Cafe Stellina is for sale. Read Bethany Jean Clement’s review—featuring a stew that “tasted poisonously of overheated Teflon” and “creamy cilantro sauce squeeze-bottled nonsensically over [mussel] shells, clotting on the surface”—here.
In other restaurant news, All-Purpose Pizza—which Paul Constant loves, and which I have found to be overpriced—is “treading water.”
Although All-Purpose Pizza is symptomatic of the gentrification of the Leschi neighborhood, it is still one of the only two independent places within walking distance of my house, and we LOVE IT. Yes, it is overpriced, but it is an actual neighborhood hangout, and if it dies, my family will mourn the loss of the Afternoon Delight.
Liz Dunn could buy Stellina, that would be a nice optimistic move. Then somebody, gee who I don’t know, could do a worshipful Slog post about her again.
A recession makes us realize the things that are important.
liz and Linda, the lady magantes – nither can do WRONG – they a ladies for the love of God ….
The service at Stellinas is horrid, food just OK
Buy it someone and do CHEAP excellent pasta and good cheap drinks, THE BOOM IS OVER for a long while …
And welcome gay boys who will eat 4 days a week – to hell with the floaters
DO NOT PRETEND TO BE GOURMET, JUST VERY GOOD AND CHEAP
All-Purpose is one of the few good places that delivers to Madison Valley. I would be sorely disappointed if they closed. I love their pizza and they deliver pretty fast.
Now would be a great time to open a new restaurant.
I’m as sad as the next gal to hear about independent restaurants gasping for breath, but All-Purpose just hasn’t thrilled me. It really is expensive (it even costs extra for a *thinner* crust), it tastes just ok, and we once had to cajole them into changing the channel from an old boxing match so that I didn’t have to tell my 5-year-old why 2 men were beating the crap out of each other on tv. That said, I wish the owner good luck in keeping afloat. Maybe she will be less harsh/caustic in the customer service arena once her livelihood is safe.
I work at All Purpose so I’m obviously biased – but you should all really consider coming in or getting delivery if you’re in the area. The pizza is very good and the service is excellent (if I do say so myself). It’s not cheap, but worth it considering the quality of the ingredients and overall Tastiness of the product. Pitchers of beer are half price when you buy a large pizza during the week. Give it a shot.
If you’ve been open 3 1/2 years and you’re not making it, I don’t know why you would be trying to take out credit, unless you have some brilliant new plan you want to implement. If you’re just going to use the money to stay afloat, well, I dunno – things are going to get worse before they get better and it just seems like you’re digging a deeper hole. Good luck though. I own a restaurant as well and I completely sympathize – it is tough out here!
I just want to take this opportunity to congratulate Bethany for her article appearing in the 200b Best American Food Writing book. It might be old news to some, but it was news to me.