Outliers beet-cured salmon.
Outlier's beet-cured salmon. Aubrie Pick

The Hotel Monaco's New Restaurant Opens Thursday

One of the perks of being a glorified poke news ticker is that people occasionally wine and dine you in an attempt to get positive media attention for their culinary ventures. This is referred to in the PR biz as "earned media." Every once in awhile, people actually earn it.

Hats off to Chef Shawn Applin, whose media preview menu for Outlier proved to be a genuine pleasure, from perfectly al dente carrots in the Vadouvan curry, to the rather photogenic beet-cured salmon. Perhaps getting to sit at a counter and talk to Applin and his sous chef has given me this notion, but it seemed like they were genuinely excited about the food they'll be cooking at Outlier, and not just looking to find a stable, corporate gig where they can churn out some passably fancy fare for a captive audience of hotel guests. Giving a shit=always a good look.

Noms Noms Noms: James Beard Awards 2017

Seattle chef's snagged four finalist nominations for this year's James Beard awards. Canlis is up for Outstanding Wine Program and Canlis' Brady Williams is also up for Rising Star Chef of the Year. Eduardo Jordan of Salare and Rachel Yang/Seif Chirchi of Joule are in the running for Best Chef: Northwest. Root for either or both, it only matters that we beat Portland.

Have You Ever Wanted to Own the Official Bad Art Museum of Art? Now You Can!

Cafe Racer, the well-loved Roosevelt Ave institution that is home to said museum, is up for sale. There are many, many reasons why some should buy it and change nothing, but I would argue that preserving the O.B.A.M.A. (yep, that's the museum's acronym) is chief among them. If you haven't been, go get a PBR and an "Incredible Wonder Weiner," and spend some time surrounded by art so truly dismal it's almost inspiring. Drunk dogs playing pool is a particular favorite.

Same Haunts, Different Coffee Shop

The Broadcast Coffee on Bellevue Avenue in Capitol Hill is now Ghost Note Coffee, reports CHS Blog. Broadcast's coffee will still be served, however, as the new owners plan to include them in their featured roasters. They have a very fancy French espresso machine, they want to pay their employees well, and their main coffee dude—Christos Andrews—used to run the show at Tougo and Columbia City Bakery, which sounds like all the ingredients for an ultra-hip modern coffee shop. They also seem to be keeping those nice high-top tables with the convenient plugs, which is wonderful news for freelancers in need of a charge.

What Would Food News be Without Poke?

Just dog GIFs, probably. This latest poke venture is in the disused lobby bar area of Hotel Albatross, Eater reports. It's called No Vacancy Poke and I guess this matters because Ballard didn't have a poke place. Last I checked, though, there was some pretty decent raw seafood to be had out there:


...Or Another New Brunch?

Brian Clevenger's new Capitol Hill neighborhood bistro on 19th, Contadino, will join the brunch fray in a neighborhood already teeming with parties of "12, maybe 13, and do you have three high chairs?" Brunch is wonderful and all, but I really don't understand the zeal breeders seem to have for it. Is taking your kids to brunch so you can Instagram photos of their powdered-sugar-covered faces really the best part of childrearing? Don't you procreate so you can, y'know, impart your accumulated wisdom to them, thereby achieving some illusion of immortality, or at least the satisfaction that you've done them a total solid? Anyway, brunch. There's more of it.

Belltown's Newest Brewery Now Open

Belltown Brewing, the brewpub slated to replace Bell and Whete, has officially replaced Bell and Whete. They'll offer "hand-crafted beer, pizzas, The Burger, salads, sandwiches, and pastas in a stylish setting where neighbors become friends." For the record, nothing is more obnoxious than using capitalization and a definite article in the name of an ubiquitous food, as if to imply unearned superlative status. I guaran-fucking-tee you someone else out there makes a better burger than you, so your burger is not "The Burger." It is a burger, and hopefully a decent one, because the competition in Seattle is pretty stiff these days.

West Seattle Welcomes Arthur's

The new cafe from West Seattleites Rebecca Rice and Sarah Levin, Arthur's, will be open on March 30, reports West Seattle Blog. It's kind of a neighborhood diner/bar/cafe thingy, and they promise "all-day, all-night breakfast and lunch … plus shuffleboard. (And dinner.)" Though I regret to report that their shuffleboard table is not a bumper table (bumpers add so much to shuffleboard metagame), it's still a goddamn gorgeous one. They've also got their bar wall covered in those snazzy white subway tiles that seem poised to replace reclaimed wood as the next "thing." All-in-all, it looks like a pleasant place.

Vestal Closes, Will Reform to Appease SLU's Lackluster Palates

The latest South Lake Union "ambitious concept being rolled back in favor of something more accessible" will be Vestal, reports Seattle Met. Josh Henderson's adventurous experiment in wood-fired fine dining will be converted to "more of a cafe" that serves, essentially, sandwiches and salads. There will, of course, be under-30-minute counter service and easy options for carryout. Further proof that (if the tragic self-ouster of Mollusk's Travis Kukull wasn't enough) the hordes of South Lake Union like to eat safe. What a pity. The restaurant industry is an industry, people cook what makes money, and the wealthy tech wizards don't give a goddamn about food.