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.

Queen Anne’s Via Tribunali, located at 317 W Galer, will be giving away free margherita pizzas and selling $3 Peroni Beer to anyone who rides their bike to the restaurant between 5 and 7 p.m. today, Wednesday, May 26, as part of the “5@5″ promotion, offering the cycling deal each week at a different one of Via Trib’s five Seattle locations.

The “5@5″ campaign was put together by Via Tribunali, Caffe Vita, Peroni Beer, The Stranger and the City of Seattle’s Bicycle Program to raise funds of the Seattle biking community. Each week proceeds from the event (i.e. $3 Peroni Beer sales) will go toward a different community bicycling organization. Today it’s the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Trips for Kids program.

Can’t make it to tonight’s event. There are still two more chances to bike your way to free pizza glory:

• Wednesday, June 2, 5-7 p.m.
  Belltown, Bicycle Alliance of Washington
• Wednesday, June 9, 5-7 p.m.
  Fremont 5, The Bikery

Cyclists–both those who bike regularly and those who haven’t dusted off their wheels in awhile–are invited to Via Tribunali to partake in free pizza in return for using pedal power to get to the weekly pick of the popular pie-maker’s five Seattle locations for the next 5 Wednesdays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., starting May 12.

Via Tribunali, in association with Caffe Vita, Peroni Beer, The Stranger and The City of Seattle’s Bicycle Program, present “5@5,” a campaign focused on raising funds for the Seattle biking community.

The restaurant will be giving away free margherita pizzas and selling $3 Peroni Beer to anyone who rides their bike to the Tribunali participating in the program from 5 to 7 p.m. on the given Wednesday. The $3 from beer sales will be donated to the selected biking community partner that week.

Queen Anne’s Via Tribunali outpost, located at 317 W Galer, will be participating on Wednesday, May 26. Luckily, for all you cycling enthusiasts who don’t feel like waiting that long for free pizza, Queen Anne is centrally located and has access to many citywide pedaling paths!

Each week “5@5” will take place at a different Via Tribunali location (the biking community partner for each week is also listed below):

• Wednesday, May 12, 5-7 p.m.
  Georgetown, Bike Works
• Wednesday, May 19, 5-7 p.m.
  Capitol Hill, The Garage Cycling Team
• Wednesday, May 26, 5-7 p.m.
  Queen Anne, Trips for Kids Seattle–a Cascade Bicycle Club Program
• Wednesday, June 2, 5-7 p.m.
  Belltown, Bicycle Alliance of Washington
• Wednesday, June 9, 5-7 p.m.
  Fremont 5, The Bikery

The inaugural Seattle Restaurant Week, described by organizers as “the biggest celebration of dining out that our region has ever experienced,” is kicking off this Sunday, April 18 when 106 of the best restaurants across town will offer 3-course dinners for $25 Sunday-Thursday until Thursday, April 29.

Not surprising, nine Queen Anne restaurants are on that list:

1. Betty Restaurant & Bar
2. Canlis
3. Crow Restaurant & Bar
4. emmer&rye
5. How to Cook a Wolf
6. Portage
7. Ten Mercer
8. Paragon
9. Via Tribunali

“Queen Anne is making a huge showing for Seattle Restaurant Week, drawing people from other neighborhoods and definitely keeping their own neighbors happy,” wrote SRW PR representative Heather Jensvold.

Take a look at the full list of participating restaurants, some of which will be offering $15 3-course lunch specials as well, here (.doc).

Seattle Restaurant Week is a project of the Seattle Restaurant Cooperative, a group of Seattle restaurateurs, and is being sponsored by our news partner, The Seattle Times, alongside many others. More information here.

Seattle restaurateur Michael McConnel, who owns two local chains–Caffe Vita and Via Tribunali (both of which have locations in Queen Anne) and has a hand in a number of other Seattle enterprises–has been charged with assault, hit and run, and DUI by city prosecutors this week after he allegedly crashed into another motorist and proceeded to attack him on the evening of Wednesday, March 31.

QueenAnneView obtained the police report and charging documents detailing the strange series of events that night, first reported by SeattleCrime. According to the SPD report, a car driven by McConnell rear-ended another vehicle at the intersection of Broadway and James Street near Seattle University, while the victim was waiting at a red light at around 6 p.m. on the 31st. According to the report, McConnell refused to exchange information with the victim, who reported smelling alcohol on his breath. The police report also states that McConnell’s lawyer, who arrived at the scene moments later in a separate vehicle, allegedly attempted to cut a deal with the victim, offering him $1,500 for the damages to his car if he agreed not to call the police. McConnell reportedly refused to pay and then walked off, returning a few moments later when he allegedly punched the victim in the chest with both fists. According to the report, McConnell then left on foot, leaving his car behind.

Police caught up with McConnell later that evening at one of his restaurants, arrested him and took him to the East Precinct, where he reportedly refused to take a breathalyzer test. SeattleCrime reports that McConnell has pleaded not guilty on all charges.

Both Caffe Vita and Via Tribunali serve beer and alcohol at several locations. Back in December Caffe Vita applied for a liquor license at its Queen Anne location, at 813 5th Ave N. And last month the Washington State Liquor Control Board approved licenses for both the Queen Anne and Capitol Hill coffee outposts.

However, WSLCB spokeswoman Anne Radford told SeattleCrime that the board may seek cancellation of these licenses should the McConnell receive criminal convictions. McConnell is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, May 3.

(Photo taken from McConnell’s Facebook page).

It seems like every local eatery is hopping on the happy hour bandwagon these days, including two new neighborhood additions to the daily food and drink discount calendar – the Queen Anne location of Via Tribunali and the brand new emmer&rye.

Today Via Tribunali announced their new happy hour times, from 10 p.m. to closing (11 p.m.) daily. The menu includes $5 pizzas, $3 Italian beer and $8 half liters of wine. emmer&rye will be running their happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily. No word yet on what their discounted food and drink menu looks like.

Check out more neighborhood happy hour news here and here.