chef/radio personality Dan Thiessen, who originally headed up the kitchen at both Stir and Twisted Cork, had left several months earlier. He now runs Archery Bistro in Normandy Park.
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