Radler is german for bicycle and it's also the name of a drink that's the goddamned most refreshing thing you can possibly order on a day like today. A Radler is a little less than two thirds lager and little more than one third soda pop—sprite or some other lemon-lime soda—and it's called a Radler because you can knock a few back and still be sober enough to bike home. That's the theory, anyway. But order a Radler in a beer garden in Munich—where I had my first—and it comes in enormous glass stein that has just as much beer in it as a non-Radler but with room for the soda pop. I had 'em make me a Radler at Smith yesterday after radlering (?) up the hill and it was absolutely, positively perfect. Now I'm launching a campaign to get 'em on the menu. It's not a cocktail, just a beer, and it's doesn't require a degree in mixology to pour one. It's really simple and really delicious and, hey, you're not getting enough corn syrup in your diet as-is, right?

A surge in new mobile food vendors in NYC is causing crazy turf wars. From the New York Times:

In four weeks of business [parked in front of the MOMA], the couple has been threatened at the depot where they park the truck; cursed by a gyro vendor who said that he would set their truck on fire; told to stay off every corner in Midtown by ice cream truck drivers; and approached by countless others with advice — both friendly and menacing — on how to get along on the streets.

“I want to be a good neighbor,” Mr. Di Mille said. “But I am nobody’s fool, and nobody’s pushover, and I should not have to carry a baseball bat on my truck in order to sell cupcakes.”

So far in Seattle—since we've always been sadly deficient—there's been plenty of room for new street food (though at that link, in comments, you will find the protestations of at least one local bricks-and-mortar restaurateur). Even the great Georgetown falafel feud remains a small-potatoes, provincial battle compared to New York, where per the NYT article, cart spots are sometimes sold on the black market, and fancypants new trucks represent the incursion of an entirely different class of people:

...the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck is driven by Doug Quint, a doctoral candidate in bassoon performance at CUNY. “The whole Brooklyn Philharmonic season was canceled,” he said. “I have to get through the summer somehow.”

Hallava Falafel photo by Kelly O.

The 2nd annual Seattle Chocolate Salon is Sunday, July 12th, at Bell Harbor Conference Center. What's a Chocolate Salon? Basically, it's ALL THE DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE YOU CAN EAT!

Over 30 chocolatiers and wineries will be there, sharing their goods, and for the $20 ticket price, you have access to sample as much of it as you'd like. There will also be recipe demonstrations, chef talks, and awards given in categories like "Best Truffle," "Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations," and "Most Artistic Designs."

The participants include Theo Chocolate, Intrigue Chocolates, Oh! Chocolate, Posh Chocolate, Crave Chocolate, Forte Chocolates, Divine Chocolate, Carter's Chocolates, Chocolopolis, Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates, La Chatelaine Chocolat Co., Eat Chocolates, Choffy, the Chocolate Traveler, William Dean Chocolates, Xocai Healthy Chocolate, and Marco Polo Designs' Chocolate Jewelry.

Tickets are on sale through seattlechocolatesalon.com, but we have a pair of tickets to give away! One lucky Slog reader, and their very lucky date, will get to go to the Chocolate Salon and indulge in delicious truffle after delicious truffle for absolutely free.

To enter, just tell us in 50 words or less why you deserve the tickets. Send your mini-essay to chow@thestranger.com with Free Chocolate in the subject line. The top 5-10 entries will be put up on Slog later this week for a reader vote.

Also: Since you probably just skimmed that above list of participants, let me just point out again that there's a company called CHUBBY CHIPMUNK HAND-DIPPED CHOCOLATES. And their truffles look giant and amazing.

Good luck!

Image from last year's Chocolate Salon via TasteTV on flickr.

The Continental Store European Delicatessen at 50th 52nd and Roosevelt is closing. Ingrid Lectenberg, the owner, is retiring. We reached Nancy at the deli, who confirmed that it is for sale and is likely to be shuttered at the end of July. "Seattle's German community (and lovers of fine potato salad) are really going to miss this place," says Slog tipper Rhias.

The Continental Store's sandwiches and Ingrid's tough-love service have been making people happy for approximately an eternity; that it is not included in this week's paean to Seattle sandwiches "Sandwiches We Have Loved: The Staff of The Stranger Sings the Praises of the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread" is an unforgivable oversight. The following is from Rachel Kessler's 2002 tribute to this treasure of our city. Go there and have a sandwich before it's too late.

...When asked which sandwich she recommended, the German lady behind the counter replied sternly, "All of my sandwiches are very good."

I sighed and pointed at some peppered ham. Of this she approved, and moved about, slicing meat and cheese and giant, homemade bread 'n' butter pickles. A large, round brown bun held a strapping German-lad-sized portion of tasty ham and all its accoutrements, bound with mayo and sweet mustard: a miracle of simplicity....

...the store has changed hands, but the new owner is reputed to be a very close friend of the old owner—certainly their sandwiches' origins lie in corresponding philosophies. Our new Lady of the Sandwiches sticks to the succinct in conversation, yet exudes friendliness in sandwiches, and finally warmed up to me when I ordered both kinds of potato salad. "It's hard to choose," she acknowledged, "both are excellent. One has the vinegar and the bacon... one has the hard-boiled eggs and pickles."

The Continental Store European Delicatessen
5014 5200 Roosevelt Way NE (U-District), 523-0606

On Ballard Ave, just a few steps down from Madame K's Pizza, is a new French cafe Bastille, which opens tonight.

From their press release:

Restaurateurs and business partners, James Weimann (Pesos, May Restaurant and Lounge, Talarico’s, Triangle Tavern, El Camino) and Deming Maclise (Caffè Fiorè), have installed Seattle’s first commercial rooftop garden on the roof of Bastille Café & Bar located at 5307 Ballard Avenue which opens on Monday, June 29, 2009. The restaurant phone number is (206) 453-5014 and the website will be located at www.bastilleseattle.com. Bastille Café & Bar will be open 7 days a week from 4:30 pm — 10:00 pm., with dinner service beginning at 5:30 pm. Brunch will be served on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 am-3:00 pm, and late-night dining will be available until 1:00 am.

I walked past the new restaurant this morning, around 8:30 am, and people were frantically buzzing around inside, prepping the space for tonight's opening. Tape and plastic still covered a lot of the windows, and everyone was cleaning up the dust and other remaining signs of recent construction.

But! They should still be ready for tonight—they'll just be very busy today. And despite the mess, the place was gorgeous. Dark wood and paint, and a big dining area. Unlike Presse, I would never feel comfortable hanging out with my laptop there. It's looks much too nice for that. But since the prices are higher than that of Presse, well, I probably couldn't afford to anyway. (Small plates run about $8-$12, while entrees are $14-$23. The brunch menu ranges from $6-$15.)

Also of note: Happy Hour is 4:30-6 pm and 10 pm-1 am.

UPDATE! An FYI from Bethany: Shannon Galusha (of Veil) and Jason Stoneburner (of Union and How to Cook a Wolf) are doing the cooking.

I'm hungry.

Wednesday, June 24th 2009: Northwest area restaurants will rally to raise funds for the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake. This tragic earthquake hit 6.3 on the Richter scale and devastated the central Italian region of Abruzzo on April 6th 2009 @ 3:25AM, taking close to 300 lives, hospitalizing over 25,000 and displacing more than 60,000. The L'Aquila earthquake is the deadliest earthquake to occur in Italy since 1984. On June 24, restaurants participating in the "Big Night for Abruzzo" will donate a portion of their sales to the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake. Proceeds will be given directly to: Polisportiva Paganica Rugby and used to help rebuild the sports and recreation facility lost in the devastated town of Paganica, the epicenter of the earthquake. Currently, hundreds of displaced youth in Paganica and neighboring communities have no organized sports or facilities because of the destruction resulting from the earthquake.

You may be interested to learn of the existence of the wine bar/awesome bistro Elemental Next Door, a place for people who like Elemental@Gasworks but don't want to spend as much and don't want to deal with E@G's overbearing owner/server/sommelier Phred. (E.N.D. is reviewed over here.) Our own Jen Graves loves Phred's style of service—it is she to whom I referred at the end of this piece*:

Then there are those who like being dominated at the table, who actively want it, who can't get enough. A woman I know (a very opinionated woman, a champion of critical thinking, of argument, of choice in all areas of life) loves it. She's happy to be released from decision-making at dinner, and the attendant helplessness—the idea that someone is going to anticipate and provide for her needs without her even having to select a seat or look at a menu—is a balm, an ecstasy. Elemental@Gasworks—where owner/waitperson/sommelier Phred Westfall has made domineering an art form—is her all-time favorite restaurant. "I want to be told what to do," she said.

But if you want the same food, less attitude, Elemental Next Door (featuring the marvelous cooking of Allyss Dillon, pictured) is there for you.

Also, I saw our own Larry Mizell kicking it on the back deck at Captain Blacks. (Lots more info on Captain Blacks is over here.) He and I corresponded about the chicken and waffles, and we're in agreement:

BJC: i didn't think the chicken and waffles was all that—what's up with no bones?—but the deck's nice.

LM: seriously. no dark meat @ a chicken & waffle spot? is it opposite day?

* And, by the way, my prediction in it has come somewhat true: Poppy has added several different thali options to its menu at various price points, and the Corson Building has begun a non-prix-fixe service on Wednesdays that costs around the same as Sitka & Spruce.

Photo by Kelly O.

From passiveagressivenotes.com:

Courtesy of Julie in Eugene.

When it doesn't move, like Tako Truk, a landlocked "taco truck" from former Sitka & Spruce chef Cormac Mahoney, run out of the 14 Carrot Cafe on Eastlake on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. This guy over here (who admits he's an old friend of Cormac's partner-in-Tako-Truk Bryan) says it's great, especially the braised pork tacos ("inspired"), the octopus, and the chicken adobo. If you're smart, you'll have your tacos with a beer at the Eastlake Zoo. Note: Tako Truk is cash only (the man in the fannypack takes your money). And in the customer service department, they Twitter 86'd notices when they run out of something.

The latest step forward (or will it be A GIANT LEAP?!) in Seattle street food: Marination Mobile gets rolling today. First stop: lunch (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) in Fremont outside Soundspeed Scooters.

The menu offers tacos and sliders, featuring ingredients such as kalbi beef, spicy pork, miso-ginger chicken, kalua pork, and tofu that are marinated in signature sauces. There is also a kimchi fried rice bowl, kimchi quesadilla, and SPAM musubi. Items run from $2-$5.

More menu details here. I'd get in line early. Let us know how it is!

...and they are both being awfully good sports.

This week, David Schmader wrote about Madison Valley vegetarian standby Cafe Flora, finding the dining-room renovation a little heavy-handed ("cluttered and goofy, like the set of a farm-themed children's television show") and the food and service not quite consistently top-notch. Cafe Flora responds:

I wanted to send you over a quick thank-you for your review today. It has been 9 years since Cafe Flora has been reviewed and we are pleased the Stranger revisited us. While it would have been ideal to have had everything be a stunning success- we want you to know we are absolutely taking your criticisms to heart and we may possibly tweak a few things per your suggestion. Coincidentally, we had planned to replace both the porcini risotto and the artichoke croquettes with the introduction of our seasonal summer menu beginning June 29th.

There were a few inaccuracies that we wanted to bring to your attention that may be corrected in the online version of the review*.
• The bread from the French dip is actually from Columbia City Bakery — not from Essential Baking.
• While Janine Doran has been with Cafe Flora 15 years, she has not held the position of executive chef for 15 years.
• The risotto was made with Arborio rice, not brown rice.

Also, I am not sure if you had a chance to make it in to try our brunch, desserts or new cocktail program. Our cocktail and happy hour program are fairly new (cocktails are a first for Cafe Flora) but our brunch is very popular and our vegan and gluten-free desserts are outstanding.

Again- thanks for your input.

And last month, I wrote about the new brunch at Madison Valley fine-dining standby Rover's, finding the atmosphere literally stuffy, the service harried, and (among other unimpressive food) the omelet herniated. Rover's chef/maestro/famous-hat-wearer responds:

I’m sorry you had such a negative brunch experience at Rover’s. I’m sorry when anyone has a negative experience at Rover’s. Brunch is a new thing for us, but that’s no excuse for the shortcomings you described. Our aim is to always serve guests wonderful, memorable meals.

For 22 years, I’ve worked to maintain the highest standards at Rover’s. This means sourcing the absolute best ingredients, preserving local fruits and vegetables at the peak of their growing season for our pantry, and curing many of the meats we serve in-house. Unfortunately, there are still some off moments that prove we are human, and very unfortunately, you happened to be on the receiving end of such when you visited. We acknowledged that at the time by not charging you for your eggs or your crepe.**

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years in business, it’s that one can never rest on past successes—a chef is only as good as his or her last omelet. For that reason, we’re always working to innovate and improve. So, thank you for your critique—please know that we took your comments to heart.

Sincerely,
Thierry Rautureau
The Chef in The Hat!!!

* The online version has been corrected, a note to that effect has been made, and Mr. Schmader has been chastised.
**True, and I should've noted that specifically in the review (even though brunch for two still came to $56 for two people, including two $12 bloody Marys). There's more discussion of that over here.

Snacks! officially opened in Ballard yesterday, in the back of the small parking lot next to King's Hardware on Ballard Ave. The name says it all—Snacks! has every kind of treat you could possibly be craving to beat the midday heat or sop up all the late-night liquor.

The store was opened by Dante Rivera, of the beloved hotdog cart Dante's Inferno Hotdogs. Besides stocking everything from milk and cookies to wine and beer, Snacks! is also serving up Dante's dogs, with all the fixings (and they've even got a walk-up hot dog window for quicker service).

Inside, the store's inventory includes a lot of basics—drinks, cookies, chips, cereal, candy, some quick dinner items, and even Pepto Bismol and Tums, should you get a little carried away. But they'll be constantly adding new items, including a better selection of beer and wine (and possibly microbrews), as well as goods from the Ballard Farmer's Market vendors (they're already offering Zane and Zack's sauces and Honey! I'm Home Catering treats). And if they still don't have something to quiet your cravings? Then you're welcome to jot down whatever your heart desires on their big "Wish List" hanging on the door.

AND HERE IS THE BEST PART: Snacks! is home to Dante's latest invention, the Chilly Dog, which is a surprisingly delicious treat that involves ice cream and a hot dog bun. They start with a lightly toasted, soft bun. Then they add a thick layer of smooth peanut butter via a peanut butter gun (PEANUT BUTTER GUN!). Next, they layer on a fat stripe of soft serve ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, or swirl), and top it off with a generous drizzle of strawberry jelly. Seems weird, right? It's DELICIOUS! The bun gets all chewy and sweet as the peanut butter and ice cream melt into it. And the cool, creamy soft serve against the toasty warm bread is absolute heaven. They also have a chocolate and peanut butter version.

But if you're not brave enough to try it, stick with the Otter Pops. They've got those too.

Snacks! is open Mon-Thurs 10 am-8 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-2:30 am, and Sunday 10 am-5 pm.

Full Tilt Ice Cream will open a second location in Columbia City on July 3rd. The store will be at 5101 Rainier Ave S, #105, and just like their current location in White Center, they'll have over a dozen pinball machines and host all-ages shows on the weekends.

Full Tilt offers a rotating menu of about 16 flavors (with some vegan options), including raspberry ripple, toasted coconut, corn and chili, margarita sorbet, vanilla bean, mint chocolate chip, and more. They also serve beer and paletas.

Follow Full Tilt on Twitter for updates about the new store and to hear about what flavors they're currently serving and/or concocting.

(Photo via Full Tilt's Twitter.)

Whoever writes the Dining Deals headlines over at the Seattle Times is on a roll. On the heels of last week's "Queen Sheba on Capitol Hill Is Mildly Pleasant," we have:

Kristos Eastlake: It's Greek, Sleek, With Deals Worth a Peek