West Seattle, Washington
10 Monday
By the time the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) celebrates its 1st birthday next month, the sidewalk out front will be brand-new – the city says the work should be done by March 19; . In the meantime, the sidewalk repair/replacement work’s a little daunting to look at – this is the view out the front door (the city’s working to protect the street trees):
But Feedback proprietor Jeff Gilbert says they’re still open, regular hours, regular food and fun (as of a few months ago, they’ve been open for lunch, starting at 11 am, and their online calendar lists the weekly special features, like the now-famous Sunday Ribs) . You just need to go ’round back to get in, till the sidewalk’s done.
Last week, we reported the impending closure (after March 28) of Tully’s Coffee in Morgan Junction. Today, another impending closure has been confirmed – Revolution Coffee and Art in the Admiral District. Revolution owners Jason and Pam Douros, who took over Revolution last year, have put up two announcements on its Facebook page this morning. From the main announcement:
We regret to inform you that on March 5th 2010 Revolution will close its doors for the last time. This decision was not easy for anyone involved and it was thought through thoroughly and many options were explored. Unfortunately, due to factors beyond our control we are unable to sell the business at this time and are left with the option of closing and liquidating our assets.
And a separate note “from the barista,” from Pam:
I have been told not to feel too bad that something like between one third and fifty percent of new businesses fail in the first year. Somehow being part of this statistic only makes me feel worse. I wish I could have been more to the community than another statistic. However for what it’s worth, thank you friends and community for being a part of our journey and I am sorry that the trip didn’t last longer.
In the meantime, Revolution is open and invites customers to come in for coffee. They’re at 4217 SW Admiral Way. (Thanks to Jennifer Lynn for the original tip on this.)
This June, it’ll be two years since the Corner Inn closed its doors at Fauntleroy/California, the space now transformed into Zeeks Pizza. But the spirit of the Corner Inn has lived on here and there around West Seattle – and here’s the latest incarnation: We got a note from “Johnny Roadkill” about a new Ladies Night starting up at The Bohemian this Sunday night, with the bartender known best as “Corner Inn Lynne” mixing the drinks Sunday nights, hoping to create a new tradition. Click the image at left to see the flyer full-size; Johnny says, “There will be music, ladies’ drink specials and fun times.” But everyone’s welcome – guys too. (Lynne got mentions in the comments when we covered the Corner Inn’s shutdown in June 2008.)
Tully’s Coffee has just confirmed what we first heard from a barista yesterday – they’re closing their Morgan Junction store next month. Tully’s marketing VP Scott Earle tells WSB that the lease was up, the traffic reconfiguration in the area isn’t working so well for them (among other business factors), so they decided not to renew, and will close the store. He says it’s a store-specific situation and stresses two things: The Alki Tully’s is alive and well, a store they’re “very, very proud of” and “excited about” – and in fact, they’ve just renewed the Alki lease. Second, he says, they’re continuing to look at possible new locations in this area and elsewhere, though nothing’s locked in. The store at Fauntleroy/California is scheduled to close March 28 (that’ll be its last day); he says the company is trying to place its employees in other stores. The location, meantime, is listed as available for lease, with a multi-page flyer already describing the space as a “former coffee house.” The Tully’s store has been at California/Fauntleroy almost a decade – replacing a “Cafe Starbucks,” as briefly noted in this March 2000 Seattle Times column by now-City Councilmember Jean Godden. (Added: Earle says both stores opened in April 2000.)
You might recall, Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) was running an informal Super Bowl poll – offering two special drinks, either of which you could buy to cast a vote for one of the Super Bowl teams. We took the photo above while visiting Hotwire late this morning; proprietor Lora Lewis says the Saints kept the lead even before the game – so Hotwire customers called it! (Saints 31-Colts 17 was the final, in case you’re checking in from a football-free zone.) P.S. One other Super Bowl note if you haven’t seen this a zillion places already – you can find The Commercials in this special YouTube collection.
Lots of options for the Big Game tomorrow – we have added even more to the West Seattle Super Bowl Viewing Guide first published here Thursday night (now up to Version 1.2). As for the game of love — we’ve got a West Seattle Valentine Dining Guide in the works too; here’s version 1.0 – more to be added, let us know if you have full details on something that’s not listed.
Longtime WSB sponsor Hotwire Online Coffeehouse usually offers seasonal beverages (right now a Valentine’s group is among the offerings) – and in the short run, there are two Super Bowl drinks, accompanying a prediction contest – just in from Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis:
Is it possible to predict the Super Bowl just by a coffee beverage? The customers of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse think so. Starting today customers will begin purchasing the coffee shop’s two Super Bowl beverages in an attempt to predict the outcome of this Sundays game between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. The staff will keep track of the beverages purchased and tally up the sales as each drink is sold.
Customers can also leave their name and e-mail address along with their vote. If they pick the winning team Hotwire will give them a free 12 oz Americano and a free hour of Internet surfing. Says Lora Lewis, owner of Hotwire Coffee, “We were able to predict the outcome of the Presidential election with our ‘Barackacanno’ and our ‘Average Joe Biden’ (vote was 65 to 11) why not the Super Bowl?”
The Super Bowl drinks will be available through the third quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday then will be removed for final tally. Winning Customers can pick up their free beverages starting Monday.
The Super Bowl drinks are the New Orleans Saints ‘who-dat?’ special (dark chocolate/cinnamon mocha) and Indianapolis Colts special (blueberry/white chocolate mocha). They’ll be available through the third quarter on Sunday. Hotwire’s at 4410 California, just north of the Junction post office. As for watching the game – no big screen at Hotwire but here’s our list of where you can see it on TV in West Seattle (with food and beverage specials listed as well as TV-screen sizes).
Story and photos by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Sixty percent of new restaurants fail within three years. But Mission Latin Restaurant & Lounge, 2325 California SW, is about to celebrate completion of year five.
If there’s a secret to Mission’s success, Eric Cozens, who owns the restaurant along with Peter Morse, says he doesn’t know what it is.
“We feel very blessed to have had it work out,” Cozens says. “I don’t know what the formula is. It was a lot of things coming together: the right place, timing, personalities, economics.”
It helps that Cozens and Morse complement each other in skills as well as personality.
Starting one week from today, there’s a new chance to get together and play games – the old-fashioned analog kind – with friends and neighbors. Darlene, a supervisor at Morgan Junction Starbucks (California/Fauntleroy), e-mailed today to say that as of February 7, they’re starting a weekly “game afternoon,” 3 pm Sundays. She adds, “We will have a few games to choose from, but are encouraging people to bring in their favorites to share and play.” In case you lose track – we’re adding this to the WSB West Seattle Events calendar. (Any other regular game afternoons/evenings we should have on the list? editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!)
From Rebekah via Facebook – just in time for you to either join in or at least know what the people in the purple shirts are doing:
It’s that time of year again. The Beer Dashers are taking on to the Junction this afternoon at 2. 2-10 pm. Be forewarned or join in! Here’s the low down:
2:00 PM Alki Tavern
3:00 PM West 5 Lounge
4:00 PM Talarico’s Pizzeria
5:00 PM Table 35
6:00 PM The Rocksport
7:00 PM Poggie Tavern
8:00 PM Maharaja Cuisine of India
10:00 PM West Seattle Beer Dash 12 ends. Ride home with your designated driver or take a taxi.This is the 12th year, so be on the look out for the purple shirts with 12 eggs and carton on it
Three weeks ago, after a liquor-license application notice went up at the former Georgia Blu space in The Junction, we published this short item – noting what the license was for, and mentioning we’d reached the applicants. They told us they weren’t ready to talk at the time, but promised details when they were. Today they’ve made good on that promise, and sent this announcement to share with you:
Bin 41, the Junction’s upcoming retail wine shop which will be moving into the former Georgia Blu space, is owned by long-standing West Seattle residents, T. Frick and Jon McNamara. Both Landscape Architects by training, T. and Jon discovered a passion for wine over a decade ago that developed into an understanding of the value of wine in our everyday experiences. They are looking forward to both bringing this passion for wine to the Junction and to contributing to their local community.
Bin 41 will be collaborating with the community’s first retail wine shop, West Seattle Cellars, and other neighborhood businesses. “We want to contribute to the spirit of West Seattle through the collaboration of local business. Our goal is to work closely with our friends, Tom and Jan, of West Seattle Cellars to provide the West Seattle community with more access to fine wine. This will be a win-win for the community in that consumers will have more choice overall; in wine selection, weekly tastings and educational opportunities.”
Bin 41 will be providing retail wine sales by the bottle and wine-related merchandise. Their portfolio will have a strong focus on local wines from the Pacific Northwest as well as various labels from around the world. In their field of design, the McNamara’s have been committed to contributing to a sustainable future. We are excited to continue this commitment to reducing our environmental footprint by working in the neighborhood in which we live as well as incorporating other sustainable concepts into the shop. The proprietors hope to open for business sometime in March, with a grand opening in early April. More information will be posted as plans progress further.
We had to ask – where did the name come from? T’s reply: “Our passion for wine, winemaking and the dream to open the shop grew out of our home on 41st. So we wanted to carry the number forward. Bin represents the storage of wine.”
At left, Eric from Solar Epiphany places a big call after the Red Cup Espresso drawing this afternoon for a $3,000 home solar system (as first reported here). At right, they drafted Tom from nearby JF Henry to pull the winner’s name. And the winner is … Annette G., who answered the phone to learn she’d won. (Thanks to Meredith for the photos!)
Story and photos by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Kyle and Kristi Duce love living in West Seattle.
Kyle manages Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) on weekends and spent a year tending bar at Shadowland, where he got to know and love the regulars. Kristi is a graphic designer for Prentice Design on Alki Beach. The couple enjoys sharing beers and barbecue on summer nights with their neighbors in the High Point community where they live. But that’s also where they realized that something was missing.
“We’d start talking about how nice it would be if we had a place we could walk to to get a beer or a glass of wine,” remembers Kyle. “There’s 1,600 homes in High Point — it’s huge — and the whole area is such a dense residential area. The demographics are phenomenal and there’s nothing like that there.”
So Kyle, who currently manages the Oakley store in Bellevue Square, Kristi, and their friend Shane Whittall, a bartender, decided that not only should there be a place like that, they were the ones who should open it. Seven months later, the lease has been signed on 7902 35th Ave SW (map), a narrow storefront between Sharon’s Westwood Florist and Kenyon Hall.
The liquor license has been applied for, the dumpsters arrive this week, and construction is about to begin on Locöl, “West Seattle’s premier wine & beer bar.”
After getting a note from Laurie with word that West Seattle Cellars co-owner Bear Silverstein has died, we went to the store to confirm it in person a short time ago – and in the meantime received this note from Sue Winter:
The family has asked me to let you know that Bear Silverstein, owner of West Seattle Cellars, passed away this morning after a prolonged illness. A devoted husband and father, Bear was involved with many community organizations, including West Seattle Helpline and Westside School. His family has set up a website at CaringBridge.org: www.caringbridge.org/visit/cheersbear, with a guestbook for posting remembrances [here]. Plans for a memorial service are pending.
Mr. Silverstein and business partners Tom and Jan (shown on this page from the WS Cellars website) have owned the store for almost a decade.
A WSB’er e-mailed to ask for an update on the future Westwood Village liquor store. We thought we’d share the answer in case you were wondering too: The lease is finalized, according to the state Liquor Control Board, and they’re hoping to be open in early April. (If you missed our earlier stories – they’re opening in part of the former Famous Footwear storefront on the north side of the shopping center; it’s the replacement for the Morgan Junction store that closed in September 2008.
Perhaps the most unusual contest we’ve seen in a while: “West Seattle’s first hybrid coffee shop” – Red Cup Espresso – and Solar Epiphany LLC (who provided the photo) are giving away a “complete solar installation” (a 350-watt expandable grid-tied installation). Entries are being accepted at Red Cup starting today, and the drawing is at 3 pm January 26th. Red Cup’s Tricia DiBernardo and Solar Epiphany’s Eric Thomas say this figures into their “2010 resolutions of community dialogue and direct action.” Need more info? Drop by Red Cup (4451 California SW) or call Eric at 206-919-3014. (P.S. They say the rooftop installation at Red Cup has generated more than 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the past year.)
That’s West Seattle’s newest coffee stand – Portside Coffee Company (6720 West Marginal Way; map – that’s near the Subway and commercial fueling station), open for business as of today. Portside serves, appropriately enough given its exterior, Silver Cup Coffee. Hours: 4:30 am-2 pm Mondays-Fridays, 8 am-noon Saturdays, closed Sundays. (By our count, it’s the fourth West Seattle drive-thru, after Red Cup in The Junction, West Bay on Harbor Ave, and Starbucks in The Triangle.)
(Saturday afternoon iPhone photo from Chas Redmond)
This end-of-holidays weekend was so quiet, post-New Year’s Eve, there wasn’t even enough going on for a full West Seattle Weekend Lineup. But with school resuming tomorrow, and many people due back to work after the classic Christmas-to-New-Year’s vacation, today we’ve got a full slate of options – food, drink, music, peace among them:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: The Ripe ‘n’ Ready list says what’s new this week includes Pickled Wild Sockeye Salmon and Cold Smoked Wild Coho Salmon Lox from Loki Fish Company (on Twitter at @lokifishco). See the full list here; wander the market at 44th/Alaska, 10 am-2 pm; watch for same-day bulletins from market management, tweeting at @NFMASeattle.
SING IT: A choral cantata is the center of the 10:30 am service at Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood (39th/Thistle).
MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT: Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) is gaining increasing fame for Tony’s Southside Ribs on Sundays – 5 pm “until they run out.” 6451 California SW; The Feedback opens at 11:30 am Sundays (and every day) and is on Twitter at @feedbacklounge.
WEST SEATTLE NEIGHBORS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE: They’re the folks you see at the anti-war vigil in The Junction every Sunday at noon, and tonight’s their monthly meeting, all welcome, 5 pm at Alki UCC Church (61st/Hinds), followed by 6 pm potluck. Online: groups.snowcoalition.org/westseattle.
ALL-AGES LIVE MUSIC AT SKYLARK: Sunday nights, the under-21s can stay and play at Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor) – music starts at 7 pm tonight with Minor Dissonance, then at 8 Shanta, and at 9 Vigilante Santos plays. 3803 Delridge. (Full calendar here; p.s., long before music time, Skylark opens 9 am today for brunch – check out the menu here; Skylark’s on Twitter at @skylarkcafe.)
Be safe tonight – and know there’s someplace to get your first coffee of 2010 tomorrow. Here’s who we have confirmed, in person or by phone, is open tomorrow, and when:
UPTOWN ESPRESSO (both Junction and Delridge) 6 am-6 pm
STARBUCKS/MORGAN JUNCTION – 6 am-9 pm
STARBUCKS/ALKI 6:30 am-7 pm
TULLY’S/MORGAN JUNCTION 7 am-2 pm
PIONEER COFFEE 7 am-5 pm
STARBUCKS/TRIANGLE DRIVE-THRU 7 am-8 pm
STARBUCKS/ADMIRAL 7 am-9 pm
C & P COFFEE 8 am-1 pm
BIRD ON A WIRE 8 am-2 pm
EASY STREET CAFE 8 am-3 pm (coffee AND food)
RED CUP ESPRESSO 8 am-3 pm
DIVA ESPRESSO 8 am-6 pm
JAVA BEAN 8 am-6 pm
TULLY’S/ALKI 8 am-6 pm
CUPCAKE ROYALE 8 am-7 pm
HOTWIRE COFFEE (WSB sponsor) 9 am-6 pm
WESTBAY ESPRESSO (drive-thru) 10 am-3 pm
DUBSEA COFFEE 10 am-7 pm
(added) BARNES & NOBLE CAFE open store hours, starting @ 11 am
CAFE ROZELLA noon-6:30 pm
Happy Christmas Day! We’ve put this info out as lists over the past several days, but here it is on a map – coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants in West Seattle (and a few in north White Center) that told our researchers (or posted on their websites) that they’d be open today – marked with cups, bags, forks/knives respectively (click each icon to see the business, its address, and its hours). If you happen onto something else that’s open in these categories, please post a comment so everyone else will know too! And if you’d prefer to see the lists in text form, here are the original links:
Grocery stores
Restaurants
Coffee shops
Also open today – West Seattle’s only moviehouse, Admiral Theater, with showings starting at 4 pm. Here’s the slate of movies today:
Where the Wild Things Are (PG) 4:00 7:00
The Fourth Kind (R), 9:00
Pirate Radio (R), 6:50
Law Abiding Citizen (R), 4:05 9:10
Last but by no means least, several West Seattle churches have services today, too:
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE (4105 California SW)
Festival Liturgy and Holy Eucharist, 10:30 am
HOLY FAMILY PARISH (20th/Roxbury)
Mass in English – 10:00 am
Mass in Spanish – 12:30 pm
HOLY ROSARY PARISH (42nd/Genesee)
Christmas Masses, 8, 9:30 am
HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH
10:30 am
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (35th/Myrtle)
Mass, 10 am
PROVIDENCE MOUNT ST. VINCENT CHAPEL
Christmas Mass, 10:30 am (music by Friends of Providence)
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (3050 California Ave SW, next to West Seattle High School)
10:00 am Holy Eucharist with Carols (*quieter celebration of Christmas with special music; a festive reception follows the service)
Hope you’re having a great holiday!
Making your plans for Christmas morning? Here’s our final holiday list (joining West Seattle restaurants open Christmas Eve and/or Day, West Seattle grocery store hours for Christmas Day, and West Seattle Christmas Eve/Day church services). This time, we’ve canvassed the coffee shops, as per WSB holiday-season tradition, to see who’s open Christmas Day:
Cafe Rozella – 8 am-noon
Caffe Ladro – 7 am-noon
Diva – 8 am-1 pm
Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) – 8 am-2 pm (with staffers who volunteered, says proprietor Lora)
Pioneer Coffee – 7 am-1 pm
Starbucks/Morgan Junction – 8 am-3 pm
Starbucks/Triangle drive-thru – 7 am-3 pm
Tully’s/Alki – 7:30 am-3 pm
Tully’s/Morgan Junction – 7 am-2 pm
This also will be linked from the West Seattle Holidays page, and in the sidebar list of headlines. If you have additions/changes, please share that info – we’re also collecting notes on Christmas Eve hours (when your store’s closing, etc.) and you’re welcome to send those along. (Now, off to The Junction and Admiral and Triangle and Alki and Westwood and … clock’s ticking for last-minute shopping!)
Coffee and cooking just seem to go together. So once again this year, we’ve compiled a list of which coffee shops will be open Thanksgiving (and when). Click any spot on the map and you’ll see the name, address, and hours. These are the ones we have confirmed – by phone or in-person visit – are OPEN tomorrow; those we know are closed, are not listed. Note that the green arrow marks WSB sponsor Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, which is offering coupons for freebies during the 4-day holiday weekend (see them, and print them from, our Coupons page). Use the plus sign on the left side of the map to zoom in, and to go to the fullpage Google Map (including a text list on the left side), click the VIEW LARGER MAP link under the map above. Thanks yet again to Sue Scharff (who works with the zesty Zippy Dogs) for research assistance. There are a few places that didn’t pick up the phone and didn’t have hours posted – so if you know of one we missed, please leave a comment or e-mail us, and we’ll add it. This will also be linked from the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, where you’ll also find standing links (through tomorrow, anyway!) to the list of West Seattle restaurants open tomorrow and the list of West Seattle grocery stores open tomorrow.
To get any closer to the winemaking process than this, you’d have to go tour Chelan, Napa or Sonoma: Right at the award-winning Northwest Wine Academy in the center of the South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) campus, there’s a Pre-Thanksgiving Wine Tasting and Sale event under way right now (till 8 pm). Lots of visitors (and buyers) when we visited just before 6 – and along with bottles of student-made, award-winning wine, they’re selling gift baskets too:
By the way, if you’d rather relax in a quieter atmosphere, the brightly lit winemaking room in the top photo is only one of the rooms where the event’s happening – there are others, some with low lights and candles. (To find the Wine Academy, use this campus map – look for the building marked WWB; to find the campus itself, here’s a Google Map.)
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