Category Archives: Food & Drink

With sammies and fries, Sunset Fried Chicken makes ‘good partnership’ in Queer/Bar’s kitchen

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(Image: Sunset Fried Chicken)

In the beginning, there were no chicken sandwiches on Capitol Hill.

Then there was Ma’ono at the Rhino Room. But that didn’t last long. Then Sunset Fried Chicken sandwiches rose at 12th Ave’s Rachel Ginger Beer. But Ma’ono came back to the Hill and took over that gig. Now, Sunset is back and Queer/Bar is the happy landing spot.

The spicy chicken sliders from Capitol Hill-centered master of the small space Monica Dimas are now taking over the kitchen at Queer/Bar, the 11th Ave gay bar and — now — fried chicken sammie purveyor. Continue reading →

With I Love Wasabi roots, Migoto Sushi now open on 12th Ave

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(Image: Migoto)

A restaurateur familiar with Capitol Hill’s appetite for sushi has opened a new spot across from Seattle University.

Migoto opened earlier this month with a deep menu of rolls, donburi, noodle soups, and grill specialties. It replaces longtimer Lemongrass, the mid-2000s born Vietnamese joint that managed to hang on even as more modern competition from Ba Bar moved in next door.

The space underwent a modest overhaul and now features a sushi bar setup and cleaned-up exterior. Continue reading →

With OK on long-delayed construction, Elysian set to join Optimism and Redhook in Capitol Hill beer upgrades

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(Image: Elysian Brewing)

A long-delayed and pared back overhaul of the grandaddy of Capitol Hill breweries is finally ready to get underway.

The city has finally issued construction permits for an overhaul of Capitol Hill’s Elysian Brewery that will include a refresh of the E Pike pub and beer production facility first planned as an opportunity to better showcase the brewing operation while making much needed equipment upgrades.

Opened in 1996 as Elysian’s original location, the E Pike brewery and brew pub will see a roster of upgrades ranging from an overhaul of the dining area, to bathroom upgrades, and new brewing equipment. The goal in 2016 when CHS talked to the company about the project was to create a “brewing amphitheater.”

A year earlier, Elysian joined what is called the “craft” wing of Anheuser-Busch InBev when they were purchased by the beer giant in 2015. The move that galvanized their share of market in 13 national markets and expanded it to almost all 50 states.

UPDATE 12/13/18: Elysian has announced full details of the work including a planned closure starting December 23rd through spring to get the work done:

Beginning on December 23rd, Elysian Brewing will temporarily close its doors to facilitate a full update to its Capitol Hill location. The brewery is set to debut the refreshed space in Spring 2019, which will feature an overall modernization of the pub, nodding to the Auto Row origins of the brewery’s location, while preserving the Elysian vibe and sentimental aspects of the original layout. Updates will include all-new brewing equipment and increased capacity, as well as the addition of a large garage door which will allow for outdoor patio seating.

Continue reading →

I drank this on Capitol Hill: Linda’s Old Fashioned

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Joey Atkins, a bartender at Linda’s Tavern, is originally from Cincinnati and has been back in Seattle for three years. When he’s not slinging drinks, he’s playing guitar, riding his skateboard, or watching horror movies.

Atkins’s favorite drink to make at Linda’s is the Old Fashioned. “It’s one of those staple drinks. We don’t do anything fancy, but it’s a good in-between for this place if you want something different, but not too bougie.” Continue reading →

Development follows Twilight Exit to the Central District (but this time the dive bar has years to prepare for it)

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The Twilight Exit’s alley mural (Image: CHS)

Development, once again, is following the Twilight Exit. Fortunately for the E Madison ex-pat dive bar and its E Cherry neighbor the Tana Market, this round of change still has years to play out.

Development “is always in the back of your mind,” Stephan Mollmann tells CHS about the business of building bars outside the Pike/Pine and Broadway core of Central Seattle.

As the Twilight prepares for its 20th birthday next spring and a decade after its move from E Madison to make way for development there, Mollman’s bar is again being prepared for a changing neighborhood. Continue reading →

Bar Cotto has new owner in the year of the deal on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Bar Cotto)

In a year of transactions in Capitol Hill food and drink, there is another deal and new start in the neighborhood to report.

Brandon Barnato, a longtime part of the Via Tribunali restaurant family, is branching out on his own after acquiring 15th Ave’s Bar Cotto.

“I’m buying the name and the opportunity,” Barnato tells CHS. Continue reading →

Kin Dee: 21 Thai restaurants around the Hill, but only one in the Madison Valley border zone

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Depending on how you draw the lines, it’s a close race between Thai and Mexican restaurants when it comes measuring which cuisine has the largest presence around Capitol Hill. We count around 21 Thai restaurants within easy walking distance around the Hill with the recent debut of the comedy-infused Bites of Bangkok on 15th Ave E.

But there is only one joint on the border of Capitol Hill and Madison Valley where Kin Dee opened earlier this year as a new take on authentic Thai food. Popular dishes and street food are combined with a new style of presentation curated by chef Bell Wongsupalak and his wife and menu influencer Ira Saejeam. According to Saejeam, “Kin Dee means good food, good quality. In Thai, Kin means ‘eat’ and Dee means ‘good.’ It’s also easy for everyone to remember.”

The couple said the border zone location was the best option after a long search across the Hill. Continue reading →

Scratch Deli — with a butter chicken sandwich and a side of nostalgia — set to say goodbye to Capitol Hill

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(Image: CHS)

It’s time to dust off that obituary you wrote last year for Capitol Hill. Another of the neighborhood’s one of a kind, eclectic, inventive, and slightly worn hangouts is set to fade into history.

Scratch Deli, born six years ago in — we’re not kidding — 12th Ave’s People’s Republic of Koffee — will close later this month.

“I have been with Scratch since the very beginning. And. I. Am. Exhausted,” co-owner Laura Rains tells CHS. Continue reading →

Grab and go at By Tae, secreted away inside Chophouse Row

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By the time this post hits Facebook, you had probably already be hustling through the back alleys of Chophouse Row. The handrolls move fast at By Tae and the lunchtime counter can fill up faster.

Chef Sun Hong’s settled-in pop-up has been open for a few weeks in the small counter space behind Marmite and Spirit in the Bottle in the Pike/Pine food, shopping, and office complex on 11th between Pike and Union. But the don’t-necessarily-call-it sushi chef is still working out a schedule. By Tae is currently open 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM weekdays for lunch, with occasional “drinking hour time” openings at night and weekends still in the works. Continue reading →

We’re calling it ‘Tbilisi grey’ — Dacha Diner ready to open on E Olive Way

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(Image: Dacha Diner)

From matador hot pink to Tbilisi grey — “Tricorn Black,” the owners say — the wedge of a restaurant building in the 1400 block of E Olive Way is nearly complete with its Eastern European transition. It is almost time for Dacha Diner to serve its first “Eastern European cuisine with Jewish fare” breakfasts and lunches.

CHS broke the news in September on the new project from Joe Heffernan, Tom Siegel, and Tora Hennessey as the plan rounded into shape for an Eastern European flavored diner to replace the tacos and tequila of The Saint. “There’s a frugal character to it. The flavors come through with a certain honesty,” Siegel said of the cuisine Dacha Diner is setting out to share. “When it’s done poorly, it’s shameful. But when it’s done properly, there’s nothing like it out there.” Continue reading →