Capitol Hill food+drink | El Mestizo on the move, SBUX Broadway rumor, E Pike taxi stand

That pledge you made to never eat again? Bullshit. Here are some tasty tidbits to get you going. Want to help lard us up? Tip us via [email protected].

• Just when you were taking the Capitol Hill area’s Mexican food-rich restaurant scene for granted, we lose two in a row. First, Broadway’s Galerias has been knocked out of commission for the foreseeable future by a $800k fire. Still no official cause from SFD on that one, by the way, but we’re told the investigation continues. Last week, we got the sad news that Broadway’s El Mestizo has shut down earlier than expected.
  

  We are officially closed for business. Thanks to all our loyal patrons for a great two years! We are hoping to relocate next year to a better location so stay in touch! 

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  We knew the Broadway and James location for El Mestizo had numbered days — Mestizo’s Sarah Groome-Carrillo told us about her plans back in June:

  Yes our building was sold earlier this year and the new owner plans to redevelop the lot.  At the moment the owner is planning to honor our lease until May 2012.  We should be in the same location until then unless we find a more suitable location before then.  We will be looking for a new home for El Mestizo starting the end of this year.  Hopefully we can find something a little closer to Capitol Hill proper, but if not we are also looking at Madrona.  With a little luck we won’t have to move that far and can continue to serve all our amazing local customers who have made our restaurant such a success! 

  We’ve asked her about the earlier-than-expected closure and if it means El Mestizo has already found a new home but haven’t yet heard back. The development that will demolish the building the restaurant called home since January 2010 will be back in front of the Capitol Hill Design Board on Wednesday night, by the way. (Thanks to Ginger for the early tip!)

• No time like the present, then, to make haste to Tacos Chukis and help preserve Capitol Hill’s proud taco heritage.

  (Image: Tacos Chukis)

• Mexican-Taiwanese mash-up Chino’s hit their soft opening goal over the Thanksgiving weekend. We visited for a preview. Have you gone yet?
• Bleu Bistro’s closure on Broadway has re-started the Starbucks moving next to American Apparel rumors. No paperwork we’ve found with the city indicates such an unholy pairing is in the offing and Starbucks told us previously that it had no additional Broadway plans. Though that was way back in January so maybe plans change.
• The Broadway UPS store has moved. Five Fish Bistro’s arrival is imminent.
• Homemade marshmallows *and* sex toys. Heaven? No. Capitol Hill.
• More holiday joy. Sun Liquor has begun the aging of the egg nog.
• Lil’ Woody’s — “Seattle’s favorite burgers and shakes” the presser reads — is now open until 3a on Friday and Saturday nights. We see many late night efforts on the Hill fade away pretty quickly but we’re thinking that being backed by nightlife businessman Marcus Lalario probably means Woody is serious about this.
• Po Dog says it’s serious, too, muscling in with a Friday and Saturday 2:30a closing time. CHS? We go all night.
• A plant and gardening retailer’s demise opens up the retail space adjacent Anchovies & Olives. Time to expand?
• Nothing. Just Bar Ferd’nand Coffee’s pretty picture. And, yeah, it’s open now. We Sprudge first told you about the cafe back in August.
• Cafe Arabica now does brunch…
• And cooks crazy brownies inside an egg shell
• “So what does The Hunt Club’s wedge salad teach us about sex?“
• 8oz Burger Bar says December 12th is its target for opening at Broadway and Union. Here’s our write-up on the burger venture destined for the former TidBit Bistro space.
• We totally did a double take when we saw this headline.
• Two of Seattle Times critic Providence Cicero’s top 10 restaurants for 2011 are Capitol Hill entities.
• Mayor will announce details Tuesday of new late night taxi stands across the city. One is destined for E Pike. Where, exactly, it ended up located will be interesting to see after some bickering between business owners on the block.
• CHS advertiser Big Mario continues his march to world domination with expanded delivery zone that now includes downtown Seattle.