With reporting and photography by Alex Garland
In a shade of “good fortune”-toned red and with the blessings — and permitting help — of the couple that made the space home to a successful Capitol Hill restaurant for nearly 20 years, Money Frog is celebrating its grand opening this week on the still quiet but now just a tad more interesting 19th Ave E.
General manager Jin Lee says that she is trying to keep to a simple philosophy with the opening even as the young restaurant works to overcome paperwork challenges and to settle into its new home neighborhood.
“Things are 10x more expensive, sometimes it feels like things are 10x harder,” Lee said. “But it’s all about having fun.”
“Relax. We want to do this to have fun.”
It also helps to have a little help and guidance from the decades of experience of Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos who decided to downsize their restaurant efforts on the Hill and sold their much-loved Vios late last year to make way for the new Money Frog project.
CHS reported here on the few neighbor complaints that tied up some of the buildout of the new restaurant. Lee says that the Soukakoses acted as guides and allies to help Money Frog through the process — a blessing of sorts from the restaurant couple that built Vios into a popular neighborhood eatery in the middle of Capitol Hill’s most suburban, nostalgic, and wealthiest blocks.
During its first few weeks of a “quiet opening,” Lee has had to regularly break the news to visitors stopping in to check out what is going on inside the restaurant at the corner of 19th and Aloha. Yes, Vios is gone. Yes, it was great. You can still enjoy some of the old favorites at the Soukakoses Pike/Pine restaurant Omega Ouzeri.
And Lee says the Vios spirit lives on with the wine at Money Frog — natural wines from Greece in honor of Thomas and Rebecca.
But Money Frog is also ready to forge its own path.
Lee says the collaboration between Joe and Lucy Ye of Hangry Panda in Greenwood and Khampaeng “KP” Panyathong of Taurus Ox on E Madison combines KP’s bold exploration of Pan Asian cuisine with Hangry Panda’s gluten free counter service forged on Aurora. The new, relatively large, table and booth focused venue gives the restaurateurs more to work with for hosting guests and creating a neighborhood hangout that has multicultural, and multigenerational appeal, Lee says.
“Money Frog is a place that focuses on the community,” Lee said. “We love having different types of people in here, to share our foods that we like to eat, share our cultures.”
The menu is, of course, good for sharing, from crispy fried frog legs, to soft shell chilli crab served with Hawaiian rolls so you can make a sandwich at your table, to twists on a Chinese restaurant classic like the condensed milk pecan prawns. The menu will continue to grow with wontons, a Lao meatball lettuce wrap, and more including weekend brunch coming soon.
Though it is starting as a dinner only joint, Money Frog is planning weekend brunch hours, “something that Seattle has lost” over the pandemic, Lee says. The plans are pretty good summation of the Money Frog spirit. There will be waffles, pancakes, bacon, etc., of course, but also shrimp and rice, and morning noodles.
The transition from Vios to Money Frog has brought a refreshing of the old restaurant space with new red colors and a frog-themed wallpaper. The front remains table-focused and brighter when Seattle’s sun is out but the back area speaks to Money Frog’s different spin on multigenerational appeal. The old Vios kid play area is long gone. In its place, a bamboo wrapped, 21 and over lounge area with booths and a darker, sometimes more intimate, sometimes more of a good party vibe.
With its liquor license now in hand, Money Frog is starting with beer, wine, and classic cocktails before it eventually unveils a menu of craft drinks designed to accompany the Pan Asian menu.
The Money Frog name, the reds, the froggy wallpaper, Lee says it all symbolizes good health, good wealth, good fortune.
“We feel really thankful to be in this space,” she said.
Money Frog is now open at 903 19th Ave E. Hours are 4 PM to 9 PM, Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Money Frog is a proof of vaccination establishment. You can learn more at moneyfrogseattle.com.
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So excited for this – yay!
Looks cool
Hope their planning to get a little patio dining going on, like Monsoon does up the street. Nothing like bringing the energy of the restaurant out to the neighborhood.
But not a fan of the 21 and over section. That just seems unnecessary and kinds of flies in the face of this very kid friendly neighborhood.
But it’s great for those of us who don’t love trying to eat while restless kids are fussing. It probably also helps parents feel less stressed about whether their kids are bothering people, since us non-kid lovers can just sit somewhere else.
Frog legs?
Tastes like chicken