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A Multitude of Singularities

A Multitude of Singularities

Genuine Goodness Times Two at Afrikando Banadir


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Chow Bio

Saint John's, from the same owners as Solo—Kultur Shock's Val Kiossovski, Michael Lee of the Young Evils, and Billy Gould of Faith No More—is named after the building it's in, not the saint (though they have a burger he might enjoy).

Is running a bar and restaurant with other musicians like being in a duck fat–roasted, parsnip puree–topped band?

Michael: In the sense that it's a swirling melting pot of nonsense, yes!

Val: It's gratifying because we have the same mind-set. We tour a lot; we have many experiences to draw on.

Was anything on your menu discovered on tour?

V: Lots of things! There's a Balkan liqueur called Pelinkovac you can't get here. We make some cocktails with the closest approximation, called Cynar.

What do you think Saint John would order here?

M: I think he'd be happy with his namesake burger. He'd probably like our brunch, too.

V: We still haven't found the right place to put our icon of his head on a platter.

Why do you have such a selection of beyond-Moscow mule cocktails?

V: It started at Solo. A customer asked if I could take him on a trip, so I decided to take him around the world with mules incorporating every imaginable liquor. He was very happy. recommended

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@7, Doesn't the term "redneck" refer to the sunburn typically found on people who work outside, i.e. farmers? Seems like coal miners don't fit that definition.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

School Food or Prison Food?

Posted by on Fri, May 25, 2012 at 2:27 PM

Yum.

Three Hours Until Happy Hour

Posted by on Fri, May 25, 2012 at 1:53 PM

May Marti Jonjak suggest you enjoy it at the Sexton in Ballard?

I want to go to there!
  • WHITMAN DEWEY-SMITH
  • I want to go to there!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Charles Mudede on the Return of Afrikando...

Posted by on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 3:45 PM

...and on Britain's colonization of Zimbabwe, and on the French colonization of Senegal, and on his father trying to make him kill a goat, and on the dual/multiple nature of Afrikando Banadir's food/ethos, and—of course—"Now for some theory..."

It's some great Mudedean work.

Afrikando Banadirs Jacques Saar, with a fish and a friend.
  • Kelly O
  • Afrikando Banadir's Jacques Saar, with a fish and a friend.

Burning Beast Tickets on Sale Tomorrow

Posted by on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 11:42 AM

The 2011 Beast, Burning
  • The Stranger
  • The 2011 Beast, Burning

A carnivorous little bird says the link to buy tickets to Burning Beast—the world's funnest, most delicious, meatiest feast in a field, cooked by Seattle's best chefs, happening on Sunday, July 15th—will be posted on Facebook at 9 a.m. tomorrow. They tend to sell out fast.

Organizer Tamara Murphy (Terra Plata) has hand-picked the all-star cast of barbecuers, and while this is not 100% confirmed, it appears that these people (among lots of others) are on board:

· the newly James-Beard-awarded Matt Dillon (Sitka & Spruce, the Corson Building)
· the Creole-food-truck king Matt Lewis (Where Ya At Matt)
· the boar's-head-on-the-wall Charles Walpole (Blind Pig Bistro)
· the marvelous Quillisascut Farm's Karen Jurgensen
· the awesomely named Russ Flint (Rain Shadow Meats)
· the fantastic-pasta-and-meat maker Mike Easton (Il Corvo)

Let's just say it—a lot of food events are terrible, especially big ones that cost a bunch of money with herds of people lining up to get little plates of food. But Burning Beast is not in an awful conference room with terrible lighting—it's at the very lovely Smoke Farm, out in the country an hour north of Seattle, where (god willing) it will be hot and sunny, and there is a river to swim in. Also, the roster of chefs is consistently outstanding, and the plates of food tend to be actually too big (pacing is key).

It is just really delicious and really fun (even when it rains).

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

More Devastating Sandwich News

Posted by on Wed, May 23, 2012 at 2:50 PM

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Last week, a terrible thing happened: The I Love New York Deli in the U-District closed (with outcry in comments over here).

Now we have learned that, horribly, the original I Love New York Deli in the Pike Place Market is also gone, gone, gone, as of this past Sunday.

I just had a rather heartbreaking conversation with owner Jon Jacobs. He was at his Big Apple Deli in Maple Valley, which remains open. Among other factors in the closures, he mentioned that his meat costs had nearly doubled. "We tried raising the price 25 cents and people went insane," he said. "Look at the price of gas versus seven years ago... and I wasn't going to cut back on quality." He says the micro-neighborhood of the U-District shop, which opened near Scarecrow Video in summer 2009, has suffered mightily because of the economy and construction in the area this past winter (as noted in comments here—and it was arguably never a great location in terms of foot traffic in any case). "Business really dropped off," he said, "a lot of businesses had trouble—the hot dog place went out of business—they've been there forever. Five businesses went under."

"It sucks, but there's nobody to blame but myself," Jacobs said. "Financially, it just wasn't feasible anymore. It just got to be where it was ridiculous... You just get to a point sometimes where you just can't fight anymore."

"Those were the love of my life, those stores," he said. "You get behind in the rent, and you just can't catch up."

Jacobs mentioned filing for bankruptcy (the Maple Valley store is a separate entity). "I don't want it to be this way," he said. "Those days that i was at the Market, I loved those days. This is the hardest time of my life... if I could pay the bills right now, I would. I know I'm not the only one, but I feel like I am. I work 20 hours a day—I work my ass off. It's really hard."

Meanwhile, Jacobs is trying to negotiate a lease on a space on the Ave to resurrect the U-District store, which would involve a loan from his father.

Continue reading »

Monday, May 21, 2012

The Name of the Barbecue Place Opening at Cowgirls Inc.

Posted by on Mon, May 21, 2012 at 2:50 PM

Meaty Johnson's.

Details, should you so desire, after the jump.

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Devastating Sandwich News

Posted by on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Two different devastated Seattle sandwich-lovers sent us the terrible, terrible news: I Love New York Deli in the U-District is closed forever.

An employee at the original Pike Place Market location, which remains open, confirmed the closure. Ace Stranger reporter Grant Brissey says, "This is true. The place was gone, overnight, and not just gone—gutted. Counters, kitchen equipment, everything." Brissey photographed the tragic scene:

SAD.
  • Grant Brissey
  • SAD.

We've been unable to reach owner Jon Jacobs to inquire about WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY?????? and express our sorrow. We've called and called! Stranger sandwich expert Paul Constant says this turn of events and the failure of the promised 24-hour Capitol-or-First-Hill branch of I Love New York Deli to ever appear are dual blows from which he may never recover. "This is terrible, terrible news," he says.

In the very-thin-silver-lining department, we've meanwhile discovered that I Love New York Deli has a sister shop called Big Apple Deli in Maple Valley, so if you know where that is and ever have to be there, you can at least get a great Reuben.

After the jump, the detailed sorrow of the two Slog tippers.

Continue reading »

Give Me Your Socks and I'll Give You a Cupcake

Posted by on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 1:33 PM

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You know how I sometimes bake things into cupcakes? I've done everything from pies and cookies to baklava and candy bars. Well tomorrow you have a chance to eat those cupcakes! Or, if you like your food delivered on a stick, you could also get an adorable cake pop from One Wild Strawberry.

All you have to do is come to the CakeSpy shop on Pine between 2 pm and 5 pm with some new socks (or cash) to donate to the wonderful Teen Feed organization. You hand over the socks, I hand over a cupcake. Easy!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Spring Is When an Old Man's Fancy Turns to Onions

Posted by on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:12 AM

My god these spring onions are tasty!
  • Goldy | The Stranger
  • My god these spring onions are tasty!

A couple months ago I found a box of sorry looking onion starts near the checkout counter at McLendon's. They were maybe six inches tall and a bit dried out, but only two bucks for a rubber band bound bunch of several dozen, so I figured what the hell? I took them home and haphazardly stuck them in the ground in an empty bed, and that was that.

Stupid me, I wasn't thinking. I have my garden on a strict three year rotation, and this was one of the beds slated for tomatoes, which I usually put in the ground by the middle of May. The onion greens are now as much as a foot and a half tall, but they've only just started bulbing. Still, tomatoes take precedence over all, so last week I reluctantly started harvesting my premature onion crop.

Oh my fucking god are they delicious!

The box at McLendon's claimed these were Walla Walla sweet onions, but this ain't Walla Walla, so I wasn't expecting much from Seattle's cool, damp terroir. I've no idea how the flavor would have held up had these grown to maturity, but harvested as spring onions they are sweet and crunchy with just enough pungency to remind you you're eating an onion. I've been chopping them up, greens and all, and eating them in salads and on sandwiches all week, or sometimes just whole like a scallion. I'll miss 'em when they're gone, and I'll definitely be looking for onion starts again next spring.

FYI, my past attempts to direct sow onions from seed were largely foiled by slugs. If you too are battling these seedling munching gastropods, check out my new gardening column in this week's paper for some fun helpful tips: "Gardening with Goldy: The Secret to Organic Slug Control."

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

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