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Slice of life from West Seattle Summer Fest
July 14, 2006 8:40 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants | WS culture/arts

So I sent WS Blogger Spouse and an accomplice to Summer Fest for Night 1, because my condition after this workweek was a lot like Gerry Rafferty’s line in the classic “Baker Street” — “light in my head and dead on my feet.”

Their report centers around Pagliacci, where they attempted to get pizza before coming home. “One person who was really nice was taking my order,” reports WSB Spouse, “but then this other girl came out and started barking, ‘DON’T YOU KNOW THERE ARE SLICES OUTSIDE? IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG WAIT IN HERE.’ Then,” WSB Spouse continues, “this guy waiting on the bench by the window says to no one in particular, ‘I’M HERE TO GET A PIZZA FOR JOHN DOE‘S WIFE’.”

Ultimately, WSB Spouse and accomplice left with no pizza, and wound up getting something from Spiro’s, which finally seems to have a website.

As for the rest of Summer Fest, I’m told that Mr. Doe himself informed the crowd he had to avoid singing a certain song (or part of a certain song) when he realized there were a lot more kids than he’d expected to see. Last but not least, I’m told the collection of merchants includes a lot of “Home Show”-style stuff — windows, flooring, you name it.

I’ll go check it out tomorrow.

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Everyone’s a critic
July 14, 2006 5:14 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle restaurants

Checking around online for the latest on what people are saying about WS, I encountered a blogger who reviews restaurants and recently visited Coyotes on Alki. This person rates its food “average to above average,” but what struck me more about the post was the photo of the receipt … $5 tip on a $34 tab? Was the service average too? That’s not quite 15 percent. I usually tip 20 percent unless things are really bad (like the last time we went to Azteca in Burien, when our guacamole never arrived, and our chip basket and water glasses never got a refill — the waitpeople were solicitously buzzing around a big group nearby, instead of checking in on us). Meantime, anybody else have feedback on Coyotes? We haven’t been yet. I still find it hard to get over the fact that space is no longer The Point Grill (three names ago), which was our favorite WS restaurant in the ’90s and the site of many family memories (usually starring my old fave, the blackened salmon Caesar, sigh).

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What’s new
July 9, 2006 11:36 am
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 |   Seen around town | West Seattle restaurants

-Casablanca Coffee on 35th has changed its name – now it’s the Coffee Shoppe. Just noticed this on a drive-by, so we don’t know yet what’s different inside.

-If you hadn’t already noticed, Super Supplements in the Junction is open. The blue and red neon is still a little much for our eyes.

-You might find this mention a little odd, but we were fascinated to see Don Swanson Insurance in the Junction finally changing its facade. It’s looked the same for all of our years here (including the years when we bought our insurance there, before the GEICO gecko seduced us away, sorry, insurance is so darn expensive, that’s one thing where i will suspend my preference for local vendors).

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Restaurants, restaurants everywhere and not a spot to park
June 18, 2006 12:36 pm
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 |   Transportation | West Seattle restaurants

Just back from Father’s Day lunch on Alki … and the parking-spot-search backups were intense. We went to Duke’s and had to park up near Alki Community Center. Driving back toward this side of town, we saw a huge jam of folks trying to get into the Salty’s lot. At least one person gave up, dropped off someone near the Salty’s entrance, and then went off in search of somewhere to leave the car — we last saw them evaluating whether they’d get away with parking near the Harbor Avenue 7-11.

I mention all this not to say “gee, don’t drive to Alki,” because I am aware we were part of “the problem” by doing that very thing. I mention it because the eateries just keep opening and you have to wonder where the cars will go. For example, compared to the 100-plus capacity for the future Cactus, how many cars does that little underground garage really fit?

BTW, on the Salty’s end of things, Alki Fish and Chips has a flyer up saying they’re adding an “outdoor patio with beer and wine.”

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More on “Al’s,” and an impending neighbor
June 15, 2006 9:35 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages | WS breaking news

Made it over to get a closer look at “Al’s.” Sorry I got it wrong while driving by the first time — it’s Al’s CAFE and Espresso, not “Deli.” Small hand-lettered sign promises “soups, salads, sandwiches.” It was closed by the time we got there, so I can’t vouch for any of that myself. An interesting sighting nearby, though — a couple doors down, next to West Seattle Cellars, a liquor-license notice is posted for “Vino Verite” — with a handwritten sign promising “Wine Bar Soon!” (I see it’s got a Web site too.) Makes sense, but I’m wondering what’s up with all this “Verite” — that’s the real name behind the Cupcake Royale people, too.

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One MORE grand opening
June 15, 2006 6:07 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages | WS breaking news

Just noticed somebody new’s moved into the former Bubble Lounge Caffe (that’s the way they spelled it) on the east side of Cali Ave, a few blocks north of Morgan Junction. Big “Grand Opening” sign for “Al’s Deli and Espresso.” Didn’t have time to stop in to find out more — will wander by as soon as feasible.

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Somethin’s in the oven
June 11, 2006 3:03 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle restaurants

Bakery news and notes from our wanderings while in the Junction today for the Farmers’ Market:

-Spotted a few people inside the ex-Remo Borracchini space, clearly measuring it for something. Maybe it won’t stay idle for long.

-Decided it was finally time to try Coffee to a Tea with Sugar, to see how they’re holding up amid the Cupcake Clash. Just didn’t feel like cupcakes, though; tried a sugar-topped scone, classic crumbly scone, not too sweet despite the topping. Excellent latte, too. But topping it all, so to speak, was the view from the “bar” — the tables big enough for our group were all reserved for some impending tea party, so we had to sit up there, and we were quite entertained by the view of the bakers, who patiently and pleasantly answered questions.

-One member of the WS Blog delegation couldn’t wait for the CTS stop and snapped up  a strudel slice from the Little Prague Bakery stand at the Farmers’ Market. Thumbs up on that too.

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All good things take time
June 6, 2006 5:02 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

Well, I hope the new restaurant in the ex-Alki Market will be good. Somehow we’ve never managed to patronize either of the other Cacti. Anyway, tomorrow’s P-I will feature this article about the in-the-works Cactus on Alki, including the note that its expected opening is still quite some weeks off.

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TJ’s or not TJ’s?
June 5, 2006 4:18 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | West Seattle restaurants | WS miscellaneous

A new comment on an old post reminded me I hadn’t heard much lately about the rumors of Trader Joe’s finally, finally, FINALLY coming to West Seattle. Seems speculation is centering around the forthcoming mixed-use project on Admiral just west of Metropolitan Market, so we went fishing around a bit.

Project description mentions “grocery store.” MM & Safeway are so close by (and PCC not much further), it would have to be something “specialty” like TJ’s.

The contact name on the applications traces to the same architect that handled the same owner’s project to the north (Bartell’s and what’s above it) — no sketches on the site, though.

A notice on a pole at the site mentions another design-review meeting just about a week ago — anybody got the scoop on that? Just curious.

Did find a couple other notes of interest along the way. First — a little history about part of the site. Second — I can’t find a direct link to the relatively recently renamed “Admiral Neighborhood Association,” but it looks like neighborhood leaders joined in a “street-level survey” a little earlier this year, with results documented here.

Enough about all that, though. Any inside info on TJ’s, or not TJ’s, very much welcome. Definitely tired of driving to Burien. And this is one of the last few franchises we still don’t have out here (in the years since WS Blogger Spouse and I arrived, we’ve stopped having to drive somewhere else for Pagliacci, Jamba Juice, Barnes & Noble, to name a few).

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Sunday afternoon miscellany
June 4, 2006 2:06 pm
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 |   West Seattle religion | West Seattle restaurants | Wildlife | WS miscellaneous

-If you have a small child in the house, something new turned up at the WS Farmers’ Market today … fresh, local, vegetarian food for babies or toddlers.

-For the produce we didn’t find at the Farmers’ Market, we dropped by Tony’s on 35th. Great prices — beautiful apples for 99 cents a pound, mushrooms for $2.50. Kinda fascinating that the guy who runs it is the president of the Burien-area sewer district.

-Further north on 35th, we noticed the “Mars Hill West Seattle, Coming Soon” sign up at Doxa. According to the MH Web site, the dedication was just the other night.

-Also as we cruised northward on 35th, a wildlife sighting … one of our majestic national symbols, being pestered by crows. Common, I know, but always mesmerizing, as the crows are so much smaller than the eagles, yet so brazen about this behavior.

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Another grand opening
June 2, 2006 4:24 am
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle restaurants

Tonight’s the night for Skylark Cafe & Club, where Madison’s used to be, just as Delridge starts heading south from the bridge. We’ll be at the Al Gore movie instead. But once the crowds ebb a bit, the Skylark menu (mmm, mac ‘n’ cheese!) sounds too good for us to wait TOO long to check out!

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Casualty of the Cupcake Clash?
June 1, 2006 5:12 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

Thanks to a tipster I’ll just refer to as “C” — we’ve learned there’s one less bakery in the Junction. Remo Borracchini’s, toward the Junction’s south end, has closed up shop. Sign says “Thanks for your years of patronage; visit us at our Rainier Avenue location.”

I’m not too broken up; don’t know if we ever went there, though I do vaguely remember some other bakery there previously, where West Seattle Blogger Spouse remembers trying to get a latte long ago and being told “Oh sorry, the gal who knows how to run that machine is out on break.”

Interesting, though, the west side of Cali Ave has been fairly low-turnover, compared to the east side. The only other recent shutdown I can recall is the tanning salon next to Pagliacci.

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Belated Cupcake Royale review, & Junction stroll
May 31, 2006 4:01 am
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 |   Seen around town | West Seattle restaurants

Used the sleepy holiday morning this past Monday as the perfect occasion to go try Cupcake Royale “for real.” As I wrote here a couple weeks ago, we dropped in on Grand Opening Night, but I didn’t actually have a cupcake — left that to one of my escorts. So this time, it was cupcakes and coffee for breakfast.

Verdict: Great frosting (mint), so-so cupcake (vanilla). Not too sweet, which is good, but not so moist (as at least one other reviewer here had mentioned), which was a little disappointing. The coffee (double-tall latte) was also just OK. I’ll give them another chance next time it’s convenient, but I’m not going to go out of my way to rush all the way to the Junction for a “fix.”

Meantime, we kept the radar up for news while down in the Junction for the CR stop. Seems like there’s more to say about what’s NOT going on than about what IS — the old Neilsen Florist shop still has papered windows, but the grease-penciled message from a glass company is gone; the new Super Supplements (ex-Urban Fitness site) doesn’t have an opening date posted yet; the former First Mutual Bank storefront shows no sign of what will move in next.

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Want some whiskey in your water, sugar in your tea …
May 26, 2006 4:17 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle restaurants

(from a Three Dog Night hit in the sixties)

With the latest 21-and-over-only additions, we’ve got plenty of “whiskey in (our) water” options over here. As for the “sugar in (our) tea,” looks like one more is on the way …. West Seattle Blogger Spouse reports sighting a banner along the lines of “My Tea Place, Coming Soon” just south of the Admiral Junction mailing depot/travel agency/etc.

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The next WS “grand opening”
May 23, 2006 3:20 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | West Seattle restaurants

Thanks to the Metroblogging folks for reminding me about Skylark Cafe, opening in a week and a half at the Delridge spot that used to be Madison’s. We’re not much for live music but we might go for the food, if the report here (second-to-last paragraph) is true about an ex-Easy Street Cafe person being involved.

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We came, we saw, we cupcaked
May 18, 2006 5:57 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle restaurants | WS breaking news

Back from a peek at the Cupcake Royale grand opening-fest in the Junction.

As we stood in line for the freebies, along with dozens of other cupcake-curious folks, West Seattle Blogger Spouse hissed at me, “WHAT does it say on her T-shirt?” referring to the chirpy young CR staffer handing out mini-cupcakes “to tide (line-waiters) over.”

“Legalize FROST-itution,” I reassured WSBS. Just one of several mildly suggestive slogans on T-shirts for sale inside the shop, which was busy and buzzing, if semi-spartan. A big blue star dominates the back wall, loosely coordinated with the medium-blue paint gracing the ceiling (though the walls otherwise are off-white).

But I know you’re not here for a decor discussion. Sorry to say, I didn’t try the cupcakes; hadn’t had dinner yet. One of my escorts did try ’em, and describes the chocolate-with-chocolate-frosting cupcake as “airy.” (Side note — the beverage selection includes some old-school bottled sodas, like Squirt and Crush.)

Meantime, Coffee to a Tea with Sugar (aka Sugar Rush Baking Company) across the street bravely soldiered on. Both CTS/SRBC and CR have posted hours till 10 pm. Clearly no one associated with these joints remembers the dim days when the Junction had nothing open till 6, much less 10. P.S. The Super Supplements signage is up in the old Urban Fitness place, and it just looks wrong, somehow.

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No need to wait for “The Bite”
May 16, 2006 3:32 am
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.

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Remodeling must be tough
May 14, 2006 10:17 am
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.”

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Clash of the Cupcakes intensifies
May 13, 2006 7:35 pm
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.

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Colonization
May 13, 2006 9:09 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle restaurants | WS miscellaneous

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!

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This is not the site you’re looking for
May 11, 2006 5:41 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.

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Grand opening
May 10, 2006 3:00 am
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 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.

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And ANOTHER restaurant?
May 8, 2006 7:42 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle restaurants

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.

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