- We reported this summer on the survival of Cafe Dharwin on 10th Ave East down toward Roanoke Park. As soon as we published, we learned that Dharwin’s owner had left out one key piece of info in our conversation. He was planning to sell. Turns out, the people behind new Vero Caffe which took over the Dharwin space in mid-September are also the couple behind new Broadway restaurant Panevino. We met Natalie Angiuli this morning as she pulled shots inside the 2406 10th Ave East cafe. She’s an old hand at the coffee thing, she said, having run a Tacoma shop with her mother for a few years. Now, she and husband Francesco are building a little Capitol Hill food and drink empire — Vero also features Panevino salads and sandwiches. She said they’re on the hunt for a third location but she’s not sure it will be on Capitol Hill. Thanks is due to CHS commenter curious for turning us onto the arrival of Vero.
- We’re thinking the new bar planned for the Packard Building probably isn’t thrilled about the Angiulis’ name choice. Construction is underway at the Italian bar Varro as you read this. Hopefully this doesn’t end up another Chao vs. Chow situation though that case petered out and both entities continue to use the names.
- Across the street from Vero, Easy Joe’s should open this week, we hear, as final work is completed on the new diner space. Signs are up and inside looks ready — the workers on the roof might have something to do with the delay.
- Also expected to open soon. Other Coast Cafe‘s second location on East Pike.
- Victrola Coffee’s Pike location will host a costume party and latte art “smackdown” on October 30th as Coffee Fest bubbles into town.
- Skillet finally confirmed via Facebook our report from earlier this month that the street food legend will be setting up shop in the Chloe apartments. Skillet says the plan is to open “next year.” Last we checked, no work was underway at the retail space they’ll be taking over so don’t expect to see a diner early in 2011.
- By the way, Skillet will be on hand this Saturday, October 23rd as Madison’s BottleNeck celebrates its 4th annual Hillside Harvest Fest.
- Speaking of construction work, received quite a few tips about a crew setting about the retails space formerly known as Bailey Coy Books. From the looks of permits currently on file with the city, the work is related to consolidating two separate areas into one retail space and *probably* isn’t a restaurant project that was being considered for the location but never got off the ground. Who’s the retailer? Dunno. You? [email protected]. We’ll owe you one.
- Seattle Times covered Sunday’s co-op showcase at Pravda — some food and drink, some not while Washington Beer Blog got tipsy at the Elysian’s annual Great Pumpkin Fest.
- We checked in with Cafe Metropolitain’s owner Quyen Luu following CC’s confirmation that they’ll be taking over the East Olive Way space. He’s still mum on how the deal transpired but did say Met is planning a goodbye to Olive Way party. No date has been set.
- Purr celebrates five years of fun and frolic on 11th Ave with a party Wednesday night starting at 7 PM.
- Volunteer Park Cafe isn’t backing down in the face of criticism from a neighbors group seeking to put limits on the restaurant’s growth as the cafe seeks permission from the city to continue operating at 17th and Galer. In its most recent e-mail newsletter, the cafe said it was continuing its Sunday supper series through fall and into winter. It has also posted a new page on its alwaysfreshgoodness.com Web site. The “Improving neighbor relations” page highlights the improvements owners Ericka Burke and Heather Earnhardt are promising as part of their application for a change of use authorization with the city’s planning department. The page also includes charts from an online real estate service illustrating the change in home values for the area related to the rest of Capitol Hill as evidence that the cafe hasn’t had a negative impact. If that’s not enough for you, VPC also aced its most recent King County health inspection. The neighbors group has promised CHS a response to the latest VPC efforts. You can watch their site at http://vpneighbors.wordpress.com/ for more on that. Deadline for public comment on the whole thing is now October 27th. You can find more info on providing your $0.02 to the conversation here.
- The new Cafe Arabica on East Olive Way has a giant re-opened neighbor and will be celebrating its own good times with a grand opening party on October 29. We profiled the new cafe here.
Nooooo! We loved Cafe Dharwin! Best service within miles (mostly by the owner himself) and they brewed some damn fine coffee. Sorry to hear, what’s he up to next? Anyone know?
The tone of the “Improving Neighbor Relations” section of the VPC site should do wonders for relations. They should get a PR person to write this. If they have one, that person/firm should be fired.
I drove by Cafe Ve(r)ro this morning and could have sworn it was spelled with one “r”?
Also, recently went to Panevino (9/30) for dinner…and they hit the nail on the head: great food, service, atmosphere, price – everything. LOVE THIS PLACE! Simple, but they got all the important stuff right.
It is. We are. Lame. Keeping consecutive days with typo string alive. I blame their double-f caffe.
wow, no kidding. Although it is a HUGE step up from the simpering “help us!” letter they sent out at the beginning of this fracas, so maybe they did get professional advice on this page.
There’s been construction in this space for weeks. Rather than consolidation, this is a partitioning of the space. There has been much generic interior refinishing and they just broke out a new entryway for the north end of the space.
Not sure if they are just dumb or if they are getting bad advice? The overall tone of the site is confrontational and amateurish.
“Some neighbors have claimed that our delivery trucks pose a threat to public safety.”
How about, “At times our delivery trucks may have created a situation which was a concern for some of our neighbors, we have…”
Lets get off the us vs them attitude ladies and work WITH your neighbors and you will see much better results.
I’ll say one thing for the first letter they sent out: it went a looooong way toward framing the debate: “Neighbors shutting down the cafe!!!!” Or: “We want to expand and the one nasty neighbor is unhappy.’
VPC expanded illegally into the back yard of the building they rent. When VPC owners wouldn’t discuss it, the neighbors file a zoning complaint. VPC reacted by going to the press with their “Shutting us down!”
Desptie hundreds and hundreds of blog posts telling the truth — even from customers who feel VPC should be allowed to expand without limits — every new reference to this conflict results in “Neighbors trying to shut down the cafe” articles and “Move to Bellevue, you NIMBYs” comments.
Very frustrating. http://vpneighbors.wordpress.com/misinformation/