Monday Food News Roundup: Opening/Closings, Restaurant Reviews & Food Gossip

This week marks the arrival of more Jewish Deli. A few restaurants in the works and no closings to report (huzzah!). All signs point to spring at Local 360, Staple & Fancy and Tavern Law/Spur. Street food conjures up debate whilst pop ups are a-ok. James Beards on the brain. And we're still guessing why Frank Bruni was in town. And Seattle gets star stuck over food photography.

Opening/Closings:

The string of openings in Seattle seems to be a bit calmer, with only a few new additions to the scene this week. And no closings to our knowledge.

Cure, did open Wednesday, Eater Seattle has a gallery of the small spot with a few details on the menu. Expect a menu focused on accompaniments- meats, cheese, pickled veggies, tomato jam, olives and bread.

Mercer Island's Stopsky's Deli, a traditional Jewish delicatessen opens today. Former Top Chef Robin Leaventhal is heading the kitchen create what they call "tradition, updated" aka recipes inspired by Jewish cuisine using fresh local food from the NW made of course with love. Expect: housemade bagels, lox, Matzoh ball soup, latkes, corned beef & pastrami sandwiches and smoked whitefish. From the Twitterwaves this weekend was a soft friends & family opening boasting glowing reviews. Ironically there's Deli Summit on Jewish deli being dead, we sat not in Seattle.

COA mexican eatery & tequileria is slated to officially open their doors for full service on May 20, however they gave people in the neighborhood a sneak peak this weekend with two events. Saturday they hosted a "street fair" plating up authentic tacos, gorditas, shrimp ceviche and a few salsas and Sunday was family night previewing a few menu items including kids eating free. According to the owners they'll be using family recipes designed to compliment tequila. Offering over 50 types of tequila in the bar, the name derives from a tool used in the tequila making process.

Bako, a modern Cantonese restaurant, owned by Seattlest friend Keeman Wong will replace the former Jade Pagoda spot on Broadway in Capitol Hill this fall. Bako meaning white peach blossoms, will focus on seasonal and local ingredients to reflect the cuisine found in refined Cantonese restaurants in Wong's hometown Vancouver, BC. Seattle Met's Allison Austin Scheff chatted with Wong, who elaborated on what this means including the special commercial wok stations.

Looks like Zippy's new location in White Center (9614 Ave SW) is delayed. According to Eater Seattle owner Blaine Cook is working on a few opening-related hurdles. The website says perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday- stay tuned.

While Texas cried tears of joy for In-n-Out, Texas transplant, Hanna Raskin is jumping for joy that the chain Wingstop will be opening 15 stores next year in the Seattle area.

Reviews & Write-ups:

Seattle Time's Providence Cicero finds "simple fare well-executed" at Peyrassol Cafe, a hidden gem, in Renton. Who knew? Satisfying lunches- such as "Curried parsnip soup puréed to the texture of loosely whipped cream delivers opulent mouthfuls of sweet vegetables warmed with spices." Dinner offers sauces that are "exquisitely fine-tuned." And the boeuf Bourguignon, so elegant, you'll want to "address every tender morsel of chuck as Charles. After such a glowing review, this tucked away neighborhood cafe might not be so "hidden."

Seattle Magazine reviews the golden child of the moment Revel. Allison Austin Scheff declares the rice bowls and salads the stars, especially how "buttery delicious the local albacore tuna was—rubbed with fennel and coriander and served at the exact temperature that renders it lush beyond belief." And Seattle Met does a nice job summarizing the "Revel Rousers."

Of course all eyes are still on Seattle Weekly's Hanna Raskin, who this week reviewed her second restaurant, Local 360. The "Spring Awakening" reflecting the change of seasons is a good thing for the restaurant according to Raskin. If you are fries enthusiast, you'll want to head directly to Local 360 because "skin-on fries broached perfection: coppery on the outside and custardy at the center, they had a rich, tallow flavor." And when the they unearthered the spring menu she found "peppery bunny was plated with an effervescent potato purée, spring onions, and slender carrots. It's a meal that finally makes sense of Local 360's manifesto."

Is Spring really here? Despite a fluctuation in weather, menus around town are in fact showing a changing of the seasons. One of those delicacies, part pest- the esteemed nettle. Julien Perry declares the Stinging Nettle Soup at Staple & Fancy "life changing."

Trend alert- carbolicious: biscuits and pretzels. Seattle Met is on biscuit watch. More Seattle restaurants are jumping on the pretzel bandwagon and we aren't talking stale bar ones. Fresh, soft and with some type of condiment.

Ripped from the headlines (and the Twitters):

The Wall Street Journal includes Elderflower Iced Tea in their ode fo summer cocktails with Aperol and St. Germain from the cocktail dream team, Dana Tough and Brian McCracken of Spur/Tavern Law.

Shophouse is highlighted by the AP (published by the Seattle Times) as an example of the pop-up trend in the food scene. Shophouse currently operates at Licorous on Mondays and Columbia City Farmers Market on Wednesdays. They coin themselves as "restaurant concept."

West Seattle's sustainable sushi restaurant, Mashiko is noted in NYT's "Safer Sushi.". Sato worked with sustainable sushi expert Casson Trenor eliminating eel, toro and hamachi.

A new street-food proposal, allowing trucks to park on public property raised more debate Wednesday during a hearing at City Council. Seattlest fully endorses more street food in Seattle. We'd like to see more late night options besides the arguably delicious hot dog with cream cheese action.

Rachel Yang, half of the force behind Revel and Joule wowed diners at the James Beard Foundation gala with her ultra-fermented dish. She prepared a Korean bean paste-cured and cold-smoked walu (another name for Escolar) with fennel kimchi. Yang was a JBF Best Chef NW Semifinalist.

While we are on the Beards, oy, it wasn't Seattle's time to shine, instead our neighbor (or rival if you may) to the south, Portland took the crowning glory. Seattle Met captures the best tweets, including one from yours truly.

Seattle Time's Tan Vinh, the man who toured Frank Bruni around town recently, sparked a bit of buzz around his tweet regarding @JamieBoudreau opening his own bar. Jess Voelker quickly jumped on that train who was able to confirm that he in fact is scoping out places but to hold her horses.

The speculation continues about the reason for Bruni's recent escapade around town. Willows Inn owner RIley Starks tweeted Sunday saying "We misspoke about a @FrankBruni piece. We regret the error." Earlier reports/Tweets suggested Bruni was going to do a feature on the Lummi Island restaurant. Stayed tuned.

Seattlites this weekend clamored around star photographer Penny De Los Santos whose work appears in publications such as National Geographic and Saveur. The esteemed photographer offered a three day live workshop online for free filmed in our dear city featuring a partial who's who of the food scene. #pennylive to feel the love.

Want to sell your goods? Ahem, canned goods. Well finally you can, the former pesky WA law, local restauranteurs worked hard to circumvent is longer effective this July.

Last but not least, the always entertaining Surly Gourmand probably in efforts to win the Seattle Weekly web awards, holds a Twitter contest. HIs question: "What is Hugh Acheson's unibrow thinking right now? Best response wins a $25 Trader Joe's card!" Even Chef Acheson attempted tweeting a guess, but was disqualified by Mr. Surly. The winning tweet of course from @MarcSeattle with this entry: "I wonder if I can convince Ruth Reichl to take an eyebrow ride?"