West Seattle, Washington
16 Sunday
The Seattle Center’s big food fest is still weeks away. But just one week from tonight, you can check out the Taste of West Seattle — with proceeds going to a great cause. (Tickets on sale now!)
Can’t tell if they’ve had this fundraiser before; I don’t remember anything big under the banner “Taste of West Seattle” since a short-lived mini-“Bite”-style event quite a few years back.
Scenes from the Junction, on the way to and from the Farmers’ Market:
-Cupcake Royale’s still got a lot of work to do before that grand opening party Thursday … I suspect they’ll be burning the midnight oil.
-Up the block at the former Neilsen Florist store, the posted liquor license application mentions the business name “Think Tank LLC.” Haven’t been able to trace that one yet. But a glass company has grease-penciled onto the butcher-papered door, “WE WERE HERE AGAIN FRIDAY (AFTERNOON), NOBODY HERE AGAIN.”
Thanks to tipster Deborah for the news that “Coffee to a Tea with Sugar,” across the street from the about-to-open Cupcake Royale, isn’t just painting “cupcakes” on the window to meet the challenge — it’s rebranding entirely. We drove through the Junction and verified her tip that CtaTwS is rebranding itself “Sugar Rush Baking Company” — that’s painted across the top windows (though the door has the original name, which I have always found so emetic that I haven’t been able to try the place). Gotta wonder if the May 10th review planted here is another form of combat.
Finally the pattern in all this new restaurant/bar activity has dawned on us … We’re getting colonized by North Seattle.
When we got here more than a decade ago, the persistent perception seemed to be that “no one who’s SOMEONE would want to live THERE — it’s boring, out of the way, rolls up the sidewalks even before the sun goes down.” The population out here was dominated by old folks who’d bought their houses during the real-estate boom around World War II.
But the secret they kept was the true desirability of this side of the bay — water access, fabulous views, proximity to the rest of the city without quite so much urban density, noise, blocked sunshine, and so on. We saw it when we got here, and as the for-sale signs started going up (we had a morbid joke that you could find a new one by following the aid cars around), other “young” (subjective term, we know) people followed us.
What lagged was culture and services for a younger, livelier, better-off population. But now, somebody’s turned on the tap. We started thinking about this after a reputable tipster e-mailed us that he’s heard Queen Anne’s Bricco wine bar is opening an outpost next to Cupcake Royale (could be the space formerly occupied by the used bookstore — we hadn’t even realized that store had left).
The cupcake folks, of course, are from the north side. So are the Matador people whose business is booming just a bit further north on Cali Ave. According to this article, the people behind Talarico’s run successful nightspots in Fremont. Down on Alki, the ex-market is turning into a Cactus Restaurant, previously known only to folks in Madison Park (and Kirkland).
These are just the most recent examples. The colonization of West Seattle REALLY started with a couple of watershed events — Pagliacci opening in the Junction (can we whine again about their delivery-area borders? thanks) and Starbucks expanding beyond the lone Admiral store that for years after we got here remained its only presence in WS. True!
On one hand, we’re happy that WS is finally considered hot ‘n’ happening. On the other, we’re personally feeling a little left out, since we’re not in the snack/sip/hookup demographic many of these places are targeting. But overall, it makes WS a livelier place than the old days dominated by drugstores and diners, no question, and WSB World HQ can at least enjoy the resulting vibes by osmosis!
A fair amount of folks find this site because they’re searching for more on some of the new local businesses I’ve been tracking in recent months. Glad to “meet” you all — we’re happy to be “stumbled onto” that way. But OTOH I feel bad that everyone can’t find the exact sites they’re looking for — such as, for heaven’s sake, why doesn’t Talarico’s seem to have a site? (If they do, it’s certainly not coded to come up anywhere in the search results.) I did want to mention, however, that Coyotes on Alki has a bare-bones site up, at least.
The Cupcake Royale mailing list just yielded an announcement of the Junction “grand opening” party next week. (Not that I’m any great cupcake fan — cupcakes make me think of childhood birthday parties, no hugely fond memories there — I just got on the mailing list to track our latest local arrival.) Here’s the text, in case this sounds like fun to you:
We’re almost ready to open our doors in West Seattle so we’re going to throw a party to celebrate! Naturally you’re invited, so plan on hanging with us from 6-9 pm on Thursday, May 19th. It’s our treat, so there will be FREE CUPCAKES, FREE COFFEE, AND DJ E.R. spinning the tunes. It happens one night only, so come on by or hear about it from your friends afterward.
We’ll be opening for official business starting May 19th. We’ll be open in West Seattle from 6 am until 10 pm every day.
After a cruise through the Junction tonight, en route to chilly, windy Alki, I went back to the city permit site to look for clues to what’s behind the butcher paper now covering windows at the old Neilsen Florist shop. Lo and behold … all signs point to another restaurant.
Meantime, to the south along Cali Ave, a cupcake war seems to be shaping up. Just as Cupcake Royale starts flashing more gang signs as it gets closer to opening, we’ve spotted the folks at nearby Coffee to a Tea With Sugar throwing down by adding the word “cupcakes” to its window decor.
On the bulletin board near the restrooms at the Thriftway, a hand-lettered flyer is up with the following:
CAT’S EYE CAFE + ESTATE SALE + COOKIES
5947 41st AVE SW, MAY 5-6-7 (IN ALLEY)
Went over to the Cat’s Eye Cafe (whose address bears no resemblance to that) and no evidence of anything except the same flyer tacked up to its sadly deteriorating sign.
Will have to send a scout over to the sale on Friday to get the scoop, unless anyone out there knows … is this the end for the months-shuttered CEC? Or a fundraiser?
Envelope o’coupons came in the mail today. Among them, one for Coyotes on Alki (as mentioned here just last night), touting itself as “Alki’s Greatest Attraction! Authentic Mexican Grill” and promising “specialty margaritas, salsa dancing Fri/Sat, outdoor dining, mariachi players, daily happy hour 3-6 pm, reservations recommended.” Did it open since we drove by last night? We suppose we should gather our snooping companion and go down to have a look. A Cinco de Mayo grand opening would be appropriate.
Started wondering again about what was up with the vastly empty Alki Market space. I hadn’t previously spotted the online minutes of the Alki Community Council with scuttlebutt that a restaurant was heading that way; the city permit site seems to bear that out, with a construction permit accepted recently. Can’t find any online evidence that the specific brand of restaurant mentioned by the ACC is the one that’s nabbed the space, but I probably just haven’t looked in ALL the right places yet …
A WSB reader just left a comment here saying the new Junction joint Talarico’s is 21-and-up only. If that’s indeed so, it’s unfortunate. I believe that’s also the case with Matador — at least as far as I could tell from one walk-by. West 5 manages to have a vibrant bar and all-ages restaurant co-exist in close quarters; why lock out families unless you’re truly doing something adults-only in your place, such as, oh, say, stripping? A lot of kids I know are better diners than a fair amount of immature adults. I’ve got nothing against 21-and-over taverns, but if you’re going to bill yourself as a restaurant, it doesn’t make sense to me to shut out the kids. Seattle already has a pathetically low percentage of households with kids — and this won’t help. (rant off)
If I’d written this story about Husky Deli ice cream, I would have highlighted the fact they managed to survive a challenge from Ben & Jerry’s. You can’t tell me the folks at Husky haven’t high-fived each other a time or two over that whole situation.
Drove thru the Junction tonight — looks like the new Talarico’s pizza joint in the old New Luck Toy space (sign flashes PIZZA/LOUNGE/PIZZA/LOUNGE) is open already! Just a few hours earlier, someone had passed by and reported to us that “someone was in there stocking the bar …” wow. Don’t know if this was opening night or not; gonna have to check it out posthaste and report to y’all.
Stroll through the Junction and you can get a good closeup look at what’s going on inside the ex-Ben-&-Jerry’s-turning-cupcake-joint and the ex-New-Luck-Toy-turning-pizzeria. The former isn’t really much more than a ripped-out shell, though a flyer on the window promises a “mid-May” opening; the latter has made much more progress, and the past two nights, windows fronting on Cali Ave have been so wide open, you could literally stick your head in and watch crews working into the night. Looks like it’s going to be gorgeous in there, BTW. Which reminds me, the very last paragraph of this Seattle Weekly article has a report about who’s behind the pizzeria, in case you missed it.
… went the Bubble Lounge Cafe, on California a bit north of Morgan Junction. Just noticed it’s gone out of business. Stopped there a time or two, and never saw much of a crowd. A bit of an odd location, too, and being closed on Sundays couldn’t have helped (we would have patronized them a few more times if not for that scheduling quirk). However, hats off to them for trying; entrepreneurialism is never easy.
Seems Elliott Bay Brewing Co. is expanding to a second (albeit secret) location (Puget Sound Biz Journal report via MSNBC). I think I mentioned here a while back that we re-tried them a while back and their burgers definitely passed muster, and then some.
If you were to pick ’em, would they be the same 4 as in this Times roundup (scroll down)?
I think West 5 belongs in that list, at the very least. But maybe that’s only because I’ve never been to Ovio. Peered at the menu a few times — will have to try it sometime — but it sounds a little too fused for me to bring West Seattle Blogger Spouse, who is a meat-n-potatoes type of person (and no, the meat can’t be “adolescent hamster raised on pinenut feed” nor can the potatoes be “spring purple fingerling speckled sardine-infused russets”).
Gosh, I hate to brag. Well, no, I don’t, really …
The P-I will report TOMORROW what you read here on West Seattle Blog back on March 8.
Also sort-of-new tonight: Someone who helps publish the WS Herald finally found this here blog thing and answered my question from last month (scroll down to the comment).
Passed by Eats Market Cafe tonight at Westwood Village. The local food stars who run this well-regarded eatery have something more than menus posted in the window right now — a birth announcement! Luke Handler, born March 16, described on the flyers as a “future chef.” Congrats to Evan and Toby!
Discovered two bloglets that seem to have something to do with the Junction successor to Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s (remember, you read it here first). Cupcakes ‘n’ coffee, trumpets the ad art featured on this page. If you want to be the first to know when they’ll open, you can sign up for their e-mail list here. And if you want to be intimately familiar with the signage and fixtures they’re looking at, have yourself a party here.
The east side of Cali Ave in The Junction just keeps a-changin’ — Just discovered that New Luck Toy isn’t just getting a new look, it’s getting a new mission. A flyer posted to its door touts “Talarico’s Pizzeria,” ostensibly coming soon. And even more shocking — the streetfront facade to the restaurant’s great brown hulk now has WINDOWS!
I do wonder what will become of the charming blinking neon New Luck Toy sign, though. Such a throwback to the day when every small town (and WS was once a small town all its own) had a sort-of-kitschy Chinese restaurant, serving cornstarchy Cashew Chicken over Minute Rice with a side of those crunchy canned “chow mein noodles.” Ewww.
BTW, Talarico’s does not appear to be a chain — the name only turns up online as a store in Kansas … (“Dorothy, we’re not eating Chinese food any more!”)
Kind of forgot about ’em for a while … but the other day, when I just couldn’t bear to spend another dime on Corporate Coffee, I wandered into Casablanca (on 35th, a bit south of the water tower). Yum!!! Very smoooooth latte’. Although the whole bit with the house next door selling “discount mattresses” is just a bit bizarre.
If you like spicy Chinese food, I have to renew my recommendation of New Teriyaki & Wok, just south of the Morgan Junction Thriftway. I sort of started forgetting how good its kung pao and General Tso’s chicken dishes are, till dropping by Uwajimaya’s deli for lunch today. No comparison. NT&W is so much better. Spicier, sweeter, more … robust. Eat in, take out. Closed Sundays but if you see this before 9 p.m. Saturday, it’s not too late to grab something tonight! (You won’t see us there, though. We’ve passed our takeout quota for the week. Looks like something frozen tonight.)
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