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Sounds like a fun time at the Eastlake Zoo Thursday evening from 5 to 7 p.m.: Mike Barbano, the Eastlake t-shirt guy, will be screen printing shirts at the Zoo. And, at the same time, Christina Choi, owner/chef at Nettletown (which is diagonally across Eastlake from the Zoo), will be handing out free samples of her tasty sandwiches. Yum! Barbano screened shirts at the Zoo in April. He runs Oxford Screen Printing out of his Eastlake home and his shirt designs are said to be very popular. Rumored is a possible sandwich eating contest at the Zoo involving Choi's sandwiches and local business folks as competitors. No word on a date or time but we'll let you know when we hear something. There's news about liquor licenses at two Eastlake restaurants:
I haven't had a chance to stop by, but both Nancy Leson from the Seattle Times and Jason Sheehan at the Weekly report that Eastlake's newest restaurant, Tamura Sushi Kappo, has opened at 2968 Eastlake Ave. E. (in the Ruby Condos building, across from the Eastlake Bar and Grill). Chef Taichi Kitamura owned Chiso and Kappo in Fremont before moving to Eastlake. The restaurant opened this past Sunday. Leson had a $60 tasting menu at the new Eastlake restaurant and concluded: "Dinner was delightful, as was the company on both sides of the sushi bar." Patrons at the restaurant can either order omakase, where the chef decides what you'll be eating, or pick and choose. Sounds delicious! 
Nancy Leson has the scoop on her All You Can Eat blog on the Seattle Times' website: Tako Truk creators chef Cormac Mahoney and his business partner Bryan Jarr are taking a restaurant space in Madison Park. Alas: Mahoney says it won't be Tako Truk. Leson quotes Jarr:
The restaurant will be called the Madison Park Conservatory, Leson says, and will occupy space that, until recently, was the home of Sostanza. Jarr tells Leson the deal is "close-close" and they are probably a couple of months out from opening. Too bad there wasn't a space in Eastlake for Mahoney and Jarr but we wish them well ... and we'll be coming to eat! Read more of Leson's column here. Seattle Magazine also has a short item here. Our previous posts about Tako Truk are here. News from Cicchetti: On Tuesday, they'll be starting a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. The restaurant and bar, located behind Serafina at 121 E. Boston, features small Italian plates and hand-made cocktails. They've added several new items to their menu, including Corona bean salad with white Spanish anchovies; spicy beef jerky with Romaine leaves, lemon-cumin dressing and quince molasses; baked figs, goat cheese, arugula and 12-year balsamic; and many more. They also turned on their new air conditioning today, so it's cool inside. Perfect timing! UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Information from Kristos Eastlake has been added. Two short items from Eastlake restaurants:
Forget the sacked lunch and try out Eastlake's latest lunchtime hot spot located behind the Silver Cloud Inn—Kaosami's Thai Truck. Best known as one of the best Thai restaurants in Fremont. Their orange mobile copy serves up the same fantastic food and service as their original location. In 2008 it was rated the #1 street food vendor in Seattle by Restaurant Magazine. Kaosami's Thai Truck can be found every weekday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at 1150 Eastlake Ave E. They have a short menu with many Thai favorites including Phad Thai, Panang Curry, Tom Yum, and Phad Kee Mow. The food is also excellently priced, ranging from $6-8 a dish. Fast, cheap, and delicious. Kaosami’s Thai Truck is a welcome addition to the Eastlake lunch scene. Providence Cicero reviews Eastlake's Ravish in Friday's Seattle Times and she likes it. This despite a major kitchen meltdown the week before (chef called in sick, backup didn't prep enough food). On her second visit, all was well and she says: "Everything I had that night was well executed."
Says Cicero:
Read more of Cicero's review here. Ravish is at 2956 Eastlake Ave. E. UPDATE: I've added a link to the Seattle Times' list of what's open around the city. Nettletown is cooking in the 2200 block of Minor, not at the street party. There is no street party this year. Also added that Subway and Eastlake Teriyaki are open. With all the people coming to see the fireworks, Eastlake can get pretty busy on the Fourth of July. (SDOT estimates as many as 50,000 are expected at Gas Works and another 50,000 perched other places they can see the fireworks.) Getting in and out of the neighborhood can be difficult if you need supplies. Good news! Lots of local businesses are open so you can get what you need (everything from food to a video rental) right in the neighborhood. The list of what’s open and when is below. If I missed your business, add it to the comments and I’ll put you in the list. Or e-mail me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net. FOOD AND DRINK
News from Nettletown, Christina Choi's wild food restaurant at Eastlake and Lynn:
Alcena Plum, owner of Louisa's Cafe Bakery, made it official with an e-mail today: She's taking over as executive chef of her Eastlake restaurant. She says in her e-mail:
Plum was already in the kitchen in her white chef's jacket last week when the Eastlake Merchants Association had their after-work meet-up there. She says in her e-mail that she'll be experimenting this summer, focusing on classic comfort foods and fresh, local meat and produce. She'll also be featuring a $20 prix fixe menu every night during July. Louisa's now serves dinner every night of the week except Sunday. And more news from Louisa's: They got their liquor license. You'll now be able to enjoy a Bloody Mary at brunch, Alcena says, or a martini at dinner. She notes that they won't be turning in to an over-21 lounge. Seattle Met reports that Sushi Kappo Tamura, the new sushi restaurant in the Ruby Condos building, will be open on July 2. Sushi Kappo Tamura is the new venue for sushi chef Taichi Kitamura, formerly of Kappo in Fremont. At Kappo, the menu was omakase (chef's choice), which apparently will be the way the new Eastlake restaurant will operate. The new place will have 50 seats, Seattle Met reports. Seattle Met notes that, with the new restaurants opening here, "Eastlake is scoring major points as a dining destination." Read more of Seattle Met's article here. UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. More information about events at Eastlake Bar and Grill has been added. The World Cup competition begins in South Africa on Friday and soccer fanatics are looking for places to go out and watch the games, which will be on TV here in the early morning hours. At least two Eastlake restaurants will be open for the matches: Kristos Eastlake and the Eastlake Bar and Grill. If you go to Kristos, 3218 Eastlake Ave. E., you'd better be rooting for Greece. Nikos Leontis, events manager at Kristos, is Greek; the restaurant serves Greek food; and Leontis expects the place will be filled with cheering Greeks when the national team takes the field against South Korea at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. "All Greeks are crazy for soccer," Leontis says. Leontis says they'll close at 2 a.m., then reopen at 4 a.m. in time for the start of the game. They can't serve liquor at 4 a.m. (state law forbids it between 2 and 6 a.m.) but they will have Greek music,...
Hard to believe but the Zoo has been a fixture in the Eastlake neighborhood for 36 years. They’ll be celebrating at the Zoo this coming Saturday, May 15, with specials and a potluck:
Happy birthday, Zoo! 
UPDATE: This post has been updated since it was first published. Information from MOHAI and Red Robin has been added. The Eastlake Red Robin, the chain's first restaurant, closed Sunday night, the victim of a space that no longer fit the company's needs. But, what about the sign on top of the building, the sign that announced that this was "The Original Red Robin: Founded 1943?" It's gone from the building, removed shortly after the closing. What next for the sign? Anne Marie Kriedler, who owns the building and the sign, called tonight to say that she is offering to donate the sign to the Museum of History and Industry. And she says she has the blessing of Gerry Kingen, the man who launched Red Robin in its way to the big time, and Red Robin's corporate headquarters. "This sign is part of Seattle history," Kriedler says. "I'll donate it to MOHAI if they want it. I think it's appropriate for it to go to MOHAI." It seems likely MOHAI will want the sign. Their collection already includes other iconic Seattle signs, including the Rainier Beer neon "R," the Kidd Valley burger babe and the Seattle P-I's first neon sign. A MOHAI spokesperson said the museum is talking to Kriedler and Red Robin about any items that might be suitable for its collection. Jamie Winter, Red Robin spokesperson, said in an e-mail: "No decisions have yet been made on what we are going to do with signage, or other items at the restaurant, that are property of Red Robin." 
They're down to the last few hours at the Eastlake Red Robin, the chain's original location. The restaurant closes tonight for the last time. Staff at the restaurant at Eastlake E. and Fuhrman E. say that after several very busy weeks since the closure was announced, it's been quieter today. I was there around 4:45 p.m. and you wouldn't have had a problem getting a table. That situation may not hold as the closing at 10 p.m. gets closer tonight. One staff member said people have been calling, asking about getting in for one last meal. The staff will get together one last time after they close up tonight and go out to mark the event. Many of them will be transferred to other Red Robins in the area. Anne Marie Kriedler, the building's owner, said yesterday that she's negotiating with a new operator to take over the space and possibly run it as a sports bar. No deal has been signed, however. The Red Robin has occupied the builiding, which was built in 1916, since 1969. Red Robin said the building needed a big...
This is it: your last chance to dine at the original Red Robin on Eastlake Ave. The chain's first restaurant, located at Eastlake and Fuhrman, is closing on Sunday. Red Robin is closing their Eastlake outlet because the building is old (it was built in 1916) and would require too much investment to make it meet the company's needs. The lease on the building is up on April. General Manager Jessi Klein says it will be business as usual on Sunday, but it hasn't exactly been business as usual since the closure was announced.
"Sales doubled," she says. Lots of people have been coming in for their last chance to dine at the original Red Robin. I've heard reports of people lining up to get in for one last meal. "The coolest stuff has been people driving in and flying in from out of state," she says. "They're telling cool stories and meeting their friends." Red Robin has been asking people to send their memories of the restaurant to universitymemories@redrobin.com. Klein says she believes the company will be putting those memories online at some point. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. What's next for the space? Anne Marie Kriedler, who owns the building (she's also an investor in Montlake Plaza and Zesto's in Ballard), says they are currently negotiating with someone to open a sports bar there. "It will be pretty much the same as it is now," she says. The furnishings will stay much as they are now, she adds, but there will be additions to the menu, such as salmon salad. "It will have the same atmosphere. The food will be what the community is used to." The new operators will be making improvements in the building, she says, including adding bike racks out front. There's a lot of deferred maintenance that needs to be done, she says, adding that Red Robin didn't keep up the building the way she thought they would. "I want to get someone in there with high standards and good food," Kriedler says. "I want to make sure they're doing to stay there. Also, it has high rent so they'll have to be successful to run it." She says she hopes the new restaurant will be open in two months.
UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Opening hours have been added. The newest Eastlake restaurant, Nettletown, 2238 Eastlake Ave. E. (Sitka & Spruce's old location), opens tomorrow, Tuesday (March 16). Chef/owner Christina Choi says she'll be open 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Dinner will be added later. Choi co-founded Foraged & Found Edibles with Jeremy Faber. The company supplies all kinds of wild ingredients -- think mushrooms to ferns -- to local restaurants. Nettletown will be in a similar vein with wild food, seasonal and local specials, and Asian themes. On March 29, Nettletown will be serving a Spring Foraging Dinner. Choi will be assisted by S&S Chef Matt Dillon in preparing the meal, "a feast to celebrating the emerging foods of the season," according to Nettletown's Web site. Cost is $50 a person. Nettletown's phone number is 206-588-3607. Our previous post about Nettletown is here. 
NOTE: This event took place on Saturday. It's a perfect day for Tako Truk's benefit event to aid Haiti earthquake relief. Not a cloud in the sky and it's nearly 60 degrees out. They're serving up CoCo Piggy and other Tako Truk favorites (the Drunken Boy Soup is particularly good today) at Two Beers Brewery, 4700 Ohio Ave. S., until 6 p.m. You can't miss it. It's the building with all the people and the Tako Truk awning out front. And the people tossing cans of bad beer at a bed of nails. Cost: $20 gets your four tickets. Each is good for two tacos or a beer or a chance at the "bad beer toss" game. The Tako Truk guys -- Cormac, Bryan and Miles and their friends -- are raising money for the Shelterbox charity. Shelterboxes provide food and shelter for up to 10 people. It's a worthy cause and a great day for this event. I'll post a few photos now and more later. The Truk guys will know by next week how much they raised. It will be on their Twitter feed and I'll post here as well. UPDATE: This post has been updated since it was first published. The hours for Nettletown have been added. We have updates on two Eastlake-related restaurant stories: Tako Truk's Haiti benefit and the new Nettletown restaurant:
Are you sad that the Eastlake Red Robin is set to close on March 21? Keith Leeman thinks he can save the venerable restaurant, the original Red Robin location. Leeman has set up a Facebook page, "Don't close the ORIGINAL Red Robin Eastlake." The statement on the page says:
Want to keep the Eastlake Robin open? Go sign up! 
UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. The date of the closure has been corrected. Links to stories by the Seattle Times and SeattlePI.com have been added. Red Robin has announced this morning that it will be closing the chain's location at Eastlake and Fuhrman, the original restaurant in the chain. The restaurant will close March 21. The lease on the building runs out in April. A press release gives the reason for the closure:
Eric Houseman, president and CEO of Red Robin, says the decision to close the original location was "very difficult, but one that we believe is ultimately in the best interest of our team members and guests." The company is now headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Red Robin is asking community members and frequent visitors to send in their memories of the restaurant to universitymemories@redrobin.com or go to the Contact Us part of Red Robin's web site. They'll be randomly selecting one entry each week for the next three weeks and awarding the author a $100 Red Robin gift certificate. Other celebrations of Red Robin's 40 years in the community are being planned, with details to come. History on the Red Robin is available on the company's Web site:
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UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. A link to a Weekly interview with Cormac Mahoney has been added. Tako Truk updated its Web site this afternoon with details of their one-off event on Saturday, March 6. The event, co-sponsored with Two Beers Brewing, will be from "1pmish-6pmish" somewhere in SoDo, the Truk's site says. The Truk site advises watching their Twitter feed for more details. They'll be raising money to send Shelterboxes to Haiti. Shelterbox is an international disaster relief charity that "delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide," according to the charity's Web site. Each Shelterbox "supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless." Each kits costs $1,000 and can be tracked so donors can see where it goes. Oh, and they'll be serving Tako Truk food, of course. Cormac Mahoney, Tako Truk's chef extraordinaire, says they're thinking Coco Piggy, veggie/octopus and the stew. They'll run a scrip system: four tickets for $20. Each ticket will get you two tacos or a beer or a chance to play Bad Beer Toss. Cormac explains:
The prize for winning Bad Beer Toss may be a Tako Truk party at your house. Maybe. Cormac says he's still "mashing numbers on that one." "I'm really impressed with the Shelterbox org and want to send as many of those boxes as possible," Cormac says in an e-mail. "They've been deploying to Peru to help the flood victims there as well. Our inital goal is to send 10 boxes, which would be $10,000, to help 100 people get under shelter and be able to cook and take care of themselves, relatively speaking. I think we can do it." If you think you'll be coming to the event, head to Tako Truk's Web site and click the RSVP link to e-mail them so they can get an idea of how many people might be coming. The Weekly has the first part of an interview with Cormac online today. 
UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Information on Matt Dillon's partnership in Nettletown have been added. Choi is a co-founder of Foraged & Found Edibles. Eastlake native and wild foods guru Christina Choi will be opening a new restaurant in the old Sitka & Spruce location at 2238 Eastlake Ave. E. The restaurant will be called Nettletown and will open by the end of February, Choi says.
Matt Dillon, owner of Sitka & Spruce, is a partner with Choi in the new restaurant. "I will be heading the kitchen and everyday affairs and Matt will be there to egg me on," Choi says on her blog, Nettletown. Choi co-founded Foraged & Found Edibles with Jeremy Faber. The company supplies all kinds of wild ingredients -- think mushrooms to ferns -- to local restaurants. Choi also writes and publishes the Illustrated Wild Foods Recipe Calendar. Nettletown will be in the same vein, Choi says, with lots of wild food and seasonal and local items on the menu. There will be Asian and Pacific Northwest influences. And seafood as well. Choi says the new restaurant will in the style of a cafe with counter service. She'll start with lunch and brunch and add dinner service later, she says. When I stopped by last week, Choi and her boyfriend were hard at work remodeling the old S&S space. "It's taken longer than I would have hoped," she said with a laugh. Choi not only lives in Eastlake now but spent her first five years just blocks from the new restaurant. Pretty cool! Choi has posted about the new venture on her Nettletown blog. The Weekly's Voracious blog has an interview with Choi. And Seattle Magazine has a brief post about the new restaurant. UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. I've added details on the event. Just heard from Cormac: The March 6 thing is a one-off event in collaboration with some friends. He promises more details in a couple of weeks. Our original post:
And from Tako Truk's Facebook site:
I've got an e-mail in to Cormac to see what's up. Could coco piggy be in our future? Our previous Tako Truk coverage is collected here. |
