A mountain of meats at Eastlakes new sandwich shop, Mammoth.
  • Chris Jordan
  • A mountain of meats at Eastlake's new sandwich shop, Mammoth.

NOW OPEN

The Bergshrund
Ballard’s tiny NW Peaks taproom has moved half a block into a bigger space. They’re pouring their own beer, plus one rotating guest tap and another dedicated to a rotating cider.

Chavez
The owners of Cantinetta have backed their longtime chef Gabriel Chavez and his vision to open an antojitos and tacos restaurant in the style of his hometown of Durango, Mexico, on Capitol Hill. The small plates menu of pork cheeks in mole, langoustine and crab tamales, and shredded short rib tacos looks more than promising.

Coastline
This West Seattle Junction burger joint is now open in the space once held by Shoofly Pie Company. Buns are baked in house, the beef is grass-fed, the chicken is cage-free. Also: milkshakes and draft beer.

Mammoth
A sandwich shop in Eastlake from the people behind Ballard’s Bitterroot BBQ, with sandwiches such as the Mastodon, Predator, and Saber-tooth. Fill your glass (or growler) from one of the shop's 48 (!) taps. The breakdown, according to owner Hannah Carter, goes like this: "42 are beer and cider, 2 are wine on draft, 1 house cocktail on draft, and 3 house-made sodas."

Raclette Seattle
This mobile food cart is taking the European snack of Raclette cheese, melted over an open flame, and served on top of potatoes (with a side of salami and pickles) to Ballard bars and breweries. The owners say they “haven't yet locked down a permanent schedule; however, we will be at Peddler Brewing this Friday night from 5 to 9 p.m., and Populuxe Brewing this Saturday the 10th from 3:30-8:30.” You can keep up with their locations via Twitter.

Sky View Cafe
Up on the 73rd floor of Downtown’s Columbia Center tower is this cafe, operated by Ravishing Radish Catering. The menu looks uninspired, but if you find yourself downtown and hungry, it’s probably worth a trip for the view alone.

Wood Shop BBQ Truck
Wood Shop, owned in part by James Barrington of the Georgetown’s longstanding Hallava Falafel truck, brings hickory-smoked ribs and briskets, cooked in a custom smoker made in Texas, to the streets of Seattle. Check Wood Shop’s Facebook page for locations and schedule.

NOW CLOSED

Ballard’s Westernco Donut House (open for more than 50 years, now another victim of planned development), Portalis Wine Shop & Wine Bar on Ballard Avenue (it will reopen this month as just a retail shop amid restaurants Delancey, Brunswick & Hunt, etc., at 15th Ave NW and NW 70th St), Le Zinc (sibling of Pike Place’s Maximilien) on Capitol Hill, Santa Fe Cafe in Phinney, Queen Anne’s Chinoise Cafe, and iconic 24/7 dive the Hurricane Cafe.

And in the world of openings, closings, and reopenings all in the span of one month...Cantina Leña!

Cantina Leña, Tom Douglas’s latest venture, opened downtown in early December, then promptly closed indefinitely just before Christmas. On Monday, Douglas announced that Cantina Leña will reopen around February 1.

What happened? Well, in an attempt to make food "inspired by the rustic cuisine of Mexico," no stoves or burners were installed in Cantina Leña, located on the ground floor of the Martin apartment building—just a very large fire pit. The restaurant’s ventilation system failed and Martin residents began feeling like they were living above a large fire producing clouds of asphyxiating black smoke. Which they were. (“I went upstairs, it was like being in the middle of a campfire," Douglas told Zagat Seattle.)

Conveniently The Palace Kitchen, one of Douglas’s other 642 Seattle restaurants, is located just across the street from the Martin. Leña’s meats will now be cooked on Palace’s wood-fired grill and in its brand-new smoker, then shuttled across the street. Sometimes it pays to have an empire. No word yet on what will replace the enormous fire pit.