NOW OPEN: Casco Antiguo (119 Occidental Ave S, 538-0400, cascoantiguoseattle.com) is a Mexican restaurant and cantina in Pioneer Square opened by Harvey Ward Allen (owner of neighboring Altstadt) and run by Rodolfo Riveron, former chef of Capitol Hill's departed Saint. • On Capitol Hill, Nue (1519 14th Ave, 745-0229, nueseattle.com) serves "internationally inspired street food," such as grilled Barbados pig tails (already "one of our best sellers," says owner Chris Cvetkovich), Romanian mititei (pork sausage), and South African bunny chow. • Slab Sandwiches and Pie (1201 10th Ave, 323-5275, slabsandwich.com) completes chef Jonathan Sundstrom's triumvirate of restaurants in Capitol Hill's Central Agency Building, joining the reopened and revamped Lark and the new oyster and charcuterie bar Bitter/Raw. Slab serves sandwiches, slices of slab pie (both savory and sweet), and espresso drinks, and is open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays.

Renee Erickson to Open Two New Restaurants on Capitol Hill: Chef Renee Erickson, along with Jeremy Price and Chad Dale (her partners in the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Whale Wins, and Barnacle) will open two new restaurants under one roof this summer. One will be seafood-oriented, focusing on "French Atlantic flavors," and the other will feature dry-aged beef prepared on-site. The as-yet-unnamed restaurants will be located on Union Street between 10th and 11th Avenues on Capitol Hill.

Gastropod Chef Plans Mollusk in South Lake Union: Travis Kukull, chef of Gastropod and co-owner of Epic Ales, is planning to open a significantly larger restaurant in South Lake Union, in the True North Building at Dexter and Aloha. Mollusk will have seating for 100 (plus a patio) and will house a seven-barrel Epic Ales brewing operation. The menu will feature Southeast Asian curries and, no doubt, the creative and unexpected flavor combinations Kukull deploys so well at Gastropod. Here's hoping Mollusk will also serve Kukull's ever-changing okonomiyaki.

Good and Bad News About the Kingfish Cafe: First, Laurie and Leslie Coaston, sisters and owners of Capitol Hill's beloved Kingfish Cafe, announced they will close the restaurant on January 25. Then the Coastons revealed that they plan to open about five to-go spots throughout the city soon, serving the same family-recipe soul food.