If one of the big stories of 2019 was the closure of Capitol Hill restaurants with large spaces and large leases, maybe 2020 will be the year of showing how quickly those spaces can fill with new life.

Meet Korean BBQ is lined up to take over once of those large spaces — and the table top grills are already in place.

Meet will take over the 5,000-square-foot Pike/Pine venue formerly home to the ambitious Trove, the Seattle Met reported just before the Christmas break:

Heong Soon Park, of Chan and Bacco Cafe in Pike Place Market, will open Meet Korean BBQ here at 500 E Pike. As the name punnily implies, this spot will focus on quality protein, namely beef and pork. “Nothing but angus prime or American wagyu and Kurobuta pork,” says Park. “We’re not doing anything else.”

The pared down focus replaces the sprawling vision of Korean grilling, noodles, and ice cream from husband and wife chef team Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi who shuttered the multifaceted Trove in June after five years of business saying there just weren’t customers to make the concept viable enough to keep the space.

Meet will put the old Trove elements to new uses. The noodle bar up front is being transformed into a wood-fire grill for meats that require extra smoking.

Trove’s table top grills, meanwhile, will find new life. But the neighborhood that will bring a “self pour” wine and beer bar to its offerings in 2020 is also about to add a Korean barbecue that won’t be DIY. The Seattle Met says the plan at Meet is for the restaurant’s staff to do the table-top grilling.

Meet will also feature beer, wine, cocktails, and, yes, soju. 2020 is also lining up to be a big year for the Korean spirit with 12th Ave’s Soju Anju set to open next to Velocity Dance.

Meet, meanwhile, is planned to debut in February as it kicks its big space back into motion. We’ll see if other large opportunities — like Stout or Sitka — follow closely.

Meet Korean BBQ is planned to open in February at 500 E Pike. You can keep track at instagram.com/meetkoreanbbqseattle.

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