Monday, December 1, 2008
Chow RIP, Restaurants: The Latest
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 3:38 PM
Now no longer with us in the realm of the living:
-El Tajin on Broadway, where Bar Exam found a deeply weird scene with "X RATED DRINKS" last November:
Starting with the Adios Motha Fucka (vodka, pineapple juice, blue Curaçao, club soda, and gin) and ending with the comparatively decorous F-U (involving rum, tequila, two kinds of whiskey, blueberry schnapps, and Goldschläger), it's a Tourette's fantasia that relies heavily on crème-de-miscellaneous and novelty liqueurs. Sex on the Beach is here, way out on the PG end of the profanity, outdone by the likes of Cum in the Bath Tub, Fuck Me Rough, Dirty Virgin, Soft Dick, Ass Smacker, Big Baller, Screw You, Mexican Asshole, The Whore, 1-900-FUCKMEUP, A Piece of Ass. The list goes on and on, literally.
-Il Forno on Olive Way, to be replaced by a mysterious and intriguing seeker-of-liquor-license named Knee High
-Made in Kitchen in the I.D., the sole reader-review of which constitutes a nice little poem:
Try the pork chops!
Loved Grandma who came out
and helped us choose our dinner.
Hangover?
Try the young coconut!
I'll go back again.
And, a while back now:
-Beàto, which Chris McCann loved
-Veil, where I had a highly subpar and massively expensive brunch in April ("This is not a brunch that recommends dinner at Veil, nor eating in general")
-Blackbird Bistro: but Mission—next door, same owners—is taking over the space
-Cascadia: Chef Kerry Sear has moved on to ART at the new Four Seasons, and the Cascadia space has been bought by Grupo Lezama, a fancy Spanish restaurant chain founded by Catholic priests. (From a Google translation about Grupo Lezama: "Our company was born the youngest of the cast of the current restoration, but with years of renowned performances has developed the following projects that do honor to our motto: 'Things dream, Restaurants quality.'")
-[update!] Pike's Bar and Grill (happened so fast, I forgot)
And! Now open:
-Tilikum Place Cafe (guessing this place will be great)
-ART Restaurant and Lounge at the new Four Seasons on First (see above)
-Elemental Next Door (next door to Elemental@Gasworks; it's been open for a while, actually)
-El Gaucho II: Electric Boogaloo (The Eastside Edition) [yes, there's one in Portland and Tacoma, but El Gaucho IV: Please Don't Ignore doesn't sound as good]
-Pearl (also in Bellevue, also $$$)
[post updated: Roman numerals are hard!]
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2
Could this be the end of Seattle's Decadence Decade?
It will be back to bungalows and independent espresso bars.
Eat the lutefisk and wear that flannel...
It will be back to bungalows and independent espresso bars.
Eat the lutefisk and wear that flannel...
4
Any word if Robin is going to re-open Crave anywhere?
That spot on the NE corner of 12th & E Pike is open - again. Although, give the inability of any restaurant to make a go of that location - strange, given it's relative prominence - maybe that wouldn't be the best choice.
That spot on the NE corner of 12th & E Pike is open - again. Although, give the inability of any restaurant to make a go of that location - strange, given it's relative prominence - maybe that wouldn't be the best choice.
6
I don't know of any unsuccessful restaurants at 12th/Pike. My understanding is that 1200 Bistro was clolsed by the new owner not that long after he bought the building (at the time I assumed it was so he could redevelop the site), but before then 1200 did ok biz, and certainly the restaurants that came before were successful. I miss the breakfast diner that used to be there, of course.
I can't even think of where El Tajin is/was. I must have walked past it plenty of times.
I can't even think of where El Tajin is/was. I must have walked past it plenty of times.
7
Sad to see Il Forno go - great pizza, easy-going staff, good beer/wine prices. I wonder if their location had anything to do with the closure?
8
Robin of Crave is not planning another place at this juncture....
As far as that 12th/Pike spot goes, it was Sammie Sue's (home of beloved biscuits and gravy) for a long time, and 1200 Bistro wasn't short-lived either. The Pike's Bar and Grill guys were restaurant novices and apparently hadn't budgeted for not making any money for the first however many months. (I never went—walked in once, was swarmed by staff, looked at menu, and backed out slowly.)
As far as that 12th/Pike spot goes, it was Sammie Sue's (home of beloved biscuits and gravy) for a long time, and 1200 Bistro wasn't short-lived either. The Pike's Bar and Grill guys were restaurant novices and apparently hadn't budgeted for not making any money for the first however many months. (I never went—walked in once, was swarmed by staff, looked at menu, and backed out slowly.)
9
I haven't been to any of the ones that went.
And hadn't heard of them.
So ... I doubt they'll be missed by most people.
And hadn't heard of them.
So ... I doubt they'll be missed by most people.
10
Wasn't Sammie Sue's a REAL diner called Emil's for a zillion years before Pike/Pine got trendy? God, I wish there were places like that nowadays.
13
When El Tajin first opened the food I had there was quite good--it had freshly made corn tortillas and salsa. They actually used the right spices and seasoning--which is surprisingly rare for Mexican in Seattle.
Unfortunately the last two times I went I was disappointed--the food was not as good (maybe they changed cooks?), the service was poor and hell even the margarita was sour. If they kept up the quality I would have been more upset by their closure.
Unfortunately the last two times I went I was disappointed--the food was not as good (maybe they changed cooks?), the service was poor and hell even the margarita was sour. If they kept up the quality I would have been more upset by their closure.
15
Emil's was there forever. Sammie Sues was great for brunch and they had Dodie, who tended bar at the Rendezvous for about one hundred years.
1200 was hit and miss as far as the food went, and some of the staff went well beyond acceptable levels of pretentiousness.
1200 was hit and miss as far as the food went, and some of the staff went well beyond acceptable levels of pretentiousness.
17
I've been to Tillicum Place Cafe and it is wonderful! The owner/chef is this fabulous lady the the food is delicious and service was professional and fun. I'll go there again.
18
I hate one-word restaurants like Beato, Veil, Tilth, Smith, etc. Unless you're talking Piecora's. And no, save it - I have not eaten at a chain nor fast-food restaurant since 1981 when my parents forced me to do that (now there's a sub-category for "Every child needs a mother and father")
19
Hey - speaking of weird drink lists (as if anyone's going to read my comment all the way down here), how about a post/whatever about the best Seattle bar in which to celebrate one's 21st b-day with expensive, oddly-named, strangely colored drinks? (I already know all the places to go get a cheap beer afterwards ...)
20
I went into El Tajin once--the place was completely empty. No patrons. No staff. No music. Nothing.
I got kinda freaked out, left, and never looked back.
I got kinda freaked out, left, and never looked back.
21
Kerry Sear is a great chef and a really nice guy. If he's happy to go back to those operators of posh mausoleums, then I'm happy for him.
But to me, the best hotel will always be The Olympic, even if they turn it into a Holiday Inn.
But to me, the best hotel will always be The Olympic, even if they turn it into a Holiday Inn.
22
No, Mission is not taking over the Blackbird space. Mission's owners also owned Blackbird but shuttered it and it's now for sale. As we reported two and a half months ago.
23
i'm still mourning the passage of Majorie's..on second in belltown which DIDN'T close because of atrophy or disinterest but which will be replaced by some new mcirobrewry pub. which belltown didn't have but will now.
donna moodie has still yet to find a suitable place to relocate after building two successful restaurants in that space ( both lush life and marjorie's )
a nicrobrewery pub/grill will prolly do well in that space , but to close a successful joint in this economy to replace it with.. well.. beer.. feels like a cause for lament.
donna moodie has still yet to find a suitable place to relocate after building two successful restaurants in that space ( both lush life and marjorie's )
a nicrobrewery pub/grill will prolly do well in that space , but to close a successful joint in this economy to replace it with.. well.. beer.. feels like a cause for lament.
24
FYI, the Cascadia space is becoming a member of the Taberna del Alabardero chain of good, expensive, old-school Spanish restaurants in Madrid, Sevilla, Marbella, and DC. More info and photos here: http://www.alabardero.com/seattle.html
25
I got a note a couple of days ago saying that the Asteroid's sale finally went through, and the restaurant has reopened under new ownership, but with the same chef and bar staff. Supposedly, they're starting with the original menu and adding to it.
26
1)Piecora's pizza is awful...cardboard with metallic sauce.
2)Everyone at 1200, customers and staff, seemed about 20 seconds away from stripping down to have a rollicking gay orgy...it smelled slightly like a bathhouse on a Saturday night.
2)Everyone at 1200, customers and staff, seemed about 20 seconds away from stripping down to have a rollicking gay orgy...it smelled slightly like a bathhouse on a Saturday night.
27
Tilikum Place cafe is a great joint. The food, staff and atmosphere are all top notch. Check it out.
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