The main room at The Hall at Fauntleroy was just one of four spots around the grounds of the old schoolhouse filled by 51 food-and-beverage purveyors for tonight’s Taste of West Seattle. More attendees than ever, too, enthused Tara Byrne, executive director of the event’s beneficiary/organizer, West Seattle Helpline. And it wasn’t just the lineup – it was what they offered:

Jes and Sarah from Chaco Canyon Organic Café (WSB sponsor) offered sweet-potato samosas. And for the omnivore …

… the team from The Bridge had their famous bacon-wrapped dates. For West 5, of course it was their popular mac ‘n’ cheese:

Amber from Freshy’s is known far and wide for her soup:

“Chef Wade” – who’s just unveiled his newest menu at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) — had pulled-pork sliders:

The Hall’s resident Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering made asparagus quinoa salad and grilled citrus prawns:

Salad was also on the menu for Pizzeria 22 proprietor Cary – arugula salad with gorgonzola:

Your notetaker here wandered away while co-publisher Patrick was photographing Ere and Ani from Pan Africa Grill, so we didn’t catch what dish/es they were serving:

Of course, there was dessert. There must be dessert. Stuffed Cakes, for one:

Full Tilt Ice Cream‘s ice-cream bike was there – getting ready to turn around to an appearance at White Center’s Caffe Delia for Bike-to-Work Day Friday morning:

Speaking of coffee – Hotwire (WSB sponsor) was right by the front door – one of several coffee purveyors, including Heidi from Bird on a Wire Espresso:

And with 51 participants – Tara said they had to turn some aspiring participants away, in the process of locking in the lineup! – we didn’t get to photograph them all. Check the names out here. Oh, and cheese, courtesy of Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), which brought something even bigger than food, a $7,500 donation:

That’s Metro Market Admiral store director Glen Hasstedt with Kim and Laura from the cheese department (where cheese is also made, not just sold!).

Helpline doesn’t expect to have the night’s take tallied up for a few days; we’re also awaiting word on who won the votes for best taste. P.S. If you want more proof of how this event has grown – we looked up a WSB mention from three years ago; the number of participating food/drink providers was only about a third of what it is now!

1:08 AM UPDATE: From the Taste of West Seattle Facebook page – Fresh Bistro/Herban Feast Catering won “best taste,” Prost! West Seattle came in 2nd, Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky was third.

Many a Sunday, you’ll find a line at Bakery Nouveau in The Junction. This morning, Edgar Riebe from Captive Eye Media caught this photo from the back of what he says was a 30-minute line to get in the door! And worth it, Edgar added. Here’s hoping this is a successful Mother’s Day for all local eateries – and if you’re just venturing out for late lunch/brunch, while we can’t guarantee they have room, La Romanza Bistro Italiano in The Junction (WSB sponsor) offers jazz brunch till 4 pm. The sponsor team also was joined this week by vegetarian Chaco Canyon Organic Café in The Triangle, brunch till 3 pm on Sundays. And while driving north of Morgan Junction the other day, we noticed a NOW SERVING BRUNCH banner outside Pan Africa Grill at Juneau/California.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Nick Parisi of Highland Park plans to open the doors to Athena’s restaurant today at 11 am.

We first told you three months ago about the plan for the newly designed Greek-themed spot (across from Fire Station 11 at 16th and Holden, in the original home of Zippy’s Giant Burgers, now in White Center) will also be the brick and mortar commissary for Athena’s food truck [reported here by WSB].

The family’s new food truck carries on the food-stand circuit tradition begun by Nick’s father 30 years ago at countless Seattle events and festivals. It has been operating in the parking lot as a kind of soft run for the cuisine to be offered indoors and has had steady business, but this past weekend the busy festival season for the Athena truck began with a gig at the Mobile Food Rodeo in Fremont as well as a taco challenge. So the truck will no longer be around as the busy season begins and the sit-down Athena’s doors finally open.

As Nick took the paper off the windows last night, we chatted with him about the grand opening. In preparation for the big day, he had just started the first batch of three or four kinds of fresh gelato, and an employee had begun the slow caramelization of heaps of savory Walla Walla sweet onions, which Athena’s uses in everything from falafel sandwiches to traditional gyros with lamb and beef to food with vegetarian Field Roast (made by a Seattle-based company). Lighter fare includes a Greek salad and for libations, Nick will offer Schooner Exact on tap Tuesday, but with plans to add an additional option soon.

Most items are in the $6-$10 range and Nick says, for now, the new spot will be open until 8 every day until they figure out the best schedule.

The opening celebration will continue this weekend with live music courtesy of the band The Madelines; the exact time has not been set, but we’ll add it to the calendar as soon as we find out.

Find Athena’s on Facebook, here.

‘DINING OUT FOR LIFE’ POSTSCRIPT: Last night we stopped by Skylark Café and Club, one of four West Seattle/White Center venues that joined in Lifelong AIDS Alliance‘s annual dine-out fundraiser, to say hi to the on-site DO4L ambassadors: Bill Wiesenbach and Lorraine Fournier.

‘DINE OUT FOR HUNGER’ NEXT WEDNESDAY: We’re seeing lots of incoming e-mail reminders about Give Big, the one-day event next Wednesday (May 2nd) to encourage people to donate to participating nonprofits via the Seattle Foundation, which promises a “stretch pool” to provide some matching funds to those nonprofits. One local participant, White Center Food Bank, is going all-out, as noted on partner site White Center Now – including an event Wednesday night called “Dine Out for Hunger”: Proletariat Pizza and Zippy’s Giant Burgers are both donating a cut of dinner proceeds that night to WC Food Bank.

This is a big night for what was the Tuscan Tea Room Bistro (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – a winemaker’s dinner with Siren Song Wines and music by Pearl Django. The event is technically sold out but proprietor Aimee Pellegrini says there’s “limited seating at the bar.” But that’s not the really big news – she’s just renamed her establishment, which is now La Romanza Bistro Italiano, and expanded dinner service to another night! Here’s the announcement:

Kicking off with our sold-out wine dinner (tonight), we have finally, at the urging of our patrons and our good judgement, changed our name from ‘The Tuscan Tea Room’ to ‘La Romanza Bistro Italiano’. We are also expanding our dinner hours to add Wednesday nights. So, we will serve dinner and happy hour Wednesday through Saturday starting next week.

We are very excited about this change but also assure that these are the only changes. We offer our same dinner, lunch, brunch, and afternoon tea menus. We offer our wine list, cocktails and our 70+ fine teas and will soon have them available for purchase through our website as well.

About nine months after we opened we added dinner service as well as expanded lunch, brunch and dinner menus to include live jazz and happy hour. Our new name is more indicative of what we truly offer: a bistro experience with fine Italian cuisine.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Aimee Pellegrini and La Romanza staff

ADDED 2:34 PM: Just discovered Aimee is featured in a cooking video online via the West Seattleite-produced “Brown Lounge” site – it’s a roasted-chicken recipe:

The actual recipe and other info can be found here.

TERRIBLE BEAUTY EXPANDING TO LOCATION #3: Some fans of A Terrible Beauty may already have heard this, as they’ve been quietly letting the news get out; we found it on the liquor-license-application list. Renton was their first, West Seattle their second, and now they’re expanding to location #3 on South Lake Union (1001 Fairview Avenue N). ATB co-proprietor Jenna Shannon Garvey O’Brien tells WSB, “We hope to open in July, but you know how that can go as well so we’ve just been saying Summer 2012. We will also have an outdoor walk up Chip shop at this location called Fish ‘n Tings.”

PAN AFRICA GRILL CLOSING PIKE MARKET LOCATION: Pan Africa Grill assures us that their West Seattle location (5905 California SW) is “alive and kicking” – but they have decided to close their original spot in the Pike Place Market area, and are promoting a “closing party” on Saturday.

FIDDLEHEAD FINE FOODS ADDED TO WSB WEST SEATTLE RESTAURANT GUIDE: Just added a page for one of West Seattle’s newest restaurants, Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Café. The guide index is here; Fiddlehead’s page is here.

Seven West Seattle restaurants will donate a generous percentage of proceeds to Transitional Resources’ art-therapy program on the evening of Thursday, April 12 as part of the first annual Food for Art event. Representatives from Transitional Resources will be at each restaurant, selling $5 raffle tickets for prizes donated by local artists and businesses, including event sponsor Ola Salon. All raffle proceeds will benefit the art therapy program at Transitional Resources, a West Seattle-based non-profit mental-health center serving people living with severe and persistent mental illness.

Food for Art diners are encouraged to let their servers know they support Food for Art. Details about each restaurant’s Food for Art promotion follows:

CIRCA will offer two Food For Art specials, donating 50% of the proceeds from those sales. Promotion runs 5-10 p.m. (2605 California SW)

FRESH BISTRO will donate 10% of proceeds from sales off their regular menu (not their Restaurant Week promotional menu) and strongly encourages reservations. Promotion runs 5-10 p.m. (4725 42nd SW)

HIGHSTRIKE GRILL will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 7-10 p.m. (4505 39th SW)

LOCOL BARLEY & VINE will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (7902 35th SW)

LUNA PARK CAFE will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (2918 SW Avalon Way)

WEST 5 will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (4539 California SW)

ZATZ A BETTER BAGEL will donate 15% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-9 p.m. (2348 California SW)

Transitional Resources’ commends these local restaurants for their philanthropic engagement. By contributing to Transitional Resources’ art therapy program, these businesses are helping men and women have access to a creative catalyst for healing. The process involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people resolve issues, as well as develop and manage their behaviors and feelings, reduce stress, and improve awareness. Art therapy is one of many programs offered at Transitional Resources, which provides respectful, optimistic, and highly personalized care to those most in need.

Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The banners along the front windows spread the news: “Fish and Chips – Oysters & To Go Steamers & Crabs.” With the official “grand opening” of their grilled seafood service still two weeks away, Seattle Fish Company has quietly begun serving sit-down seafood while awaiting their license to pour beer and wine, and fine-tuning the offerings from the kitchen.

When we reported on the Junction business’s plan last October, they had hoped to have the added service up and running by January, but as so often happens with such plans, it took a bit longer.

On Saturday, proprietor Jon Daniels spoke with us about the new layout, planned menu offerings, and extended hours.

While the “market” part of the business is currently open 8:30 am to 7 pm, the “grill” is slated to serve cooked items of choice from 11 am to 9 pm.

The front area of the store now has tables and chairs (a couple booths will be placed along the north wall) for sit-down dining; the tables in the window overlooking California Avenue may someday change to a full-length counter.

Menu choices will include scallops, crab cakes and prawn cakes; grilled items such as salmon, halibut and oysters; steamed options like clams, mussels and crab; and from the fryer, a bounty of cod, salmon or halibut and chips – even prawns and chips. Here’s Chef Dave Harris:

Jon looks forward to rotating some daily or weekly specials like ahi or mahi mahi through the grill menu as well – all the choices and prices will be displayed on a large chalkboard menu to be installed before the official launch.

A few non-seafood dishes will round out the menu – pork chops, chicken, veggies, perhaps a pasta dish or two. And there’s art – a second custom mural by Tess Morgan now graces the south wall:

Seattle Fish Company is at 4435 California SW.

“Understanding the situation, we’ll do our best to review the application as quickly as possible.”

So says city Department of Planning and Development spokesperson Bryan Stevens, regarding the extra review that suddenly pushed back the plan for Marination to take over and remodel Seacrest Boathouse.

“The situation at Seacrest is still moving forward,” Marination co-owner Roz Edison told us by phone. “It’s not quite moving at the pace at which we’d like.”

We reported the snag eight days ago, when the city Parks Department, which owns the boathouse, announced it, saying DPD had unexpectedly insisted a “conditional-use permit” would be needed too. The day after that announcement, we spoke to Roz from Marination, then sought DPD comment (which took 2 1/2 business days) before putting together this followup.

First, the backstory: Parks sought proposals for the Seacrest concession last fall, and chose Marination over Alki Crab and Fish, which had been the longtime concessionaire. An appeals process reaffirmed the decision. Marination was scheduled to take over the space about two weeks ago and start remodeling work; ACF moved out early, after the first weekend of the month (it’s now consolidated with its owners’ other establishment, Admiral Pub).

And then Parks discovered that DPD wanted an additional permit – saying that the space wasn’t officially a restaurant, and would need to be reviewed as such.

“We went to submit our DPD intake stuff,” Roz recalled, “and they said, ‘oh, by the way, this is not a restaurant, and you need a change of use permit.’ We said, ‘It’s been a restaurant for 10 years.’ They said, ‘no.’ So we put it in the hands of Parks.”

As it turned out, Marination had not finalized a lease agreement when this sudden snag arose, so it truly is “in the hands of Parks.” In Marination’s view, Roz says, “this is an issue that really should be resolved between two government agencies.”

DPD’s explanation in response to our inquiry continued:

Unfortunately, the restaurant use in the existing building never obtained a permit when it first opened. We have a complaint-based enforcement team, and the issue was never brought to our attention until now. Also, this stretch of shoreline is designated a Conservancy Management area, which is focused on shoreline recreation and water-related uses. This designation is typical of park land adjacent to the water. However, certain commercial businesses can be allowed through a shoreline conditional use approval, which requires a public permit process. We support small business and encourage due diligence as early as possible, so potential safety improvements or processes can be taken into account.

The business owner can apply for the shoreline permit and the construction permit at the same time, so once the shoreline permit is approved the construction work can get started immediately. Understanding the situation, we’ll do our best to review the application as quickly as possible.

How the issue never came up before now – not till the previous tenant had moved out – mystifies Marination. Says Roz, “There was a mechanical hood permit issued for this place ten years ago, a commercial kitchen hood permit for a commercial kitchen, approved by DPD. Somehow that particular permit did not trigger doublechecking … (and) the next year, City Council did what they would do for our lease, voted whether to allow a restaurant concessionaire to be there.”

Checking city archives online, we found this City Council resolution from 2002, which indeed reads in Section A-1 (regarding Alki Crab and Fish’s then-contract):

The Concessionaire shall be entitled to operate a business at said location subject to the terms of this Agreement, which shall consist of the renting of fishing boats and outboard motors, the renting of fishing tackle and related equipment; operation of a full service restaurant and seafood market and/or delicatessen food service …

And yet, here’s the sudden hurdle for Marination’s otherwise concession-winning proposal. Roz continued, “Fast-forward nine years, we are being asked to go through the whole change of use … even with a little accelerated review time, it is still pushing us back, it’s probably going to be late summer, if we’re lucky, so we will miss the summer … we’re really bummed about that.”

And she wonders regarding the mandate to pursue a separate permit, “…what good it’s serving. We’d be able to pay rent to the city, the community would have access to the boathouse, we’re not sure what the public good is, coming out of this.”

However, she says they remain “excited about serving West Seattle; we’re still committed, we’re not backing away from the project, (even though) it is costing us quite a bit of money for the delay. We’ll be excited to open, no matter when we do.”

In the meantime, while there is no restaurant in the boathouse, Alki Kayak Tours will continue to operate at Seacrest, with its watercraft and other recreational rentals – plus, as owner Greg Whittaker told us earlier this month, beverages.

When Kerry from Elliott Bay Brewing Company sent a reminder that EBB was opening its new Public House in Lake City today, we asked for a photo, since we’re not expecting to be up that way any time soon. And here it is! “Our first lunch!” notes Kerry. Find info about the new location here.

Now we know why the city postponed the open house that had been scheduled next week for community members to meet the proprietors of Marination, which won the concession contract for Seacrest Boathouse. The city Department of Planning and Development says the plan needs an additional type of permit. The Parks announcement, headlined “Marination opening at Seacrest Boathouse delayed,” explains:

Since early March, Marination has been working with Parks to prepare and submit architectural and design plans for remodeling and tenant improvements of the boathouse. Most of these proposed improvements are for the interior of the building. As Marination was preparing to submit its building permit application to the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) on March 8, DPD staff informed Marination that additional review would be necessary for a conditional use permit needed for the restaurant use.

The space in question is the kitchen area that was formerly a boat repair space. The need for a restaurant permit was not anticipated, since the boathouse has been used primarily as a restaurant/food service facility since the late 1990s. A conditional use permit typically takes two to four months for review and approval. This timeline will likely delay Marination’s anticipated opening of June 2012.

Seattle Parks and DPD are working closely with Marination to complete this process and continue to work toward an early summer 2012 Opening. There will still be an Open House at the Boathouse in late spring to introduce Marination to the public and to provide the public with an update.

Marination co-owner Kamala Saxton had actually told WSB last month that they hoped to be open by July, fearing a June estimate might be too optimistic – but that was before this twist in the process.

8:14 PM UPDATE: We just talked with Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours. Last month, he and Marination’s Kamala both told WSB that they had agreed (though it wasn’t 100 percent finalized) that AKT would stay on as subconcessionaire for watercraft, skate/bike rentals, and all the things AKT had been doing. Tonight, Greg says his business is the official “interim concessionaire,” to cover the longer-than-expected gap till Marination can take over. We asked if that means anything different from what AKT has been doing and he mentioned one thing – they’ve agreed to sell beverages! Exactly how that’s going to work, they haven’t figured it out yet, since his interim deal with the city is brand-new. Meantime, we also have asked Marination for comment; stay tuned.

Meet the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board, listed here, and photographed after the election at last night’s Food Fest and membership meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy: From left, Gordon Wiehler, Bruce Butterfield, Kathleen Dellplain, Phil Sweetland, Marty Westerman, Vlad Oustimovitch, Vicki Schmitz Block, Mike Dey, Susan Lantz-Dey, David Haggerty, Gary Dawson. Ahead, photos of the Food Fest part of the evening – and a view of the labyrinth walk happening elsewhere in The Hall:

The participating venues ringed the room. Among them, Endolyne Joe’s, represented by Cory and Amber:

Yes, cuisine is a big deal at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), represented by Karmen:

The Original Bakery, whose contributions were being tended by Ann:

Stan and Muzit from West Seattle Fish House, Fauntleroy’s newest restaurant:

From Giannoni’s Pizzeria, Hanna accompanied proprietor Donna:

And from Bird on a Wire, Drew and Danielle:

The home team, Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events, and nearby Guadalajara Restaurant were on the list too. Then at 7 pm, elsewhere in The Hall, the first quarterly community labyrinth walk began:

We’ll let you know when we get dates for future walks. Meantime, the FCA board meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm.

Join us for a West Seattle Happy Hour at Admiral Pub! Come support a local family-owned business and Rick and Eric Galanti at their pub on California Avenue. … We wanted to say thanks to the business owners and employees for 10 years of serving great fish and chips, fun summer days on the patio, and warm food and cold beers for the scuba diving and West Seattle community.

While we’re bummed that we’ll no longer be able to visit their Alki location, we wanted to gather our friends and hopefully bring out some new neighbors and West Seattle residents and have a great happy hour at their Admiral Pub location.

And for anyone interested in learning more about scuba diving in Puget Sound, or if you’ve ever thought about trying it, there will be plenty of dive enthusiasts including myself to talk to you more about taking a PADI Discover Scuba class at Seacrest Cove or even a Scuba Refresher class if it’s been awhile since you’ve been in the water. …

Second, the city has announced that the plan for an open house at Seacrest, to meet Marination’s proprietors, has been delayed – explained here by Seattle Parks – so you can delete March 27th from your calendar and await a new date (yet to be announced). For a preview – if you missed our interview 3 weeks ago with Marination co-owner Kamala Saxton, talking about their plans, here’s the story.

Staci at Luna Park Café shared the photo of their sign – which is up in advance of the restaurant’s 23rd anniversary this Sunday (March 18th). She says they’re celebrating by offering kids free face-painting from 3-6 pm that day (Sunday). The café’s history – including a photo of what the building held, long ago – is on this page of the LPC website. Staci also mentioned they’re also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow (Saturday) with a corned-beef-and-cabbage special and green beers. (We’ve received word of a few other St. P’s day specials we’ll be offering, and they’ll be in the Saturday daily preview – e-mail us yours if you haven’t already!)