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News & ArtsSunday, February 22, 2009
Chow From Skillet: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 1:18 PM
From Skillet's weekly email update:
Hey skillet nation !!an idea......
-we have an idea we would like to implement. Seattle doesn't have enough street food, and we want to help change that. We are toying with the idea of creating a weekend street food market. We would like to have a parking lot of some kind perhaps in a neighborhood say ballard, fremont, cap hill, udistrict, beacon hill etc...where us and maybe 5-10 other street food vendors could set up for a saturday and sunday during the day and perhaps even into the evening. I believe it could be a great experiment (and successful) and perhaps couple it with some farmers, musicians etc...anyways...if you have any suggestions or perhaps a location...please don't hesitate to email me (josh) at
eat@skilletstreetfood.com...and thanks...we want to make seattle the epicenter of street food..!!!
How about the parking lot on Pine Street that used to be Pony/the Bus Stop (since reincarnated elsewhere)/the Cha Cha (ditto)/Kincora? It's sad right now, but it's got good karma.
Or the same lot as the Broadway farmers market? Could be the Seattle Street Food Fair on Saturday, then both on Sunday. Yes!
3
What a great idea! Now all we have to do is educate all the stuffy white liberal freaks that inhabit this town that street food wont kill them.
And yes, fuck Capitol Hill. It should go in the Central district so people stop shooting each other. Or better yet: downtown Seattle. Downtown needs some Anti-Mallification forces about it...
And yes, fuck Capitol Hill. It should go in the Central district so people stop shooting each other. Or better yet: downtown Seattle. Downtown needs some Anti-Mallification forces about it...
5
I vote for the U District. There's aready enough cool cheap-student-food restaurants there that finding vendors to participate shouldn't be a problem. And the unused swamp across the street from Schmitz Hall, on the north end of The Ave, seems like a good a location as any. Either that or the parking lot on University Way and 50th, whenever the farmer's market isn't using it, i.e., Sundays.
7
What is stopping them from becoming part of our existing network of weekend markets? Not wanting to pay fees? Wanting to collect fees for themselves? I don't get it.
10
Definitely. I love seeing these when I visit Portland. The ex-Bimbo's/Cha-Cha lot is a perfect location. This would be great during weekend nights.
11
The two residents of this house just ended up shouting excited across the apartment to each other about this, culminating and louder and gradually higher-pitched calls of "Yes! Yes, this!"
Please do it. I'm in Capitol Hill, so that sounds rad to me, but if you establish it, I will eat.
And since when do college students get up that much earlier than coked-up hipsters? Try again.
Please do it. I'm in Capitol Hill, so that sounds rad to me, but if you establish it, I will eat.
And since when do college students get up that much earlier than coked-up hipsters? Try again.
13
This is an another great idea from the Skillet peole, who seem to me like they should be in the running for a Genius Award. Personally I'd never go if it was on fuckitol hill, but somewhere else I'd definitely try it out.
14
east lake union -- there is a parking lot on the north end at roanoke and faireview in front of blue ribbon cooking school that is actually a city street (free!)
15
South Lake Union Park - easy access from Fremont, Easlake, CapHill, B-town Q.A. Wallingford, & SLU. Essentially the nexus of the central core.
16
I vote for the U-District over the Hill, or maybe they could work with one of the local Farmer's Markets - the food they make on-site always tastes like ass.
17
Why make it temporary? It should be permanent. Do you know how many of those little trucks they have in Portland? It must be a hundred. We have NOTHING like that, except what shows up at the various weekly markets.
Speaking of which, REAL tacos al pastor (and huaraches!) at the Fremont Sunday Market! With the meat cooking on the vertical spit and everything!
Speaking of which, REAL tacos al pastor (and huaraches!) at the Fremont Sunday Market! With the meat cooking on the vertical spit and everything!
19
yeah, the u-district with all their cheap eats is a great place why? either south lake union or cap hill would be the better locations. fremont and ballard already have big weekend events featuring food; why have a competing event?
personally, i live on cap hill and would like it there. besides, what street food are people eating much before noon anyways? so what does it matter if the coke heads don't get up until 3pm? and for those that won't come to capitol hill, good, please don't - ever.
personally, i live on cap hill and would like it there. besides, what street food are people eating much before noon anyways? so what does it matter if the coke heads don't get up until 3pm? and for those that won't come to capitol hill, good, please don't - ever.
20
I love street food!
They used to rotate three spots between ~10 vendors in a parking lot by my old university on weekdays. Fabulous!
They used to rotate three spots between ~10 vendors in a parking lot by my old university on weekdays. Fabulous!
21
It's oh-so-trendy to lament the lack of street food in seattle, but spare a thought for the people who actually run a real food business in this city, of which i am one. We employ people, we provide jobs for garbage men, hood cleaners, electricians, repairmen, etc., we pay a shitload of taxes that keeps this city and state going. Now all of a sudden we have to worry about some a-hole who doesn't have any of our expenses driving up and parking in front of our businesses and undercutting us. Fuck that. Support businesses that actually support this city.
22
flair taco? are you f*ckin kidding? lame douchebag hipster selling overpriced, banal and uninspiring taco truck fare? place sucks. waits are too long... there are several taco trucks that are much better.
and while we're talking about skillet, i think it's a great idea. pit them up against 5 real street truck vendors that are budget friendly AND delicious. and watch them quiver and shake.
and while we're talking about skillet, i think it's a great idea. pit them up against 5 real street truck vendors that are budget friendly AND delicious. and watch them quiver and shake.
23
Couple suggestions: UDist parking lot at 50th & Univ Way (where the farmers market operates). S Lake Union wooden boat center on Mercer (poor foot access). Parking lot behind Chipotle on the Ave. Assuming city bribes are paid up: Denny Park (6th & Denny), or Myrtle Edwards/south grassy end of sculpture park.
bb: Do you think street food is exempt from sales or B&O tax? 'Fraid not. The fact that they have lower overhead than you is obvious: no range hood, no range hood cleaning. If you like their model, do it, just get ready for a heck of a marketing challenge once your restaurant has no seating.
bb: Do you think street food is exempt from sales or B&O tax? 'Fraid not. The fact that they have lower overhead than you is obvious: no range hood, no range hood cleaning. If you like their model, do it, just get ready for a heck of a marketing challenge once your restaurant has no seating.
24
bb;
Thank you for being the sole source of tax revenue in Washington state. We couldn't do it with you!! You are awesome!! Thanks so much for all the vital services, education, roads etc.! YAY FOR KING BB!!!!!
Thank you for being the sole source of tax revenue in Washington state. We couldn't do it with you!! You are awesome!! Thanks so much for all the vital services, education, roads etc.! YAY FOR KING BB!!!!!
25
#23 I don't see much in the way of time clocks or cash registers at these taco trucks or hot dog stands which leads me to believe it must be something of a voluntary reporting system. You think they're declaring their full sales when it's so easy to underreport? I strongly doubt it. It is an uneven playing field.
#24 You're welcome.
#24 You're welcome.
26
Pike/Pine somewhere on the hill would be fantastic! Also they'd actually get some serious foot traffic, unlike a few of the other neighborhoods mentioned.
28
Great idea. Gotta admit putting a street meat fair atop the ashes of the Kincora is a sweet idea, but how about some love for the Southend? Rainier valley baby. We already got the best taco truck in the city.
@21 there's room for everybody. Don't be a pill.
@21 there's room for everybody. Don't be a pill.
29
bb -your concerns are legit perhaps you could use your facilities to prepare food for cart or carts to sell and promote your full fare restaurant - that's just an idea not a criticism of your beef.
the original site for bite of seattle was just to the east of the swimming pool across from what is now starbucks - saturdays there would be good.
it is a little surprising how excited people are about a gathering of street food - really go south mexico, ecuador, colombia
the original site for bite of seattle was just to the east of the swimming pool across from what is now starbucks - saturdays there would be good.
it is a little surprising how excited people are about a gathering of street food - really go south mexico, ecuador, colombia
31
My vote is for Rainier Valley. There are a ton of competing cheap foods in the Udist as well as Capital Hill, lots of traffic in Rainier Valley, and diversity. Make the cheap, good food accessible to those who want it, as well as those who need it.
33
@32 some people have a hard time making friends. They see young people having a great time bouncing around on the hill, and it makes them feel lonely. Soon the loneliness turns to bitterness, and all those fun outgoing people are now seen as a homogeneous mass of cocaine sniffing asshole hipsters.
34
@7 the farmers markets networks are strictly who-you-know. i've been trying to get a spot for a year. i've been told "as soon as a spot becomes available" and then watch subpar bbq sauce vendor after crappy cookie-maker set up shop.
35
The key to all of this is working to revise Seattle-King County health code. As it stands, it is very difficult to operate a mobile food operation because of the requirements (i.e. sinks for washing, rinsing, sterlizing, etc.) making it tough to (legally) sell hot prepared food.
36
BB is just jealous. Poor thing. We just need Skillet to start frying up the freaking FOIE GRAS OH YES.
37
Beacon Hill Beacon Hill Beacon Hill. Seriously. We have a few restaurants, but not exactly competition, and no farmers' markets or anything like that -- we NEED something like this. And people will be able to take the train there, starting July 3! My suggestion? El Centro de la Raza south lot, across from the train station. (Currently it's a staging area for construction.)
38
This would be a great opportunity to diversify! Just invite all the taco wagons (predominantly Hispanic/Mexican owned and operated) from the East side of the state (I prefer Taco Loco on 9th street in Walla Walla).
39
Of course, Dept of Health mandates employee restrooms and three bucket sinks to prevent such things from happening. Portland can get away with it, but not the nanny state.
http://www.djc.com/blogs/SeattleScape/20…
http://www.djc.com/blogs/SeattleScape/20…
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