Pinxtos luscious bacon-wrapped dates, now available in roomier environs.
Pintxo's luscious bacon-wrapped dates, now available in roomier environs. Amber Fouts

Pintxo Slides Over to Former Spitfire Space

Over the weekend, the tiny Belltown tapas bar finished its revamp of the space that used to house Spitfire, a rather forgettable sports bar on 4th Avenue between Bell and Blanchard, Seattle Met reports. Their last day over on 2nd was Saturday the 24th, and they were open bright and early on the 25th for Pride. Hours from here on out will be their usual 5-10pm, with lunch to follow at some point. Food will be largely the same, says the Met, with the exception of "a fully dedicated charcuterie station upon which a couple of different jamón Iberico legs will be hand sliced alongside a broader section of Spanish cheeses." They'll retain the lease on their former space, and will soon be opening Bar Abajo, which will be dedicated to tinned Spanish seafood and gin. As if that wasn't enough delightful shit for one restaurant group, they're also opening a bourbon-themed bar called Commonwealth, which hearkens to owner Amanda Chigbrow's Kentuckian roots.

Bakeries Gettin' Bought

A pair of local musicians bought the famed Nielsen's Authentic Danish Pastry, reports Eater. Chris and Holly Prarie, of local band the Hoot Hoots, are taking over. Capitol Hill's Crumble and Flake will also change hands, they report, with the owner of gluten-free bakery Niche stepping in. In both cases, the offerings will likely remain the same, which makes sense given their existing popularity.

The Sitka and Spruce Chef Aims for Beacon Hill

Sitka and Spruce chef de cuisine Logan Cox is setting out on his own, aiming to open a Middle-Eastern-inspired joint in Beacon Hill, where he resides, says Seattle Met. No word on when it will open, but it'll be in the 50-seat range and offer plates from $7-$20, which is where Cox estimates the neighborhood's affordable price point to be. While a new restaurant with a wood-fired grill might give the anti-gentrification crowd cause to dig out their pitchforks and torches, the space he's moving into was a former yoga studio, so I think it's all good. Better even, as he'll have a full bar, and a full array of food with "spicy, high-umami flavors."

St. Clouds Also Shifts Ownership

The guy who used to own the Judkins Street Cafe will take the helm of Madrona's St. Clouds, and aside from adding meatloaf, he'll introduce few changes, reports City Living. I used to live with someone who could never eat more than half of said meatloaf, so while I never made it into Judkins Street Cafe, I can report that that particular dish is a winner.

Cheese Meets Bread Lands at Uwajimaya

Uwajimaya, everyone's favorite Asian mega-grocery, will soon have a new vendor in its food court, in the form of grilled cheese purveyor Cheese Meets Bread, reports Seattle Met. It's run by Kevin Chung of 8oz. Burger and Co., and will replace the now defunct Herfy's space.

"Besides the requisite cheese, ingredients take an interesting turn," the Met reports. "Find braised pork belly and fried egg on the Seoul, sriracha tuna salad and pickled daikon on the Saigon, braised beef cheeks, gruyere, and onion marmalade on one aptly christened the French. That’s some savory stuff, so all sandwiches do come with a side salad. But there’s also talk of kimchi fries."

I hope it's not just talk, because kimchi makes pretty much anything better.

Willows Inn Fined For Labor Violation

Yikes. The famous Lummi Island restaurant was, apparently, using a ton of unpaid stage labor, the Seattle Times reports. Using stages as a cheap and never-ending source of labor is kind of industry standard, but cheap is the key word there. Willows was just paying them in culinary education, which the industry generally agrees is not quite enough. As Ma'ono's Cam Hanin put it:


Where Are the Cultural Appropriation Police When You Need Them?

Starbucks is opening a location styled as a traditional teahouse in Kyoto, according to Eater. To be fair, it is physically located in Japan, and the location was a traditional teahouse before they decided to renovate it into a Starbucks-branded traditional teahouse, but still!

The Truth About Donkey Sauce

Guy Fieri's secret sauce is just aioli, according an interview the colossal head ass and alleged sexual harasser/homophobe had in Thrillist recently.

While I am unsurprised to learn that Fieri's signature sauce is a lazy rebranding of a commonplace ingredient (like everything he's ever cooked, I assume), I am surprised and delighted by how spicy this sentence from Eater's piece on the reveal is:

"Previously, Fieri revealed the origin of the name — he jokingly called a fellow chef a 'jackass' while preparing this sauce, and a lightbulb went off in his head, which also resembles a lightbulb."

They also called him "the Spiky One" and referred to the now infamous Donkey Sauce as "tangy ooze." Bless you, Greg Morabito.

That Little Coffee Shack on Broadway is Changing Hands Again

The latest iteration will be Kosmic Koffee, from one of the partners in Anslinger Capital, a cannabis venture capital firm, reports CHS blog. He'll be offering fresh eggs from a farm he also owns (lol rich white guys in weed), under the brand "Just Got Laid."

Lorena's Kitchen Comes to Georgetown

There's a new Mexican spot in Georgetown in the weird little former art installation that borders the Bar Ciudad courtyard. It's called Lorena's Kitchen. Tamales and tacos are $2.50, tostadas are $4, quesadillas are $7, burritos are $8, and it looks like the type of tiny and unassuming place that churns out mind-blowingly good Mexican food. Not sure if it's associated at all with the Ciudad operation, as I just discovered it while getting my usual pre-commute drip coffee at All City and snapped a photo. I promise to report back if it's as fire as it looks.

There's Also a New Mexican Joint Headed to North Capitol Hill

D'La Santa will take over the former Skelly and the Bean space. Their Facebook page is chock full of appealing Mexican food porn, so perhaps they'll finally find success where so many others have failed. Here's hoping!

ICE Raid Causes 30 Employees in Baltimore to Quit Overnight

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division requested paperwork for all employees of popular Baltimore restaurant The Boathouse, which caused at least 30 to bow out, Eater reports. The owners, in a explanatory letter to customers, called it exactly like it is:

"Based on our Government’s current practice of targeting the Hispanic Community, properly documented and potentially less than properly documented are all fearful of being separated from their families, many with small children. Many went home to pack up and leave. This was a sad, emotional, tragic event. It has been confirmed that The BoatHouse’s policies and records are in compliance."

It hasn't happened here, although there were wild rumors of ICE raiding restaurants in SoDo and Georgetown flying around Facebook last month. But this is chilling proof that they're not above marching into the kitchen and rounding people up. Scary shit.