The inaugural Seattle Restaurant Week in April was such a success, another one is planned for October.

Four Queen Anne restaurants were involved in the first week, including Betty, Canlis, Crow, emmer&rye, How to Cook a Wolf, Ponti Seafood Grill, Portage, Ten Mercer, Paragon, and Via Tribunali. This time around, organizers are turning to Seattle residents to find out what restaurants they’d like to see on the list. Offer up suggestions via Twitter (@SeattleRW) or look for them on Facebook. Each restaurant submitted will be contacted to join in the 10-day foodie celebration.

The second Seattle Restaurant Week, from October 17 to 28, will offer the same deals as the first–a $25 three-course dinner menu and optional $15 three-course lunch menu, Sunday through Thursday.

New “seasonally inspired, locally derived” restaurant emmer&rye opened up at the top of the hill back in Jaunary, adding breakfast service to the menu in February and now lunch, which as of today is “officially open.”

They haven’t put the lunch menu up on their website yet, but according to the emmer&rye Twitter account, items will include soups, salads, sandwiches and fresh king salmon.

Also new to emmer&rye: you can now make dinner reservations online through their website, which displays times that still have tables available and walks you through the reservation process.

The 17th Annual Dine Out For Life event is this Thursday, April 29, when 150 restaurants throughout Western Washington will donate 30 percent of each diner’s bill all day to support social services for those with HIV and AIDS. The proceeds will benefit the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, a non-profit organization committed to preventing the spread of HIV and providing advocacy and life support services, including the delivery of fresh meals and groceries to the hungry, for those in the community whose lives are affected by HIV.

“Dining Out For Life is a great way to support the community and have fun, doing something we do everyday. Everyone dines out, so why not dine out and have your meal make a positive difference?” said Lifelong spokesman Trevor DeWitt in a press release last week.

Participating restaurants in Queen Anne include Caffe Vita, Eat Local, Hilltop Ale House, McMenamins, Pasta Bella, Ponti Seafood Grill and Portage. See a full list of participating restaurants citywide here.

Fast food restaurants on Queen Anne and all across Seattle will have to make a big change starting July 1. That’s when an ordinance will require all single-use packaging and food ware to be compostable or recyclable. Restaurants and food service businesses will also have to put up new bins for customers to sort their trash.

Today, Seattle Public Utilities invited Queen Anne View to Safeco Field for a look at how the Seattle Mariners are already implementing the program. All food vendors at the stadium have switched to compostable products and bins have been set up on all levels so fans can sort the trash after they’ve finished eating. Safeco hopes to have a recycling rate of over 70 percent.

“Our beer cup looks like plastic but it’s made of corn. Our knives, forks and spoons look like plastic but they’re also made of corn. They are heat sensitive, so if you have a spoon in a hot food item, it will bend. That’s something fans will have to get used to,” said Scott Jenkins with the Mariners.

Restaurants will face added costs from the new ordinance, and some have pushed back against Seattle Public Utilities. The Washington Restaurant Association says most restaurants in Seattle are interested in using more sustainable practices, but they have questions about cost and customer safety. SPU says many businesses, like Taco Del Mar which made the switch the eco-friendly ware back in 2008, are more than willing to make the change.

“The restaurants are responding really well,” said Dick Lilly from SPU. “It’s a big change so it’s going to take some working out. The products are getting better and less expensive.”

The city’s new composting requirements follow a ban on styrofoam last year. You can read more about the program here.

Zaw artisan pizza, which announced plans for a store in Queen Anne back in February, is opening up its new location at 1635 Queen Anne Ave. N. (on the corner of Queen Anne Ave N. and W Blaine St.) this Saturday, April 10.

The bake-at-home pizza company seems eager to become part of the Queen Anne community. In an email sent out to Zaw’s mailing list this morning, the company wrote, “We’ve already made some great new friends-watch for us at Queen Anne Little League’s opening day on Saturday, April 17th, as we prepare fresh Zaw pizzas, Farmer’s Market style,  in support of the Little League.”

Zaw sells custom bake-at-home pizzas and salads utilizing local, seasonal and organic ingredients, Northwest wines and microbrews, and bake-at-home cookies out of their stores for pickup or delivery. Zaw also offers every pizza with a choice of traditional, whole wheat, or gluten-free crust. The restaurant already has locations in Ballard, South Lake Union and Capitol Hill. All Zaw locations are open from 3 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 3 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Bike delivery is available from 4:30 to 9 p.m. daily. Correction: Zaw’s Queen Anne location will be open at 2 p.m. daily, as opposed to 3 p.m. at its other stores. “We held some kitchen tasting sessions with local residents, and got a lot of feedback that we should open earlier at this store, so we listened!” said Zaw co-owner Greg Waring.

(Thanks to Mark Taylor for the tip!)

In celebration of Washington Wine Month, emmer&rye will be offering all of their wines at half price on Wednesdays through the end of March. In any email sent out yesterday, Chef Seth Caswell wrote,

Yeah, that means that you can get a locally produced Cab Sauv for just $20. Or any of the yummy Oregon, Italian, and French selections. It’s a great opportunity to bring a group of friends and taste wine varietals about which you’ve always been curious.

If you haven’t tried Queen Anne’s newest “seasonally inspired, locally derived” restaurant, you might as well get a little extra wine while you can. There are two more chances to partake in half price wine Wednesdays – tonight, Wednesday, March 24 and next week on Wednesday, March 31.

After months of following the openings of closings of local restaurants in the neighborhood, we’ve finally updated our QueenAnneView Restaurant Guide! Feel free to explore the guide and rate your favorite, or least favorite, QA eateries. Know of a restaurant we’ve missed? Email us at tips@queenanneview.com and we’ll add it! Happy eating in Queen Anne!

Toulouse Petit has just announced its extended happy hour times and menu. After running $5 meals on weekday mornings through January in celebration of its new breakfast service, the New Orleans French Quarter restaurant decided to make what they call the “breakfast happy hour” a permanent fixture, offering almost anything on the menu for $6 between 9 and 11 a.m.

In addition, their two afternoon and evening happy hours, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., have been expanded to include drink specials, over 50 menu items, and the entire dessert menu for $5 or less.

For more info, check out Toulouse Petit’s Facebook page.

Last month neighborhood Italian restaurant Sorrentino had a Sicilian makeover, reopening as Enza, after namesake, owner and chef Enza Sorrentino. Previously only open for dinner service, as of Valentine’s Day, Enza Cucinia Siciliana expanded its hours (they’re now open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily) to accommodate their new in-house Mediterranean creperie.

Enza will offer “authentic Mediterranean crepes” in both the sweet and savory variety from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and have brought in “crepemaster” Lorenzo Baldacci, former owner of a hotel in Corsica and a creperie in Los Angeles, to run the operation. Itching to try one? Check out their savory and sweet crepe menu.

New “seasonally inspired, locally derived” restaurant emmer&rye, after having a “successful opening weekend” last week, according to chef Seth Caswell, will start serving weekend breakfast from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning this week.

A glimpse at the menu includes farro fries, poached egg, wild mushrooms with hollandaise, emmer&rye biscuits, house-made sausage gravy, roasted potatoes and for those with a sweet tooth, vanilla rum french toast with strawberry compote.

emmer&rye will also be introducing a happy hour menu soon. They haven’t finalized the selection yet, but the times will from 4 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight daily.

Read about check Caswell’s vision for the restaurant here.

Three more Queen Anne businesses and organizations have stepped up to help those in need in Haiti. The owners of two neighborhood restaurants – Betty and Crow – have decided to donate ALL of tonight’s proceeds to Doctors Without Borders for Haitian relief. They anticipate a lot of community support, so if you’d like to dine out for a good cause tonight, the owners suggest you make a reservation.

Betty is located at 1507 Queen Anne Ave N. Call (206) 352-3773 to make a reservation. Crow is located at 823 5th Ave. N. Call (206) 823-8800 for reservations. You can check out the menus for both here: Betty & Crow.

If you can’t eat out for Haiti tonight, Coe Elementary, John Hay and McClure Middle School will be hosting a Help for Haiti Rummage Sale in the Coe gym from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 7. You can donate gently used goods to be sold at the rummage sale on from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, February 5 at Coe and Hay, and on Saturday, February 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coe gym, located at 2424 7th Ave W. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the American Red Cross. They also need volunteers and snacks for the bake sale. Details here. Interested parties may contact the following people at each school for more information.

John Hay: Susan Sweeney at susweeney@seattleschools.org and Lynn Baker at lybaker@seattleschools.org:

Coe: Becky Lederman at lederman4@msn.com, Lisa Cole at davidandlisacole@mac.com, and Stacy Lawson at slawson7@gmail.com.

McClure: Margarita Vanegas at mvvanegas@seattleschools.org.

General  Information: Lindsay Foody at honeyfoody@yahoo.com, and Mimi Gan at mimigan@msn.com or (206) 390-2312.

For other restaurants donating proceeds to Haiti around town, click here. And if you have a sweet tooth, specifically for organic, fair trade, local chocolate, then buy one of these two Theo chocolate bars – the local chocolate maker will be donating 100 percent of the sales of their two most popular bars to help bring fresh water to Haiti earthquake victims. Read the full story at sister-site Fremont Universe.

Julia’s on Queen Anne Ave N is closing, and soon to be in its place is the new emmer&rye from chef and owner Seth Caswell, formerly the chef at Stumbling Goat Bistro, set to open next month. I was planning to wait to post this until the manager from Julia’s returned my phone call, but as of this weekend it appears the news is out. Julia’s will be closing its Queen Anne location on Wednesday, January 20, though there are no current plans to close any of their other area locations in Capitol Hill, Wallingford and Issaquah. The seasonally and locally focused emmer&rye hopes to open on Monday, February 1.

I had the opportunity to chat with Caswell last week about his hopes for the new restaurant.

“For those that followed me in the past and ate my food, know that I’m a huge proponent for supporting local agriculture,” said Caswell, who serves on a number of local nonprofit boards that work to network farms and chefs, including the Seattle Chefs Collaborative, of which he is the president. “With that I’ve developed my tag-line for the restaurant, which is the food is ’seasonally inspired, locally derived.’ And that kind of defines the cuisine.”

The name, emmer&rye, is an homage to local farms, like Bluebird Grain Farms in Winthrop, Washington, that grows both organic grains. Rye is also a nod to the rising cocktail culture – In addition to offering organic, locally-grown, season dishes, emmer&rye will serve 15 different kinds of rye whiskey.

“In my world, the cuisine is seasonal. Some people call that new American cuisine, but my style of cooking draws on lots of different culture,” Caswell said. “What’s available dictates the menu.”

Although Caswell says the experience won’t be “upscale,” it will “fine dining.”. He’s extended the menu from that at Stumbling Goat, where the small kitchen meant there was only space for five entrees and five appetizers. The 100-year-old Victorian house currently home to Julia’s has a much larger set up that will allow Caswell to offer around eight entrees and appetizers each in sizes that “will encourage sharing.”

“A table of four could ostensibly go and order off the whole menu and have a variety of different tastes and try different dishes for a reasonable amount of money – we’re looking at a $35 check average,” he said.

And although Julia’s will no longer be on the hill, Caswell says they will be retaining some of the staff, including manager Dina, while the rest will have the option to transfer to one of Julia’s other locations or move on. “It’s not like we’re putting people on the street after the holidays,” he said.

In the meantime, Caswell is excited to open up in Queen Anne, a neighborhood he thinks will nurture his locally grown ambitions well.

“I anticipate a lot – I mean a lot – of interaction with the Queen Anne Farmers Market,” he said. “I am what they call a farmers market junkie. I go to markets all over and i love to talk to the farmers…being just a block away from the Queen Anne Farmers Market is just a real, real treat for me.”

Caswell plans on opening emmer&rye in phases, marked by the floors of the building. The first floor and main dining area will open first, seating 70 with full restaurant and drink service, but no bar. The second phase will see the opening of the bar, deck, patio and upper level seating in the summer. The top level of the building, which could seat 80-100, Caswell hopes to use for special events and private dining in the future. Once the main a la carte restaurant is up and running, he may even use this space to resume his Tuesday Night Dinner series.

“Given that there’s the availability in the house, I will still offer small dinners either on request or with set menus for people to do in groups of anywhere from ten to twenty,” he said. But for now his first priority is opening a community restaurant with a local vision. “Opening a neighborhood joint is important to me. It’s something you can tailor more specifically to what the people are looking for and i know that with dining trends people are eating healthier, whole foods – not the store – but healthier, more unaltered foods.”

You can check out Caswell’s sample menu here. One of his favorite vegetables happens to be my namesake – chard – a dish he’s promised me will be on the menu.

Sorrentino, the Italian eatery and pizzeria located at the top of the hill at 2128 Queen Anne Ave N., announced yesterday that it will be reopening this Thursday, January 7 under a new name, Enza, going back to the Sicilian roots of owner, chef and namesake Enza Sorrentino.

In addition to a redecorated interior and a piano that will bring live music on Friday and Saturday nights, Enza will have an all new (and more affordable) Sicilian menu that will change every three weeks, giving diners a choice between four pasta dishes (ranging from $10 to $12), two entrees ($13 to $15), and one soup ($4 to $7). There will also be an appetizer table at the center of the restaurant, rotating continually changing options for a set price of $10, and a dessert cart ranging from $5 to $7 that will change daily.

“Diners can also enjoy a complimentary Palermitan street food specialty called panelle, which is a Sicilian fritter made with chickpeas and cooked fresh. Those with a sweet tooth will receive a free hot chocolate at the end of their meal,” according to a press release sent out yesterday.

“Mamma Enza” is chef at three other family restaurants, la Vita è Bella, Mondello Ristorante, and la Mondellina, where she teaches cooking classes twice a week. No word yet on why she decided to change the format of Sorrentino, but with the economy taking other casualties on the hill recently – including the late Opal Bistro just a few doors down – it’s likely these concerns factored into the decision-making process.

Today is Dish Up Literacy! day, which means you can make a donation to a non-profit organization that works to increase and develop literacy programs for children by simply going out to eat!

In Queen Anne, Julia’s, Ten Mercer and The Signature will all be donating a percentage of their sales to Dish Up all day today, so if if you have a craving for good food or are simply not in the mood to cook, here’s a great reason to go out.

The program, organized by Page Ahead, will provide new books and workshops for children and their families. Read the full story here, or check out other participating restaurants around town.

(Thanks to Susan Waller for the graphic!)

Kaosamai is a cute little Thai restaurant in Fremont that has received many awards and numerous raves and rating. And they just happens to have two mobile take-out trucks that park on opposite sides of Queen Anne hill every weekday.

After hearing good things, I stopped by the Nickerson location (it parks at the Shell mini mart at 3 West Nickerson) to try the cuisine, and was thoroughly impressed with the takeout offerings (I got a combo with pad thai, red curry and spring rolls – yum!)

The other truck is parked at the Center for Wooden Boats at 1010 Valley Street. Both trucks are staked out around the hill Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.They are also available for private catering. Check their website for more info.

We’re putting together a list of Queen Anne restaurants, and we’ve posted the first 20 or so, with more to come over the next few days. Feel free to post ratings and reviews of your favorites.

Laredos Grill opens today in the space formerly occupied by Veil on the corner of Aloha and Taylor.

Owner Jose Betancourt created the menu with business partner Dave Brownell (who also owns The Ballroom in Fremont and Talarico’s in West Seattle).  Jose describes their Northern Mexican food as “cowboy-like” – very rustic and mesquite-grilled – not Tex-Mex.  He claims Carne Asada as their specialty.  Glancing at the menu, prices seem very affordable.  Platos Grandes entrees start at $8.50 and go up to $12.95.

For now, they’re only open for dinner starting at 4pm.  Beginning the third week of August they’ll offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.  Happy Hour is from 4-6pm Monday through Friday where food will be half off (no drink deals).  If you give Laredos a try, let us know what you think in the comments below… 

From West Africa to the French Quarter, two new restaurants with very different menus have plans to open within blocks of each other on Lower Queen Anne later this summer. 

Transformation is still taking place, but KwaTay will serve up authentic Ghanaian cuisine, including tilapia and palm nut soup, and feature live reggae and African music. Located in the former Mainstage Comedy and Music Club at 315 1st Ave N (across from Key Arena), KwaTay Restaurant & Lounge will have a grand opening on August 8.

And from the owner of Peso’s comes Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge, opening on the corner of Mercer and Queen Anne Ave. (right next door to Peso’s). Not to be dubbed Peso’s II, Toulouse Petit will offer an ambiance and menu inspired by the French Quarter in New Orleans.  Construction is currently underway on its big open dining room and beautiful handmade tables.  Opening is set for Labor Day. Check back for updates on both restaurants.

A couple of Queen Anne’s favorite hangouts were featured Sunday on “Rachael’s Travels” on the Food Network. The 30-minute episode on Seattle opens with Rachael Ray walking through Lower Queen Anne to Easy Street Records. After picking up a couple albums, she heads to the 5 Spot, where they duck into the kitchen to watch some of dishes being made.

Later in the episode, she heads to Ballard, pictured above at Volterra restaurant. We checked the Food Network’s website and couldn’t find a replay of the show — we’ll let you know if we find it posted online.

(PS. Rachael needs to brush up on her Seattle homework. She called Queen Anne Seattle’s highest hill — High Point in West Seattle is officially the highest — and she referred to that lake to the east as “Union Lake.”)