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Capitol Hill food+drink | Chef duo behind Joule, Revel find place on E Pike

(Image: Revel)

(Image: Revel)

A team of Seattle culinary stars has targeted an E Pike auto row-era building being restored to most of its old glory for a new venture.

We’re told the contracts haven’t yet been signed but permits indicate husband and wife chef team Rachel Yang and and Seif Chirchi are planning a 4,000 square-foot restaurant for the Greenus Building at Pike and Summit.

A newly licensed business registered to Yang and filed for the property’s address currently lists no name for the venture.

The building was the longtime home of Brocklind’s before the couple behind the old costume shop decided to retire and sell the auto row building to Capitol Hill developer Hunters Capital. Hunters opted to overhaul the Greenus as it plans an eight-story preservation and development project across the street. An earlier plan for Havana boss Quentin Ertel fell through earlier this year when the entrepreneur decided to pull out of his plans to create a Roman-style trattoria in the building.

Hopefully for Hunters, Yang and Chirchi will push through on their yet undisclosed food and drink project. Both Hunters and Yang declined to comment on the plans pending a deal between the parties.

Some of the Revel offerings via Facebook

Some of the Revel offerings via Facebook

Yang and Chirchi prepared for Capitol Hill with this 2010 Iron Chef America appearance

Yang and Chirchi prepared for Capitol Hill with this 2010 Iron Chef America appearance

For Yang and husband and business partner Chirchi, the Capitol Hill project would be the couple’s third major play in the city following the debut of the much-loved and Korean street-food inspired Revel in Fremont in 2010 and a transplanted and fancied-up Joule in October 2012. The latter — a “Korean-American mash-up” before it became trendy, Bon Appetit says — has earned many a nod as one of the best restaurants of the year… in the entire country.

Dovetail is listed as contractors on the project. Previous plans for the space included a bar in addition to the restaurant space seating around 120.

For Capitol Hill, the introduction of Yang and Chirchi would be somewhat of a new beast in the burgeoning food and drink landscape. Most of the Hill’s most prominent plays in the latest wave of neighborhood hot spots have either been debuts from food and drink pros working their ways up the rungs or sequel and spin-off bets by established Hill food and drink veterans. Once the ink on the paperwork is dry, it will be interesting to see which big Seattle restaurateur names are next eyeing the Hill.

Capitol Hill food+drink notes

  • These are a busy couple weeks for Linda Derschang’s empire. Bait Shop is turning one, Oddfellows is turning five and Linda’s is now opening at 3 PM daily to help keep whistles wet with Bill’s shuttered into 2015. *And* you can expect to see her newest baby, Tallulah’s, before Christmas.
  • Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 1.20.39 PMJoining Linda D on 19th Ave E, of course, is Molly Moon Neitzel and Robin Wehl Martin with their joint ice cream shop/cookie bakery Hello Robin. Seattle Met “invited” both to its December “Perfect Party” — “Just in time for the holidays, Wehl Martin will open Hello Robin, a cookie joint in Capitol Hill that will also serve Neitzel’s ice cream. Because we won’t already be gorging ourselves on treats.”
  • Ah, babies. So cute. So quiet under the table at Cafe Presse for the first couple of months. Congratulations to my most consistent competition in breaking new restaurant and bar news in the city as Seattle Met’s Allecia Vermillion takes a brief maternity leave. In a fun “goodbye for now” post, Vermillion talks with some of the ladies of Seattle restaurant scene — including Rachel Yang — about being a mom in the midst of all this food+drink. She also breaks the news that Montana’s Rachel Marshall is also expecting. Montana, by the way, celebrates its birthday next Sunday.
  • Boy or girl, we hope Marshall isn’t allowed to name the baby. But maybe the kid will work at Nacho Borracho someday:

    nacho borracho is a soon-to-be-open mexican bar and kitchen on capitol hill.   we’re looking for an energetic, organized, and cooperative kitchen manager to lead a small team and pair solid bar food with tequila and margaritas.  capability of food and labor cost maintenance required.  you must be able to consistently execute our menu and ensure that all cooks do the same.  afternoon and evening hours (occasionally late) to be expected, with some flexibility.  we expect to be busy, so the work will be fast-paced and fun, with a competitive salary and tips. – See more

    Nacho is slated to open on Broadway in early 2014.

  • Rocker Gary Reynolds is slated to join Marshall in the bar business on E Olive Way next year. Revolver and its massive vinyl record collection will replace Dinette.
  • Sunday the 15th is the last day to enjoy the old school Canterbury.
  • Here’s what new Canterbury owner Dave Meinert, Poppy’s Jerry Traunfeld and Ba Bar’s Eric Banh have to say about a $15 minimum wage in Seattle.
  • Banh’s Ba Bar finally settled on a new name for their version of the deep fried croissant breakfast treat — the Double Happiness.
  • Seattle’s City Attorney is pushing for more pot stores in the city — and a rule change that could put a store on Capitol Hill.
  • Eater just realized Ada’s Technical Books also has food.
  • The Stranger makes it all the way up to 12th Ave and visits The Old Sage — “feels more like a party bar” — and Canon — “warm and genuine.”
  • Congratulations to Jason Stratton of Spinasse and Artusi and we forgive you for opening Aragona downtown.
  • Congratulations to Cupcake Royale and Capitol Hill’s own Jody Hall on the bakery brand’s 10th anniversary. “I could give it to you, and I can guarantee that you couldn’t make our cupcakes because you’d need the methodology,” Hall says about her “secret recipe.” By the way, gentleman or no, this is how you should eat a cupcake:
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MikeH
10 years ago

Great (not quite confirmed) news about Yang and Chirchi! Revel is my favorite restaurant in the city, how great would it be if they open a Capitol Hill branch. I can’t wait to see what comes of this!

dave
dave
10 years ago

Super-excited about a new Yang/Chirchi venture on the hill! I’ve loved Joule in both of its locations, and have been meaning to get over to check out Revel. Can’t wait to see (and taste) what that pair will do next.

Runchefrun
Runchefrun
10 years ago

Correction: Joule opened long before Revel in Wallingford and then moved to its new location on Stone way.

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[…] reported earlier this month on the duo’s plans for a 4,000 square-foot space in the 500 E Pike Greenus Building acquired and renovated in 2013 by Hunters Capital. Details on the as of yet unnamed project from […]