Monday Food News Roundup: Opening/Closings, Reviews & News
A slew of openings and one closing to note. Restaurant reviews promise we are eating well and challenging the way we serve food from Canlis to newcomer Madison Park Conservatory. Food pioneer Alice Waters joins Twitter and Molly Wizenberg to write a second book. Lastly, Seattle mourns the loss of our burger-man.
Opening/Closings:
From the crew behind Captain Black's comes the newest addition to the slew of burger joints around town. Lil' Woody's, located on Capitol Hill, due to open this summer. Local and sustainable beef (seems to be the norm now), hand-cut fries and Molly Moon's shakes.
Marination Station is on schedule to open the second week of April. The brick & mortar location will feature the popular Korean-Hawaiian fusion from the truck along with beer/wine and menu items distinct to the new location.
Speaking of food trucks, Maximus Minimus Tweeted that this week marks the return of the pig. Landing at 2nd & Pike, today from 11am-2pm, with a new pork sandwich as well as staples from last year.
Nancy Leson reports on a new addition to the street food frenzy in Seattle, Philly Boys Cheesesteaks in SoDo.
Lily on Orcas, the adjacent ice cream/confectionary to Allium, officially opened this weekend.
The Wurst Place according to it's Facebook page will be joining the growing enclave of South Lake Union restaurants at 510 Westlake. Featuring: "gourmet meat, seafood and vegetarian sausages, authentic Old World style Belgian Frites and dipping sauces, fresh baked organic cobblers, European style biers, local wines, ciders and root beers, art, and lots of Gnomes. Vegan and Gluten free options are also available!"
Baseball season at Saefco kicks off this Friday, April 8. Besides home runs, fans eagerly await the new gourmet food additions especially offerings from Ethan Stowell, Apizza and the Flying Turtle Cantina.
Seattle Met reports Nook on the Ave (University District) opened this weekend serving casual comfort food. Touches include house-made pickles, late night dining startng April 8 (til 2am) and all dishes under $10. Menu items like the mexican coke braised beef brisket and a white bean sandwich with preserved lemon certainly have perked our interest.
Cuoco, Tom Douglas' first restaurant in the Terry Avenue Building opens to the public tonight. Cuoco's name comes from the Italian word to cook and is centered around pasta. The menu, segmented for the different types of pasta: fresh pasta, dried pasta, filled pasta and baked pasta. Plus vegetable and meat dishes. Reports from the family and friend test dinners this past weekend already quite positive. No surprise seeing head chef Stuart Lane hails from the kitchen at Cafe Juanita.
Sunday marked the last day for Webster's Charleston Street Cafe in West Seattle according to the West Seattle Blog. Most well known for their chowder, the restaurant has experienced turbulent times the past year.
Reviews & Write-ups:
Destination Dinner House: Seattle Met's Kathryn Robinson reviews Madison Park Conservatory. Drawing on their Tako Truk venture, Robinson notes the cuisine is: "Similarly irreverent collisions of cuisine and bright flavor" with dishes such as " grilled walnut bread spread with luscious foie gras came dotted with pickled gigante beans and tart kumquats." In short, dine here now.
Local 360 Happy Hour: Seattle Times Tan Vinh praises the uber local Belltown spot. "Local 360, its name a reference to its mission to source ingredients within a 360-mile radius, is the latest of many to raise the bar-food bar in this barhopping 'hood. The quality of happy-hour food has never been better in Belltown." The late-night happy hour includes hangover friendly food like a tête de cochon (deep fried pig head) served on french toast and a fried egg drenched in sweet maple syrup. Quality happy hour food beyond the usual calamari, french fries and other bland suspects, this is something week look forward to trying very soon.
Fuji Bakery gets love from Seattle Times' Mark Yuasa; the Bellevue bakery opened another shop in the International District last October. High quality Japanese style artisan sweets plus sandwiches are not to be missed. Yuasa suggests savory treats such as the Focaccia with grilled veggies and curry quiche with shrimp, thyme and green onion.
Jason Sheehan departs Seattle visiting the venerable Canlis, with a review in the Seattle Weekly. Sheehan notes, "For the first time in 10 years, I make reservations under my own name, dropping all attempts at subterfuge and evasion. I don't do anything strange with my hair. I don't put on the glasses that I don't need." Sheehan of course praises the remarkable service, noting: "This is what service means at Canlis: always knowing what's required before a customer knows he needs it." The food, he's impressed but still hungry. Seems like a good metaphor for his time in Seattle.
Ripped from the headlines (and the Twitters):
The news of Scott Simpson's death shocked the food community this week. Nancy Leson tells the story of Lunchbox Laboratory's founder with respect.
Alice Waters, the grandmother of California cuisine and pioneer of organic and sustainable cuisine joins the world of Twitter. Her first Tweet? "“The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves.” Brillat-Savarin via MFK Fisher"
National website, Eater is coming to Seattle. Plus we know the new Editor. Seattlest's former editor, Allecia Vermillion who according to Allison Austin Scheff made waves with this very column when she graced the Seattle food scene.
Local favorite blogger/author and Delancey co-owner, Molly Wizenberg gets a second book deal. The memoir, Delancey will focus on her marriage and opening their Ballard pizza restaurant.
