[Seattle] Farewell & Welcome: Closings, Transformations, Openings (Part 3)

[tsquare]

[Moderator note: This is part of an extended topic that became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it into shorter segment; the preceding part of this discussion is here: [seattle] Farewell & Welcome: Closings, Transformations. Openings (Part 2)]

 

 

 

 

One of the high stalls in the Market is selling dried pasta -$8.50 a pound! That must be some special stuff. It's this stuff:
on line too

Also, a new shop - Confectionery - selling cheesecake and chocolate.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Mjx
Host note added. (log)

[miss Jme]

Has El Portal closed? (6th & Wall)

I called to make a reservation tonight and the phone was disconnected.

Anyone know?

thanks

[cupcakequeen]

el portal is indeed closed.

[reesek]

Has anyone been by the new La Spiga space on 12th? I have called to ask about an opening date but their voice mail box is always full, and I wonder if maybe they have a sign up in their window with a date.

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haven't seen an update on this so thought i would bring it back to the top. the new la spiga is open. they did something like 700 covers at their grand opening on sunday night. we went there for our class field trip yesterday - they opened just for us to have lunch...unbelievably sweet. the space is insane. modern-intimate is what i think they're going for - and imo, i think they got there. several different spaces, including what will be the best summer patio ever. very exciting. we ate fluffy gnocchi al pomodoro, tagliatelle with truffle butter, porcini ravioli with sage & butter, piadina (plain) with a salumi platter and a very nice salad. the bar (with a limited menu) will be open until 1:30...many things to try, and such lovely people.

[LEdlund]

el portal is indeed closed.

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As I drove by them on my way to work yesterday, I was just thinking I needed to go back there. I really enjoyed it the couple of times I went. That location is horrible though. I can't imagine anything other than a destination restaurant surviving there.

[kiliki]

the new la spiga is open

I cannot wait to see it! I did make a reservation for NYE already, even though they haven't quite set the menu yet (they will know by next week). I only know that it will be multi course, include some wine, and be around $100/pp.

[MagFoodGuy]

Also, a new shop - Confectionery - selling cheesecake and chocolate.

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[sallysimpleton]

Bouchée, on Fremont Ave, is closing this weekend. I noticed a sign this morning in the window that their last day is the 17th.

[tsquare]

Also, a new shop - Confectionery - selling cheesecake and chocolate.

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This is a friend's new place. I have tasted the cheesecake, and it is amazingly good!

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[cxt]

Bouchée, on Fremont Ave, is closing this weekend. I noticed a sign this morning in the window that their last day is the 17th.

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I'm not completely sad about this....it always smelled great outside that place! But the two times I ate there, I was disappointed. Anyone have any idea what is moving in? Was it another victim of Fremont Bridge construction?

Chris

[tsquare]

Just a quick note on De-Ra at Clay and Western (across from the new Sculpture park - fabulous spot!) The place has a great buzz - you can tell the owners have a lot of friends, personal and professional, and they are already enjoying the warmth and comfort of the new restaurant. Look for Italian with a Sicilian slant - a bit sweet and sour in a lot of dishes - and a solid (Italian) wine list. Small bar, soft lighting, valet parking (at least sometimes?) and the ceiling has acoustical tiles though the space has little else to absorb sound. You can hear your dining partner as well as the cheer of others.

There is an area south of the bar that can be set up for private parties apart from the main room, or tables in the dining room can be pushed together to seat 12 +/-. Lots of booths, including one hidden from view if you need a private spot (!)

[dandelion]

Bouchée ... Was it another victim of Fremont Bridge construction?

I spoke to the owner about it, and she said they haven't really been doing well for awhile... she thinks Fremont, with it's focus on pubs, just wasn't the right location from a creperie. So she's selling the place, and quitting the restaurant biz altogether.

[tsquare]

Has anyone stopped into Copper Gate yet? It's on 24th NW, up from Besalu. I believe the Thaiku guy is behind it - new Scandinavian lounge. Dan Braun (Oliver's Twist) consulting (?), Eric C, late of Matt's in the Market, lending a hand...

[Eden]

Has anyone stopped into Copper Gate yet? It's on 24th NW, up from Besalu. I believe the Thaiku guy is behind it - new Scandinavian lounge. Dan Braun (Oliver's Twist) consulting (?), Eric C, late of Matt's in the Market, lending a hand...

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Hasn't Copper Gate been there forever? Is this new owners?

[little ms foodie]

Firefly on QA had no signs or anything when I drove by tonight- trying to reinvent again? Also the Indian restaurant on the corner of Boston and QAA is closed and the windows are papered up.

[malarkey]

el portal is indeed closed.

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As I drove by them on my way to work yesterday, I was just thinking I needed to go back there. I really enjoyed it the couple of times I went. That location is horrible though. I can't imagine anything other than a destination restaurant surviving there.

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NOOOOO!

I really liked that place. Yes, the location sucked, but you know what? You could always find parking there!

I hope the owners + chef can find a new spot that gets more traffic. Their food was fantastic, and the place had a good vibe.

[tsquare]

Has anyone stopped into Copper Gate yet? It's on 24th NW, up from Besalu. I believe the Thaiku guy is behind it - new Scandinavian lounge. Dan Braun (Oliver's Twist) consulting (?), Eric C, late of Matt's in the Market, lending a hand...

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Hasn't Copper Gate been there forever? Is this new owners?

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Old tavern, new lounge/owners. Hip.

[creo420]

Copper Gate now a hip new lounge???? That is crazy as that was the sketchiest bar in Bar in Ballard for quite some time. Next you are going to tell me that the Viking and Epp's Place have become hip lounges as well. Man has Ballard changed.

Creo

[kiliki]

Well, the Viking does attract it's share of hipsters, though there's still lots of regular neighborhood folks, too.

[FeedMaria]

Firefly on QA had no signs or anything when I drove by tonight- trying to reinvent again? Also the Indian restaurant on the corner of Boston and QAA is closed and the windows are papered up.

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I believe a place called "O pal" will be moving into the place that formerly housed Banjara Cuisine of India.

[pupkinpie2]

Has anyone noticed the new Victrola coffee shop on Pine close to Tango and The Eagle. This may be old news, but im so excited. I walk by this place all the time on my way to work and know they have been working in it for over a year.

It looks to be about dont, maybe a month or less. I guess there banking on the 2-3 new condos opening up in the pike/pine district in the next couple years.

[Bruce Burger]

I believe a place called "O pal" will be moving into the place that formerly housed Banjara Cuisine of India.

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Any idea what O Pal is?

Banjara had a checkered history that deserves to be memorialized. When we moved into the neighborhood in 1996, they already had the space rented, but it took a year or two for them to get it open. Meanwhile an Indian restaurant opened across the street -- first I believe it was a branch of Raga (from Bellevue), then Mayuri (also from Bellevue), though I may have the sequence wrong. Finally Banjara opened, and, even though its food was inferior, it did better because it had a corner location, it was slightly cheaper, and it was decorated more like a typical Indian restaurant (albeit badly). Eventually the food improved too, and Mayuri (or whatever it was called at the end) threw in the towel. For a while I believe the Banjara people even ran the Mexican restaurant that replaced Mayuri. But in the last couple of years, Banjara's quality declined, and eventually their customers realized it and stopped going.

Some comic moments in Banjara's history:

- For a long time, they had a framed letter in the bathroom from the health department saying something like "We are writing to commend you for being one of the most improved restaurants in cleanliness this year. With continued work on your part, we look forward to helping you become a leader in restaurant sanitation in the county." Apparently they thought this was something to be proud of.

- When they were preparing to open a place across the street, the (apparent) owner said he was thinking of a Mexican seafood restaurant. One day I saw him perusing a seafood cookbook that was one of those books you find at a supermarket checkout stand for $4.99.

- For many years they had a big sign in the window advertising "LUNCH BUFFETT $6.99". I couldn't walk by without thinking of Jimmy Buffet.

- After 9/11, eager to show their patriotism, they put a big handmade poster of an American flag in the window. However, it looked like a first-grade class project: crooked lines, the wrong number of lines and stars, etc.

[SteveB]

The new Victrola's on Pike. It looks gorgeous.

The rumour is they're opening in a few days, though it seems like they have a lot to get done in a week...

[dandelion]

I'm definitely going to miss Banjara. When I first moved to the neighborhood, a few friends and I had dinner there. I ordered the aloo saag, which was delicious. When we were getting ready to go, the waitress asked if I'd like a box. Since I only had a couple of potatoes and some sauce left, I said "no, thanks." She asked if everything was okay, and said that the chef always thought people didn't like the food if anything was left at the end of the meal. Apparently it hurt his feelings! After that I always got a box, no matter how little food I had left.

[FeedMaria]

I believe a place called "O pal" will be moving into the place that formerly housed Banjara Cuisine of India.

←

Any idea what O Pal is?

Banjara had a checkered history that deserves to be memorialized. When we moved into the neighborhood in 1996, they already had the space rented, but it took a year or two for them to get it open. Meanwhile an Indian restaurant opened across the street -- first I believe it was a branch of Raga (from Bellevue), then Mayuri (also from Bellevue), though I may have the sequence wrong. Finally Banjara opened, and, even though its food was inferior, it did better because it had a corner location, it was slightly cheaper, and it was decorated more like a typical Indian restaurant (albeit badly). Eventually the food improved too, and Mayuri (or whatever it was called at the end) threw in the towel. For a while I believe the Banjara people even ran the Mexican restaurant that replaced Mayuri. But in the last couple of years, Banjara's quality declined, and eventually their customers realized it and stopped going.

Some comic moments in Banjara's history:

- For a long time, they had a framed letter in the bathroom from the health department saying something like "We are writing to commend you for being one of the most improved restaurants in cleanliness this year. With continued work on your part, we look forward to helping you become a leader in restaurant sanitation in the county." Apparently they thought this was something to be proud of.

- When they were preparing to open a place across the street, the (apparent) owner said he was thinking of a Mexican seafood restaurant. One day I saw him perusing a seafood cookbook that was one of those books you find at a supermarket checkout stand for $4.99.

- For many years they had a big sign in the window advertising "LUNCH BUFFETT $6.99". I couldn't walk by without thinking of Jimmy Buffet.

- After 9/11, eager to show their patriotism, they put a big handmade poster of an American flag in the window. However, it looked like a first-grade class project: crooked lines, the wrong number of lines and stars, etc.

←

I have no idea what O pal is, but I'm really sad that it's not Banjara.