In one of our most ridiculous fits of irrational exuberance, CHS broke the news that Linda Derschang’s next big project was coming to the sleepy corner of 19th Ave E and E Mercer — one year, five months and 23 days ago.
(Image: Tallulah’s)
In approximately 54 days, Tallulah’s — the first Linda’s joint she has designed and created from the ground up instead of making over another space — will open.
“Oddfellows was the cafe I was dreaming for Pike/Pine,” Derschang said. “Tallulah’s is the cafe I’m dreaming of for my neighborhood.”
Way back when, CHS told you Tallulah’s would bring “a restaurant and bar cut from similar cloth to Derschang’s Smith and Oddfellows but with a lighter, brighter take” to the new four-story mixed-use apartment building now nearly complete and in the process of leasing its units at 19th and Mercer.
Derschang says the original “dreaming” around Tallulah’s will hold mostly true when the restaurant is planned to debut in mid-December just before the holidays.
While conventional wisdom around this part of the Hill that Derschang calls home might hold expectations for a more, um, mature demographic, the longtime nightlife and food and drink entrepreneur said she hasn’t designed Tallulah’s for the elderly set. Named for Linda’s daughter — now a big girl, herself — Derschang says the new “casual neighborhood cafe serving simple, seasonal food” will have the same sense of style — and humor — as her other bars and restaurants but with a lighter take. There’s already an almost uncharacteristically whimsical “Hello” printed in the sidewalk at the restaurant’s door. Perhaps Linda has been hanging out at the The Wandering Goose?
“I want people to walk in, look around and smile — and think, ‘I’m so glad this is in my neighborhood,'” Derschang said.
Tallulah’s was part of the fun at this past weekend’s block party at 19th and Mercer
Visitors to Tallulah’s will have more to enjoy. In the time since breaking the Tallulah’s news last year, an all-star roster of projects has joined the building:
- Hello Robin and Molly Moon’s to join Tallulah’s on Capitol Hill’s 19th Ave E
- Big Capitol Hill names behind Cone and Steiner grocery market project
There’s also another project joining the building we’ll have more about soon. In the meantime, the food and drink offerings already resident in the area include the Kingfish Cafe, Monsoon, Fuel Coffee, the nicest Tully’s on earth and Vios. Not too far south, the return of Dulces Latin Bistro is planned. To the north, the Volunteer Park Cafe is a short walk away.
While not exactly Oddfellows East, the Mallet-built Tallulah’s is planned to have the same cafe feel as the 10th Ave spot. It won’t start with the same hours, however, as Tallulah’s early days will be restricted to dinner and weekend brunch. Hours have yet to be revealed but the project is readying a PR push any minute now. There will be a full bar with Smith-ish, Oddfellows-ish cocktails and, yes, kombucha on tap. A number of folks from “Team Linda” will be joining Tallulah’s, we’re told, so you can also expect a few familiar faces.
Derschang says that despite the shared sensibilities, Tallulah’s and her other creations aren’t sisters.
“More like cousins,” she said. “I sometimes call Tallulah’s Oddfellows in a different outfit.”
You can learn more at aneighborhoodcafe.com.
Capitol Hill food+drink notes
More in Linda’s world: Oddfellows now has classy new fold-up awnings designed to help provide Seattle’s wilting flowers respite from our recent heat-wave summers and coverage on sprinkle-y evenings.- More change on 19th Ave E, if you missed it last week — Monsoon is about to double in size, add a cocktail bar, be an even more amazing neighborhood restaurant. Meanwhile, CHS had to miss out on a press event this week with free food because of “news” — Anyhow, Monsoon is hyping its crab feasts:
Available every Sunday and Monday night, at a killer deal, guests can enjoy a whole two-pound Dungeness crab for $30. In addition to the classic Saigon salt and pepper crab, sibling chefs Eric and Sophie Banh will now offer a Singapore-style yellow curry crab, scallion and ginger crab, and crab in tamarind sauce. As an added bonus on Sunday and Monday nights, guests can enjoy 30% off all bottles of wine from Banh’s award-winning wine list. Reservations are highly recommended, but not required.
- Melrose Market’s cheese monger Sheri LaVigne of Calf & Kid is working on a new project and turning to Kickstarter to raise funding. The good news: cheese bar. The bad: Ballard.
- Early this year, we wrote about changes for the company behind E Pike’s Boom Noodle. Now comes the manifestation of the strategy as Boom’s sibling chain Blue C rises in prominence. We hear that we should expect some more changes at E Pike Boom, too. Meanwhile, the Bellevue Boom is shuttered.
- North Hill Bakery has lost its lease and is closing down at the end of the month. Sad to say goodbye to a long-time part of the neighborhood and best of luck to owner Margaret Rumpeltes who remained diplomatic and positive about the situation when CHS talked to her about the bakery’s fate. New tenants are already lined up but we haven’t nailed everything down yet so let the speculation run rampant — and send us tips.
- Meanwhile, Seattle Magazine says some glossy nice stuff about 15th Ave’s Bakery Nouveau. “Pay special attention to the mousse cakes…”
- Reminder: 2014 will bring Ines Patisserie to the 12th and Union triangle.
- Meanwhile on 15th Ave E, we see the paper trail starting to form for construction permits for the new Dave Meinert-Jason Lajeunesse project to take over the Canterbury.
- Speaking of paperwork, the permit — “Construct interior alterations to add coffee bar to existing restaurant per floor plan” — to overhaul the Capitol Club into the new Bauhaus was applied for and issued in the same day earlier this month. Efficiency! Expect a November opening.
- The Stranger’s Bethany Jean Clement shares the weekly moment that puts the spirit in new Broadway bar Witness:
His first sermon, he explained, had been about fornication (“Because you should do it!”). He’d done another about a woman’s place (anywhere the hell she wants to be). The sermon I witnessed had a somewhat confusing but rousing carpe-diem theme, including a true tale of group sex functioning as allegory. “Do more!” Holcomb exhorted. “There may not be another lifetime!”
- The Volunteer Park Cafe — in the midst of an on-the-fly overhaul — is teaming up with ÜbrLocal — “a new Seattle startup that aims to boost the local food economy” — for a locavore dinner:
Chef Ericka Burke is excited to team up with ÜbrLocal, a new Seattle startup that aims to boost the local food economy, to put on a locally-sourced dinner on Tuesday, October 29, at 6:30pm. ÜbrLocal has recently launched their online marketplace, where local gardeners can swap or sell their produce and consumers can peruse the listings, making it easy for the urban food economy to grow. Burke is thrilled to partner with ÜbrLocal, as she’s long been a proponent of getting your food from as close to home as possible.
“Uber-local” food is defined as anything produced or consumed usually within ten miles of or within city limits. The dinner will feature both uber-local and local foods, as well as beer and wine, from nearby as well. Tickets for the event are $50 and are available at: http://ubrlocalvpc.brownpapertickets.com/. - “Today’s hashtags are #local and #organic and also #artisan. The importance of the cook as craftsperson or artist is now a selling point.” — Jason Stratton, Spinasse/Artusi/Aragona
- CHS without all that irritating “community” and “crime” and “etc.” news? Bookmark the CHS food+drink section.
- Much talk of pumpkin cocktails and beer this particular Halloween season. Example: BottleNeck is planning a “The Calabaza Margarita” for its holiday event on October 26th. More pumpkin beer, etc. talk here. We’re not sold on the idea.
- Watermelon cocktails? CHS approved.
- Crumble & Flake will have TV visitors Wednesday:
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