Just one month after Nucleus hair salon shuttered its doors, a new business is opening up in the same Lower Queen Anne shopfront, and perhaps not surprisingly, it’s a restaurant. Mo’s Sub Co. will be “coming soon” to the space at 621 Queen Anne Ave N., according to the sign in the window, but beyond that little else is known.
There is currently no website or any online information for the business, and no permit applications have come through the city for that address. But whoever “Mo” is, we’re guessing he’s not from around here, considering the misspelling of Queen Anne (sans the last ‘e’) in the sign.
Still, in the current economy, where vacant storefronts have been sitting empty and idle for months at a time before a new retailer moves in (if ever – just look at both of Queen Anne’s former Blockbusters: the Upper location was left empty for almost two years before reopening as Umpqua Bank earlier this month, and the Lower QA location is still hollow from its March closure), it’s surprising to see a business closure turn around into a new opening so quickly. What do you think – is this a sign that things are looking up for Uptown’s business district?
It’s that time of the week again – both the Queen Anne Farmers Market and brand new Interbay Farmers Market have a bunch of food-centric events planned for their respective markets today. Check out the highlights below.
At the Queen Anne Farmers Market today:
4 p.m. – Chef Demo with Jon Rowley (in the Chef Tent)
4 p.m. – Live music by Cort Armstrong (in the Music Tent)
4 to 7:30 p.m. – Kids market treasure hunt (at the Info Tent)
Check out recipes from chef demos in prior weeks here.
At the Interbay Farmers Market today:
4 p.m. – Cooking demo with Bastille‘s Chef Jason Stoneburner
As always the Queen Anne Farmers Market will be happening from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at W Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave N. The Interbay Farmers Market will be happening from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Interbay Whole Foods parking lot on 15th Ave.
* Queen Anne Farmers Market FreshBoard image by Maggie Cuevas
4 p.m. – Cooking demonstration with Chef Dan Osser, from Interbay Whole Foods Market’s Meat Department
Also at the market this week: doggies, edible flowers, kimchi and much more.
The Queen Anne Farmers Market will be happening from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at W Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave N. The Interbay Farmers Market will be happening from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Interbay Whole Foods parking lot on 15th Ave.
Photo by Laura Levy, courtesy of the Queen Anne Farmers Market.
In addition the the long list fresh items and vendors available at the market each week, there will be a chef demo with Vuong Loc of Queen Anne’s Portage Restaurant and Madrona’s June at 4 p.m. in the chef tent. From the QAFM website:
Chef Loc moved to Seattle in 2006 after working all over the country from New York to Hawaii. With an approach to cooking that centers on simple preparations with refined craftsmanship and a commitment to sourcing only outstanding product, we can’t wait to see what he prepares after a shopping trip at the market.
At 5 p.m. there will be live music courtesy of vocalist and guitarist Beth Whitney.
As if the live music, chef demos, and all around food-centric festivities at the market weren’t enough, Charley+May owner Lauren Formicola will be holding an After Market Wine Tasting from 6 to 9 p.m. every Thursday at her shop, located at 2225 Queen Anne Ave N, until the end of the Queen Anne Farmers Market season.
Check out more photos from opening day at the Queen Anne Farmers Market Facebook page. For more information on the market and its week-to-week events, check out the new QAFM website.
The new Interbay Farmers Market will be opening today, Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. (during our own Queen Anne Farmers Market from 3 to 7:30 p.m.) in the Whole Foods parking lot on 15th Ave West. Although the market is new to Interbay, which we first reported on last month, the market itself is in its second season – organizers decided to move it from its first home at the Olympic Sculpture Park where it was located last summer to Interbay for following seasons. It will be held at the same time and place every Thursday through October.
Expect lots of vendors and fresh fruits and vegetables at the market opening today, which will feature a cooking demonstration by Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata.
You can get all the latest news about what’s available at the Interbay Farmer’s Market at its website.
The Union Gospel Mission runs a “Search and Rescue” team that goes out into the streets to provide food, clothing, blankets and hygiene supplies to homeless people throughout the city, in addition to offering them a ride to a shelter.
Timothy Tetrault, UGM’s Search and Rescue Coordinator, contacted us to see if we knew of any homeless encampments in our area.
We run Search and Rescue weeknights from roughly 7:30pm-11pm. Hot chocolate, sandwiches, blankets, and socks are the most popular items that we give out when we meet homeless people out on the street, and occasionally we bring back people when they are willing. If the temperature is below freezing we go out every night and try to hit as many neighborhoods as we can.
We don’t know of any homeless encampments in the Queen Anne area, but if any of our readers do, please leave a note in comments so we can forward that information to Union Gospel Mission.
La Luna‘s manager Tony Lopez describes the cuisine as “inspired Mexican food,” or Mexican fusion on the finer side.
The restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch and happy hour, opened on Friday, April 15, and so far the response has been fantastic.
“Reception has been great so far,” Lopez said. “We’ve had tons of neighborhood people coming in.”
While the inside of the restaurant hasn’t changed much, La Luna did add a few flat screen TVs and a number of ‘fire tables’ (yes, you read that right) for festive indoor and outdoor seating.
La Luna is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. and most items range from $6 to $12 in price. Currently there are two happy hour times, though Lopez says these may change as the restaurant settles into a regular schedule. For the time being patrons can get $1 off well drinks and the bar menu from 5 to 6 p.m. daily, and $2 off from 3 to 5 p.m.
To find out more about La Luna, check out their website, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
The “luxury pastry boutique” celebrated its soft opening on Sunday, April 10, the 4th birthday of owners Daisuke and Tomoyo Miura’s son Lion, after whom the shop is named.
While visiting Seattle on business trip last summer, Daisuke and Tomoyo fell in love with the area, and an idea for a brand new business. They quickly wrapped up loose ends and made plans to move from San Diego to the Pacific Northwest, deciding to both live and open their new business here in Queen Anne.
“The town is really compact and the city has that European style,” Daisuke said. “When we came is was summer time, so we didn’t know it rains this much.”
Still, rain or not, for Tomoyo Seattle was the ideal place to open a French pastry cafe with a unique twist – one that combines traditional French pastries with flavors and seasonings inspired by the couple’s Japanese heritage. And so the concept behind Cafe de Lion was born.
Tomoyo, who studied French pastry making while living in France, started creating delectable sweets for special orders and catered events back in 2007, around the time Lion was born. At the time she was inspired to make sweets that were healthy for Lion to eat, and her recipes blossomed from there.
Everything on the menu – from the pastries, to the sandwiches, quiche, macaroons, chocolates, jams (fruit combinations mixed with milk caramel, vanilla or chocolate), gummy sweets, and coffee – is made from all natural ingredients, and organic when available. And despite the deceptively bright colors of some of the treats, Tomoyo says there is no food coloring in her pastries. Instead she artistically colors her creations with natural strawberry, raspberry and blueberry powders.
And while there’s no shortage of caffeine options in Seattle, or here on the hill for that matter, Cafe de Lion has an interesting take on coffee as well. In addition to offering a variety of coffee and tea drinks, the shop also makes what Daisuke referred to as traditional Japanese iced coffee, which requires overnight preparation, each concentrated drop slowly making its way through an elaborate brewing contraption over the course of an eight hour period.
“Japanese coffee houses, they all have this,” he said. “I wanted to bring that Japanese style to Seattle, the coffee town.”
Though Cafe de Lion’s website won’t have the menu listed for a few weeks, you can check out some of the sweet treats from the case on the cafe’s Facebook page. (Follow them on Twitter here).
In the meantime, Daisuke and Tomoyo say they are excited to become part of the neighborhood, as residents and business owners. And the reception so far has been wonderful.
“This is just a start for us. We want to be loved by the neighborhood,” Daisuke said. “Our goal is to be just like a neighbor–somebody in the corner house cooked something really good and wants to share it with the neighbors.”
Seattle Pacific University food and nutrition students are preparing to launch a brand new community kitchen, offering monthly programs to train students and help limited-income individuals learn about how to make healthy meals on a budget. Student volunteers gathered last Wednesday for a training session for the program, which will open its doors to the public this week.
Beginning this Wednesday, April 13, the community kitchen will educate participants on cooking, working from recipes and preparing nutritious and inexpensive food in a group workshop held one Wednesday per month. The cost to attend is $10, which includes between 10 and 12 servings of food per individual that participants can take home with them at the end of the class.
“We’re all very excited about it,” said Associate Professor of Nutrition Daniela Geleva, who initiated the program and has been involved in the larger community kitchen movement in Seattle for the last few years. “I’ve gotten a lot of support from colleagues and students.”
The idea for the community kitchen sprung from Geleva after the renovation of a space in the basement of Peterson Hall into a five-kitchen cooking lab last summer. Anxious to share the space with the community, Geleva said she applied for and received a $2,563 grant last November from the SERVE program that funds projects that help students explore their vocations.
“I wanted to allow our own students to utilize their skills they learn in the classroom in real life, by not just practicing but also sharing those skills with other people and serving other people,” said Geleva.
Community kitchens began in Peru to address poverty and food shortages in the 1960s, according to the Community Kitchens Northwest website. It spread to other countries, in particular Canada where thousands of these kitchens exist today. They began popping up in Seattle in 2007, and now SPU’s will mark the 12th in the area. Central Washington University in Ellensburg is planning on opening its own community kitchen program beginning in August, said Geleva.
“College campuses are the perfect place for this,” said Geleva.
Community kitchens can serve a range of interests, she says. Individuals can use the program to not only save money on food, but to learn how to make nutritious, inexpensive meals. The more important aspect, according to Geleva, is building a sense of community.
The extracurricular program is composed of 12 food and nutritional sciences undergraduate volunteers. Two students were chosen as coordinators, who are paid for the extra amount of work and planning they do.
“Our students are excited about the idea and want to use their time to serve the community,” said Geleva.
Geleva has been working with the local food bank, low-income housing buildings and community centers to get the word out, and she is also reaching out to SPU students with financial needs. A flyer on the program can be seen here.
She hopes that the program can be self-sustaining in the future, relying not on grant money but on partnerships with food producers, donations, food not sold at farmers markets, the SPU community garden and fundraising. Geleva also hopes that down the line the program will be able to either add additional nights a month or increase the capacity of 16 individuals per night.
To sign up or for questions about the program, you can contact Geleva at dgeleva@spu.edu.
The project is not only inspired by Wilson’s strong culinary ties to the Queen Anne neighborhood, but the topography of the hill as well.
“From March 22 to May 15, the Couscous Caravan will be hitting the streets of Seattle and serving up free tastes of dishes made with Near East Couscous and local ingredients, including a Couscous Chicken Crunch developed by Chef Wilson and inspired by how Queen Anne Hill looks from a distance – layered. The dish’s layers of pears, apples and romaine are reminiscent of the neighborhood’s unique and compelling stacked architecture and the steep hill they call home,” writes communications representative Elise Abbott.
The Caravan, which is being run by couscous brand Near East, will be dishing up its eats at the Whole Foods in Interbay (at 2001 15th Ave W) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 26. To find out where the Couscous Caravan will be each week, follow @NearEastDish on Twitter or go to the Notes tab on Near East Dish’s Facebook page. See the current schedule here.
The Couscous Caravan will also be doing a couscous donation program to help fight hunger in Washington state. Details below:
In addition to free samples of couscous dishes, the Couscous Caravan will be giving out free recipe booklets and coupons, as well as free “I <3 Couscous” t-shirts at select stops.
From March 15 to May 15, readers can also help fight hunger in Washington through Twitter and Facebook – for every tweet @NearEastDish with #CouscousCaravan, Near East will donate one box of couscous to the Northwest Harvest hunger relief agency.
Even better, Near East will also double the donation to two boxes for each photo posted to Twitter or Facebook (up to 10,000 boxes).
To trigger a donation of two boxes of couscous, each photo posted to Twitter must include @NearEastDish and #CouscousCaravan. For photos posted to Facebook, users must first “like” Near East Dish on Facebook and tag Near East Dish in the photo.
Want to learn more about the Couscous Caravan? Check out this behind the scenes video:
Just two and a half months after opening a second location in Green Lake, the owners of Cafe Bonjour, located at 1629 Queen Anne Ave N, have sold the Queen Anne store and consolidated into the second location.
Bonjour owner Michelle Zhang says that the cafe finished moving out on March 1. However, rather than leaving another empty storefront on Queen Anne Avenue in its wake, Cafe Bonjour will soon be replaced by a new eatery, Cafe de Lion.
Zhang says it was struggle to manage both cafes, and she is happy to be passing the reigns along to a new owner with a fresh vision for the site.
“It is too much work to run two cafes, taking too much time out of my life. And the new owners walked in and think it is the perfect location and size for their concept,” Zhang wrote Queen Anne View. “I will really miss Queen Anne too, and all the great friends I had.”
Cafe Bonjour will continue to serve up its signature crepes and home made Hungarian goulash at its Green Lake location, located at 7119 Woodlawn Ave NE.
We’ve reached out to the new owners with Cafe de Lion, and will update you about what to expect from the new cafe (and when they plan to open) soon.
No matter what Canlis seems to consistently make it on the list for the annual James Beard Foundation Awards–in not just one category, but two. The JBF, a non-profit, honors the best cuisine nationwide “To celebrate, preserve, and nurture America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence.”
Other Seattle restaurants on the semifinalist list this year include Joule (honoring chefs Seif Chirchi and Rachel Yang in the “Best Chef: Northwest” category), Sitka & Spruce chef Matt Dillon (also up for BCN), and Spring Hill chef Mark Fuller (BCN), Staple & Fancy Mercantile’s Ethan Stowell (BCN), Spinasse’s Jason Stratton (BNC), Staple & Fancy Mercantile (“Best New Restaurant”), Poppy’s Jerry Traunfeld (for “Outstanding Chef”), and Tom Douglas (of Dahlia Bakery, Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Lola, Palace Kitchen, Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie, and Serious Pie for “Outstanding Restaurateur”).
Check out the full lit of semifinalists here (.pdf).
If you’ve walked by Flame on Queen Anne Avenue N recently, you may have noticed the paper covering the windows and the sign on the door directing patrons to Elliott Bay Pizza Co. two doors down.
That’s because the two restaurants have merged, according to an Elliott Bay Pizza Co. employee who spoke to us over the phone this morning.
While the sign on the door at Flame says it is only closed for renovations, adding “Y’all kin get yer got juicy delicious flame broiled burgers next door at Elliott Bay Pizza,” in fact the restaurant changed ownership this week, the Elliott Bay Pizza Co. employee confirmed.
The man who owned both Elliott Bay and Flame decided to consolidate the two restaurants – and their vastly different menus – and sell the Flame location. The renovations inside are on the part of the new owner, he said, adding that he does not know what the new owner plans to do with the restaurant.
A call to the new owner has not yet been returned. In the meantime, most of the original Flame menu (burgers, fries and onion rings, chicken tenders, BBQ sandwiches, and salads) can be found at Elliott Bay Pizza Co. alongside its existing pizzas, pastas, salads, calzones and subs. The only items not available in the new merger are Flame’s tacos and shakes.
And as for the fate of Flame’s old homestead, we’ll keep you posted as we learn more about what will be moving in.
Much like last year, Dick’s Drive-In is celebrating its birthday—its 57th—by offering all Coca-Cola drinks for 10 cents each, at each of its five Seattle-area locations all day on Friday, January 28.
For the sentimental type, the Dick’s chain also put out this memorial slide-show of the restaurant’s history over these last 57 years here in Seattle.
The Lower Queen Anne Dick’s is located at 500 Queen Anne Ave. N. All locations are open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
Homegrown is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily on the hill. Check out the menu here.
In addition to longer hours, Homegrown also introduced a few new seasonal sandwiches made especially for the winter months. Check out more on those new items here.
Cafe Bonjour, that cozy spot nestled in at 1629 Queen Anne Ave N, is expanding, opening a new location in Green Lake soon.
Our sister site, My Green Lake, spoke with owner Michelle Zhang about the new location, which will be much bigger than the Queen Anne spot. She hopes it will feel “like a living room,” with big couches, comfy chairs, and free wifi, Zhang said.
Cafe Bonjour’s Green Lake location, at 7119 Woodlawn Ave NE. Photo courtesy of My Green Lake.
Michelle, who has owned the Queen Anne location for two and half years, says she chose Green Lake as the home for her new location because the neighborhood is one of her favorite in the city. It’s also where her parents live.
She sees the cafe as an opportunity to build community. Although still in the permitting stages, Michelle is looking to hire full- and part-time sandwich artists and baristas who live in the Green Lake area.
“The green lake location will be a much larger scale, complete with a kids play area and story time Wednesdays,” Michelle says.
The Queen Anne cafe offers hot paninis, crepes, weekend brunch, and wine. The Green Lake location will also offer all natural French pastries, and gluten free options, alongside the cafe’s own tea line, Seattle Best Organic Tea, which offers imported organic green tea blended with fresh flowers or fruit.
“Some of our popular items, will be available at both locations, including house made Hungarian goulash soup with dumplings, roasted with avocado panini with fresh bread from Grand Central bakery, and last but not least, garden fresh crepe with spinach, egg, mozzarella cheese, tomato and avocado,” Michelle says.
Popular Seattle mobile eats vendor Marination Mobile will be in Queen Anne today serving up lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Seattle Center, just off 1st Ave N near Republican Street.
Marination’s Hawaiian-Korean fusion bites can be seen on the menu here (and yes there is a dish with spam in it).
For those of your whose mouths have been watering these last three months, we have some exciting news—the Parisian bakery could be opening its doors as soon as next week, on Friday, November 12. That is if everything goes according to plan, the bakery said today. “That’s our target, and we’ll probably hit it,” says a Le Reve employee.
Le Reve will have a seasonal menu filled with pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, pizza, specialties, locally owned Olympia Roasting Co. coffee, and of course, bread. For those sweet tooth cravings, check out their cake and pastry offerings (custom cakes will be available made to order). And like another new local, seasonal Queen Anne Ave addition, Homegrown, Le Reve will also be selling box lunches and pastry packages for on-the-go customers.
The bakery will also be offering in-house events and workshops for kids and adults, including cooking and baking classes, themed birthday parties, date nights, girls’ night out, ArtSmart classes, and Urban Manners workshops.
Homegrown offers sustainable food and serving materials, so that everything is 100 percent compostable and recyclable (everything you don’t eat, that is!).
This location is the local chain’s third, after Fremont and Capitol Hill. When we first spoke with owner Ben Friedman back in September, he said the new shop would be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. But from the looks of the website, the shop is starting out with daytime schedule, open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. We’re checking with Ben on whether he plans to roll out dinner service soon. Update 11:52 am: We just got confirmation from Ben that Homegrown will be extending its hours to include dinner time in the near future. “We’re just doing a staggered start,” he writes. “Dinner should be rolling later this month!”
Homegrown offers meals made with seasonal, local, and sustainable products. Take a look at the menu here. The eatery also offers catering services, and special order tote lunches delivered straight to you Monday through Friday (luckily for fans in Queen Anne, the delivery range covers the hill, Fremont, downtown, Eastlake, and Capitol Hill).
See ratings and reviews of
There is currently no website or any online information for the business, and no permit applications have come through the city for that address. But whoever “Mo” is, we’re guessing he’s not from around here, considering the misspelling of Queen Anne (sans the last ‘e’) in the sign.
At the Queen Anne Farmers Market today:
At the Queen Anne Farmers Market today:
In addition the the long list fresh items and 
The new 
No matter what 
Popular Seattle mobile eats vendor 
