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

[tsquare]

The spot at 51st and Dawson - near the Seward Park PCC is gutted and begining again. Taken over by the folks from Dulces Latin Bistro in Madrona. Look for breakfast 7 days a week (late start on weekdays) on thru to dinners, topping out in the low $20's. Modern American with a latin twist, a touch of french. With luck - two months out.

Edited June 23, 2008 by tsquare (log)

[Sabrosita]

not exactly a restaurant, per se, but "'Zaw, Pizza in the Raw" is coming to capitol hill.

I actually laughed out loud on my way home when I saw it. Somebody is working hard on the marketing...

[Really Nice!]

さようなら Qube, RIP.

[malarkey]

They called me back, I'm in for July 5.

←

So how was it??

[kiliki]

I'd like to know, too. We have a July 26th reservation but I'm waffling a bit.

[tighe]

I keep meaning to do a full write-up, but haven't carved out the time. Short answer is that I'm a bit conflicted. While some of the food was excellent, there are limitations imposed by the 'family-style' format. Bottom line is that my level of enjoyment had more to do with the experience as a whole than specifically what was on the plate. I also came away feeling that the value ($80 pp) was boderline for the food, but good with wine ($30 pp). People who prefer food in the Italian idiom (good ingredients, simple prep) and like the communal table thing will get the most mileage from the Corson Building.

[MagFoodGuy]

They called me back, I'm in for July 5.

←

So how was it??

←

I had dinner at the Corson Building last night. Excellent dinner with a few standouts. The flavors were fairly complex and not assertive. The ingredients were the true stars with herbs and other accompaninets used more of a background. One of the courses was a blue cheese soufle excellently prepared and not served family style. It is great to set a table with people that know a lot about food because it is very fun to analyze the other things that are not necessarily mentioned about the dish. Eating there was much like the better days at the Herb Farm except more fun. It will be interesting to see how things evolve.

[Ye-Ye Girl]

Via Tribunali's Georgetown location is open, and packed. On 12th Ave S between S Harney & S Vale. Ish.

[tsquare]

Via Tribunali's Georgetown location is open, and packed. On 12th Ave S between S  Harney & S Vale. Ish.

←

Lunch slices? Sure, just when it won't be my neighborhood anymore (I quit!)

[LEdlund]

Via Tribunali's Georgetown location is open, and packed. On 12th Ave S between S  Harney & S Vale. Ish.

←

Lunch slices? Sure, just when it won't be my neighborhood anymore (I quit!)

←

What neighborhood will you be in now?

[tsquare]

Via Tribunali's Georgetown location is open, and packed. On 12th Ave S between S  Harney & S Vale. Ish.

←

Lunch slices? Sure, just when it won't be my neighborhood anymore (I quit!)

←

What neighborhood will you be in now?

←

Stay tuned.

[Ye-Ye Girl]

Via Tribunali's Georgetown location is open, and packed. On 12th Ave S between S  Harney & S Vale. Ish.

←

Lunch slices? Sure, just when it won't be my neighborhood anymore (I quit!)

←

I've driven by a couple of times in the afternoon, and if it's any consolation, this one looks like it will have evening hours only, like the other locations.

[cupcakequeen]

i went to the soft opening of Olivar last night. The space looks great. Food was awesome. I think this is going to be so nice to have in the neighborhood. Everything was very reasonably priced.

We tried the croquetas with garlic aioli-very assertive aioli, a really decadent pork appetizer, loin, i think, stuffed with prosciutto and cheese with some roasted cauliflower. sooo good! grilled salmon with a wonderful bearnaise sauce & interesting chickpea frites. oh, that bearnaise, i could eat it by the gallon! and a perfectly cooked rabbit (big portion!) with papparadelle. all the desserts looked great, but we got a super-silky lavender creme brulee.

i can't wait to go back!

[rockdoggydog]

Went and tried Spur on Thursday night, the late menu is currently kind of small but interesting, the good news is they serve food until 130. The space has gone through quite a change since it's Mistral days. The bar is run by Dave Nelson formerly of Union and Campagne. He pours a good drink and the bar selection is pretty good, especially for Belltown. Ethan Evans from Union and Tavolata runs the front and keeps things humming along and kept us all very well informed of what we getting.

Regular Menu

Cocktail Menu

Late Menu - everything here is from the regular menu

Housemade Cornuts - a really great bar snack while you decide and wait, crunchy salty goodness

Chicken Confit - think buffalo wings evolved, the chicken was tender and very nicely spiced, I just wish there was more of the blue cheese creme fraiche to dip it in

Pork Belly Sliders - a bit messy, but damn they are good

Smoked Salmon Crostini - it was beautiful, and the flavour combo was good, the problem I had with it was that the big chunk of salmon was a bit much texturally. The same amount of salmon but sliced thinly and laid on would have been much more pleasant, it it is it's just a bit too much mushiness in the mouth.

Overall, Spur is a solid hit and I am glad to see it join the Belltown scene, I would be more than glad to meet anyone there any night for drinks and munchies.

Rocky

[rockdoggydog]

Tried out Whym the other night at about three in the morning after a bachelor party and really needing something in my belly.

A beacon in the dark

The space is vastly different from when it was Minnie's, most notably it's clean and not sticky! I guess it helps to close for two hours a day to clean. It also seems little smaller than it was. There were about four other tables occupied when we got there.

The Menu

Farmer's Breakfast

CFS - that's actually a slice of round steak under there, not a patty, good creamy gravy.

Beignets - uhm they're a bit chewy for beignets, but still fried dough and sugar so it's till good, just not a beignet. Sorry, I'm being really picky about this after eating a week of beignets in NOLA.

Overall the food is good and well prepared, the prices are fair, and the service is amazing considering the time of night and where it is. Whym - stupid name not withstanding, is a welcome replacement for Minnie's and will definitely go into my rotation of late night places, hell I'd go there during the day.

Rocky

[malarkey]

I had dinner at the Corson Building last night.  Excellent dinner with a few standouts. The flavors were fairly complex and not assertive.  The ingredients were the true stars with herbs and other accompaninets used more of a background.  One of the courses was a blue cheese soufle excellently prepared and not served family style.  It is great to set a table with people that know a lot about food because it is very fun to analyze the other things that are not necessarily mentioned about the dish.  Eating there was much like the better days at the Herb Farm except more fun.  It will be interesting to see how things evolve.

←

A group of us ate there on the 1st of Aug, and I felt that too ~shades of the Herbfarm~ but in a much better, more relaxed, more congenial form. I really liked it. Can't wait for that wood burning oven to be finished. I think the whole venue is great; trains, planes and all.

[kiliki]

(Also posted on mouthfuls)

We went to Olivar on Capitol Hill last night and I can't say enough good things about this place. In terms of pure delicious-ness, this was the best meal I've had in recent memory. Chef Phillippe is from the Loire Valley but his grandmother was Catalan and he loves all things Spanish. We had four (generously sized) small plates and two large and I wanted to lick almost every plate. The (fried) gnocchi with fava beans and the seared scallops with very thin, crispy slices of sausage were absolute knockouts. The rabbit with papardelle and the beet/goat cheese/arugula salad were fantastic and the gazpacho was very good; the seafood/rice dish was good though didn't quite wow me like the other dishes. They had kir royales on their specials board and is there anything nicer than a kir royale with a lemon twist on a hot day? The wine list if very reasonably priced and heavy on the Spanish wines as you might imagine. The two of us had 4 "small" plates, 2 large, 2 kir royales and 2 glasses or wine for $110, which we thought was a very good value. It was actually too much food--we couldn''t quite finish our large plates.

The staff was knowledgable and the service great, though we would have prefered more time inbetween our 3 courses (they probably think most Americans don't). Chef Phillippe came out and talked to diners and was such a warm, friendly person. It's in a beautiful old building across from the Harvard Exit theater. I cannot wait to go back.

[Jeffo]

The Winslow Way Cafe on Bainbridge Island has closed as of August 18. No news as to a possible replacement restaurant, though one is rumored. Updates as they become available.

[LaurieA-B]

Hard Rock Cafe on PIke

[Really Nice!]

Drove by Poppy's this morning. Has it opened? The tables are set with glassware, etc. It looks close if it hasn't opened yet.

[malarkey]

there was a soft opening for 'friends & family' and the initial report is "really fabulous"

[Really Nice!]

Hard Rock Cafe on PIke

←

"Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association, said the restaurant's presence will help transform a stretch of Pike Street between the Market and the downtown retail core that still is seedy in places."

Let's see, within 200 feet of this location there's a porn shop/strip club, the King County Needle Exchange, a Seattle Parole Office, and a dive bar offering PBR happy hour between 5-9 daily (does this place ever close?).

Is bringing in yet another business that serves alcohol the answer? No. I'll still wake up 3 or 4 times a night to 1. hearing guys yell F-you at each other, 2. the screeching mating call of drunk women "I'm sooooooooo drunk!", 3. the nightly ambulances and police tending to the seedy nightlife clientele etc. etc.

Why not bring in a day care or a kindergarten? They'll then have to move those seedy businesses out (yes, even the iconic Deja Vu), it'll be labeled as a 'drug-free zone', and it might even bring in some respectability to the area.

The Hard Rock Cafe is not a transformation-assisting business.

Sorry for the gripe... I'm venting to yet another sleepless night in Seattle due to the reasons stated above...

[LEdlund]

2. the screeching mating call of drunk women "I'm sooooooooo drunk!"

I didn't mean to disturb you - honest!

[Really Nice!]

2. the screeching mating call of drunk women "I'm sooooooooo drunk!"

I didn't mean to disturb you - honest!

←

Hey don't get me wrong, I enjoy the ol' 3AM "Wake-up, let's hook-up!" call as much as the next guy. Just make sure it's directed to me by following your screech with your trademark "WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

[tsquare]

Hard Rock Cafes are still in business??? Who knew.

←

and the profits go to the Seminole Tribe of Florida.