Post navigation

Prev: (08/22/14) | Next: (08/23/14)

Tour Trove’s treasures — noodles, Korean BBQ, frozen custard, beer — before September opening

Work is in the final stretch at Trove

Work is in the final stretch at Trove

(Images: CHS)

Yang (Images: CHS)

Rachel Yang gave media and neighboring businesses a tour of her new Capitol Hill creation Friday morning. Trove will fill a former costume shop space on E Pike with four interconnected but independent elements — 1) a noodle bar, 2) a beer-focused + volcanic Mt. Rainier be-arted drinking bar, 3) a Korean BBQ, and 4) a walk-up frozen custard window. Molten lava-worthy red walls connect Trove from end to end.

“When I first saw it, I had a little heart attack,” Yang said. “There’s a lot going on.”

The rehabilitated Greenus Building, formerly home to Brocklind’s is in the final stages of being transformed into the third Seattle food and drink project from Yang and her husband and collaborator Seif Chirchi. The couple previously created north-of-the-cut faves Revel and Joule.

The Electric Coffin dudes survey the scene

The Electric Coffin dudes survey the scene

The talent creating Trove comes from within the family with employees like chef Mark Schroder stepping up to also shape the new addition. There are efficiencies across the sections. “All four concepts will be sharing things like restroom, walk-in, storage as well as some of the staffing,” Yang told us in April when we talked with her about the “complex” project she was creating to creatively put to use a bigger-than-expected space.

“At the same time, we are able to give each space a distinct look and feel which makes it a lot of fun,” she said. “It is definitely very densely designed space which makes it some what complicated but again, that’s the fun of it.”

After a few delays and some long waits for permits, Yang said she expects Trove to open in the second week of September.

The building was the longtime home of Brocklind’s before the couple behind the old costume shop decided to retire and sell the auto row building to Capitol Hill developer Hunters Capital. Hunters opted to overhaul the Greenus as it plans an eight-story preservation and development project across the street. An earlier plan for Havana boss Quentin Ertel fell through earlier this year when the entrepreneur decided to pull out of his plans to create a Roman-style trattoria in the building.

Friday, Yang lead a tour of the spaces being prepared for the “four unique integrated concepts.”

  • Trove is built on the noodle, Yang says. “Noodles are the one thing that is going to ground us,” she said. The noodle bar will greet passersby with flaming woks and expected buzzing energy of a fast-paced experience that connects with E Pike. Expect lots of Asian flavors and ingredient options as well as traditional Italian pasta shapes also available for you to pair with black bean sauce or steamed clams and the like. The bar will open in time for lunch and should be available for later night diners, seven days a week.
  • Adjacent the entrance, diners seeking sweets will find a walk-up window and ice cream truck stripped down and tricked out by design team Electric Coffin where the frozen custard parfaits will be sold. The soft serve will be featured in three flavors at a time — usually two more traditional varieties and a third more wild option — and served in two-flavor combinations layered with goodies like nuts and candies. The treats will come in mason jars, we’re told. You’ll get your deposit back when you return the jar. Since this is Capitol Hill, maybe you can also bring your own. The window will be open every day from noon to midnight.
  • Past the front, the space opens into the “million dollar red” dining room dedicated to eight grill-top tables and the large Korean BBQ open kitchen. About half the menu will be devoted to small bite plates that don’t require DIY cooking, if you’re not into the work, Yang said. The more traditional Korean BBQ menu will feature non-traditional fine cuts of meat, some surprises, and a rough cut option. You’ll also find small and large portions available. And, for your big BBQ party, there will also be a meat mountain platter ready for you and your best friends to grill. The BBQ dining room will be open for dinner, 5 to 11 PM.
  • Wedged between the super-red dining room and the roaring fires of the noodle bar woks will be Trove’s black and shadowy bar “featuring rare, new, and unusual beer.” Cocktails will also swing toward the beer end of things — they’ve been experimenting with a syrup made out of Rainier beer, of all things. Here you’ll find that “signature” painting of a giant Mt. Rainier… erupting. The painting lights up, too, by the way. Boom.

Prices aren’t yet set but the goal is around a $35 tab per person for a typical visit to Trove for BBQ. Noodles will come in from $10 to $12 and up. The custard will run you something north of $7 for 12 ounces that we think you should share but you can make your own choices because you are a grown human being.

With four sections and multiple menu options, visiting could be daunting but Yang said there will be some trickle across the concepts to let people mix and match to a degree. “We’re experimenting with a noodle window in the bar,” she said. “We want some integration of food and drink. We also want the experiences to stand on their own.”

Come mid-September, Trove will be open at 500 E Pike. Stay tuned for updates.

Yes, Trove is having an ice cream truck installed

Yes, Trove is having an ice cream truck installed

UPDATE: Here’s the installed ice cream truck:

Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
anon
anon
9 years ago

35$ per person for ‘a typical visit’?

trackback

[…] Take a tour of E Pike’s Trove — noodles, Korean BBQ, frozen custard, beer – planning to open in the second week of September. […]

jason.
jason.
9 years ago

sounds pretty ambitious. its been my experience that businesses that spread themselves this thin end up doing 3 things poorly instead of 1 thing really well. hoping for the best.