This week, Renee Erickson’s General Porpoise hit Pioneer Square with luscious, pillowy filled doughnuts, Lunchbox Lab brought wacky burgers and madcap milkshakes to Green Lake, and Intrigue Chocolate and Coffeehouse opened with specialty coffee and small-batch chocolate on Capitol Hill. Read on for all of that and more food news you need to know for the weekend, like where to get free Molly Moon’s samples, two events to check out for National Waffle Day, and which bars are celebrating Orval Day. For more ideas, check out our food & drink calendar or our list of spots to get Easter brunch next weekend.
OPENINGS
Breezy Town Pizza
As you might guess from the name, Breezy Town Pizza, which is now open and housed within new bar and music venue the Clock-Out Lounge, is a tongue-in-cheek spin-off of the popular Chicago-style deep-dish pan pizza purveyor Windy City Pie. The pies come with “a delicious caramelized cheese edge on a house-made sourdough” in variations like the Bluto and the Pepperoni Paint Job, with a modest selection of small plates and sides.
Beacon Hill
District One Saigon
On the heels of opening Maxwella Cafe and Bar, Pho Cyclo Cafe owner Taylor Hoang has opened this restaurant next door, with family-style dishes inspired by the traditional street food of Saigon.
Redmond
Esters Enoteca
This relaxed wine bar comes from the owners of Maple Leaf’s Italian restaurant Piccolo, which closed in 2016 after 10 years of business. Expect take-out options like paninis, housemade sodas, local beer, and wine.
Fremont
General Porpoise Doughnuts
Renee Erickson’s lovely Capitol Hill doughnut and coffee shop—which serves yeasted doughnuts stuffed with all manner of jams, jellies, custards, and curds—opened a second location in Pioneer Square this week. According to a press release, the new shop has a pink, gray, and white color scheme, white brick walls, big windows, floor tile details, and an elephant lantern art installation from artist and 2009 Stranger Genius Jeffry Mitchell as the centerpiece. Fans can look forward to General Porpoise classics like lemon curd and chocolate marshmallow in addition to new seasonal flavors like date shake, blood orange marmalade, quince jam, and rose cream.
Pioneer Square
Intrigue Chocolate and Coffeehouse
This location from the small-batch chocolatier, which soft opened this Thursday, serves pastries (like toasted banana bread with cocoa nibs and chocolate cookies made with their own cocoa powders), Conduit Coffee espresso, and, of course—chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
Capitol Hill
Lunchbox Lab
The kitschy, eclectic burger joint serving madcap milkshakes has opened a new location in the former space of Green Lake Bar & Grill, which closed in February. Menu items include an homage to the Dick’s Deluxe, crispy Brussels sprouts tossed in bacon vinaigrette, Tang and Kool-aid cocktails, and boozy shakes in flavors like the “Drunken Elvis” and “Cinnamon Toast Crunk.”
Green Lake
Sal Y Limon
This family-owned and operated Mexican restaurant and bar popped up in the former space of Ten Mercer, which shuttered at the end of 2017. There’s a selection of snacks like nachos and bacon-wrapped prawns, tacos, tortas, posole and other soups, and more, and margaritas to wash it all down.
Queen Anne
Sizzling Pot King
This authentic Hunan-style restaurant offers Chinese dry pots (a similar concept to hot pots but without the soup base), fried dumplings, and other Hunan cuisine.
Bellevue
SPECIALS
Amandine Bakeshop
Sara Naftaly’s bakeshop currently has a special where you can add melted carambar (a French chewy caramel candy) to your hot or cold coffee drinks.
Coyle’s Bakeshop
To greet spring, pastry chef Rachael Coyle’s Greenwood bakery is baking up rhubarb croissants.
Li’l Woody’s
The burger joint’s current weekly special is the Honey Chipotle BBQ Burger: honey chipotle BBQ, smoked sharp cheddar, green onion, bacon, and garlic aioli.
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Eltana opens a shop in Japan
The Seattle-based bagel chain is opening a location in Osaka next Monday. The chain will retain many of the same offerings as its Northwest stores, as well as new options like green tea cream cheese.
Heartwood Provisions launches new brunch
According to a press release, rustic-luxe craft cocktail bar and restaurant Heartwood Provisions has launched a new weekend brunch menu. Dishes from chef Varin Keokitvon include jamon benedict, ginger congee, and smoked pork shoulder hash, while beverage director Amanda Reed has created cocktails like the Soundgarden-inspired “Black Hole Sun” (Plantation dark rum, pineapple, coffee and allspice). The new menu will be available every weekend year round, Saturday-Sunday from 9:30am – 2 pm.
Little Neon Taco expected to open next week
Little Neon Taco, the first sit-down restaurant from walk-up counter queen Monica Dimas (the chef behind Neon Taco in Nacho Borracho, Tortas Condesa, Sunset Fried Chicken inside Rachel’s Ginger Beer, and the recently opened Westman’s Bagel and Coffee), is set to open Tuesday, March 27, if there are no delays. The menu will build on offerings from the Neon Taco counter, with tacos in flavors like adobada and carnitas, as well as her tortas from Tortas Condesa.
First Hill
Nordic Museum’s Freya Cafe opening in May
A new cafe focused on Nordic food will open inside the Nordic Museum when the museum launches in May. The cafe will offer an array of Scandinavian cuisine, like Swedish pepperkakor cookies and smørrebrød (Danish open-faced sandwiches). If you’re interested in trying smørrebrød before then, you can taste some this weekend at Eric Rivera’s addo pop-up in Ballard.
FOOD EVENTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Arcade Lights 2018
At this artisanal-tasting free-for-all, snack on sweet and savory bites beneath the glow of the iconic Pike Place Market lights. Admission gets you five drink tokens and unlimited tasting privileges for such delicious things as confections from Jonboy Caramels in flavors like absinthe and black salt, handmade German-American sausages from Bavarian Meats, bean-to-bar chocolates from indi chocolate, coffee-infused truffles from Joe Chocolate, and dreamy yogurt from Ellenos, just to name a few. This year also includes the addition of a Night Market with handmade wares from Pike Place crafters.
La Colonial Kickstarter Fundraiser
To help reach his Kickstarter goal, Chopped winner and La Colonial pop-up chef Joe Bayley will host a dinner previewing the Spanish-Filipino tapas and pintxos of his upcoming brick-and-mortar location. There’ll be a raffle, and Kickstarter contributions of $100+ get you free entry to the event.
Molly Moon’s Ice Cream Pop-Up
Molly Moon’s will hand out free samples of their Optimism Fudge Porter, a fudgy and malty beer ice cream made with Shift, a porter with strong vanilla and cocoa notes.
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
2018 Washington Cask Beer Festival
As Stranger contributor Lester Black has written, “cask ale is the most underappreciated beer style in Seattle,” and its “mellow carbonation, smooth flavor, and not-quite-cold serving temperature perfectly complement never-ending rainy days.” These unfiltered, unpasteurized beers, also referred to as “real ale,” are conditioned in the cask without any additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure, and are poured directly from the cask using gravity or an electric beer engine. This festival, dedicated to showcasing exclusively cask-conditioned beers from over 40 different Washington breweries, is a perfect opportunity to test out this underrated style for yourself.
7th Annual Slider Cook-Off
Nosh on pint-sized sandwiches from restaurants around the South Sound and groove the night away to ’70s tunes from the Nines at this retro event inspired by glassblower John Miller. The night promises discotheque decor and a glassblowing demonstration, as well as “local celebrity judges, games, dancing, prizes and more.”
addo Ballard: Smørrebrød
Besides being known for the hygge phenomenon and being one of the happiest countries in the world, Denmark is also known for its smørrebrød, open-faced sandwiches on dense rye bread with toppings or spreads. At this pop-up, addo chef Eric Rivera, who fell in love with smørrebrød while living in Copenhagen, will present a five-course tasting menu of Northwest ingredients on homemade rye.
Amaro Amorino Riserva Release and 5th Anniversary
Letterpress Distilling is turning five, and to celebrate, they’re debuting their Amaro Amorino Riserva, a limited-reserve release of their Amorino (only a few hundred bottles available) aged for six months in used Copperworks malt whiskey barrels. The result is “more of the high spice notes, an strong orange backbone, surprising notes of cherry cola, and much much more.” They’ll have free Amaro Amorino ice cream and anniversary cake as well as cocktails available for purchase.
Orval Day
Orval Day was created by Seattle specialty beer importer Merchant du Vin in honor of the famed 1000-plus-year-old Orval Trappist Ale brewed within the walls of Notre Dame d’Orval Monastery. Merchant du Vin aims to donate $1,000,000 of direct benefit to nonprofit MAP International, which provides humanitarian assistance and relief aid to those in need during disasters, and every glass of Orval sold in March will go towards that goal. Over a dozen Seattle locations will have the beer on tap today, including Brouwer’s Cafe (who will also celebrate their 13th anniversary), Full Throttle Bottles (as part of their Pedal to the Metal Fest) and Toronado (who will have a special brunch).
Ember & Tide
Inspired by “friendship so deep it has become family and the embers we cook over and the tides that nourish our bodies,” Taylor Shellfish will serve a dinner in collaboration with their friends at the upcoming restaurant Little Fish. Little Fish chef Zoi Antonitsas will create a menu of old favorites and new surprises created onsite from fresh seafood sourced directly from the tide and cooked over fire, along with “beverages guaranteed to cause gaiety.”
Pok Pok Takeover at the Oyster Saloon
The team behind Portland’s acclaimed Thai food restaurant Pok Pok will take over Hama Hama’s saloon to create some shellfish dishes, Pok Pok style.
SUNDAY, MARCH 24
Author Talk “Shaya” with Alon Shaya
The cookbook/memoir Shaya tells the serpentine story of how chef Alon Shaya went from Israel to Philadelphia to Italy to Israel again and ended up in New Orleans, and how the Creole-influenced Israeli cuisine he cooks at his restaurants Shaya, Domenica, and Pizza Domenica came to be. At this talk, he’ll discuss his culinary influences and the effect cooking has had on his life and sign copies of his book purchased from the Book Larder, and a recipe from his first book will be served.
Comadre Panaderia x Dorothea Coffee
Xicanx-owned shop Comadre Panaderia will offer traditional Latin baked goods like conchas, canela rolls, and polvorones, with coffee from Dorothea Coffee.
Sunday Brunch Pop-Up: Waffles, Doughnuts, and Beer Cocktails
Lowercase Brewing and Side Hustle Coffee & Doughnuts team up for this brunch pop-up featuring waffles and doughnuts that incorporate spent grain, maple syrup with Lowercase’s eSB ale, and specialty beer cocktails.
Whiskey & Waffles
This waffle bar will feature boozier-than-usual toppings (including lemon-raspberry prosecco sauce and bourbon-soaked peaches) in honor of Waffle Day.
