Each year, Seattle Parks makes one concession permit available for Cal Anderson Park. Last year, the food cart that won the job ended up mired in drama and stopped serving in the park by mid-summer. Parks is now taking proposals for the 2010 Cal Anderson permit through March 31. Got an idea and the means to make it work? We've included the 'proposal package' PDF on this post. Feel free to taste test your ideas here on CHS.

Request for Proposals for Park Concession Permits
From The City of Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation Proposal Due Date - Tuesday, March 31, 2010 by 4 p.m.

The City of Seattle acting through its Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking proposals from experienced food concession and roving/mobile truck operators for seasonal food sales at various Seattle parks and ball fields....

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In product placement that would make even the most cynically produced reality television program look nonprofit in comparison, we caught this Pike/Pine resident availing herself of a morning meal of treats smooshed to a tree outside CHS sponsor Cupcake Royale. Tomorrow, we'll have full coverage of Petey the acai loving dog's visit to Healeo.

• Baguette hoping to open next week (big thanks to neighbor Jill Corral for the tip and photo)
• 22 Doors must have sold their mixer because they are now the proud owners of a functioning website
• Calf & Kid's pre-opening party (they are still on track to open in April in the Melrose Market) will be at CHS Sponsor Poco Room on 3/21
• Zhivago's has been closed for the last few days during normal hours of operation and is for sale
• Molly Moon's needs a few good ice cream drivers and its breakfast oatmeal is garnering raves (get it while you can - the oatmeal ends this month)
• CHS Sponsor Tidbit offering 3 courses for $30 every night of the week in March
• Interview with former Gourmet contributor, dad, Hill resident and published author Matthew Amster Burton (he also does funny podcasts)

We received this statement from Tamara Murphy tonight regarding the legal battle that has erupted between her planned Capitol Hill restaurant Terra Plata and the redevelopment project she had expected to call home. One note as preface: Liz Dunn, one of the developers behind the Melrose Project, told CHS yesterday that she did not know how the letter that brought this legal tussle into public light ended up taped to the front door of the space where Terra Plata was supposed to be housed. Here is Murphy's statement sent to CHS:

I am very disheartened and saddened by this situation. I did not confirm that Terra Plata’s deal had fallen through. Because of the letter on the window I am forced to defend Terra Plata by posting our position on a blog. I take issue with the fact that the landlords, Scott Shapiro and Liz Dunn, have posted this letter with personal information for public view and comment, given our current legal situation.

 I sent you a photograph of the building’s communal meter bases that were installed in our leased space without our knowledge. What was to be a quaint wine cave and private dining room of 20+ seats is now a humming electrical room that serves the entire building. I have given these landlords every conceivable opportunity to remedy this situation and made repeated requests to sit down in hopes to work through this issue fairly and reasonably. Not only have my requests been denied, they have continually been met with even more unreasonable demands.

 I am truly saddened by the adversarial situation with the landlords of the Melrose Project. Liz Dunn is someone I respected and trusted and is a big part of the reason that Terra Plata landed at the Melrose project. I have to believe that if it were up to Liz we would not be in this situation.

 Terra Plata is firm in its position that we do not owe any rent or the amount on the letter posted. We will continue to exercise our rights under the lease. I have already invested a considerable amount of time, energy and money in this project.  It is heartbreaking to be in a situation where we are forced to spend our energy and resources defending our rights as tenants rather than building our restaurant. 

 Our goal has been to find a reasonable solution that enables us to move forward on a positive path in completing the Melrose Project. The landlords still have an opportunity to do the right thing.

 My desire has always been and continues to be, to open Terra Plata and contribute to the community and to the Melrose Project.

 Sincerely, 
Tamara Murphy

Photo: Brasa Restaurant

Starting Monday, Unicorn will open at noon for lunch. Unicorn's co-owner Adam Heimstadt tells CHS that they also plan to institute a weekend brunch soon and are hard at work perfecting a corn dog with french fries built into it.  Other new menu items include a corn dog madame. Oh yeah, and there's more taxidermy.  The specimen at left, Leonard, is but one of two additions - send us a photo of the other new addition and we'll update this post.

It appears that a legal dispute lurking inside one of Capitol Hill's most anticipated development projects has reached the surface. Thanks to a tip from neighbor Marcie, we found this letter from the law firm of Cairncross and Hempelmann taped to the door of what had been intended to be the new home for restaurant Terra Plata, the latest project from Seattle chef Tamara Murphy.

The letter describes some $45,967.94 in unpaid rent that lawyers say Murphy's Terra Plata, LLC owes the Melrose Project, a corporation backed by Capitol Hill all-star developer Liz Dunn. It states that Terra Plata has lost the lease it signed back in September -- indeed, large "for lease" signs now hang in the unfinished space's windows.

We have not been able to confirm with any party any details described in this letter. Confirmation below. We have messages out to Murphy, Dunn and the law firm and will update as soon as possible.

The law firm's letter documents the lack of rent payment and Murphy's company's continued assertion of "rights" to the property and goes on to demand that Murphy's company relinquish these rights in writing by Sunday. And, of course, pay the more than 45 grand owed.

Two people familiar with the situation have told CHS about tenant issues with delays on the ambitious Melrose Project. We have been told about missed dates and frustrations over lack of communication from the people running the project. Dunn's projects are known for their reuse of historical building elements and a respect for the vernacular of the areas where she builds. While Sonic Boom, Velouria and STILL Liquor have recently moved in to the building, the spaces for other ventures including Murphy's new restaurant are still works in progress. The view through the windows of the wedge-shaped space where the restaurant was to be built shows a mostly unfinished space with a partially finished concrete floor and exposed piping and wiring.

Murphy, who is also working to ready Elliott Bay Book Company's new cafe space by the time the book retailer opens in mid April, had stated that she hoped to open Terra Plata this month.

UPDATE 5:30 PM:

We've heard from both Murphy and Dunn who confirmed that the deal to make Terra Plata part of her Melrose development has indeed fallen through. Here's Dunn's e-mail to CHS: "I don’t know who taped the letter up there and after seeing this I just went and took it down. However it’s true – in spite of our very best efforts, this deal did not work out, and the space is now available. That’s really all we can say at this point."

Murphy said she is considering her response to the situation and preparing a statement. She also sent us an e-mail with the subject line: this was put in our private dining room and this picture:

Looks like the project wasn't quite shaping up as planned. It's a sad situation for both sides. We hope to have more of an opportunity to talk more with everybody involved.

No word on if this will impact the other marquee restaurant lined up for the Melrose building. Sitka & Spruce pulled up its Eastlake roots to make the move to Capitol Hill. We've heard from one tenant that owner Matt Dillon is still in. On the S&S site, Dillon says he's hoping for a spring opening on Melrose.

We got a really fun tip today on something we've been wondering about and had the story and picture assigned but coverage fell through. So no picture for you Picture delivered! And the post is about two hours late. But you've got some interesting food news coming your way. We've noticed some activity at the old home of BTG Coffee on Madison just across the street from CHS sponsor Healeo lately. The roll-up sidewalk location had something going on -- we just didn't know what. According to hot tipper @jildebeast, CC's is about to get an intriguing little neighbor:

Vietnamese sandwich place opening on Madison & 15th behind CC Attle's in old BTG Coffee space - "Baguette"

We can't vouch for jildebeast's trustworthiness. But putting the pieces together, we can't argue with her either. Thanks for the giving us something (hopefully!) delicious to look forward to.

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• Plum now offering happy hour Monday thru Friday from 3 to 6 pm featuring $3 Sliders & $5 Specialty cocktails including Spanish Lemonade and Sweet Tea White Russians
• Neighbor La Spiga is offering aspiring Seattle chefs the chance to appear on its spring menu (deadline is 3/31)
• Calf & Kid (the new cheese shop coming to Melrose) wants you to save the date 3/21 - they're throwing a pre-opening party at CHS sponsor Poco Wine Room
• Oddfellows now offering happy hour 7 days a week from 4 to 6 ($1 off wells & domestic drafts)
• Bethany Clement captures the Sorrento Drinking Lessons experience perfectly
• Today is the first day of Dine Around Seattle (Sunday thru Thursday till 3/31) - your opportunity to sample 3 courses for $30: the only Hill eatery participating this year is Monsoon
• Last day to get 10% off on all goods at Pike Street Beer & Wine (they close for the rest of the week) before their big (errrr move next door)
• Note that Cakespy (Jessie Oleson who just bought Blue Bottle Art...

Is a nightclub that opens in the morning for coffee also a dayclub? Bryan-David Scott, a former furniture broker, plans to serve North Star Fine Coffees inside the Baltic Room before St. Patrick's Day.  Scott explained that North Star will be served in a cafe format at 1207 Pine during the day and coffee drinks will be available at Baltic Room's bar all night:

We will be open daily from 6:30 AM - 8:30 PM, however ... our espresso, coffees and teas will be made available through closing (2 AM).  Customers will be able to order our signature drinks (A Mick) which is made with white chocolate and Irish Cream; and other teas and spirits; and coffee and spirits. 

Scott describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur" and credits his "casually brilliant" wife Cheri with coming up with the idea of entering the coffee business.  He recounted his tale of being evicted from his home in 2006, moving to a homeless shelter with his family of seven, and founding North Star Fine Coffees while at the homeless shelter to the Capitol Hill Times (not available online):

Scott sensed opposition from those running the homeless shelter regarding his coffee business. They told him, 'you're working 80-plus hours a week, but you're not making any more [money]. Therefore, you don't have a job.' Scott said.

But the opposition just pushed him more to make his business successful.

North Star also plans to open two South Seattle locations (at Columbia City Fitness Center and Island Soul) but its flagship location will be on Pine.

 CHS has yet to sample North Star's brew, but Scott tells us that his "coffees are in the top 5% of the world."

Update (3/2): We spoke to Jason Brotman, Baltic Room's owner, who emphasized that Northstar will not be running a separate business at 1207 Pine.  Rather, this is the first step in the Baltic Room's goal of making the lounge more accessible to the Capitol Hill community.

Capitol Hill's own gourmet hot dog purveyor Po Dog announced today that they will establish a second location at 4736 University Way NE, taking over the space formerly occupied by Sunney's Cafe.  This second location will be in business mid-April.  Here are the details from the press release:

Po Dog, a gourmet-chic wiener eatery known for unique creations and fresh toppings, announced plans to open a second location today. The Seattle based restaurant will now have a home in the University District (4736 University Way NE). Laura Olson, 26, founder of Po Dog on Capitol Hill announced today plans to open the second location. Po Dog is a unique Gourmet Hot Dog restaurant known for their over the top creations. These include a deep fried wasabi egg-roll dog, a homemade macaroni & Cheese dog and the deep fried danger dog (a hot dog wrapped in pepper bacon, deep fried, covered in chili sauce and sauteed onions). All offerings available in 100% all beef, Field Roast Veggie, or a rotating selection of locally made sausages. The new location will open mid-April on "the Ave" in the University District. Po Dog will carve out a 635 sqft space adjacent to Rudy's barbershop. When asked why her restaurants are in such small storefronts (the Capitol Hill location is just over 900 sqft) Olson had this to say with a grin; "Our wieners just fit better in tight spaces". Besides being know for her delicious dogs, Po Dog has received much admiration for their tongue and cheek advertising. There seems to be an endless supply of wiener jokes constantly being exchange via Twitter between Ms. Olson and her cult following. "We are lucky to have such a wonderful and diverse clientele which has made Po Dog fun and exciting not only for our customers but for all of us working here" Po Dog University District will feature her signature 12 dogs as well as a monthly rotating special. The recent addition of Uli's famous sausages to Po Dogs' menu has added a new dimension to their irresistible offerings. So set your calendar to grab a cold beer and hot dog at Po Dog! 

We've received quite a few tips lately regarding some work apparently underway at the corner of Harvard and Pike. Last we visited the War Room, the Capitol Hill nightclub was calling it quits with a bash including then Mayor-elect Mike McGinn and hip-hop bad boys Mad Rad. Costs related to a mandatory fire sprinkler system upgrade required to keep the venue in the live music business were blamed. We don't know much about it but we do know the old War Room won't be empty for long. According to a tip we received today, the former club and live music venue will re-open as a reduced capacity 'lounge' -- which, we presume, won't require the costly safety upgrades with the elimination of live shows.

We don't have any information on who is behind the new lounge but from what we can tell from King County property records, it appears that the building is still owned by Four G's Enterprises, Inc. Our tipper's only bit of additional intel was related to the back wall of the room they peeked in to see -- apparently a stacked...

Maybe you were like me and missed National Pie Day. Maybe the fact that you missed an occasion to celebrate such a wonderful food burns at the depth of your soul and you seek redemption. Well you're in luck, because salvation has come in the form of the Mini Empire Bakery grand opening party taking place this Monday (March 1st) at Bluebird. (We wrote about an earlier 'launch' party here.)

Bluebird is not only hosting the event but is serving ice cream with the pie, so get yours a-la-mode. And if that weren't enough, sources tell me that free drinks are going to be provided by Elysian Brewery up the block. Based on the number of people who have confirmed so far (31 at the time of this writing), it's set to be one hell of a party. I'm not even sure if Bluebird can fit that many people. But still, tell your friends.

Details and RSVP information can be found here on Facebook but I shall summarize below.

• Monday, March 1st, 7:00-9:00pm
• Bluebird Homemade Ice Cream and Tea Room
• 1205 E Pike

So go, fight the...

If like us, you have long lamented the lack of a functional website for 22 Doors, we all may finally be getting our wish. CHS spotted this Craigslist posting advertising a Hobart mixer for sale ($1400) at 22 Doors:  "We are selling it simply because we have no use for it and we would like to pay for our new lounge website."

A few more hours to enjoy free pancakes and donate some cash to a good cause. Madison's IHOP will be serving free cakes until 10 PM. We stopped by around dinner -- and yes, people were eating pancakes for their supper. Here are a few scenes from the hustle and bustle of a very busy pancake shop.

• MiSuk Ahn, late of the Living Room, now at Licorous ($5 prosecco, grapefruit & campari drinks tonight to celebrate) 
• Apolo Ohno recommends Hana on Broadway
• Angostura Bitters shortage on Capitol Hill now fixed says Melissa Nyffeler of Dinette (you can find them at the Broadway Liquor Store)
• Tamara Murphy will definitely helm the EBC Cafe when Elliot Bay moves to Capitol Hill (and will continue to occupy its basement space in Pioneer Square as well)
• Tom Douglas visited the Unicorn
• Two Capitol HIll chefs are James Beard Award Semifinalists this year: Ethan Stowell for Anchovies & Olives as Best New Restaurant of the Year and Jerry Traunfeld of Poppy for Outstanding Chef
• CHS Sponsor Coastal Kitchen has an early bird offer for tomorrow 2/23 (say "early bird" to your server and you will receive 50% on the entire dinner menu)
• Oh yeah, tomorrow is National Pancake Today and IHOP is offering free short stacks in return for your donation (of any amount) to Children's Miracle Network

According to the definition on Wikipedia, IHOP is not on Capitol Hill. However, I think any frequent patron of Po Dog, Barista Boys, or anything on Broadway south of Pike might (also not technically in Capitol Hill by their definition), is more than willing to throw out what Wikipedia says and incorporate the triangle between Pike, Madison, and Broadway into our fair community. God knows they're not part of First Hill or Central District.

So, if you didn't already think of IHOP as part of Capitol Hill, I hope you do now. And to celebrate having a 24-hour restaurant in the neighborhood (Are you aware of any others? Seriously. Are you? I'd like to know.), you should all go to their Free Pancake Day this (upcoming) Tuesday (2/23) from 7AM to 10PM. It's part of their fundraising efforts for the Children's Miracle Network so you should expect to drop a couple dollars in the pot before you leave. You should also probably plan on waiting a while for a...

• Homegrown Sandwiches will not open their Hill location until at least June - but if you want to sample their wares, they began selling a few of their sandwiches at 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea earlier this week.  In addition, CHS sponsor Healeo will also be carrying Homegrown's vegan sandwiches beginning late next week.
• Free fries and $2 Fat Tires again at Pike Street Fish Fry this Friday (2/19/201)
• Burnishing the Hill's reputation as a boozehound destination, Sun Liquor part owner Michael Klebeck is planning to open a craft gin distillery at 514 East PIke
• Chungee's is open daily (4pm thru midnight) and the SU Spectator already has a review
• 1st anniversary party for Tin Table and 13th anniversary of the Century Ballroom on 2/27 - mark your calendars
• Cool profile of Cupcake Royale founder (and Seattle University graduate) Jody Hall
• Seattle Weekly's new restaurant critic, Jason Sheehan, appreciates Dick's on Broadway

curious apartment logo Originally uploaded by arion»

In one of the more humorous errors ever in the history of CHS corrections, CHS neighbor hobbes84k reported that the new Chinese restaurant opening on 12th Ave was going to celebrate its grand opening with a line dance. Not quite.

Get ready for fireworks, drums and, well, lions. Chungee's Drink and Eat celebrates its 12th Ave grand opening Saturday with a 'lion dance' celebration. Here's the announcement about Saturday's fun posted by Chungee's owners right here on CHS:

Hello! At last we are opening Chungee's!!!! On Saturday February 13th we will celebrate our grand opening with a Traditional Lion Dance (at 3:00pm) along with beating drums, firecrackers and Lion Dancers bringing good fortune to our new business. This should be pretty cool to watch, with this being the year of the Tiger as well!!! We hope to have lots of folks around and can't wait to open up! (We will actually be open starting on the 8th but our official lucky Chinese opening will be the 13th) Hope to see you there!!! Tom and Wen

Chungee's opened this week after replacing Esmeralda at the corner of Denny and 12th. Esmeralda's owner Robert Abergel, who sold his equipment and lease to Chungee's, said he hoped the Hill would support the new restaurant. "I'd like them to patronize these new people. The only food I eat out is oriental. There is an art to it and this woman is very, very talented," Abergel told CHS.

'This woman' would be Wen Long. She and partner Tom Farrell are the people behind Chungee's. Here's what Farrell told us via the CHS comments:

I've worked on First Hill for over 18 years and to be part of a business is a dream come true! We can't wait to meet more people and if the locals are any indication of how great the area is, then we have entered heaven! 

Paul Constant over on the Slog sums it up nicely: "I hope Chungee's sticks around. It'll be good to have a late night (open 'til midnight) Chinese food joint with booze on Capitol Hill again."

UPDATE:
Here's a look at the day's fun. I asked owner Farrell if they were planning any specials for tonight's grand opening menu. "Specials? We're open!" he said.

When we reported on Genki Sushi, the conveyor belt sushi place that will be housed in the Broadway Building, a month ago, CHS commenter zeebleoop wondered whether Vi Bacchus was still open, since he had not seen anyone in there in a while.  Well, it's official - thanks to tipster @benjammin509, we can confirm that Vi Bacchus has in fact closed.  

A shout out to our commenters like zeebleoop and tipsters like benjammin509, CHS could not keep up with the stories happening in the hood without you. If you ever have news or information we should know about, you can reach us at chs@capitolhillseattle.com or on the newsline at (206) 659-1919.

Any ideas on what the neighborhood needs in that space?  

Howard Clark and Jarrod Ducat, the duo behind Georgetown's famous vegan restaurant Squid and Ink, are bringing their vegan goodness to Broadway.  Highline will occupy the former Club Lagoon space at 210 Broadway East.  They are hoping to open by the beginning of May.  Sadly, the Lamborghini will have to come down.  

Jarrod explained that they have been wanting to open a Capitol Hill vegan place for a while, since Squid and Ink draws a great number of Hill residents who have been clamoring for them to open on the Hill.   He also noted that Highline will be a bit bigger and rely more on foot traffic than Squid and Ink.  Like Squid and Ink, Highline will have a full bar.  Highline will join In the Bowl, Plum, Sage, and Teapot Vegetarian House as establishments that serve all vegan food on the Hill.  And of course, the grande dame of all vegan places lies proximate to the Hill - Cafe Flora in Madison Valley.  

Jarrod sent us an email further expanding on the...

Just got word from La Spiga's Pietro Borghesi that tonight's planned benefit for Haiti is canceled but might be postponed until next week. Borghesi said not enough people RSVP'd for the $25 buffet dinner. It wasn't clear a reservation was necessary so we've asked La Spiga if we can help give them a promotional boost to make the benefit happen next Wednesday night. We'll let you know if La Spiga is up for the new date. In the meantime, if you really want to support Haiti on the Hill tonight, check out this benefit show at Chop Suey hosted by MC Grynch.

The Village Voice recently labeled Chinese-inspired dumplings one of the best dining and drinking trends of the decade for New York.  And now, Uyen Pham, who was inspired by some of New York's more famous dumpling houses, including Anita Lo's Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, will be opening Dumpling Dojo in the old Siam space at 616 Broadway E. She intends to open no later than March 1st - the permit gods allowing.  Interestingly, this will only be a temporary location for Dumpling Dojo, as Bank of America will be occupying the space later this year, possibly in as soon as six months.

Dumpling Dojo will be a quick serve, open kitchen place with bar seating, a stand up bar and a few tables in the back.  It will be open daily for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 and closed on Mondays.  All of the dumplings will be made in house.  Uyen intends to have a half-dozen variety of dumplings that can be served a la carte or with soup and salad.  She will have a standard flour wrapper, a spinach one and is...

Three Seattle Chefs will be competing on the upcoming 2nd season of Top Chef Masters (premiers 4/7 at 11 pm): Jerry Traunfeld of Poppy, Thierry Rautureau of Rover's and Maria Hines of Tilth.  You may remember that we had reports of Thierry being spotted in an L.A. Whole Foods back in November 2009 - and it turns out the speculation was spot on.

Most of you have heard of Top Chef, Bravo's hit cooking Survivor-styled competition.  Last season, we even had our own hyperlocal chef, Robin Leventhal of Crave, who nearly made it to the end against the toughest field in Top Chef history. Top Chef Masters is the less famous older brother of Top Chef, pitting experienced, renowned chefs against each other for charity.  In the last inaugural season, Rick Bayless won $100,000 for his Frontera Farmer Foundation.  We will update with the charities that the Seattle chefs are playing for.

According to Nancy Leson, Traunfeld's charity of choice is the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Rautureau opted for Food Lifeline, and Hines chose the PCC Farmland Trust.  

Here is the complete list of participants:

* — returning from season 1

Jody Adams – Rialto Restaurant, Cambridge, Mass.
Govind Armstrong – 8 oz Burger Bar, Los Angeles, Calif.
Graham Elliot Bowles – Graham Elliot Restaurant, Chicago, Ill. *
Jimmy Bradley – The Red Cat, New York, N.Y.
David Burke – David Burke Townhouse, New York, N.Y.
Wylie Dufresne – wd~50, New York, N.Y. *
Susan Feniger – Street, Los Angeles, Calif.
Debbie Gold – The American Restaurant, Kansas City, Mo.
Carmen Gonzalez – Chef Consultant, New York, N.Y.
Maria Hines – Tilth, Seattle, Wash.
Susur Lee – Madeline’s, Toronto, Canada
Ludo Lefebvre – Ludo Bites, Los Angeles, Calif. *
Tony Mantuano – Spiaggia, Chicago, Ill.
Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nev. *
Mark Peel – Campanile, Los Angeles, Calif. *
Monica Pope – t’afla, Houston, Texas
Thierry Rautureau – Rover’s, Seattle, Wash.
Marcus Samuelsson – The Red Rooster, New York, N.Y.
Ana Sortun – Oleana, Cambridge, Mass.
Rick Tramonto – TRU, Chicago, Ill.
Jerry Traunfeld – Poppy, Seattle, Wash.
Jonathan Waxman – Barbuto, New York, N.Y. *

• La Spiga Haiti Benefit Wednesday February 10: $25 suggested donation (all proceeds go to Haiti) - call 206.323.8881 to reserve
• Chungee's soft opening today at 3 pm, Grand Opening on Saturday 2/13
• Still introduces a generous happy hour daily from 5 to 7 pm;  $4 wells, $2 Tecate, plus a buck off signature drinks
• Unicorn also introduces a daily happy hour - 5 to 6:30: $1.50 corndogs, $5.50 shots of Jameson, $2 PBR tallboys
• Cute overload from CHS Sponsor Fuel Coffee/High 5 Pies: Heart-shaped Flipsides $3.25 and Piepops $1.25

• New Belgium's Ranger IPA available at Moe Bar - will also get you free ticket for tonight's Mudhoney show (purchase not necessary for admission but will give you priority)
• Chili Basil space to be occupied by new Jup Jup Jup Thai Restaurant
• Via Uncle Vinny, we learned that Bhima's (the crepe place by the North Broadway QFC) has closed

We were walking past 12th and Denny today and saw people working hard on finalizing the interior of Chungee's which has taken over the old location of Esmerelda. Speaking quickly with the people inside, this is what we learned:

• On Monday, February 8th, the restaurant will have its soft opening
• Next Saturday there will be a grand opening party including line dancing out in front on the sidewalk of 12th

It looks pretty nice inside, but our group was understandably confused by the idea of line dancing. We shall see.

UPDATE by jseattle: Note in comments that the celebration will include a lion dance, not a line dance. Sounds like fun.