Rays vivid, crab-laden deviled eggs.
Ray's vivid, crab-laden deviled eggs. Ray's Boathouse

Ray's Begins Brunch

After 44 years of simple, consistent bayhouse fare, Ray's Boathouse is delving into the most Instagram-friendly of meal segments: brunch. The Shilshole mainstay will begin serving it from 10am to 2:30pm Sat-Sun in both the main restaurant and on the ideal-for-Instagram-pics deck. Fare will include the deviled eggs pictured above, as well as housemade beignets, a duck confit hash, and a prawn gazpacho dish with smoked clams that sound absolutely smokin'.

F.X. McRory's to Move

The popular Pioneer Square pregame parlor will be having their last hurrah on June 11, the Seattle Times reports. Their building owner is renovating the basement, which requires that they move. Fear not, however; all 1,600 bottles of booze and all 96 feet of marble bar will be going too, and it'll all be re-located to a new location in Pioneer Square. Because where else could you imagine F.X. McRory's operating, really?

Vestal Version 2.0

Josh Henderson's adventurous South Lake Union passion project didn't play well with the neighborhood's dispassionate, food-is-sustenance tech workers, but he's not giving up. Instead of offering challenging food, he's repurposed it to offer burgers, club sandwiches, and grilled cheese, Eater reports. Their new focus will be on counter service and comfort food, and they'll be open weekdays only, from 11:30am to 8pm.

“I wouldn’t say it’s gonna be breaking down any culinary barriers,” he told Eater, “but it’s also the kind of food I like, and I think people will enjoy and feel comfortable in a beautiful space.”

Kudos to the PR person who translated, "I didn't set out to make burgers, but apparently you fucks would rather drink Soylent than eat anything outside of your comfort zone, so whatever." We all know what you meant, bud!

Elliot Bay Brewing Expands

Brother Barrel is now open next to the popular brewery's Lake City taphouse, reports the Washington Beer Blog, with a focus on barrel-aged and sour beers.

"Nobody should be surprised to hear that the food is delicious and focuses on fresh, sustainable dishes," WBB's Kendall Jones writes. Beer-wise, he loved their Gin Barrel-Aged Golden Ale, and had high praise for the on-message decor, which features "lots of wood" and "lots of staves." Sounds rad.

Resto Gives Way to B-Side Foods

Resto, Seattle's only Québécois-styled joint, closed awhile ago, but their former space will see new life as B-Side Foods, a breakfast and lunch stop from our friends at Analog Coffee.

Seattle Met reports that they are not quite softly open, but are currently serving food, which can be ordered from Analog and picked up at the front door of the former Resto space below. Offerings include fish toast, bean toast, sweet toast, and meat/veg egg sandwiches. Sadly, for us millenials looking to never buy a home, there is no avocado toast.

There will, however, be about a dozen seats and "wine, beer, spritzes, micheladas, mimosas, and a lot of carbonated beverages on tap." If I wasn't so busy spending my weekends writing about places where you can go get a michelada and read the latest issue of Black Panther, I would totally go and get a michelada and read the latest issue of Black Panther. Analog is great and Ta-Nehisi Coates is a fucking genius. They'll be fully open sometime this summer.

The Sorrento Kicks Off Summer and Kicks Out Jams

"With the sun finally forecasted to stick around for longer than a couple days," the hotel announced. "Hotel Sorrento is opening their outdoor dining area for al fresco dining, drinking and music all summer long."

Everyone's favorite Silent Reading Party venue is worth visiting any season for the excellent Vespers and snazzy appetizer towers alone, but all that on a patio sounds extra lovely. To sweeten the deal, they'll have live music Thurs-Sat, and of course, Tuesdays are always half-price wine nights.

Seattle Cookie Counter, Now an Actual Counter

The Phinney Ridge vegan treats spot—once a food truck, then an ill-fated brick and mortar—will once again become a brick and mortar, thanks to generous GoFundMe supporters, Eater reports. The owners, Chelsea Keene and Chris Olson, complained that their first round of crowdfunding fell victim to unscrupulous contractors, whose delays cost them a lot of money and a shot at the lucrative summer 2016 ice cream market. And to really put a cherry on top of that shit sundae, Olson also got in a car accident. Seattleites seem to have an unending love for vegan sweets, so here's hoping that their second go-round goes better. Lightning never strikes twice, as they say.

Alchemy Finally Bubbles Up

The West Seattle paean to mixology has, after a few delays, finally opened its doors, reports Eater. The bar is brought to us by local chef trio Christopher Jensen, Bryan Ogden, and Larkin Young, and they've got plans in the works for a nearby restaurant—Vine and Spoon—as well. Alchemy will feature a $50 cocktail and a selection of super premium booze, so now all of us country bumpkins west of the Duwamish can get fancy without making the trek all the way up to Canon. Thank God, I guess?

They Really Couldn't Have Picked a Worse Time, Could They Have?

Six Strawberries Artisan Ice Pops has ceased serving, Eater reports, and just in time for popsicle weather. I guess we'll all have to settle for the grocery store variety. Or there's always the rose popsicles at Bookstore Bar's afternoon tea, I suppose!

The March of Molly Moon's Continues

Molly Moon's will open their eighth location in Columbia City sometime in June, according to Eater. Given the ultra-whiteness of Molly Moon's, and the historic diversity of the neighborhood, owner Molly Neitzel has already addressed the gentrification question, telling Eater earlier this year that, "You don't want to be accused of gentrification, you don't want to put a product into a neighborhood that seems like it's out of reach of most residents in terms of affordability."

Very sweet of her, but unless you're worried that upper-middle-class white lesbian couples with kids can't afford to end their evening dog walk with ice cream for their brood, I think you're good. Opening an artisan ice cream shop in Columbia City is basically a drop in the bucket at this point.

BBQ Wars: Raney's vs. Jack's?

Not exactly. While Raney Brothers' BBQ, the popular "Northwest Style" BBQ truck, has opened a brick and mortar right across the street from Jack's BBQ, Eater reports, it's important to remember that different types of barbecue are basically different cuisines. Raney's is based on a more St. Louis-style recipe, with a tomato sauce base, while Jack's is pure Central Texas pit worship. Likely, the two will coexist peacefully, and SoDo's hungry working folk will benefit mightily from the proliferation of BBQ.

Want to Help End the Impact of Mass Incarceration?

Then hire some ex-cons, already. Dave's Killer Bread and the Seattle chapter of ROC United are hosting a "Second Chance Summit" on June 7 in SoDo, and you can be a part of it. If you've read this far into the column, I can only assume you're a bored troll or someone with a vested interest in the restaurant industry. If you're the latter, and you have hiring powers, consider signing up for the summit, which links formerly incarcerated individuals with potential employers. Lord knows, with the current cook shortage, you can't really afford not to overlook someone's rap sheet right now. Plus, employment reduces recidivism, so you're actually reducing crime and helping break the cycle of incarceration all while ensuring that you have warm bodies on the line. Sounds like a win-win to me. If you're interested in signing up, email them.