• Jeremy & Lisa visit Dom Polski and recommend the pierogis, beet salad & the sausage
• Anchovies & Olives to start oyster power hour on November 1 (from 5 to 6 & 10 to 12: $1 oysters, $2 Peronis and $5 glasses of bubbly - late hh will also have $8 fish & chips)
• Hockey fans have a home at the Roanoke Tavern
• CHS sponsor Poco Wine Room celebrates its 3rd Birthday this Sunday, November 1 (happy hour prices all evening: $2 off glasses of wine & $8 off bottles + $5 truffle mac & cheese)
• Harvest Vine Chef Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez and his wife and business partner Carolin Messier de Jimenez are getting a divorce: Joseba has ceased full time duties in the Harvest Vine kitchen (you can again taste his cooking at a special 6 course dinner at Olivar - the 11/4 dinner sold out but a new date 11/5 has been added)
• Seattle U graduates begin distributing Finamore Limoncello (you can find at Cafe Presse, Moe Bar and Piecora's)
• Efeste wine dinner at Volunteer Park Cafe on 11/14
• Finally, welcome new CHS advertiser Galerias Gourmet....

Zhivago, slated to be the go to Piroshky place on Broadway, was to have opened last week.  However, due to permit delays, it looks like they will open next Sunday November 1.  I walked by yesterday and the new opening date is hand written on the signage.

First it was El Tajin, next Siam and now the curse of 614 Broadway East fells Pho Lotus.  In its short life (July 2009 to October 2009), Pho Lotus suffered from mediocre/bad reviews.  According to one Silo W, "Definitely the worst Pho joint on the hill. Pho'k this place!"    As well, CHS community members questioned whether Broadway could support yet another pho place.  Finally, Sound Transit and Brix construction hit this block particularly hard.  CHS will check with the building ownership / management to see if they have any new plans for the space.  

Madison Market Apples

• Chow Foods may drop law suit against Chao Bistro
• Help Madison Market with greening itself (25% of all sales from10 am to 2 pm today will be dedicated to energy saving renovations); after party at Bluebird from 2 to 4 pm - free Elysian beer until tapped
• 3rd & final debate between McGinnn and Mallahan tonight at Captain Black's from 9 to 11 ($20 suggested donation but you can give what you can - proceeds go to McGinn)
• CHS sponsor Coastal Kitchen offers 1/2 price wine on Saturday nights this fall
• The Living Room (in the old Anne Bonny space) on track to open next Saturday October 31
• Seattle Magazine likes CHS sponsor's  Healeo's hemp soft serve 
• Love baklava and spanakopita?  Order it by the pan today online via the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption for pickup 12/4 - 12/6 at the church
• Dani Cone was a barrista for 17 years before opening Fuel
• CHS sponsor Poco Wine Room & Calf and Kid offer up a (French) cheese & wine pairing night tomorrow at 6 Update: Canceled per comment below

There's a new Michael at the helm of Pike Street Fish Fry.  Michael Hebb (formerly Michael Hebberoy) has been supplanted by Michael Yuasa.  Rumor has it that Hebb lost interest in Pike Street Fish Fry last fall (2008).

The change in ownership has not diminished critical praise for the eatery.  Food & Wine canvassed chefs around the country last month, and Joule's Rachel Yang paid homage to its $5 smelt sandwich.  This Friday from 5 to 8 pm, Pike Street Fish Fry will be giving away free boats of fries.  Fat Tire & Blue Paddle beers will be made available for $2.  

When CHS last visited the King Cobra space in July 2009, brown butcher paper was spotted - evincing new ownership.  After noting a report that King Cobra had applied earlier this month to assume Kinkora Pike St LLC's liquor license, we contacted King Cobra's new owners Bigelow Villa LLC to uncover their plans for the space.  Paul Villa, one of the co-owners gave us the scoop on what he and his business partner Curtis Bigelow envision:

We are only leasing half the space and leaving the dance floor behind. By only taking the 916 E. Pike space we hope to avoid the curse that seems to be on the 918 E. Pike space

The concept/design is a boutique hotel lobby bar (contemporary, polished, fun) while maintaining a Seattle vibe (friendly, welcoming, down-to-earth). It'll be a nice environment to chill and hang out, and hopefully meet new people/friends

We're going to call it The Lobby Bar.  But after hearing you call it The Villa we're seriously reconsidering

We'll be a bar catering to the LGBT...

Pay Here to Binge!
Originally uploaded by prima seadiva

• Those of us who feel the loss of Piroshky on Broadway can rejoice: Zhivago's Cafe opens on Broadway 10/23 at 416 Broadway East
• Pike Street Fish Fry today introduce a Friday evening special (free boats of fries and $2 Fat Tires from 5-8) - they also now have vegan Field Roast sandwiches

• Po Dog has an opening date - October 29

• Shop at Madison Market next Saturday 10/24 and 25% of the proceeds will go back into the store in the form of energy retrofits and other improvements to make the market more energy efficient, reduce its waste, and more
• Surly Gourmand wants you to know that (CHS Sponsor) "The Poco Wine Room Is Not Fucking Around With The Truffles"
• Though he's spending a lot of time at Monsoon East, Eric Bahn drops that his 2 favorite coffee shops are still on the Hill: Fuel & Victrola
• Looks like the old King Cobra location on Pike has some business in motion. CHS commenter points us at a liquor license change for the address. The name of the biz on the application? The Lobby Bar at the Bigelow Villa. More on the Villa as we track down the details.

Wandering the streets of Paris in celebration of our 10th anniversary last month, my wife and I spotted a sign that stopped us in our tracks. It was the familiar Cafe Presse logo -- transported 5,000-plus miles and rotated a bit. Compare: Cafe Presse, Seattle vs. Cafe Presse, Paris.

No mere coincidence! After all, Cafe Presse (and Le Pichet) owners Joanne Herron and Jim Drohman have created a couple of successful, informal French restaurants in Seattle and are very deliberate in cultivating authenticity. Jim studied the culinary arts in France. [Update 1:] And, as a commenter below noted, the "Cafe Presse" logo is somewhat ubiquitous in Paris. It's used (licensed?) as a symbol by news vendors.

Unfortunately, this particular Cafe Presse location was closed when we walked by, so we couldn't compare the experience, but a peek inside the darkened windows indicated that it lacked the charm and ambiance of its Seattle doppelganger. We also very much doubt this particular Parisian establishment offers chicken quite...

No updates to report on Chow Food Management Services LLC (operator of 5 Spot, Atlas Foods, Endolyne Joe’s, and The Hi-Life) suing Yamashiro’s, LLC, d/b/a Chao-Bistro Bar.  However, I consulted an Intellectual Property lawyer friend, Venkat Balasubramani of Focal Law, who reviewed the complaint and evaluated the merits of Chow Foods trademark infringement claim.  Like the majority of CHS commenters, Venkat believes that Chow Foods faces some challenges in succeeding on its infringement claim.  When I asked Venkat about the weaknesses in Chow's suit, he cited the following:

There are many restaurants which use a variation of “chow”.  (See for example here)  There are also other federally registered food-related marks which incorporate the word “chow.”

Chow Food Management doesn’t have any “chow”-branded restaurants.  I’m not sure - in the eyes of consumers – there’s much goodwill in the chow mark when it comes to a restaurant.

Next Tuesday  October 20th Zhivago's Cafe  is opening and is having a Grand Opening next Friday the 23rd of October. Gino is the new owner and a really great guy . The space is located in part of the old Dilettante Cafe location. The address is 416 Broadway East in Seattle. Right next to Bailey -Coy Bookstore.  Gino is of Russian and Middle Eastern background and hopes to have food from both of his family background. The telephone number is 206-328-0500.

   The style of food will be Russian bakery with Piroshki's, Borcht soup, salads, and excellent homemade sandwiches. Organic coffee from Rococo Coffee and Tea. And from Gino's mother's Jerusalem background Shish Kabob's and other yummy Middle Eastern delights !!      Gino will also have delicous pastries like Baklava, Poppyseed Rolls and other excellent homemade desserts !!  The restaurant hours will be 6am to 11pm.   

This all sounds excellent -- right up to the fermenting and gourd part.

For the fifth year in a row, Seattle's Elysian Brewery will be hosting its annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival this weekend (October 10-11). The event will take place at the Capitol Hill Elysian Brewery (across the street from Chop Suey) and will showcase the latest, greatest pumpkin-flavored concoctions from Elysian, as well as 16 guest pumpkin beers from several Seattle-area and non-Seattle-area brewers.

But don't forget about The Great Pumpkin! For those unfamiliar to the festival, Elysian also a has a huge gourd filled with pumpkin ale which has been sealed up with wax and allowed to undergo a second fermentation. At 4:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday, a tap is hammered into "The Great Pumpkin" and the beer inside is served to the hoards of thirsty pumpkin enthusiasts.

Elysian Brewery
Sun. Oct. 11th, 12p-6p
$15 includes souvenir glass and 6 beer tokens

• Po Dog is on track for opening later this month and is now hiring
• Elysian is hosting its annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival this weekend (Sat 12 - 10 pm and Sun 12 - 6 pm): 9 Elysian pumpkin beers and 16 guest pumpkin beers (including a Dogfish Head offering I am told); tapping of the pumpkin 4PM both days. $15 gets you a souvenir glass and 6 beer tokens
• Seattle Weekly pits Ballet against Pho Cyclo for who has the better banh mi
• Unicorn to replace the Satellite Lounge
• Seattle Magazine checks out Plum
• I found a food blogger who doesn't like Baguette Box
• CHCC President Jennifer Power attended the Spirit of the Hill Dinner at Poppy and recaps the meal with photos

unicorn graffiti
Originally uploaded by ladyJake

A mythological beast will soon take shape in Pike/Pine.

Welcome, the Unicorn.

Replacing the recently evicted Satellite Lounge at 1118 E. Pike, the Unicorn is the project of first-time bar owner Adam Heimstadt and his two business partners. "It's going to have a French, circus theme," Heimstadt said. "My house is filled with amazing crazy things and furniture that I've collected through the years. Carousel parts. A mishmash. This is going to be a great place for all these incredible things."

Heimstadt said the former Satellite location is the third place he's tried to get for a Capitol Hill bar. He and his partners looked at other locations including spots on 14th Ave and the place on Union that will soon house Po Dog Hotdogs. He's excited about the possibilities. "We're looking at 7,500 sqft of space to fill including the huge basement. We're going to open up the top first, the bottom later. The basement will be a mighty adventure," Heimstadt said.

Heimstadt wouldn't commit to a date for re-opening the top yet but says he plans to serve pizza at the bar and fill the space with arcade games and carousel parts. As for the 5,000 sqft basement, "We're going to continue the circus downstairs," Heimstadt said, adding that he's happy to finally have a place to display some large, stone unicorn statues he acquired.

In the meantime, he's going to continue working his bartender shift at the Twilight as he works with his partners to ready The Unicorn for its debut.

For the 35-year-old Heimstadt, who started tending bar when he was 20, opening a bar of his own has been a long-term goal. "I originally wanted to be a fashion designer," Heimstadt said. "I ended up being a bartender instead. The past 20 years of creativity are going into this."

You can follow Heimstadt's adventure on Twitter @adamheimstadt

• CHS comments are a great source of scuttlebut: Esmeralda closed and will be replaced (says commenter kelseyed) by a Cantonese joint with the working title "Chungee's Drink 'n Eat"
• Plum begins serving weekend brunch - available 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. - myself I'm eager to try the "Mayan Blue Corn Pancakes topped with Jalapeno Scramble and Avocados served on a bed of Mixed Greens with Fire-roasted Fresh Salsa"
• Tamara Murphy is not anything but clear eyed about opening Terra Plata: "You do restaurants because you love them. Nobody can make money off of one"
• Crush, Poppy, Spinasse, and Rover's all on Seattle Metropolitan's Top 10 List of 2009 Best Restaurants (only one of these would make my list this year) 
• Jonathan Kauffman outs Kimchi Bistro and Dom Polski as "Top 5 Hidden Restaurants"  
• Healeo (CHS sponsor) nabs star raw food chef Adam Lewis (try the Eggplant Lasagna - you won't be sorry)
• Faire is not the only  local biz backing Pete Holmes - count Derschang a Holmes supporter as well
• Cornichon's initial impression of Chow is thumbs down
• Don't miss this interview with Spinasse's Jason Stratton where he mentions dropping by the Bottleneck Lounge for Top Chef viewing (CHS sponsor and home of the October CHS meetup) 

UPDATE:
CHS talked with chef Robert Abergel who owned Esmeralda and operated it with his son. He also was the man behind Topolino's Pizza and Burrito Express that also took a swing at winning a place in Cap Hill tummies at the same 12th Ave location. Abergel said he has sold the restaurant business -- equipment and lease -- to a group planning to open a Chinese restaurant at the 12th Ave location. The 40-year veteran said his experience running a restaurant on Capitol Hill for the last five years was generally positive but also challenging.

"It's a hard area to work because it's a very transient crowd," Abergel said. "People are here for short time and then they go. When more than half the people move away, nobody becomes a regular."

Still, Abergel said, he would have preferred to have kept Esmeralda. "I'm selling it half-heartedly," he said. "But with my knees and my son going to school, what are you going to do?"

Instead, Abergel will now focus his energy on the Topolino's Pizza restaurant he still owns in Bellevue and a takeout concept he is starting called Squared Meal.

"Thank you for the patronage," Abergel said when asked if there's anything he'd like to tell Capitol Hill as he closes shop. "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."

Original Post:
It was only last September when 12th Ave 'Mediterranean Euro fusion bistro' Esmeralda first set its neon sign ablaze.

Slog says that pink beacon is extinguished tonight -- 'one meat + 2 sides' will be replaced by, according to the sign the Slog saw posted in the window at 12th and Denny, 'GREAT CHINESE FOOD COMING SOON!!'...

NWRBC '09
Originally uploaded by Lay-Luh

And he's not even from Seattle. Billy Wilson runs his own shop in Portland. Sunday, Wilson became a three-time winner of the Northwest Regional Barista Competition at this weekend's Coffee Fest tradeshow in Seattle.

Thanks to flickr user Lay-Luh for her picture of the top three finishers:
1st: Billy Wilson, BARISTA (right)
2nd: Andrew Milstead, Urban Coffee Lounge (middle)
3rd: Laila Ghambari, Urban Coffee Lounge (left)

Wilson was also NW champion in 2007 and 2008 and, as you can see in this picture from a big win down in Vegas in 2005, is used to getting large checks for his creations at latte competitions. Way to go, Billy. He'll now automatically advance to the national semifinals at the 2010 United States Barista Championship held in Anaheim in April.

Meanwhile, the list of finalists included baristi from Portland and Kirkland -- but nobody from Cap Hill made this year's finals.

Update 3:33 PM After reviewing the complaint, I note the following: 1) Chow Foods only recently sought registrations of "Chow" and "Chow Foods" - having done so on 8/21/09 and 2) Chao may have been able to avoid this suit - had they been more responsive to Chow Foods and forthcoming about their opening date. 

A major followup this afternoon to our Chow Foods responds to Chao story : CHS has learned that a lawsuit was filed just yesterday. An operator of neighborhood restaurants all across Seattle, Chow Food Management Services LLC , is suing  Yamashiro's LLC dba Chao Bistro-Bar  (the new restaurant that opened at 12th & Pike today).  We are working right now to get a copy of the full complaint, but a watchlist of newly filed lawsuits summarizes this one as alleging trademark infringement.

As promised, we asked Peter Levy of Chow Foods (owner of Endolyne Joe's, The Hi-Life, 5 Spot and Atlas Foods - and former co-owner of Coastal Kitchen), for comment on Chao (the new restaurant opening tomorrow at 12th & Pike) and possible confusion regarding whether Chao was a Chow Foods eatery.  Here is Peter's response in full:

Chow Foods is disappointed that Yamashiro’s LLC would elect to open a restaurant with the name CHOW Bistro.  When this came to our attention in mid‐August we contacted Yamashiro’s directly and indicated that the choice of this name would confuse customers, vendors, the media and real estate community and requested that they change the name of their soon to open restaurant.  

Yamishiro elected to dis‐regard our inquiries about this matter on two separate occasions and we were required to indicate  a possible legal action to finally receive a response from their legal representative.  

Yamishiro attempted to placate us by simply changing the spelling...

CHS had little information last week when we first reported that the Satellite Lounge had been evicted . Turns out, who we thought was the owner, Sylvia Kane, actually owns 1110 E. Pike, not 1118 where Satellite called home -- the King County Records for the 1118 address were grouped under Kane's name. Kane had been on vacation for the last week or so, so the eviction was news to her when CHS reached her this week. Kane helped CHS contact the owner of 1118 E. Pike, Steven Holman of Holman Real Estate.

Eviction notice posted on the Satellite's front door

According to Holman, the Satellite was not paying rent, and his company had asked them to leave. The Satellite's owner, The Real Comet Inc., declared bankruptcy, Holman said, which allowed the lounge to stay in the building until the court finally had the business evicted last Monday.

Harold Burton, listed as the 'registered agent' for The Real Comet in state records, could not be reached for comment. Kane told CHS she had heard that Burton had shown interest in another area building, but hadn't spoken to him for awhile.

As for the future of the Satellite space, Holman said he hopes to find a tenant that will incorporate the unused 5,000 sqft basement in a similar food and drink establishment. While it needs a safety and code update, Holman said the basement could serve as a dance floor, small theater, or music performance space. Craig and Laura Baker of Issaquah jazz club Bake's Place have looked at the space, Holman said, but it is still on the market. With prices in the neighborhood varying from around $25/sqft for street level to $15/sqft for below-ground space, the complete Satellite package including the basement could run somewhere around $12,000/month.

View Larger Map

The Coffee Co. - Breakfast
Originally uploaded by VirtualErn

Chao Bistro & Bar opens Friday September 25.  When CHS first encountered the owners a few months ago, this eatery was to be known as Chow.  When asked the reason for the name change, Christine Medina, Chao's PR Coordinator replied: "As far as the name change goes, Dave and his partners felt it fits more distinctively with the overall branding of the business. Chao is going for a very neighborhood-friendly feel, and 'chao' means both hello and welcome in Vietnamese."  Via Twitter, we learned that there will be a soft opening Wednesday.  

We learned via Facebook that you can email Dave Tran (dave at venomseattle dot com) or call their reservation line to secure a 25% discount when reserving a table for Friday.  According to Chao's press release (full text below), the Pan Asian menu will feature dishes such as Hawaiians Sweet Bread French Toast, Kalbi Tacos, Kobe Beef Chili, Lemongrass Crab Cakes, Banana BBQ Sauce Pork Ribs...

Fuel and High 5's Dani Cone

Some startups make silly stuff like community news software . Some make pie.

At Thursday night's invitation only party in her flagship 19th Ave coffeeshop, Fuel owner Dani Cone announced she's taking the High 5 Pie concept to another level. With tabletops filled with bottles of wine and, of course, platters of High 5 pocket pies, Cone held court as partygoers leafed through slick binders describing the startup's business plan and read about an interesting offer -- High 5 Pie is looking for investors.

At the heart of the concept is a High 5 Pie shop with a kitchen to turn out the pastries and a cafe for customers to hang out an enjoy the treat along with some Fuel coffee. There's no location for the new store yet but the plan describes the requirements for the space including a dense, urban population -- Capitol Hill, check -- and plenty of on street parking -- Capitol Hill, un-check. But at the party, Cone told CHS that the Hill she started Fuel on is also where she'd like to launch High 5. The plan calls for High 5 to be operating by January 1, 2010.

Before you start planning your 2010 of pie, High 5 needs to raise some cash. That's where the interesting offer comes in. Cone is offering up 36% of the company to outside investors. What's it cost to get a piece of High 5 Pie? You'll have to contact Cone yourself. We've been asked to remove the financial information from this post and we've complied because of some misunderstanding about the situation. (EDITED 9/18/09 10:15 PM)

Hard to say what the investment outlook is for pie but cool to see a local business looking to be more. CHS is currently reviewing its own business plan to examine synergies between truly local community news and information and pie.

Seattle Gay Scene with highlights of gay activities this weekend on Capitol Hill:

FRIDAY 9/18/09:

SATURDAY 9/19/09:

SUNDAY 9/20/09:

Go here for a complete list of all the gay happenings in Seattle this weekend.

$3 sangria at Dinette (avail Tue - Sat from 4 to 6 pm)

• New bar The Living Room will have a famed bartender
• Satellite Lounge ousted from its current location
• Hipster celebrity Casey Affleck & wife Summer Phoenix spotted at Plum
• 22 Doors reopens and it's all tapas (at least the veggie burger is safe)
• Tamara Murphy of Brasa joins list of Belltown Chefs opening joints on the Hill with Terra Plata
• Blogazar spots HGTV celebrity David Bromstad at Purr
• Chow Chao (to occupy spot at Pike & 12th where 1200 Bistro used to be) will open 9/25 

Founded by George DePasquale in 1994, Essential Baking Company was the first local, certified oraganic artisan bakery in Seattle.  It now operates two cafes: one in Wallingford and the other in Madison Valley.  It also supplies fresh baked bread and baked treats to a number of outlets on the Hill including Madison Market , Trader Joe's and most recently - the 15th Avenue Starbucks .  In fact, on a tour of their bakery in Wallingford, we learned that they daily go through a ton of starter to meet their obligations to restaurants and grocery outlets in town.  To celebrate their 15th birthday, Essential is offering a free taste of chocolate hazelnut cake all day today at both of their cafes.  

A King County Sheriff's eviction notice hangs on the front door of E. Pike's Satellite Lounge tonight.

The bar is dark and empty as the occasional person stops in front to read the notice and peer inside. Nearby hangs this hand-written note from a patron saying goodbye to the Capitol Hill bar.

The Satellite is owned by Harold Burton of The Real Comet, Inc. according to state records. The building at 1118 E. Pike St. is owned by Sylvia Kane, according to City of Seattle records. CHS has been told that Kane informed the Satellite last month that she was looking for a tenant to rent the space that would also pay to put the building's large basement to use.

The Satellite's Web site describes the lounge as "one of the longest  running bars located in the heart of Capitol Hill." Old timers, please weigh in with any history for the location you can share. CHS will update this post with what else we can find.