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I had a chance to stop by Oddfellows this morning and I liked the look of the place (a cross between a French bistro and a schoolhouse) and the food & coffee as well. I had the breakfast panini (sans bacon) and was happy with my choice. They have a few magazines at the cafe, and I browsed through the Seattle Magazine (January 08 issue) looking for their recommendations for Cheap Eats in Capitol Hill. Below is their carnivore-centric list:
Starting January 1, chain restaurants with more than 15 locations nationwide are required to post calories and nutrional info. I took photos of 8 of them on the hill, including Subway, Tully's, Peet's, Pagliacci Pizza, Starbuck's, Taco del Mar, Noah's Bagels, and Domino's. The only one in non-compliance was Domino's pizza on Broadway. After waiting for 10 minutes for the clerk to get off the phone, he said he didn't know about the rule, and didn't even have nutritional pamphlets. The friendly guys at Peet's Coffee said people were doing this: "I'll have a Caramel... wait, is that the calories?!?!?! Okay, make it non-fat, sugar-free, and hold the whip." At Pagliacci Pizza, a cheerful clerk said that half the people don't even want to look at the calories. My Awards: Most legible: Subway 
The Oddfellows Cafe + Bar feels like something special from the moment you arrive. The exterior has a cozy European vibe, and the spacious interior makes you feel like you’ve arrived at your favorite cafe, with old brick, exposed beams, and rustic hardwood floors. The menu is printed on a large sign on the wall (and I hope this doesn’t make them reluctant to change it). The large windows are good for reading and people watching. The unusual tables in the center looked like little plastic picnic tables at first, but I’m pretty sure they were painted wood. They weren’t very popular while I was there for lunch, but I suspect they will be more popular for late night drinks. Old-timey details, like an antique typewriter, old black and white photos, Mary Jane candy, and a rustic flag, make it look like it’s been around forever. The antique Oddfellows sign shows that someone really cares about this place. My hot tea arrived in a quaint press pot with a pre-warmed cup and saucer. Big points for the pre-warming. My... 
With all the snow craziness, New Year's Eve kind of snuck up on us here at CHS. You too? Long, long time ago, New Year's meant expectations for the greatest party night of my life. Now I'm most satisfied by a good meal. Here's a selection of Capitol Hill NYE celebrations that appeal to the more thoughtful, quiet, fat me. We'll leave the lean party scene to the skinny over at cap to the hill. You can find out what your gay friends are up to at GSS's Gay Seattle New Year's 2009. Also, feel free to add your plans in the comments -- the more, the merrier, no? The Hopvine Pub Poppy
Any Cap Hill suggestions for dinner? I was thinking Pho 900 but I don't know if they're open or not.
So I know this totally pegs me with respect to that poll from a few months ago, but is there a good place for kitchen stuff up here?
In particular, I've got this coffee pot that I just love, and which I might like to give to others as a gift:  They're available on backorder from Vita (thanks for the links to local online shopping, J!), but are they the only supplier? And what if I need a spare gasket? Or a silicone basting brush??? I know there are places downtown, but anyone know of a place up here? We posted earier about the Friday opening of Oddfellows -- cap to the hill balances the equation saying Bus Stop 2.0 will grace our presence starting this (probably snowy) Thursday night. Of course, The Stranger said the Stop would be opening at its new Olive Way location "this summer." Oops. 
I am so looking forward to what surely will be an epic battle with lots of collateral, um, damage (ahhh! pie schrapnel!). Fuel Coffee's Dani Cone has unveiled her newest venture -- High 5 Pie. You can find whole pies and handheld turnovers in the counter case at each Fuel location. Mine was cherry and gone in 30 seconds. Surely Volunteer Park Cafe or its ally Oddfellows will respond with an aggressive volley of pastry. We await the next surge. 
For those of you planning to be the first in line to try out the new Linda Derschang-Volunteer Park Cafe joint venture Oddfellows, I have a date and time for you. Friday, December 19th. 4pm. That's the word. Here is what to expect from the partnership of the powerhouse behind Linda's and Smith and Ericka Burke, part of the VPC "Always Fresh Goodness" duo. From the very wonderful blog of Seattle artist Joe Veltkamp (who somehow got the scoop [yeah, Seattlest, you too] on their opening date! but i got the time!): I asked Linda what the most appreciable difference between this and her/Erica's [sic] other establishments. She said, "Oddfellows opens really early which we certainly aren’t used to in my company! It is definitely a café + bar rather than a pub like Smith, King’s and Linda's". Joey also says the joint is planning for 7a openings, early birds. Oddfellows will be located at 1525 10th Ave, between Pine and Pike. View Larger Map 
Our commentators are skeptical of Barrio's contribution to Capitol Hill cuisine. Here are what a few others have to say:
Update (12/9): Providence Cicero, a restaurant critic at the Seattle Times, writes of her first impressions (the handmade tortillas make this a must try for me) Who has the better 13-buck burger? In one corner: Quinn's on Capitol Hill, @ 11th and Pike. In the opposite corner: Lunchbox Laboratory, in Ballard on 15th Ave NW. Both get raves. I haven't tried either one and I'm open to influence. Quinn's vs. Lunchbox Laboratory. Discuss.
photo of Quinn's burger and fries by Erik98122 from the CHS Flickr Pool. Update by jseattle Thursday is the kick-off of Seattle City Stimulus -- a promotion cooked up to encourage everybody to think and, yes, shop, drink and dine, local. It's a good notion and I talked to the person behind it to find out if she was some kind of snaky corporate PR person trying to pull a grassroots fast-one -- Shannon Kelly is not. Her business is promotion, for sure, but she decided to do Stimulus as a way to help local businesses survive the crappy economy. The first day of the 4-day push is dedicated to nightlife. You can go to the Seattle City Stimulus site and print out a card that will get you special deals at businesses across the city -- and quite a few on Capitol Hill. Here is a list of the Hill drinking establishments participating in Day 1: I get e-mail. Neighbor James writes: I've got two friends that are getting married and moving to Capitol Hill after the first of the year. I’d like to gift them with something that will knock their collective ass off. I'd like to buy them dinner at the kind of place a native would take a date for a special occasion. I've looked at some places online and I'm thinking, "damn, dinner is EXPENSIVE in Seattle!" but what would YOU do for less than $50 and walking? The thing that is gonna make your dream a challenge, James, is the wine. Romance without wine is a dinnner date home by 9. You need a place where you can score a cheap bottle. You also need a place that serves noodles. A good noodle joint typically has at least one entree priced under $15. And, of course, you want the food to be good, the service to be good 'nuf and the ambiance to be dark and mysterious. For me, cheap wine, relatively cheap plates, good experience and perfect dark and dirty lighting meant Machiavelli. But caveat: I haven't been there... Of course the folks at Caffe Vita are no strangers to fine pizza -- Vita owner Michael McConnell also owns Capitol Hill establishment (and Seattle's very best pizza) Via Tribunali. And yet it's still a wonderful surprise to discover that a much-anticipated NYC pizza restaurant will be serving Caffe Vita coffee when it opens next month. I had no idea it was the sort of coffee that could make that leap. This marks the third time I've been surprised to see a Capitol Hill export pop up outside of Seattle. The Sound's most famous exports might still be Nirvana, Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks, but it seems like a raft of newer brands and products are also making headway. Top Pot donuts (also founded in Capitol Hill) have achieved nationwide distribution on the back of their recent Starbucks deal. Then there's Savage Love, a column I'd been enjoying for years, unaware of its provenance until I moved -- purely by coincidence -- to the very same block of Capitol Hill that The Stranger calls home. So if Seattle has a cultural... 
The economy's hurting and you know the small shops that make our city so great will be in rough shape this holiday season if we don't do something to help. So. Dear, cynical Seattle. Help stimulate our city.
City Stimulus is throwing the party of the year, and you're invited. We're starting a grass-roots marketing campaign to urge buyers to shop local and to shop small. To forego the super-mega-big-box for the local and the curated, the innovative and the hand made. Now is the time to get the word out, and City Stimulus is here to help. To help level the playing field, spread the hope from politics to retail, make it a great holiday shopping season for you and your favorite small businesses. To help each other. It's like a bar hopping but with both retail and restaurants. A bunch of small businesses in the Capitol Hill and Downtown areas are offering special promotions on Dec. 4-7. It's a proud neighborhood blog holiday tradition -- the Coffee Shop Holiday Hours List. Here's the CSHHL for T-giving 2008. Feel free to add any intel you gather in the field in the comments. If you're looking for something to eat, here are the restaurants we know of that will be open. You can also check-in on our Where CHS is spending Thanksgiving day open thread. CSHHL Thanksgiving 2008
Add another restaurant to the list of Capitol Hill eateries shutting their doors -- I-5 Shores' Il Forno is gone. A Yelper says something about medical issues forcing the closure so this doesn't seem to fit the 'economic slowdown' trend. Another counter-trend factor -- it looks like the Il Forno space has new owners. Here is a recently filed liquor license at the address for something called Knee High, Inc. The new venture is backed by a retired tech IT guy who, according to his LinkedIn profile, is "living the dream" here in Seattle. View Larger Map The new Ethan Stowell joint going into The Pearl complex at 15th and Pine has its liquor license posted. Given the way the restaurant industry seems to work, that's tantamount to announcing you're opening tomorrow.  Thanks to CDN Scott for the pic Of course, given that Stowell is a restauranting veteran with Union, Tavalota and How to Cook a Wolf already under his belt, there probably isn't the same panicked rush around the opening of Anchovies & Olives. Though the workers I've seen over the past week or so do seem to be in a bit of a hurry. Meanwhile, anchoviesandolives.com sports only a parked set of domain advertising but I'm sure the site will be ready when the time comes. 
Only about two hours to go!
Last chance this year to walk up to a friendly farmer and buy beef, pork, lamb, turkey, eggs, carrots, celery, apples, peppers, fresh pasta, onions, cheese, garlic, honey, potatoes . . . I am so hungry after this shopping trip!  Broadway Grill T-giving menu Are you going to be a Turkey Day orphan this year? Not interested in wasting your day in the kitchen? Like turkey tikka masala? I'm starting this thread to keep track of which restaurants are open for your Thanksgiving feasting pleasure. Add anything you find out about or can recommend from past experience in the comments. We'll worry about which coffee shops are open on Turkey Day closer to next Thursday. Here's the two we've been able to track down:
Also, if you know run into anybody who needs a good meal, Mount Zion Baptist Church is hosting a free Thanksgiving feast from 11:45a-1:45p.
El Tajin's passing may be lamentable, because it offered inexpensive and tasty Mexican fare. And it's sad to see that light rail construction may have killed off an ailing business on Broadway. However, one thing I probably won't miss is their X-rated drinks menu. Does anyone know what was up with that? The adviser at my college newspaper made his living writing obituaries for the San Jose Mercury News. His pieces on politicians, actors and singers were simple and to the point. He saved his best for the rest of us. His obituary about a 9-to-5 commuter rat was poetry. With the passing of two Capitol Hill restaurants in recent months, here are our obituaries. It ain't poetry. RIP El Tajin
While Teapot's Rose Drummettes are my go to knockoff, In the Bowl on Olive definitely satisfies my "meat" tooth. Other thoughts on local soy meat that can't be beat?
Enjoy Hill blog-related happy hours from one end of Capitol Hill to the other tonight.
Have fun putting the attend in attention. See you out there hopefully. Promising simple, rustic, and hearty nosh plus adult beverages, the Oddfellows Cafe plans to open in early December. Linda Derschang (Smith, Linda's) and Ericka Burke (Volunteer Park Cafe) define their new cafe as a quintessential neighborhood hangout serving three squares a day plus Stumptown coffee, bakery items, and adult beverages. All the brekkie fans on the hill (you know who you are): stand up now and cheer "Yay!" (Works best if you raise both arms straight up when you do it) |
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