OPENINGS
45th Stop N Shop Poke Bar
The popular Wallingford family-owned convenience store and poke bar, which enjoys a cult following as one of the first places to get poke in Seattle, has expanded with a second poke bar location in South Lake Union, which soft-opened near Whole Foods earlier this week. The new location is twice the size of the original and retains the same menu, with the addition of edamame kimchi. Beer, wine, sake, and kombucha on tap will also be available to drink.
South Lake Union
Odin Star Sandwiches
This new roving food truck from former Skillet and RockCreek chef Seth Richardson, which debuts today at Space Needle Park in Seattle Center and will travel to various locations, slings sandwiches made with a variety of smoked meats. Menu offerings so far include a porchetta sandwich, a hot fried chicken sandwich, a double cheeseburger, and a smoked beef brisket sandwich, with sides like fried Brussels sprouts and loaded potato wedges with pork belly. The truck will also feature a soft serve ice cream machine with desserts like smoked sea salt caramel sundaes.
Traveling
CLOSURES
Brass Knuckle Bistro
This family-owned sandwich shop from the former head chef and butcher of the Swinery announced via Facebook that it will close up shop after April 27 and will be updating their menu as they sell out of ingredients. In the post, chef Case Justham said that closing was not an easy decision but was the best choice given "some very sudden change in [his] personal circumstances." However, he noted that he will continue to participate in the local food scene with pop-ups and is in the process of putting together a cookbook with his recipes that will be available on Amazon. He also wrote, "We've got a great buyer taking over, an iconic local spot that will be a perfect fit for the neighborhood, that I'm sure everyone will be extremely excited about. I'll let them introduce themselves with their own announcement, but it's not a secret if you come in and ask!"
White Center
Ludi's
The downtown diner, known for its unique mix of American breakfast classics and Filipino favorites like lumpia and bright purple ube pancakes with coconut sauce, plans to close its current location when its 17-year lease expires at the end of August. Owner Gregorio Rosas is currently looking to relocate but is uncertain whether he will be able to secure a new space with affordable rent.
Downtown
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Cocktail bar coming to Sunset Hill
Bartender Brian Claudio Smith's new cocktail and natural wine bar Baker's will open across the street from Ristorante Picolinos in Sunset Hill on April 29. Seattle chef Matt Janke of Matt's in the Market and Lecosho is behind the food menu, which will include charcuterie, tartines (including variations with smoked trout and roasted baby beets with goat cheese), salads, oysters, and more. Drinks will include cocktails, natural wine, and local beer.
Joe Chocolate Co. opening soon
A new chocolate factory and espresso bar called Joe Chocolate Co., run by University of Washington graduates Sam Tanner and Peter Keckemet, will open next to Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Pike Place Market in May. Customers will be able to glimpse the factory's production process and purchase Lighthouse Roasters espresso, chocolate beverages, pastries, ice cream sandwiches, and dark chocolate bark (available in 2.5 oz packages or by the pound). The shop will reside in the former space of the cafe Local Color, which Tanner and Keckemet have been running since last spring and closed down earlier this year to prepare for the opening.
The Ruby Brink opening on Vashon Island in May
The Ruby Brink, a combination butcher shop, restaurant, and cocktail bar, will officially open on Vashon Island on May 4. The establishment, which has been in the works for nearly two years, is run by Lauren Garaventa (also known as "Lauren the Butcher"), Rustle Biehn, and Jake Heil and will prominently feature seasonal produce, pasture-raised meat, and house-made pickles and preserves, all sourced from local farms on Vashon. (Previously, Garaventa and Biehn ran the popular pop-up Meat and Noodle Soup Club, while Heil has experience managing the well-respected Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland.) Visitors will also be able to purchase pasture-raised meat to take home.
Jack's BBQ introduces brunch
According to a press release, the South Lake Union location of Texas-style barbecue joint Jack's BBQ, which opened in January, is rolling out a new brunch menu this weekend, which will be available from 10 am until 2 pm every Saturday and Sunday. The hearty offerings include eggs benedict with brisket and jalapeño hollandaise, smoked chicken chilaquiles, chicken fried steak and eggs, jalapeño cheddar biscuits with mesquite sausage gravy, and pecan and banana pancakes. Drinks include a "bacon and eggs" bloody Mary with a pickled egg and beef bacon, a "Texmosa" with smoked orange juice and sparkling wine, Mexican coffee, and the "Morning Paper," a cocktail with gin, St. Germain, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and Prosecco.
Latin bar coming to Pioneer Square
Chicha, a new Latin tavern from the team behind the upscale Latin American taqueria Copal, will open soon in Pioneer Square in the former space of the Little London Plane. Named for a type of Latin American cumbia music, the new bar will feature a range of Latin American beers and a limited menu of bites such as vegetable escabeche and house-made carne seca (dried meat).
EVENTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 19
Pints & Public Lands Film Fest: An Earth Day Celebration
At this Earth Day event, watch the film Run Wild, Run Free, which relates how the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was created. Peddler will donate $1 per pint to Washington Wild's Brewshed Alliance.
APRIL 19-20
Seattle Scotch & Beer Fest
The "region's biggest spring beer festival combining craft beer, Scotch, whiskey, and wine tasting," this two-day event showcases authentic Scotch and Irish whiskey tastings, seminars, and craft beers from West Coast brewers.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20
Brewshed Alliance & Washington Wild Fundraiser
Local organizations the Brewshed Alliance and Washington Wild help preserve watersheds, which also happen to be essential for making beer. At this fundraiser, you can bid on items in a live auction and drink beer delivered to the pub via "non-motorized means" by 33 local breweries. Plus, local jazz mainstay Leif Totusek will provide live music.Â
The Flour Box Pop-Up
Sought-after pop-up The Flour Box will sling its highly Instagrammable doughnuts in flavors like creme brulee, miso butterscotch, matcha lemon cheesecake, and coconut tapioca pudding.
Neon Taco Bell
In keeping with yearly tradition, Monica Dimas's Mexican restaurant will honor the fast-food temple of stoners everywhere by serving up their slightly more sophisticated take on Taco Bell classics like the Crunch Wrap Supreme, the Enchirito, and the Double Decker Supreme. "Garbage People Who Love Wine" will provide tasteful wine pairings to accompany the munchies.
Roark "Hong Kong Galore" Release Party
Roark Revival, a company producing men's clothing, luggage, and trinkets or "artifacts of adventure" inspired by travels from around the world, will launch their new Hong Kong-themed collection with giveaways, a free noodle cart, a happy hour with Tsingtao beer, and a show with photos from their travels.
Seattle Cheese and Meat Festival
This food fest is happening on 4/20, which is either a happy coincidence or telling you something about its organizers. Cured meat. Fromage. You get a charcuterie board and glass upon entry, and more than 50 vendors offer tastes and sips (wine, cider, beer, spirits, and kombucha included). Take a puff somewhere discreet, then spend the afternoon eating your heart out. LEILANI POLK
Spring Winemaker's Dinner
At this spring-themed pop-up, imbibe wines from Rocky Pond Winery paired with a seven-course dinner prepared by chef Aaron Tekulve of Surrell. Winemakers Shane Collins and Jonathan Kaczmarek will be present.
Through the Years: A Time Travel Tasting Menu
Travel through the ages with this 20-course tasting menu, which will impart "important food stories and history" through food.
Waldos' Special Ale Party!
Fans of "dank" beer can get their thrills from Waldos' Special Ale, an herbaceous resinous beer brewed especially with 4/20 in mind. You can also snack on Point Reyes cheese.
Wink Doughnuts Pop-Up
Start off your Saturday with gluten-free, organic, and plant-based doughnuts from Wink, along with hot coffee from Broadcast Coffee Roasters.
APRIL 20-21
Lady M Pop-Up
Lady M is famous for their signature crepe cake: "twenty paper-thin handmade crĂȘpes delicately layered with ethereal, light pastry cream, the top gently caramelized till golden." It also comes in other flavors, like green tea and pistachio mille. Pre-ordered specialty cakes will be available to pick up at this event.
SUNDAY, APRIL 21
6th Annual Pickled Egg Eating Contest
Scarf as many pickled eggs as you can handle and receive a free T-shirt.
addo Themed Brunch (April): Game of Thrones
If you're in a Game of Thrones state of mind this month, you might as well extend your fandom into your most important meal of the day. At this brunch series, you'll taste foods you would find in the different kingdoms of the fantasy series.
Fungi: Foraging and Farming at BFF
Learn how to identify, forage, and farm tasty edible Northwest fungi with "mushroom ambassador" and Stone Soup Gardens owner Jake Harris.
Loxsmith Bagel Bar Mitzvah
The popular 48-hour-fermented, lye-boiled bagel pop-up returns, this time with an all-new menu.
Seattle Magazine Brunch Run 5K
Congratulate yourself on running a 5K by feasting on all-you-can-eat brunch bites from Seattle restaurantsâcomplete with a beer and mimosa gardenâat Seattle Magazine's annual event benefitting Northwest Harvest. There will also be an Easter egg hunt and a visit from the Easter Bunny for kiddos.
MONDAY, APRIL 22
Author Talk: The Food in Jars Kitchen by Marisa McClellan
Cookbook author Marisa McClellan will detail how to make jams, jellies, salsas, and pickles from scratch and use them to enhance your home cooking.
Earth Day: Beer + Cocktail Collab for a Cause
Toast to Mother Earth with a special collaborative drink menu of beer cocktails by Redhook Brewlab and sustainable and organic spirits producer Bluewater Organic Distilling, which donates 1% of their gross bottle sales to the environment through the organization One Percent for the Planet. Bluewater founder and head distiller John Lundin will be present to discuss the business's Earth-friendly values and sustainability practices.
