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Daily news blog for Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood |
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Great news from a reader tip (thanks, Brian!) – Tup Tim Thai has swapped out the “lost our lease” signs with the following:
The Uptown Alliance sent a letter to the property owners and management on May 9th, asking them to find an acceptable agreement to keep Tup Tim Thai open. Looks like Tup Tim Thai has reached an agreement, and will be staying put at 118 W Mercer St.
→ No CommentsTags: business opening, Tup Tim Thai
A few weeks ago, we got a tip from a reader (thanks, Mark!) about a liquor license posted at 20 Roy St. We followed up and found owner Matt Storm busy at work on The Masonry – a wood-fired pizza and craft beer bar.
Future home of The Masonry, 20 Roy St
The Masonry’s menu will be headed up by chef Lucas Neve, formerly of Montlake’s Cafe Lago. Matt will be managing the craft beers himself, bringing his knowledge garnered from a past stint at Malt and Vine and his position at Seattle German Pubs.
The menu will stay fairly small, with offerings varying based on what Lucas finds fresh and in-season. The craft beer bar will also feature a rotating selection, and in addition to selling bottles, The Masonry will also fill growlers to go. Plus, for those whose tastes tend toward the grape, there’ll be a couple of house wines and a selection of bottles from wineries that are “great and often overlooked”.
Matt and team are hard at work on the new digs, and they’re currently aiming for a July 1st opening. According to Matt, “we can’t wait to get to know our beer and food loving neighbors” – so, mark your calendars for July and welcome a new business to Lower Queen Anne/Uptown!
→ No CommentsTags: beer, business opening, craft beer, pizza
At Queen Anne View, we love tips. Readers help us cover the neighborhood and give us the heads up on new and interesting items. Recent tips? Calva Café closing, a new sushi place on Queen Anne Ave N, Cederberg Tea House – and that’s just from the past week or so. If you see something interesting or newsworthy, send it our way!
While we always dig up what we can on tips, available research sometimes leads us only so far. With that disclaimer, we received a tip on sushi happenings at 500 Mercer St sent in by a reader (thanks, Mark!) that we’ve followed as far as we can at this point.
Genki Sushi is no more
Photo courtesy of Genki Sushi
Here’s the scoop: Genki Sushi at 500 Mercer St closed in March (not sure how that one slipped by us or our usual tipsters…), but a new sushi spot, Ten Sushi, has applied for a business license at the same location.
Ten Sushi has also applied for a liquor license to sell beer, wine, and spirits, and it appears that the applicant, Shinichiro Takahashi, is a former Genki Sushi operations manager. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
If you have any additional info on this spot or any other neighborhood happenings, just let us know.
→ No CommentsTags: business closure, business opening, sushi
Back in October, Pinkabella Cupcakes closed up shop and their spot in the Queen Anne Space building on Queen Anne Ave N. The storefront has been empty until this weekend… Friday night, nothing (I walked by after dinner out). Saturday, a tip from a reader (thanks, Aaron!) – the windows are papered over, and a sign promising sushi by June 1st is up in the window.
According to the City of Seattle business license applications, Sushi Samurai holds a license for the spot at 1817 Queen Anne Ave N. No more info yet on Sushi Samurai, other than the sign promising sushi soon!
→ No CommentsTags: business opening, sushi
Queen Anne is losing another long-time independent business to increasing rents. After 24 years at 118 W Mercer Street, Tup Tim Thai will close its doors on May 28th.
According to a tweet by Hanna Raskin, Seattle Weekly food critic, the restaurant’s landlord is doubling the rent, forcing Tup Tim Thai to close. Per Raskin, Tup Tim Thai’s Nat Chien says that the restaurant has never been late on rent payments or short on customers. So, if you have a favorite dish, you have 25 more days (and counting down) to get your orders in.
As for the new tenant, no word yet.
→ No CommentsTags: business closure, Lower Queen Anne
Dining Out For Life, an evening of food and fun helping out Lifelong AIDS Alliance, is returning for its 20th year – and you can help out in more ways than one. The obvious way? Dine out at a participating restaurant and a portion of your bill will be donated to Lifelong AIDS Alliance and the fight against illness and hunger. Over 150 Seattle-area restaurants are participating, including Queen Anne’s LloydMartin, McMenamins, and Ponti.
So, what’s the other way to help out? Volunteer to become a Restaurant Ambassador for the evening. Restaurant Ambassadors promote their assigned restaurant to friends, family, and co-workers in advance, to get as many people as possible to dine there the night of April 25th. Ambassadors are also on-site that evening to welcome patrons, answer questions about the event and Lifelong, and collect donations.
Dining Out for Life needs hundreds of volunteers, so they’ve put out the call for enthusiastic, outgoing individuals who have a passion for helping the community. Last year’s event raised over $200,000 with nearly a third of the funds a direct result of restaurant ambassadors.
If you’d like to volunteer to be a Restaurant Ambassador, register online or contact Sage Marts via email for more information.
And, if you’re a restaurant owner and would like to participate, contact Eleazar Juarez-Diaz via email or sign up online.
Then, mark your calendars for April 25th and dine out!
Comments OffTags: Dining Out for Life, fundraiser
It’s that time of year again, Restaurant Week is kicking off in a few weeks and it’ll include some Queen Anne favorites. It’s always a popular time to dine around Seattle, so make your reservations in advance – Open Table is ready to take your online requests today.
Restaurant Week runs April 7-11 and April 14-18, and over 160 Seattle-area restaurants are participating. Each restaurant is serving up 3-course dinners for the low, low price of $28 per person, and some even have lunches for $15. Now, please note, the price doesn’t include drinks or tax, so be sure to account for that in your budget and don’t forget to tip your server!
The full list of restaurants and a sortable search by meal or neighborhood is available online. Participating Queen Anne restaurants include:
Happy dining!
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Yellowtail Belly
Pan Seared Rockfish
Sherry Braised Chicken
In the food business, pop-ups are temporary restaurants that happen when a guest chef gets to showcase his or her talents by taking over someone else’s spot for a night, and Queen Anne has joined in on the fun.
Feral Feasts has been hosting a pop up restaurant at Grub (7 Boston St.) every third Monday of the month, and on Monday, March 18th, Feral Feasts will once again take over Grub and present diners with the opportunity to try “Spanish flavors made with local, seasonal ingredients.”
Dishes such as white gazpacho made with almond, grape, cucumber, apple, olive oil, and sorrel will be on the menu, along with Sherry Braised Chicken with tomato, chickpeas, roasted cauliflower and crispy chicken cracklins’, not to mention Paella, and Pork Belly Confit. Definitely check out the Feral Feasts website for more details on the food and event, including the entire menu. Reservations will be accepted via email at feralseattle@gmail.com, or you can buy advance tickets via the website.
Kraken Congee
But your pop-up opportunities at Grub don’t stop there. No joke, on Monday, April 1st another restaurant will take over Grub, this time brining the congee restaurant Kraken to Upper Queen Anne. For those who aren’t sure, congee is a savory rice porridge served in many Asian countries. I’m told it’s considered a comfort food for many people, perhaps like Macaroni and Cheese is for many Americans. And like Mac and Cheese, it too can be elevated to something special. As an example, one of the congees on offer include Squid Ink Congee with Pork Stuffed Squid Tubes, Ginger, Thai Chilies, Fried Shallots, Roasted Peanut, and Cilantro – sounds kind of exciting for rice porridge doesn’t it?
There will also be starters such as Chinese Doughnuts with XO Sauce, as well as Bean Sprout Fritters with Roasted Garlic, and Shrimp Sauces. Once again more details and the whole menu can be found online at Kraken Congee’s Facebook page. Kraken is not taking reservations so if you want to get some congee without having to leave Queen Anne, prepare in advance and maybe get there a little early.
And that’s the not the end of Monday Pop-Ups at Grub. Owner Sharon Fillingim says her goal “is to feature as many talented chefs at Grub [as possible] and have our community get a taste of their work.” So watch Grub’s Facebook page to find out what’s coming next.
Comments OffTags: events, pop-up
You may recall that a reader tipped us to a new restaurant at 366 Roy Street back in November – well, Mashawi Mediterranean Cuisine is now open. After a soft opening the past week or so, they’re ready to celebrate and welcome neighbors with a Grand Opening on Friday, January 18th.
Mashawi is a family-owned restaurant run by brothers Paul and Khalil, who are originally from Lebanon and are focusing on their native cuisine. The brothers used to live and work on Queen Anne as chefs, and were drawn to the neighborhood for their new restaurant.
The Grand Opening begins at 2pm on Friday, with free Turkish coffee, baklava, and a free appetizer with purchase of an entree. (note: dine in only; one per person)
According to co-owner Paul:
So, stop by Mashawi on Friday for the Grand Opening and welcome them to Queen Anne!
Comments OffTags: Lower Queen Anne, restaurant opening
Another holiday is just days away, bringing both closures and festivities to ring in the New Year. For special New Year’s Eve gastronomic celebrations, be sure to book your reservations at local Queen Anne restaurants asap - Betty, Book Bindery, Crow, How to Cook a Wolf, LloydMartin, The Melting Pot, Ponti Seafood Grill, Ten Mercer, Toulouse Petit all have special New Year’s Eve menus. Contact us if there are others that we’ve missed!
Here are the closures and events for the holiday week:
Holiday Closures:
Traffic Impacts:
Multi-Day Events:
Friday, December 28
Saturday, December 29
Sunday, December 30
Monday, December 31 (aka New Year’s Eve)
Tuesday, January 1
Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com
Comments OffTags: events, New Year's Eve
Beginning in January, the Seattle Center Armory will host a Happy Hour the 3rd Thursday of every month. The Happy Hour will run from 5pm-8pm and will include food from Armory vendors including Bigfood, KABAB, MOD Pizza, Pie, Plum Market, Quincy’s and Skillet:Counter. And, what Happy Hour would be complete without libations? Well, the Armory Happy Hour will have alcoholic beverage specials too, as well as bar games, prizes, music, and more – and that’s where you come in…
The Seattle Center is asking for feedback on what games and activities to host, and also what key elements of a Happy Hour people like most. Take their survey by Tuesday, November 27th, voice your opinion, and get a chance to win tickets to the The End’s Deck the Hall Ball at Key Arena on December 4th, featuring bands like The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and M-83. (note: one survey completion/entry per person, 21 or older only). Then, see if your suggestions make the list at the inaugural Armory Happy Hour on January 17th.
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Monday is Le Rêve’s second anniversary, and to celebrate two years on Queen Anne, the bakery and café has special offers all week. Le Rêve has been a great addition to the neighborhood, and owner Andrea Nakata feels fortunate to be celebrating two years in business.
Le Rêve has secured a large following of loyal customers – they were super-busy this past Saturday at 11am, with patrons spilling out onto the front porch on a cold but sunny weekend morning. Congratulations is in order for Le Rêve – and you can do so in person while partaking of the celebration festivities the bakery and cafe has planned for the week!
I asked Le Rêve owner Andrea Nakata about her learnings from two years in business on Queen Anne, and she emphasized the importance of a loyal customer base – further cementing that patronizing our local merchants is what keep them in business and thriving.
According to Nakata:
And, looking forward, Nakata plans to continue its focus on great customer service while leveraging the heritage of Le Rêve’s new pastry chef:
To celebrate its anniversary and thank customers for their support, Le Rêve has celebration activities planned all week, starting tomorrow, Monday, November 12 – the day that marks 2 years – and continuing through Friday, November 16:
So, stop by Le Rêve this week and pass along your congratulations to Andrea and her staff, and join them in the celebration. Best of luck to Le Rêve for many more years on Queen Anne!
Comments OffTags: anniversary, events, Queen Anne Ave N, restaurants
