TWO NIGHTS TILL ‘FOOD FOR ART’: Another reminder about Thursday night – more than half a dozen local restaurants are donating part of the night’s proceeds to Transitional Resources, a West Seattle-based organization that helps people living with mental illness. We featured the lineup in this preview; many are also hosting raffles in which you can participate, and some of the prizes are listed on the Facebook event page. This is timed to coincide with West Seattle Art Walk, so make plans to go out Thursday and enjoy great food AND great art.

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.

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.

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“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.

Read More

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.

Two notes this morning relating to the transition at Seacrest Pier, with the city concession contract changing from Alki Crab and Fish – which closed two weeks ago – to Marination, which hopes to be open by summer. First, an event this Saturday (March 24, 7-10 pm) at Admiral Pub – owned by ACF’s proprietors – to which you’re invited. Organizer Kari sent the announcement (which you can see in full here), including this:

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.

Three restaurant notes today, all from The Junction:

EX-GARLIC JIM’S TO BECOME ROUND TABLE PIZZA? That’s the way it looks, from a liquor-license application that just turned up online. A Round Table Pizza franchisee has applied for a beer/wine license at 4520 California SW, which is where Garlic Jim’s Pizza shut down six months ago after multiple ownership changes. Last time we looked at the restaurant’s for-sale listing (which is no longer active), the verbiage had changed to “Does not have to be a Garlic Jim’s.” The prospective licensee owns other Round Table franchises, including the nearest one – in Burien – where we have left a message seeking more info on the West Seattle plan.

NEW MENU FOR BANG BAR: This note is from Kay Fuengarom, proprietor of Bang Bar Thai Restaurant and Lounge in The Junction:

After being in the great West Seattle neighborhood for a little more than 8 months, we decided that it is time to do what we are best at which is the “authentic Thai cuisine.” We listened to every comment that we got from all of our customers and have been thinking about them thoughtfully, that they all love us, love the food, love the ambience, but they wish that they can come to Bang Bar more often. The facts being that our prices might be higher than most Thai restaurants but we really do use great quality ingredients and big and fresh seafood. We want to give the customers different choices and options to choose from. We now know that we should go back to our original authentic Thai menu that we planned before we opened the restaurant back in June of 2011. This menu offers over 100 items to choose from – lunch is at $7.95, lunch combinations at $9.95, dinner menu entrees start at $9.95, seasonal Bang Bar Signatures menu that will have all the Chef’s special dishes, we still have our happy hours menu at $5 and $6; happy hours martinis at $5. Now we’ve applied the restaurant concept that we use for our other two restaurants to Bang Bar: “Great Food, Good Service, Reasonable Price, Nice Atmosphere.”

NEW MENUS AT FRESH BISTRO: Also announcing new menus, Fresh Bistro at 4725 42nd SW: They now have a gluten-free menu (see it here) and a “vegetarian-friendly” menu (see it here).

We’re welcoming The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro (4521 California SW in The Junction) as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what proprietor Aimee Pellegrini would like you to know:

The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro is a completely unique dining experience right in West Seattle. There is really nothing like it in the city. Our staff is totally passionate about what we offer and strives to make every visit a special experience for our guests. We just love working together, have a real team mentality, are all local, care about each other and our community, and really enjoy sharing the experience. As a restaurateur, I couldn’t ask for a more dedicated and caring staff, and I believe that makes the difference. At heart, we are just a neighborhood bistro serving honest, clean, and unique cuisine.

The most common comments we hear are,”But I don’t want to leave yet!” and,”We didn’t realize you had such an amazing menu!” and, “The name threw us off! Have you thought about changing it?” (Yes, all the time! LOL!) and “We will be back soon and will tell all of our friends!”

Our guests are really incredible. The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro usually has a strong effect on people. We have guests who come for 30-year intimate lunch reunions, dinner birthday parties, romantic evening dates, bridal showers, family dinners, and no reason at all. The common thread I see that really makes it so rewarding is that they are all really connecting. There is something about the whole experience that helps people slow down, relax, and enjoy each other. It’s a beautiful thing. I think this is what people come for and why they return with their friends. A lot of our clientele is from West Seattle but also from beyond. In some ways it seems that West Seattle is still discovering us. I always smile when a local asks,”How long have you been HERE?! I’ve never seen you before! Wow!” And it’s true; we have been quietly building our service by word of mouth. People try us and they come back; that’s all you can ask for!

Also – I’d like to introduce our Sunday Jazz Brunch, with Loren Temkin on piano and Dune Butler on standup bass every Sunday. Our Eggs Benedict al Rustico with Dungeness crab, saffron-hollandaise and pesto over our toasted parmesan country bread is a standout that is causing a stir!

The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro is also involved in community charity work, most recently as a proud sponsor of the wildly successful WestSide Baby Tea. You’ll find them online at thetuscantearoom.com (find the menus here), on Facebook here, and by phone at 206-906-9914.

We thank The Tuscan Tea Room Bistro for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

The Seacrest transition is under way, with Alki Crab and Fish now closed, and Marination taking over next week, with months of renovation work ahead before they officially open this summer (as we reported last week). Now, there’s word of an open house later this month. Just e-mailed by Seattle Parks:

Seattle Parks and Marination, the new Concessionaire for the Seacrest Boathouse Facility, are hosting an open house on March 27, 2012, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the boathouse, 1660 Harbor Avenue SW.

The public is invited to the open house for a question and answer session and to learn about Marination’s vision and plan for providing quality food services at Seacrest. Come and learn about:

· What types of food they will have on their menu
· What types of boating recreation, and amenities, new and old, will be provided
· What types of remodeling and enhancements to the facility that are being proposed

We look forward to seeing you. For more information, please call Charles Ng, Operations Manager, Magnuson Park and Business Resources, at 206-684-8001, or email him at charles.ng@seattle.gov.

Found that sign on the door of Alki Crab and Fish at Seacrest this afternoon. We had actually gone there to check on a closing date, since the new concessionaires chosen by Seattle Parks, the owners of Marination Mobile, had told us the changeover was scheduled to happen by March 15th. As reported here last week, Marination plans to extensively remodel both the restaurant space and the watercraft-rental area run by Alki Kayak Tours will be next door; they hope to open Marination Marina (“working title”) by July.

Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The paper is off the windows, flowers are on each table, and Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Café is open for business at 4310 SW Oregon in The Junction.

Proprietors Carrie Duncan and Dana Moreland welcomed us to the newly opened space; Dana explained that they’re now open for lunch from 11:30 am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. They plan to add breakfast service starting next Tuesday (March 6th), 8 am through 11:30 am (and on weekends, breakfast will be served until 1:30 pm.)

The light, airy space features some unique re-purposed furniture: glass-covered vintage doors as for the smaller tables, and a beautiful solid wood work bench as one of the longer tables.

Menu choices include such staples as grilled cheese, meat loaf or roasted turkey sandwiches, along with tantalizing creations such as an ancho-braised pork sandwich (with carmelized onions); lemon rosemary chicken salad with roasted tomatoes and smokey bleu cheese; and daily selections of house-made fine foods at the counter.

Beverages range from fruit juices, sodas, tea, and sparkling water to select wines, hard ciders, and beer. Baked goods and desserts graced the front counter case – including these chocolate caramel pudding cups:

Fiddlehead also offers a soup of the day.

(We’d reported one week ago that Fiddlehead’s sign was up outside the former Blue Willow Luncheonette space, with a photo and tip courtesy of BJ from Brunette Mix [WSB sponsor] next door; today, a tip from Sam at Fleurt [also a WSB sponsor] a couple doors down revealed the doors were open and lunch was being served)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Usually, word of a new restaurant operator coming to town is met with excitement.

When we learned in December that food-truck stars Marination would be taking over Seacrest as their second bricks-and-mortar … what ensued was something of a mini-uproar.

Granted, this is not your usual restaurant transition. Instead of a seamless sale – or a shutdown, followed by a period of vacancy, followed by someone new moving in – this was a Seattle Parks concessionaire contract, with longtime operator Alki Crab and Fish seeking to keep it, but Marination getting it instead.

With the transition just a few weeks away, we asked Marination’s owners for a chance to sit down and talk about their plans. Co-owner Kamala Saxton came to West Seattle – where she used to live – to talk with us over coffee last Friday.

Of the uproar, she says, after being a little startled at first, she and co-owner Roz Edison (who was out on deliveries Friday and couldn’t join our chat) realized it was ultimately a good thing. “I was thrilled that people cared. It meant that people were interested, vocal about what’s happening in their community. It’s now our job to work at building those relationships with people who were upset at the decision that was made – this is what they were accustomed to for ten years, and we can spend the next ten years winning them over.”

One big thing won’t change:Read More

Thanks to BJ, proprietor of Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, for sharing the photo of her new neighbors from Fiddlehead Fine Foods and Café, putting up their sign today. We had noticed just yesterday that one of their doors was topped with a rendering of their namesake fern:

Fiddlehead is the coming-soon breakfast/lunch café that’s taken over the former Blue Willow Catering/Luncheonette spot at 4310 SW Oregon, just steps west of California SW. We’re still working to get key Fiddlehead details such as target opening date, and we’ll report ’em when we get ’em. Blue Willow, you might recall, moved out four months ago, saying it would continue its catering operations from a commercial kitchen elsewhere.

Zippy’s Giant Burgers is warmly – sizzlingly – welcomed today as one of the newest WSB sponsors. They’ve been in business going on four years now, and here’s what the Zippy’s team would like you to know:

Zippy’s may be popular, but they’re not puffed up about it. Say West Seattle-residing owners Blaine and Rahel Cook (photo, front and center): “We don’t claim to make the ‘best’ burger, nor are we part of the ‘gourmet burger’ bandwagon (though our burgers are more gourmet than others) – we let our food speak for itself. Some people won’t like it and that’s OK. I guess we’d say ‘come on in and give us a try’.”

As for those who have given Zippy’s a try, and keep coming back: “They love our burgers and they like how we address them by their first names. This can be somewhat embarrassing when we’re out doing our shopping. … We believe that our ‘keep it simple’ approach to making what is already a simple meal is one of the reasons people come back. Since we really weren’t ground-beef eaters when we opened the restaurant, it was incredibly important for us to like what we make. The only way we found that we like the taste is to grind the meat ourselves. We think our customers appreciate this as well. We think we’ve made a lot of friends over the years. There are lots of customers that have moved away from us and they still keep coming back. We’ve been welcomed by both the Highland Park and White Center neighborhoods; we’re proud to be part of the community and that pride shows in what we do.”

See for yourself by checking out Zippy’s Giant Burgers, open 7 days a week at 9614 14th SW; online (including the menu!) at zippysgiantburgers.com, and on Facebook here; you can call advance orders to 206-763-1347.

We thank Zippy’s Giant Burgers for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.