SHANIKS MEERU DHALWALA Her only regret is that she hasn’t fed you crickets yet.
  • Kelly O
  • SHANIK'S MEERU DHALWALA Her only regret is that she hasn’t fed you crickets yet.

In 2013, we lost the original Bauhaus—practically a historic landmark of Seattle cafes—because progress*. (It's going to reopen, eventually, and meanwhile will temporarily occupy the Capitol Club space, and there's a new branch in Ballard, but still, booooo.) Same with the Viking—a tiny, classic tavern in Ballard that had sold beer, barbecue, and fresh eggs by the dozen since 1950. Other Seattle institutions that regrettably departed in 2013 include the Continental Greek Restaurant and Pastry Shop in the U-District and Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe—both so that their owners could finally get some rest, but still, sad. Vegetarians mourned the passing of Carmelita; rich people mourned the passing of Rover's. Everybody with a heart felt bad that Med Mix, on the apparently cursed northeast corner of 23rd and Union, got set on fire by an arsonist—it remains, regrettably, closed.

In regrettable openings, there's Storyville Coffee. (Google it and "Mars Hill.")

In other completely regrettable developments, we had McDonald's advising its employees on how to get on food stamps (AND how to chew their food more to feel fuller, AND how to sell their stuff for extra money), fast-food workers having to go on strike to try to get a living wage, the failure of Initiative 522, the success of the cronut, the antigayness of Barilla pasta, too many things served in mason jars, the fact that only 1 percent of $292.5 billion in federal agricultural subsidies have gone toward fruit and vegetable programs, the death of the spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill of a heart attack at age 52, the closure of Chu Minh Tofu for repeated health violations including pigeons roosting on open vats of tofu, the growing of hamburger in a lab, and Paula Deen. We also learned that the farthest one can get from a Subway in the United States of America is 99 miles, and Subway also started making its foot-long sandwiches actually a foot long instead of shorter (like anyone needed that extra inch).

We asked local restaurateurs/chefs/etc. to share their 2013 regrets. And here they are...

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* I already kind of regret using this construction.