Yes, I'm about to review a fancy pants restaurant on a day when Wall Street is on its way to turning in yet another triple-digit loss. Here are a few of the things I saw, heard and tasted.

1. The space is wide open and has the requisite exposed brick wall and duct work. Orange and yellow curtains play Poppy's "not an Indian restaurant" game. Naan, thali, and curtains that look like saris? 
2. The reviewers that make IKEA comments are a little confused. Light oak is not trademarked by IKEA. It's not my favorite look either. Guessing the brains behind Poppy didn't want to go with something darker and more traditional.
3. The dinner rush was in full swing when we arrived around 8:30. By midway through our meal around 10, we were one of three goups.
4. Much appreciated, those sound dampers on the wall near the kitchen block.
5. The cocktail list is fun and pricey. Enjoyed the bourbon fizz while hanging out at the bar waiting for our dining companions.
6. Poppy's music soundtrack has been programmed by a hipster. Lee Hazelwood, 60s soul...

This is one of my favorite places on the Hill.  According to the email newsletter I just received:

Come and celebrate with us on Friday October 31 and Saturday November 1st. Both of those nights, we will have Happy Hour ALL night long. That means $8 off each bottle and $2 off each glass pour. We can't think a better or simpler way to say "thanks" to all of you who have been guests at Poco the last two years.

I don't know about you, but I'll likely be there! Poco finds some fantastic wines and this neighborhood treasure should be supported.  Website here, located at 14th and Pine, between Online Coffee and Zaw.

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.

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:

• 611 Supreme, Happy hour all night in the bar.
• Havana, Free cover with a City Stimulus card and happy hour all night.
• Moe Bar, happy hour all night.
• Poppy, 20% off your bar tab (bar menu and beverages)
• R Place, $1 off absolute drinks
• The Saint, Happy hour all night....

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.

The Oddfellows Cafe will be located in the Oddfellows building @ 10th & Pine (natch), as originally reported right here on CHS in April. Compatible people pair up, and viola! Eight months later, a cafe is born.

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)

Oh, and BTW the cafe is hiring right now.

God you would think it was teh finals of Project Runway or something. If people put half as much energy into getting a friend loaded AND register them to vote, we would have this thing wrapped up.

Bars without TV on the Hill? Go!

Vino Verite, a new wine store just off Broadway at 208 Boylston Avenue East, opens today and will host a wine tasting between 5 and 8 pm tonight.  Haj and Dave invite you to drop by for a taste.  They say they will start off with the bubbly stuff and then move onto reds and whites.

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
We need an in-depth report on this. We fund Jeanine's burgers. She reports back. Deal?

Curious which Teriyaki joint on Capitol Hill gets your vote as the best one.  I occasionally stop at Teriyaki Madness on 15th (across from Group Health) but their gyoza is only so-so.  What's the best place?  Why?  Who has the best gyoza?

Lucky timing and hot weather provided an opportunity for a quick look inside The Lookout, a new neighborhood bar/pub opening later this month in the the remodeled Artemis space on Bellevue Ave E. Scheduled to open June 19th, The Lookout is looking good: warm wood floors, seating, and wainscoting, and lovely, bright mural paintings from artists NKO and NTG.

The windows of the space have been papered over for months, keeping the interior remodel and in-progress wall murals very hush hush. Today,  the front door was open and the architect/designer (Bryce?) was happy to chat for a minute about the opening schedule.

Happily, The Lookout plans to start using the building's back patio for outdoor seating; it is partially shaded and has a terrific  westerly view with all the usual suspects you would expect to see when perched over I-5. ( Lake Union, Queen Anne, the Needle, the Sound, and beyond.)

The Lookout is a new place with new concept,...

Even with its 4-star CHS review average, Rancho Bravo is so last week. Here's the new hot (dog) kid on the block, Wandering Wieners.

Photo: Matthew Parker

Haven't seen it with my own eyes so this might just be an excellent Photoshop job but tipster Matthew reports that owner Andrea will be operating the cart every day of the week in Cal Anderson. Had a Wandering Wiener? Add your CHS Review.

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.   

The last time we checked in with Rancho Bravo owner Freddy Rivas way back in April, we were trying to track down whether the dream of cheap, good Mexican tacos in Pike/Pine was too good to last. We learned Bravo has plans to stick around awhile. Now it looks like the taco joint is making a few more investments in its space at the corner of Pine and 10th. From Rivas:

Yes, I'm working on doing a patio out front.  I'm still in the early stages, although I'm hoping to have the project done pretty quickly.  I haven't decided on a final design yet, but should be doing that very soon here.

Meanwhile, we've heard Rancho Bravo also has plans to start offering beer but haven't confirmed with Rivas yet and couldn't yet find record of an application.

Marination Mobile at Shell Station (Photo: abbasolomon)

UPDATE 7/9/09 8:43 AM
Via their Twitter account, Marination Mobile says they are staying put:
Shell gas station playing nicely through July-so they say. New hours: Thursday: 8pm-1am. Friday &Sat at:10pm-2:30am. Mahalo!

Original Post:
The CHS Capitol Hill street food map and schedule needs an update.

Marination Mobile, wheeled provider of 4-star SPAM musubi, has been pushed out of its location in the Shell gas station lot at Pike and Broadway.

Here's a note we received from MM partner Roz Edison:

Marination Mobile is looking for a new location in Capitol Hill for either lunches 11-2 or late 9/10pm to 2/3am.  The hitch: it has to be private property - a parking lot or a driveway and preferably as flat as possible.

Marination Mobile is on the move because of complaints from residents and nearby business owners, the Stranger reports:

Residents and nearby business owners had complained that the truck "creates a large mass of people and...

Curtis Bigelow talks with a worker putting the finishing touches on the Lobby Bar

CHS was lucky enough to join co-owner Curtis Bigelow for a quick tour of the transformed space that was once King Cobra and will soon be the new Lobby Bar . But this picture was the only shot I could take -- the new project is still under construction and under wraps. The transformation is impressive. Bigelow says he and Paul Villa hope to create a space for members of the LGBT community who are interested in getting a good, reasonably priced drink in an comfortable, inviting environment -- and the people that love them.

An elegant seating area with black glass chandeliers greets you on entry to the new space. A massive, marble-topped bar dominates the center of the Lobby. Behind the bar is a mix of finished, glossy cabinetry and the rough exposed brick of the building's walls. Staircases to the left and and right invite you to the upper level where the railing will invite you to spy on the activities below.

Bigelow told CHS he and Villa hoped to open in early December but -- like most new businesses -- Lobby is facing delays in permitting. As for the newly announced next-door business The Money Tree, CHS had heard rumors that the location would house a sandwich shop, but Bigelow said the money lenders have been mostly good neighbors so far.

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...

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.

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.

Victrola Coffee is providing a live stream of images from tonight's pre-qualifying Barista Jam Latte Art Smackdown that CHS wrote about earlier this week. Without commentary from the judges, it amounts to little more than latte porn. But it's kinda getting me all perked up and ready for my day just looking at it. Here's a slideshow of pours marked 'winner' in the stream (which I assume means that particular cup won in its round of foam vs. foam battling). I've sorted the images by 'interestingness' for your enjoyment. I'll have to check in with Victrola to find out who was declared the victor.

UPDATE:
Here's the list of finalists:

Top ten results from the smackdown on Saturday night. (Listed by points earned)

1. Winner Chuck Lambert #7 - Victrola - won the tournament and received the highest score with 84.25
2. Kelleen Blanchard #3 - Victrola - 75
3. Michael Lewis #1 - Victrola - 75
4. Jeremy McDermott #2 - Victrola - 76
5. Stephen Robinson #24 - Victrola - 76
6. Tom Pikaart #4 - Tougo - 78
7. Alex Negranza #27 - Why Not Coffee - 78
8. Laila Ghambari #13 - VCL - 78.25
9. Nick Harberg #23 - Zoka Coffee & Tea - 82.5
10. Winner Chuck Lambert #7 - Victrola - won the tournament and received the highest score with 84.25

We were grabbing a late night drink at La Spiga and peeked through the Tavern Law lettering on our way there.  We were delighted to spot Brian McCracken, Dana Tough and David Nelson hard at work - driving to get the place open in time for this upcoming weekend.  We spoke with them briefly and confirmed that after a few delays, they plan to open either August 21 or August 22 (we will update if/when we receive confirmation of the day).  Here is the concept behind Tavern Law:

Seattle Chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough are opening a new speakeasy style bar in Seattle. Last summer the duo opened Spur Gastropub in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood which has already been recognized as one of the country’s six top gastropubs by Food & Wine magazine. This year they join lead bartender David Nelson in opening Tavern Law in late June on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The 21-and-over restaurant/bar will anchor Trace Lofts, the historic-meets-modern residential and retail project located...