While new restaurants continue to open every week in Seattle, this week brings news of a few notable closures and changes.
Zhu Dang Is Now Closed
Zhu Dang, one of the many restaurants to open on Capitol Hill last year, has now become one of the first to close. The restaurant, which served what it called "updated Chinese food with a Northwest vibe," shut down after last Saturday's dinner service. Zhu Dang opened last December in an impressive, highly designed space, but it failed to generate enough business for owners Steve and Meghann Chen to keep going.
“Our decision to call it quits after just one year was based on a lot of factors, but mostly financial,” Steve Cheng told Capitol Hill Seattle. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the numbers to make sense, so we’re cutting our losses early."
"There were certainly many bumps along this road, we've learned a lot," the owners wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page. "This is a total bummer to say the least."
Chef Zoi Antonitsas Is Leaving Westward
Zoi Antonitsas, the founding chef of Westward on Lake Union, is leaving the restaurant. Her last day is this Friday, November 13. Antonitsas, who created Westward's seafood-focused menu rich with Greek flavors, was named a 2015 Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine last spring. No word yet on what her next project will be.
Cafe Barjot Is Ending Dinner Service
Cafe Barjot will be ending evening dinner service this Saturday, November 14. Despite the restaurant getting great reviews in local media (including my review of chef Nick Coffey's thoughtful, seasonal dishes), owner Wylie Bush says "we’ve struggled to build enough steady clientele to stay open in the evening."
The good news is that starting November 15, Barjot will be focusing on brunch, which they'll serve everyday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch will include toast, sandwiches, and rotating dishes topped with poached eggs.
Coffey will continue creating dinner menus for a few special events each month, including a beer dinner with the the Central District's Standard Brewing early next month.
West Seattle's Beloved Mexico Food Truck Closes
West Seattle Blog reports that five-year-old food truck Beloved Mexico, which has been a fixture on Fauntleroy Way for several years, has closed permanently. Co-owner Christian Guerrero says he and his brother Erik, who have always worked other jobs in addition to the food truck, are "really sad to shut down, but we just weren’t making enough.”
Guerrero cited other factors that contributed to the decision to close, including the recent opening of a nearby Chipotle Mexican Grill, which he says cut into Beloved Mexico's buisness. That Chipotle, like all of the company's other Washington and Oregon locations, is currently closed due to an E. coli outbreak that sickened 42 people. Health officials have been unable to determine the source of the bacteria, and recently tested produce has been found negative for E. coli. Chipotle will be able to reopen all their stores as early as tomorrow, reports the Seattle Times.
