Triangle tidbits: Barbecue followup; teriyaki name change
Followup to our Thursday report about the “Sammich Slingers” sign sighting in the former Seattle Teriyaki/Burger storefront in the 4400 block of Fauntleroy: Called the number on the sign again today, and this time somebody answered: Otis, who runs the Greenwood barbecue joint OK Corral. He confirms this is a second location, not just a move. He didn’t want to say too much more till a key milestone in his preparations is past – probably next week. The West Seattle restaurant’s not open yet, by the way, but hopefully won’t take too long. More next week! Meantime, a short distance away, say goodbye to a familiar sign:
We were at Yasuko’s this afternoon for the occasional half-chicken which is demanded by a really rough week. Noticed the cards on the counter said “Beni Hoshi Teriyaki, The Best in Seattle.” Just a new name, an employee explained, not new owners; is the sign changing? we asked – maybe Sunday, he replied. The cards, by the way, have the Yasuko, er, Beni Hoshi menu on the flip side – very efficient use of dead trees for a takeout menu.
Another new West Seattle eatery on the way
Despite its longrunning “grand opening” sign, the teriyaki/burger place next to Tervo’s on Fauntleroy (4400 block, kitty corner from Starbucks’ drive-thru) has been closed for a while – but something new is moving in. Tim Roberts sent a tip yesterday that he’d heard about a barbecue joint coming in; we went by, nothing in the window, couldn’t find anything online – but now Tim sends this followup – a sandwich board in the window:
OK Corral
Sam’mich Slingers
B-B-Q
Pulled Pork
Fried Catfish
Hot Link
We’re going by to check it out. 12:09 PM UPDATE: Added photo of the sandwich board. Nobody there so we couldn’t ask about plans for opening; tried the number, no answer. Will keep checking!
Bulletin: Blackbird Bistro announces it’s closing
Just out of the WSB e-box: After less than 3 years in business, Blackbird Bistro in the Admiral District will shut down this Friday. Will see what we can find out about what’s happening in the space next. Here’s the full text of the e-mail:
With mixed emotions we are announcing that Blackbird Bistro has been sold, and the last day of operation will be this Friday, September 19th. We are excited for the new (currently confidential) concept to step in with fresh legs and take the space and the neighborhood to the next level. We are also looking forward to concentrating on building the brand and expansion of our other restaurant Mission-Latin Restaurant & Lounge www.missionbar.com.
Thank you to all of our wonderful customers, and our dedicated employees past and present. It has been an amazing 3 years, and we are looking forward to continuing to help build the Admiral business district with the help of our soon to be neighbors. Please contact us at blackbirdbistro@gmail.com with any specific questions or comments.
One of the hardest things about selling a restaurant is laying off dedicated and talented employees. Blackbird would like to help in anyway to find the right place for these staff members to work… if any restaurants would like resumes / references from these employees please contact us at the email above.
If you have outstanding giftcards, please email us the 19 digit code on the back, with your name and address, and we will replace it with a card of the same amount for Mission.
Thank you again for your support,
Eric Cozens & Peter Morse
You may recall, various “blind” ads for a “West Seattle bistro” were rumored to involve Blackbird, going back more than a year ago; here’s one such discussion (comments included) from August 2007, and a followup from later that month.
Update on The Bohemian: 2-phase opening, starting tomorrow
We told you 2 weeks ago that The Bohemian (3405 California, next to Spiro’s) was about to open; this afternoon, its proprietors opened the doors for a “friends and family” preview event (we stopped by for the photos you see above) – and say they’ll open, starting tomorrow, in two phases: This week, daytime coffee/tea operations; starting a week from tomorrow, they plan to add the food/bar operations. More info including hours can be found online. Opening day tomorrow, by the way, marks exactly a year since we brought you first word The Bohemian (at the former Leslie’s location) was in the works. (Next door, the future Prost West Seattle may open as soon as next month, according to a note recently shared by WSB’er Marco.)
West Seattle scenes, Friday afternoon edition
A little more than two hours after we published our story about Zeeks Pizza signing a lease for the old Corner Inn building at California/Fauntleroy, we were waiting at the light at that intersection, when along came those gentlemen to take down the “FOR LEASE” sign. Here’s what we were on the way to check out:
That’s the southwest wall of 6053 California; we reported yesterday morning that demolition had begun, but it’s proceeding slowly – the most distinctive facades of the building, on its south and east sides, haven’t come down yet, and the backhoe’s currently parked. (In a most-likely-unrelated move, a city crew is working in the street by the building right now – looks like they’re roughing in sharrows.) Last but not least, thanks to Gina for the tip that sent us up to the Admiral District for this shot:
According to Gina, the fences just came down today on the now-grassy area of the Lafayette Elementary playground, formerly an all-asphalt zone; groundbreaking for Lafayette playground improvements happened on the last day of school in 2007 (WSB coverage here).
The Bohemian: Expecting to open next week
That’s an eight-second peek inside The Bohemian (3405 California; map) from our visit a few days ago. At the time, proprietor Jason Todd Rice wasn’t ready to speculate on when they would finally be able to open — but we just called to check before posting this story, and he told us the health inspector’s given thumbs up, so they’re expecting to open their daytime cafe operations as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, with the nighttime/bar operations a week or so later, pending state signoff on that. Read on to see what else he told us about how things are shaping up:Read More
Cafe Revo update: And now, the neon
Driving by the under-construction Cafe Revo (former Murphy’s) site on Avalon this evening, we noticed the new neon sign was lit — which indeed was supposed to happen this week, per an e-mail update sent to the Revo mailing list a few days ago, which also said:
We are waiting for our building permits to be finalized. In the meantime we have finished building all of our tables and the custom bar is halfway done. The exterior of the building is finished and the neon sign made for us at Western Neon, has been put up. … We plan to add some nice planter boxes in the front of the building soon as well. We currently are working with artist Glenn Case on some murals for the interior and our busy working with our vendors to get our equipment and front of house items chosen and ordered. Our cousins in Italy have e-mailed Sean more authentic recipes, including some recently from our close family friend in Cuneo, in the Piedmont region. Our hope is to be opened no later than early October, but once we have our permits in hand we will have a more clear opening date.
Cafe Revo proprietors Sean and Sofia Zadra Goff also have posted more in-progress photos (even their tables!) on one of their webpages (see it here); if you missed it earlier this summer, we talked with them for an in-depth preview back in June (read it here).
Cafe Revo update: Coffee choice, and signs of a sign
A few weeks after we talked with Sean Goff and Sofia Zadra Goff for this WSB preview of their restaurant-in-progress Cafe Revo on Avalon, they just sent this update to their mailing list (which you can sign up for here):
Our building plans have been submitted to the Department of Planning. We now wait for the approval so we can begin the permit required buildout. Meanwhile we are hand building all of our wood tables for the restaurant. (see website for photos). The building of our hand-crafted wood bar will also begin soon. Painting continues on the outside of the building. We have been busy meeting with many wonderful companies, choosing our vendors mainly based on that they are local businesses and that their company works in a ‘Green’ friendly way. We have also recently gotten other permits in place (electrical) and our sign permit is in process. The tentative date for the fabulous Cafe Revo sign to go up is August 7th, thanks to our signs creator, Western Neon. We also have decided to use Seattle’s own Caffe Vita for our coffee and espresso. We hope to open by the end of September. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful support already of Cafe Revo. We appreciate it more than words can say. Sean and Sofia
The e-mail update also points to a page on their website introducing “Nonno,” who — as explained in our story last month — is Sofia’s dad, called that by the Goff kids because it’s Italian for “grandpa,” but also how the Goffs hope their customers will come to know him too. They’re inviting people to e-mail him (address is on that page) with questions about the restaurant, his family’s ancestral hometown (and the restaurant’s namesake) Revo, and/or “about growing up in West Seattle in the ‘good old days’.”
West Seattle food: Farmers’ Market fresh sheet; ice cream/gelato
Two food items to mention first thing this morning: First, if you’re going to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market (10 am-2 pm, southeast corner of 44th/Alaska), here’s the latest fresh sheet — standard disclaimer, it’s the citywide list, so some items are marked as only available at other markets. Second, since we’re looking at another 90-ish day, we made an ice cream/gelato map for West Seattle and slightly beyond (click the snowflakes for name/address, and click-grab the map to pan around to make it easier to read if needed; note the 4 Alki locations are so close to each other, the snowflakes overlap till you zoom in):
View Larger Map
Wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve missed somebody, though, so if we did, please leave a comment or e-mail us.
Cafe Revo: A progress report, as we meet the owners
That’s how the exterior of Cafe Revo – at the former Murphy’s site on Avalon – will look soon, compared to this:
and if you want to go back further (almost 60 years), here’s a blast from the building’s past:
We got those pictures while talking last week with Chef Sean Goff and wife Sofia Zadra Goff, who are happy to report they now have the liquor license and electrical-work permit – which means work can accelerate on the Italian restaurant they are creating in the space (first reported here on WSB early last month) – Read on to learn more about their plans (and to see a video tour of the space before construction really revs up):Read More
Welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Beato Food and Wine
Summer starts in a few hours and outdoor dining starts this weekend at WSB’s newest sponsor, Beato Food and Wine. Here’s more on that and other announcements that Beato’s Brandon Gillespie wants to share as his restaurant joins the WSB sponsor lineup (find that full list here):
A Big Thanks to West Seattle!
The staff and I at Beato want to thank all of West Seattle for providing us with such support over the past year and a half. We love being a part of West Seattle and we couldn’t have done it without you. As we approach summer, we have a couple of announcements to make with regards to the restaurant.
SUMMER PATIO OPENING SOON:
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The meterologists are predicting warmer weather for the beginning of summer this weekend and with it, we plan to open the patio on Saturday, June 21. Throughout the summer season, for anyone enjoying a glass of wine on the patio between 4:30-6pm, we’ll offer complimentary summer snacks, such as housemade sunchoke chips or house-brined olives. So be sure to stop by on your way home from work and enjoy a glass of wine and a few bites in the summer sun!
SUMMER HOURS
Starting this week, we are open for dinner inside from 5-10 pm on Tuesday through Thursday and from 5-11pm on Friday and Saturday. The patio will open at 4:30pm whenever the weather is warm and dry enough. We will be closed Sundays and Mondays for the summer.
Thank you for your continued support and I hope to see you soon at Beato Food and Wine.
-Brandon Gillespie
Charlestown Cafe update: Still hoping to reopen this month
When last we updated you on the repair work to get the Charlestown Cafe open again — it’s now been four months since fire forced it to close — co-owner Larry Mellum was hoping for a reopening around June 10th. We just checked back with him today, since that date’s almost here; here’s his reply, with two bits of news:
Things are progressing well on our construction. I will try to give you a more specific “reopening” date later this week but we expect to be open before the end of June.
I know many people have asked about our staff and what will happen with them. Last week we held a meeting to get an idea of how many people we will have to replace. Everyone attended!!! So, it looks like we will have a good staff to “reopen” with.
If you want to catch up on all our WSB coverage of the Charlestown Cafe — both the fire situation and the development proposal that had been tabled just before the fire hit — check out this archive.
The Corner Inn is closed
We just spoke to Chris Deering, the sister of the last two operators of The Corner Inn at California/Fauntleroy in Morgan Junction, and she confirms that The Corner Inn is closed. The building has reverted back to the owner and is now being advertised for lease. Chris says that on behalf of her late brothers she’d like to thank the many people who came to The Corner Inn over the years. 10:50 PM ADDITION: Before tips came in today about the shutdown (thank you to everyone who e-mailed and texted), we had been checking on the “for lease” sign that had appeared on the west side of the building (see the photo above). Worth noting that there was a development proposal (described on the city project page as a three-story apartment building with ground-level retail) filed for this site back in 2006 — no activity since June of that year.
Almost forgot to mention, 
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