After just a short one month hiatus, the Opal Bistro, #2 Boston St., Seattle, has opened its doors.  We reported that the chic restaurant Opal, owned by Orrapin Chancharu, had closed its doors in early January to revamp its format.  The economy had slowed and it seemed that a high-end, elegant restaurant at the top of Queen Anne Ave. could not keep its customer base.

Today, a modestly-priced menu with all entrees less than $21, will undoubtedly appeal to today’s budget-conscious diner.   

The bar menu has also been updated with new cocktails on the menu.  Bartender Brett Pontarelli (pictured above) has created the Wu-Ming, a cocktail of gin, cucumber, sage, and more.  Brett named this drink after Wu-Ming, the Cucumber Sage and a 14th century monk.  Another favorite is sure to be the Viceroy made with homemade vanilla bourbon.

The Queen Anne Community Council meets today, February 4 at McClure Middle School at 7:30 pm.  On the agenda is will be a presentation by the Port of Seattle on the status of Terminal 91, 2001 W. Garfield Street, Seattle,  in the Interbay. The construction of Terminal 91, scheduled to be completed in time for the cruise ship season, was controversial last summer when it was reported that the Port Commission approved additional funding to speed up the construction, setting the project at over $120 million.

At the QACC meeting will also be a discussion regarding the relocation of the QA Farmer’s Market.  There are several options are under consideration.

The Seattle Public Library, United Way of King County and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are partnering to offer free tax preparation service through April 15 at 11 Library locations including the Queen Anne Branch, 400 W. Garfield St. Seattle, WA

Trained volunteers will answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns. The service is not available for business tax returns.  This service is free and available to everyone.

Tax help will be available at this branch Monday, Feb. 9 through Monday, April 13 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm on Monday’s.  Please call the branch to make a reservation.

At last, a new business is opening in Queen Anne.  At the location of the former Ace Hardware Store, 1515 Queen Anne Ave. N., a new gourmet pizzeria looks to open up soon.  
Sezoni applied for its liquor license in December and now the signs are up and the writing is on the wall (or in the window).  A phone conversation with the owner’s mother reveals that the restaurant plans to open around the 3rd week in February.  Stay tuned for more information.

Tiger Oak Publications is pleased to announce that Leslie Helm, Magnolia resident, has been appointed Executive Editor of Seattle Business.

Helm is a veteran reporter and editor with more than 20 years experience working for local and national publications. As Executive Editor of Washington CEO Magazine, Helm led a major re-launch that raised the design and editorial quality of the publication and won it widespread recognition including the prestigious MAGGIE award from the Western Publishers Association.

“We are honored to have someone of Leslie’s caliber in charge of editorial content at Seattle Business,” said John Kueber, Associate Publisher, “As the only monthly magazine in Washington State devoted to business coverage, we’re looking to provide our readers with insight on a wide range of issues of interest to Washington’s business community, and we believe Leslie will serve our readers well”.

Helm began his career with Business Week, reporting for the magazine first as Tokyo correspondent and later as Boston Bureau Chief. He returned to Tokyo to cover Japan and Korea as correspondent for The Los Angeles Times before moving to Seattle for the Times to cover business in the Northwest.   As an Abe fellow with the Social Science Research Institute, Helm conducted research on the Internet that was published as a chapter in the book Creative Destruction put out by The MIT Press. Helm earned a master of science from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master of arts in Asian studies from the University of California, Berkeley. 

A group calling itself the Committee for Efficiency and Fairness in Public Safety has filed an initiative aimed at giving voters the final word on whether the city builds a new jail.  Opponents of the plan to build a new regional misdemeanor jail have filed Initiative 100 with the City of Seattle.  

Interbay is one of the sites being considered for the new regional misdemeanor jail that would be built at 1600 Armory Way.  The initiative asks, among other things, for a public vote on whether to build the jail.  

This initiative will mandate that the City openly, publicly and in good faith negotiate with King County to explore alternatives to a municipal jail, including extending the existing City-County contract for jail services. This measure would require that the City conduct a rigorous, public analysis of how incarceration rates could be decreased in the short and long term while increasing public safety and positive outcomes. The City must also then develop and make publicly accessible a strategy to address racial disparity issues in arrest and incarceration rates. In addition, the City would have to place the matter of the new municipal jail before the electorate in a public vote.

The initiative is being sponsored by the people behind Real Change, who have already started collecting signatures.

Queen Anne resident and UCLA student Lauren Hall posted two event wins on Saturday to lead the Bruin swim and dive team in a dual meet against the University of California at Berkeley. Hall won the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:18.73 and then tallied a win in the 400 IM, swimming 4:19.47. The Bruin sadly, lost to Cal, 172-123. Hall will return with the Bruin team when the Women’s PAC-10 Swimming Championships take place at the King County Aquatics Center Feb. 26-March 1.
Lauren is a graduate of Holy Names Academy and Catherine Blaine School in Magnolia. She is also a long time member of the Salmon Bay Aquatics Club, based in Ballard and Queen Anne.

Bartender James McWilliams at the Canlis Restaurant, 2576 Aurora Ave N. Seattle WA has some interesting new ideas to revamp the Canlis bar menu. As reported in the Seattle Weekly, McWilliams is about to make some dramatic changes in the way their cocktails and drinks are concocted. In short, the elements added to cocktails, from garnishes to infused waters, will be constructed in-house.

“I’ve already ordered some elderflower seeds from Switzerland, and I plan to make elderflower water,” McWillians says. “But [that's] just the beginning. There are a lot of fresh herbs that I just don’t have access to, so to get them I’m going to have to grow them. I’m starting them in some of the Canlis family’s yards, and I have a little bit of space on the restaurant grounds.”

Even a Queen Anne tradition such as Canlis recognizes the need to change its offerings in order to attract a new audience, without putting off their regular clientele. We’ll look forward to doing a little tasting of our own.

Beginning February 1st, most Metro bus fares are increasing 25 cents.  It’s still a good deal to take the bus when you add up parking and the cost of fuel.

The price hikes are in response to Metro’s revenue shortfall. You can see the full breakdown of the new prices here (.pdf file).