More than five months after we broke the news that KFC was moving out of 3501 SW Avalon Way and The Habit Burger Grill was moving in, work at the site is finally beginning in earnest. If you pass by the busy 35th and Avalon corner frequently (which we do), you know the building was repainted in the chain’s trademark taupe fairly soon after the KFC closure, but it’s been idle in the months since, even drawing some vandalism. However, city permit files show the project has remained in the works, with a raft of filings in mid-September. We are attempting again to reach the company to see if there’s a projected opening date. The California-based Habit Burger chain opened its first within-city-limits Seattle store in Ballard back in August.

(January 2018 photo)

The long-shuttered Morgan Junction restaurant Kokoras now has a notice hanging on the door. (Thanks for the tip!) It’s a letter from an attorney for the building’s owner, to the tenants who took over the restaurant two years ago, alleging they are in violation of the lease. Not a matter of nonpayment, according to the notice, which says the violation is that the building’s been closed and empty and allowed to deteriorate into what the notice describes as “deplorable conditions.” The notice mentions “pest droppings” found recently as well as a gallon of old cooking grease that’s allegedly been left to sit in there for a year. As reported here a year ago, the restaurant abruptly closed, first posting a notice attributing the shutdown to “employee conflict,” then undergoing what a worker we found at the site told us was “remodeling.” The newly posted notice alleges that work was unauthorized. Last January, we noted that a banner appeared outside the restaurant (top photo) with word of a “grand opening” for TeriFresh, the name by which the tenant operated an eatery in Maple Valley, according to what Kokoras’s then-manager told us in 2016. But no opening ensued, and the banner eventually vanished; this week’s notice says the building’s owner also was told of a reopening plan last January that didn’t happen. The notice – dated October 25th – says it’s giving the tenant 10 days to “cure” (fix the problems) or vacate; we’ve checked court files and aren’t seeing anything there yet.

Just received from Nadia Khazaal – her family has announced that their acclaimed Alki restaurant Phoenecia will close in two months but is hoping to reopen at a new location, preferably in The Junction. Here’s the announcement in its entirety:

Dear West Seattle Community,

After 25 amazing years on Alki, the Phoenecia family is deeply sad to announce that we must soon close our doors. Our landlords have decided to sell the building to developers, due to some very expensive but necessary building upgrades.

Rather than dwell on sadness, we have chosen to revel in gratitude for the last 25 years of support from our many friends in West Seattle and beyond.

Because it is not over yet…

Many of you remember our late father Hussein Khazaal, who opened Phoenecia in the West Seattle Junction in the early 1970s, not long after moving here from Lebanon. Our father’s love of food, community, and family was the foundation that helped him persevere through countless obstacles—including those that come with running a successful restaurant, as well as two location moves—the last of which brought us these many wonderful years on Alki.

Drawing from his example, we too have decided to persevere. It may take us a while to find the perfect location, but with a little luck, we hope to come full circle and return to the neighborhood where Phoenecia first began: the West Seattle Junction.

Something special just for you…

In honor and memory of our father’s passion, generosity, and perseverance, we would like to offer the following gifts from our family to yours, during the next 9 weeks:
Sundays – half price bottles of our house red wine all day long
Mondays – purchase one bottle of wine, get your second bottle for half price Tuesdays – purchase Mama’s Lamb Shank entrée, get one complimentary pizza Wednesday – purchase any bottle of wine, get one complimentary pizza
Every Day – 30% discount for take-out bottles of wine

Our last day of service will be Monday the 24th — Christmas Eve — with a celebration of gratitude, great food, wine, and the community we love. Be sure to make your reservations soon, as you know how limited our space is.

We look forward to seeing you all over the next 9 weeks. Although we are sad to say goodbye to Alki, we look forward to what the future has in store for Phoenecia.

For updates, follow us on:
Instagram: @phoeneciawestseattle Facebook: @phoeneciarestaurantwestseattle

With love and gratitude, The Khazaal Family

We’ve checked the files and there’s nothing on record yet regarding a development proposal for, or sale of, the building, where Phoenecia’s longtime neighbor Alki Cleaners closed in July, one of a lengthening list of Alki closures.

Six months after we reported Gyro Heroes was coming to the ex-Baskin Robbins at 4111 SW Admiral Way, it’s not open yet, though signage has been up a while. After weeks of going by almost daily in hopes of finding someone to ask “what’s up?” we finally happened onto someone there today. They’re currently awaiting inspections, we’re told, and hope to finally open within a month.

Ever since the first tip that Saigon Pho (2632 Alki SW) had apparently closed, we’ve been checking on it; more than a week has gone by, and it hasn’t reopened. No explanatory/farewell sign, and we haven’t been able to reach the restaurant’s proprietor, but a peek through the window shows furnishings and other items stacked and boxed. While that building’s site has long had a mixed-use redevelopment proposal, newer documents in city files show a plan to expand the neighboring preschool/day care into the building.

Saigon Pho, which opened in early 2010, would be the sixth Alki business to close in a little over a year, along with:

Sushi Samurai
Alki Cleaners
Marée Bistro
Alki Urban Market
Tully’s Coffee

The latter three spaces are all posted with FOR LEASE signs. At the ex-sushi spot (2758 Alki SW), an application is in the city system to add second-floor apartments to the building, as was proposed in 2009.

The Swinery co-owner Kim Anne Léveillé wants to be sure you know the shop/eatery is taking a break starting this Friday: “We will be closed for vacation on August 31 and will re-open on September 7th.” The Swinery’s been open almost 9 years at 3207 California SW.

Don’t know how recently this happened, but Sushi Samurai has permanently closed on Alki – just noticed the note in the window while walking by for the first time in a while. (Likely relatively recently, as the restaurant’s most recent online review was posted a week and a half ago.) The original Queen Anne location remains in operation, and its website says, “Chef Ray has returned home to Queen Anne!” It’s only been 14 months since the Alki location opened at 2758 Alki SW, which Subway had vacated six months before that.

P.S. As discussed in comments, this now means five spaces are vacant in the heart of the Alki business district – the spaces formerly home to Tully’s, Alki Cleaners, Marée Bistro, Alki Urban Market, and now Sushi Samurai.

Thanks for the tips! Until 4 pm, it’s “soft open” day at Oh’s Sandwiches (3217 California SW), where the menu above is hanging over the counter and Linh is busy behind the counter:

She says their regular days will be Mondays-Saturdays, so being open today is truly a special occasion. And they’re offering a deal:

We first reported on the new shop, which is in a live-work space at the Revel townhouse complex, back on June 28th.

The filming was secret – aside from a telltale red car out front – but now Pizzeria Credo in The Junction has announced you’ll be able to see the restaurant’s appearance on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives next Friday (July 6th) at 9 pm. The episode title is “Playin’ Chicken” and while the online synopsis doesn’t mention the West Seattle stop, there’s a featured recipe from Credo – Tagliatelle Bolognese Sauce.

Thanks to Holly for the tip! That banner has gone up over a Revel live-work unit at 3217 California SW [map], announcing that Oh’s Sandwiches is on the way, with Vietnamese sandwiches and coffee. Checking it out after that tip, we spotted someone doing exterior work this afternoon. They told us they’re hoping to have the shop open next week; Oh’s hasn’t finalized its hours yet but for starters it’ll probably be morning through late afternoon.

(WSB photos)

Admiral McDonald’s owner/operator Alia Abboud got to show off her newly remodeled restaurant to special visitors today. With her above is King County Council chair – and Admiral resident – Joe McDermott, there in honor of the official grand re-opening celebrating completion of the project we first told you about back in April. First the exterior work was done, including the drive-thru, and then the interior, so the restaurant could stay open throughout the project.

New ordering kiosks are part of the interior, but they haven’t replaced the human touch – you can order at the counter if you prefer. If you’re dining in, your order will be brought to the table, joining other fast-food restaurants in that service-delivery mode.

Other visitors there for the grand opening included McDonald’s government-relations manager Ian Tolleson and regional brand-reputation manager Lindsay Kirsh-Rainey. Abboud also owns the Morgan Junction McDonald’s, which eventually will get an overhaul too; no specific timeline yet. (The White Center McDonald’s, which has different ownership, also recently got the high-tech revamp, but in that case, the entire restaurant was rebuilt from the ground up, not just remodeled.)

(WSB photos)

When we stopped by Vine & Spoon on Thursday to confirm the plan to open tonight, they were in last-minute prep mode and suggested we return for photos once they were open. So we did. Above, the wide view, a dining area with a garden vibe, including trees. That’s carried forward in some of the cocktails, including the “watering can” pitchers for the table to share, accompanied by flower-pot-style mugs:

Counting the bar – the only 21+ area in Vine & Spoon – and the “raw bar,” there’s room for about 112 people, we’re told by Matt Mead of F2T Hospitality, parent company for Vine & Spoon and nearby Alchemy (WSB sponsor).

But the two are offering completely different atmosphere and menus – as Mead puts it, while Alchemy is “dark and moody,” Vine & Spoon is “light and airy.” It’s open until 10 tonight at 4706 California SW [map] – and will be open only for dinner for a few weeks, then adding lunch and brunch.

Almost two years after we first told you Vine & Spoon was on the way to The Junction – it’s finally about to open. 5 pm tomorrow (Friday, June 1st), the restaurant on the west side of Junction 47 at California/Alaska will serve its first patrons. We just confirmed this by stopping in after a tip that the paper was off the windows after all these months; we had noticed recently that they were hiring, which suggested opening was imminent. Vine & Spoon will be “serving fresh farm-to-table cuisine and hand-crafted cocktails.” Opening night is by reservation only; preview the dinner menu here.

We just confirmed – after getting a tip late last night (thanks!) – that the West Seattle KFC (3501 SW Avalon Way) is shutting down. Staff there told us this morning that next Saturday (June 1st) is scheduled to be their final day. While the quarter-acre site is zoned for potential mixed-use development – NC3-65 – city files show another fast-food franchise is planning to take over: The Habit Burger Grill, which has 200+ locations nationwide. The Southern California-rooted chain announced four years ago that it had signed a Seattle-area franchisee to add more than two dozen restaurants in this area; so far, the closest one is in Tukwila. The West Seattle site plan shows a renovation on what appears to be the same footprint as the KFC, with the drive-thru staying (the company’s recent quarterly report mentioned an increasing interest in drive-thrus). No timeline or other details, but we’ll do our best to track down the franchisees. Meantime, if you are a KFC fan, starting Sunday, your nearest one will be in White Center (10050 16th SW).