You Can Start Bitching About How Seattle is "So Different Now" Now
This week brings a bevy of impending closures. It was announced last year, that the building that houses Tini Bigs, Hula Hula, Champion Wine Cellars, and Morfey's Cake Shop was slated for redevelopment, and now we have the timing. According to Keith Robbins, who owns Tini's and Hula Hula, tenants have until around the end of January to vamoose.
Tini's has 20 years of continuous operation under its belt—they're even open on Christmas, which Robbins says is pretty crackin'—while Champion has been going since 1969. Hula Hula is also a great place to get shitfaced and sing your stupid heart out. Alas.
Hey, on the bright side, they'll probably replace it with another neighborhood gastropub. And we're not tired of superfluously fancy burgers and seventeen taps of hoppy pond water yet, right?
Feel Free to Continue Complaining
The Shanty Cafe, housed in an actual shanty on Elliott Ave., will close its doors after over a century serving patrons, reports KOMO News. With this closure goes another one of Seattle's great chicken fried steaks. As a connoisseur of that déclassé delicacy, I'll be sad to see the Shanty go. Also, as someone who appreciates a restaurant with lots of weird wall junk, I'll be mourning the loss of one of the few places with interesting items hanging around that weren't carefully selected by a "Director of Vibe."
For a fun trip back in time, read this 2002 Rachel Kessler write-up, marvel at the prices, agree with her about the hangover-curing hash browns, and reflect on the fact that she was bitching about overpriced, concept-heavy restaurants a decade and a half ago.
Two Phinney Ridge Favorites Call It
Martino's Smoked Meats and Seattle Cookie Counter are calling it quits, reports Eater. Apparently Martino's couldn't make do with their cramped space, while Seattle Cookie Counter's crowdfunded vegan ice creamery fell victim to "unscrupulous contractors" and other significant setbacks.
But if You're Craving Vegan Ice Cream...
Frankie and Jo's, a new project from the people who brought you Juicebox and Hot Cakes, will begin serving vegan, soy-free, gluten-free ice cream on the Hill this Friday. According to Seattle Met, the owners of Juicebox and Hot Cakes have been collaborating on this cream-less ice cream for a while now, selling their pints online, and the brick and mortar is the extension of that internet success.
Westland Opens the Cantilever Room
Westland Distillery, angling to get in on the "fuck this traffic" crowd in Sodo, has converted its tasting room into a light duty cocktail lounge. As a former Sodo bartender, I can assure you that the traffic evaders are a real economic force, and that Westland's products are delicious. As a working distillery, they're restricted to the state-mandated four half-ounce tasting pours, and they can't use mixing booze (sadly, no Manhattans here), but they're finding workarounds. Tasty artisan sodas, for example. They're also serving up meat, cheese, pickles, crackers, and various snacky items. Though I find the best cure for my road rage is to just take the bus, I'm sure some single malt and salami ain't bad either.
David Chang Alums to Open Mean Sandwiches in Ballard
Alex and Kevin Pemoulie, who ran Thirty Acres in Jersey City for a time after departing the Chang empire, have returned to Seattle to take a stab at Ballard's sandwich scene, reports Eater. Their shop will be called Mean Sandwiches, and though I'm skeptical of a sandwich that involves mustard, corned beef, and maple syrup, I get the feeling these two know what they're doing. Plus, they're making bread pudding from their leftover sandwich bread every day, which is pretty rad.
Katsu Burger Comes to the Hill, Tacos Chukis Ventures Past It
Sodo's beloved temple of towering burgers is opening a new branch where Old Sage used to be, reports Seattle Met. Let the Mount Fuji Burger Instagram extravaganza commence. Meanwhile, Tacos Chukis, Broadway's successful hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, completed its shiny, new Dexter Ave location. It's right across from Mollusk.
China Pie Brings Dumplings and Pizza Together Under One Roof in Fremont
China Pie, which opened its doors the Friday before Thanksgiving, is a project of Pomerol's Vuong Loc, reports Eater. The menu is a combination of dumplings and pizza, with such interesting offerings as a caramel fish sauce pork pizza and an Italian sausage tomato soup dumpling. It's definitely fusion heavy, drawing elements from Asian, Italian, and French cuisine. Ever wondered what hoisin and foie gras taste like together? I haven't, but if you're curious, they've got a pizza with both.
A Couple of Closing Morsels
MOHAI has an exhibit about the history of Seattle's food scene that looks very worth a trip. And here's this East Coast cultural appropriation sandwich fiasco to remind ye price hawks that, though it may be moderately galling to pay Stateside $14 for a bowl of pho that costs $8 in the ID, it's not nearly as galling as paying a successful white chef $15 at her Upper West Side restaurant for a $4 sandwich that hails from Harlem.
