Openings

Le Messe
Brian Clevenger, of previous Vendemmia and Raccolto fame, opened Le Messe this week. Seattle Met’s own Rosin Saez has more on the sleek Eastlake space where seafood dishes and pasta abound.

Closures

Skillet
After the restaurant flooded last year, which led to a two-month closure, the Ballard location is closed for good as of January 21, reports Eater Seattle.

Homegrown; The Butcher and the Baker
Eater Seattle received tips that the Fremont sandwich shop has shuttered. The same sad story goes for the Green Lake brunch spot, whose website said it would be closed through January 12, though a "For Sale" sign is reportedly tacked onto its door.

Chicken Dumplings for the Soul

Local writer and journalist Hsiao-Ching Chou’s new cookbook book Chinese Soul Food debuts on January 30th. Seattle Mag is already calling it the “definitive primer on Chinese home cooking."

Not Your Granddad’s Bodega

Amazon
Poised to continue its inevitable thumbprint on all things good and simple, Amazon has opened its first cashless convenience store this week. (Can someone get us a banana price check?) 

Coffee Time

Seattle, once again, is leading the way in all things coffee. This time it’s through state-of-the-art espresso machines. The Stranger’s Lester Black has more on what this means for the future of that holy holy bean.

Shift Change

Joli
The elegantly-fashioned neighborhood bistro, welcomes Robert Rowland as their new bar manager this week. Rowland is one of the Seattle’s best bartenders, according to an Eater Seattle poll, and plans to use his decade worth of experience with Oliver’s Twist to build Joli into one of Seattle’s premier cocktail destinations. God speed, Robert! God speed.

A Legend Moves On

Paul Bocuse, celebrated French chef and “Pope of Restaurant People” passed away last Saturday at the age of 91. Bill Buford pays one last respect in this beautifully crafted short essay for The New Yorker.