Chow Re: Qube Calls It Quits
posted by on July 3 at 14:08 PM
I walked by Qube downtown the other day and thought, “How long can that place possibly stay open?” No one I know ever went there—its complicated quadripartite dishes (“Qube Sets,” truly?), generic urban-contemporary look, and early-on chef turnover gave it an unmistakable whiff of doom. All the windows showing the tumbleweeds blowing around and idle staff didn’t help.
Also recently shuttered: Market Street Grill in Ballard, Zagi’s Pizza also in Ballard, the Wellington in Columbia City, Mistral in Belltown (though the owner’s at work on a new place), Mixtura wherever it was on the Eastside.
The confoundingly named Vi Bacchus Sake Bar Etc. on Capitol Hill was recently listed for sale on Craigslist, and a listing for an unnamed Belltown sushi bar has been spotted, too.
More closures are inevitable—especially with the surplus of high-end places around—as the economy sags. It’d be cruel to speculate which restaurants will go first.
I'll bite! How about Pike's Bar & Grill.
Re: Qube Calls It Quits
A found poem, by Bethany Jean Clement
“Qube Sets,” truly?
Though the owner’s at work on a new place.
You know, I have actually tried to make poems out of other write's parenthetical remarks, and it doesn't work. Do you plan it or is it a magical gift?
There will be blood in Madrona. Coupage, Dulces, Cremant, St. Clouds, Cafe Soleil, Bistro Turkuaz and The Hi-Spot are all stacked on top of each other, but the street is never busy and there's not much else going on there to bring people out.
the wellington is closed?
oh no. it's going to be a bucket 'o tears when mrs. chops finds out. and gran'pa chops did so love flirting with the hostess for extra cups of pot likker. and i hope to waiter holiday finds a place to land.
howard schultz and clay bennett surely had something to do with this.
Mixtura was in Kirkland. And it doesn't really count because the reason it closed was that the building they were in is being torn down for a new building. They decided not to re-locate in the new building and are currently looking for another spot for the restaurant.
Oh, oops I started a sentence with "and." Wasn't somebody in another post just getting lectured about that?
Yes, the Wellington is no more, but in its place is Island Soul, and their Caribbean food is absolutely wonderful.
We ate there after they'd been open a week. Service was earnest but a little slow, and it's not much on ambience -- but the food! Wonderful flavors, large quanties, reasonable prices.
@3 - Now don't you go bad-mouthin' good ol' Frog Holl'r, ya hear!
Saw a blurb coupla weeks ago that Belltown's foofy Cascadia is "for sale" which I suppose is a nice way of saying "will go out of business if nobody buys it."
OH MY GOD! THE ECONOMY'S COLLAPSING!
C'mon now. I wouldn't read too much of a pattern in your list of closures. It's the restaurant industry -- it happens all the time. For each of the places on your list, there's probably been two new joints that have opened.
And FWIW, Qube sucked from the start. I can't believe they managed to hang on for so long.
Argh! That stinks... I really liked Qube. The food there was spectacular, if spectacularly expensive.
Argh! That stinks... I really liked Qube. The food there was spectacular, if spectacularly expensive.
Stinky,
Say something once, why say it again?
There are some new places here on the Hill I'd like to see downsize to nothing. If I send you discrete list, can you help me out at all? I don't want to name names here!
Oh, the Wellington was terrific. I'm sorry to hear it's gone. Decent soul food is hard to come by in Seattle. There's nothing better than braised oxtail -- hell, braised anything is great. And it's rare to find a room with decent music -- decent live music, no less.
Zagi's gone? With shitholes like Snoose Junction still open? Fuck you Seattle, you don't deserve pizza.
I didn't know Zagi's was closed. That sucks! They made a mean pizza. Their space was always unbearably hot in the summer, though; not much cooler than the ovens in which said mean pizza was cooked.
All the same...what the shit?
Gawddammit, I kinda like Vi Bacchus.
sigh
Vi Bacchus was weird at first and kind of a letdown one time I went BUT BUT
We happened in there this past Sunday when it was hot as hell after the parade and they had:
1. Air Conditioning!
2. 1/2 price appetizers all day
3. 1/2 price drinks all day.
We got a plate of sashimi tuna, salmon and white fish - 9 pieces almost as big and thick as my cell phone for 7.50 (yes, it's an "appetizer")
I got a delicious $9 glass of cold sake for $4.50.
We had 9 items and 2 large, cold alcoholic beverages for $45.
Seriously.
You have to go on a Sunday.
Zagi's has been closed since like January or February, when the dude left to make pizza at music festivals and never came back.
Re the Madrona comment: please. St. Clouds is always busy, and won't be going anywhere. Same can be said for Cremant and Hi Spot. Dulces has lasted this long, a wussy economy won't impact it, in fact it has looked busier lately than it has in a long time. Coupage seems to be hanging in, and Cafe Soleil has legs. Bistro du Whatever will shutter of course, because restaurants in that space just do.
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