This week brings the opening of Queen City, new places for poke and Chinese zodiac-inspired craft cocktails to Capitol Hill, a downtown rooftop bar, the announcement of an upcoming restaurant from the owner of Il Corvo, and more. Read on to learn about all of that and more food news and events for this weekend, like the 2018 Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival and Trucktoberfest. For more food and drink inspiration, check out our Oktoberfest calendar, our calendar of Washington Cider Week events, or our lists of 12 places to find affogato in Seattle and September food and drink specials.

OPENINGS
Bowl Gogi
This Bellevue restaurant, which soft-opened at the beginning of September and had its first review on Yelp on September 1, features customizable made-to-order bulgogi and rice bowls with a choice of protein, veggies, and toppings like kimchi and eggs.
Bellevue

Charlala Hong Kong Cafe and Hair Studio
This slightly confusing combination of a restaurant and hair salon, which had its first Yelp review on September 5, offers a menu with soups, noodles, sandwiches, rice plates, and entrees, including kimchi fried rice, chicken wings, and Spam and egg sandwiches.
University District

Dad’s Diner
The classic diner and Anacortes favorite opened a second location in the former space of the original Babirusa in Eastlake at the end of August and had its first Yelp review on August 29, serving homey fare like biscuits and gravy, pork belly hash, and fried egg sandwiches.
Eastlake

East Trading Co.
This new restaurant from I-Miun Liu (owner of Oasis Tea Zone and Eastern Cafe) and Michael Chu (previously the bar manager of Ba Bar), who recently opened the Dynasty Room craft cocktail bar pop-up in the International District's iconic Four Seas Restaurant, soft-opened in the former space of Sun Liquor Distillery and had its official grand opening on Thursday, September 13. The new bar serves Chinese zodiac-inspired craft cocktails infused with herbs and tea alongside Korean and Chinese appetizers, with decor by Electric Coffin.
Capitol Hill

Evergreens
The made-to-order salad chain opened a new location in Bellevue on Monday, September 10.
Bellevue

FOB Poke Bar
The space left by the closure of Wanderfish Poke has finally been filled: FOB Poke Bar, which has a location in Belltown, has opened a second location in the space and will have its grand opening on Sunday, September 16, with deals for a buy-one-get-one free poke bowl through September 19. The spot offers a selection of bases like rice and greens or tortilla chips, mix-ins like jalapeno or seaweed, proteins like albacore tuna and spam, sauces, and toppings like pickled watermelon radishes, mango, or tamagoyaki.
Capitol Hill

Fog Room
This rooftop bar is now open inside the downtown Charter Hotel, which also recently opened the upscale Argentinian-inspired steakhouse Patagōn to its ground floor. The new bar offers a view of the waterfront and the Great Wheel and serves a menu of craft cocktails and small bites like mussel escabeche and king salmon crudo.
Downtown

Queen Anne Coffee Co.
This coffee shop opened on September 8 in the former space of the Cuban cafe El Diablo Coffee, which moved next door into the former home of Nana’s Family Mexican Kitchen and Cantina after its lease was abruptly ended. The new space is sleek and modern with minimalist decor and serves coffee from Lighthouse Coffee Roasters, as well as pastries like pretzel brioche.
Queen Anne

Queen City
The iconic Belltown establishment formerly known as the Queen City Grill (now shortened to just "Queen City") re-opens at 4 pm today, September 14. Seattle restaurant and nightlife maven Linda Derschang (the owner of Oddfellows, Little Oddfellow's, Linda's Tavern, King's Hardware, and Smith) has made over the beloved bar in her signature style. Smith chef Will Richey (who previously spent time at Tallulah's) created a new food menu with classic staples like burgers, Caesar salad, and roast chicken, alongside beer and wine and craft cocktails. Read Charles Mudede's profile on Linda Derschang and the new Queen City here.
Belltown

Sage and Cinder
According to a press release, this new vegan "farm-to-fork" restaurant opened in Mukilteo on September 7, serving seasonal, locally sourced small plates like tofu, beetroot, and avocado tartare alongside craft cocktails.
Mukilteo

CLOSURES
Cafe Nola

Bainbridge Island restaurant Cafe Nola announced via Facebook they are now closed after 19 years of business due to being unable to negotiate a lease.
Bainbridge Island

Deep Sea Sugar & Salt's Airstream Trailer
Deep Sea Sugar & Salt owner Charlie Dunmire announced on Facebook that due to the success of her brick-and-mortar space, which opened in May, she's decided not to continue operating her Airstream trailer inside the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall in order to focus on running the store and events, writing, "It broke our hearts a little to have to say goodbye, but our trial opening earlier this month revealed that folks would rather come visit us at the new shop, and it's just not worth splitting our resources. Closing the trailer will allow us to focus on other events and involvement around the city."
Georgetown

Tentenyu
The ramen chain, which also has locations in Los Angeles and Culver City, closed its Capitol Hill location, which had recently closed and then re-opened under local ownership.
Capitol Hill

Vita Uva
Suzi An's natural wine shop tucked away inside Pho Bac Sup Shop, has closed and will henceforth become a wine club. An cites wanting to focus on other projects as the reason for the closure.
International District

OTHER FOOD NEWS
Il Corvo owner opening restaurant in West Seattle
Mike Easton, owner of the wildly popular Pioneer Square fresh pasta restaurant Il Corvo, will open a new restaurant called Il Nido ("the nest" in Italian) in a 100-year-old log cabin in West Seattle that has previously housed the Alki Homestead. Like Il Corvo, the restaurant will serve handmade pasta and seasonal vegetables, but, luckily for Il Corvo fans who can't make it to Pioneer Square during lunch hours, Il Nido will also be open for dinner, and will take advantage of the bigger space to add more time-intensive pasta varieties and even a weekend brunch.

Modernist Cuisine opening a gallery
According to a press release, photographer, chef, scientist, and author Nathan Myrhvold, founder of the Modernist Cuisine Food Lab, will open a 1,200 square-foot gallery just a block away from Pike Place Market in early November 2018, selling limited-edition framed prints of Myrhvold's food photography. Modernist Cuisine also has galleries in Las Vegas and New Orleans and will also open a location in La Jolla in November.

New pizzeria coming to Queen Anne
A new pizzeria called Coltiva, serving "authentic thin crust pizza and hand made dough," "locally sourced Italian dishes," and "craft cocktails with an Italian flair," is set to open in the Cora apartment building in Queen Anne on September 29.

EVENTS
FRIDAY, SEPT 14
Bavarian Crush Can Release
To kick off the East Ballard Oktoberfest festivities of the weekend, Reuben's will release the latest addition to their Crush series, an Oktoberfest-inspired hazy IPA called Bavarian Crush made with the the German-origin hop Mandarina Bavaria.

SATURDAY, SEPT 15
2018 Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival
Fromage fanciers, rejoice: At this festival celebrating “the terroir of Washington,” 20 artisan and farmstead cheese makers from all over the state will gather to share their creamy wares, including washed-rind, mixed-milk, caved-aged, and raw varieties. The lineup features a coterie of choice cheesemongers and covetable creameries, like Beecher’s, Twin Sisters, Golden Glen, Mt. Townsend, and more, as well as accompaniments from artisans like preserves producer Girl Meets Dirt, plus local beer and wine. Additionally, take a deep dive into all things funky and odiferous in a seminar about washed-rind cheeses. Admission includes three beverage tastes and all the cheese your dairy-loving heart desires. Proceeds benefit the Washington State Cheesemakers Association.

Bourbon Heritage Dinner
Enjoy a substantial dinner paired with fine bourbon, including Russell’s Reserve 10 Year, Willet Distillery Noah’s Mill, Booker’s Blue Knights Batch, Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Cask.

The Chromatic Dinner
Vegan chef Alexander Gershberg and artist Martin Butler will serve what they call a "Neo Futurist Dinner," a synesthetic experience based on Kandinsky's Klangfarbe ("sound-color") and "the Chinese five elements: Tree, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water." The organizers write, "Each course is created in accordance to the colour and underlying design principles of each element."

Dieciséis de Septiembre Celebration at Cubes Baking
In observation of Dieciséis de Septiembre, a day celebrating Mexico's independence, the playful Mexican bakery Cubes Baking Co. will host a pop-up with special baked goods in tribute to traditional treats, tamales from Frelard Tamales, and hand-crafted wares from Amano Seattle, MariGlvn, and Art by Alexia.

Hops & Crops Music and Beer Festival
Head to Kent for live music and craft brews to support the farm's regionally focused environmental education programs. Bad Jimmy's, Dystopian State Brewing, Fish, Flying Lion, and Fremont are just a few participating breweries, with food for purchase from Bread and Circuses, Hot Revolution Donuts, and Tacos La Flaca.

Lagerfest 2018
Cold-conditioned beers will dominate all the taps at Lowercase Brewing, and as the conclusion of their summer lager series, all four of their single-malt helles lagers will be on tap to be tasted side by side. Plus, the Bread and Circuses’ Candy Butcher cart will serve up German-style sausages from 2 pm to 6 pm, and there will be guest taps, games, music, and more.

Rose Wrap-Up Garden Party
Don't let the end of rosé season pass you buy—sip eight tastes of Bottlehouse's favorite pink wines on their back patio, and enjoy live music from Gypsy Jazz Hands.

Seattle Book Dinner: Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail by Hank Shaw
Cookbook author Hank Shaw and Il Corvo chef Mike Easton will team up for an Italian supper featuring small game, fresh pasta, and wine pairings, inspired by Shaw's cookbook Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail.

SUNDAY, SEPT 16
8th Annual Heirloom TomatoFare
For the eighth year in a row, Cederbrook Lodge will display the region's abundance of heirloom tomatoes. Try samples and savor heirloom tomato-inspired dishes from award-winning Pacific Northwest chefs.

A Lesson in Lacto-Fermentation
Fermentation is the key to many of the funky and complex flavors on the menu at Renee Erickson’s award-winning French-inflected steak house Bateau, which Eater named one of the best restaurants in America. At this lesson from Bateau chef and “fermentation enthusiast” Taylor Thornhill, you’ll learn everything you need to know to achieve crunchy, tangy vegetables and more using lacto-fermentation, then enjoy a repast with a glass of wine, and go home with a starter kit and recipes.

Poppy 10th Anniversary Party
Chef Jerry Traunfeld’s cheerful, colorful, super-local Indian-style Northwest restaurant will mark the milestone of turning a decade old with a party. Tasting stations around the room will serve some of Poppy's greatest hits from over the years, like herb-smoked salmon, Yarmuth cheese blintzes, hot and numbing dumplings, squash blossom fritters, and a sundae bar, and drinks will be available at a no-host bar.

Tavolàta Sunday Feast: Wagyu Beef Feast
Where's the (Wagyu) beef? You'll find it at this meaty family-style fall feast prepared by chef Joel DeBilzan, who will incorporate different forms of beef into multiple dishes, from a Little Gem lettuce salad with beef heart pastrami to beef cheek ravioli to short ribs with creamy polenta. For dessert, there's a plum tart with creme fraiche gelato.

MONDAY, SEPT 17
Three Sacks Full Pop-Up
Driven by his curiosity to discover what a “real carrot” tasted like, chef Michael Tsai took a sabbatical to work on Green String Farm in California and eventually moved to the Snoqualmie River Valley’s Goose and Gander Farm, where he works now. He will bring that same farm-to-table sensibility to Three Sacks Full, his pop-up with sommelier and partner Matthew Curtis, who favors wine pairings from smaller producers and family-run wineries. Naturally, their menus are locally sourced, ever-changing, and hyper-seasonal. They say: "expect more interesting vegetables from our own farmette at this event: piennolo tomatoes (Mt. Vesuvius natives) and Caroselli cucumbers (originally from Puglia, and...and..."

Trove Noodle: Hawaiian Luau Pop-Up
There’s no comfort food quite like Hawaiian food. At this luau, Hawaiian-born sous chef Cecily Kimura of Joule—who was named one of Seattle Met’s next hot chefs for 2018 and who’s responsible for the restaurant’s rotating brunch buffet—will prepare a feast of local “kine grinds” (delicious eats). The menu includes Spam musubi, macaroni salad, lomi salmon (a fresh tomato and salmon salad), lau lau (pork wrapped with taro leaves), and tropical tipples, all with a touch of the signature flair Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi’s Relay Restaurant Group is known for. It all promises to be exceedingly ono (tasty).

Trucktoberfest
For their third annual festival, the Mobile Food Rodeo will boast over 25 local and regional breweries whose offerings you can sip in an outdoor beer garden. There will also be plenty of food trucks outside the tasting areas, which welcome guests of all ages.

TUESDAY, SEPT 18
Avennia Winemaker Dinner
Woodinville-based boutique winery Avennia will grace Renee Erickson's charming, bright eatery The Whale Wins for a casual evening of wine-tasting paired with the restaurant's menu of wood-fired food.