A new pho restaurant has landed on Capitol Hill, Graduate Hotel brings a new cafe to the University District, and a Chinese hot pot spot with dancers who whirl noodles in the air is coming to Pacific Place. Find all this week’s food news and plans for your weekend, like Robert Burns Night with Traquair House and Barleywine Bacchanal, below. For more ideas, check out our list of food and drink specials to try in January and our food and drink calendar.
OPENINGS
Mighty-O Donuts
On Wednesday, Mighty-O celebrated both their fifth anniversary and the grand opening of their downtown location, which soft-opened inside the Second Avenue and Madison building in late November.
Downtown
Poindexter Coffee
The University District art deco hotel formerly known as Hotel Deca has re-opened as the college-themed Graduate Hotel after a renovation and includes a new cafe called Poindexter in the lobby, serving coffee from Coffee Manufactory as well as breakfast sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and juices. Next, they’ll open a Northwest-themed rooftop bar called the Mountaineering Club in late February, with a view of Mount Rainier and the Space Needle, locally inspired plates, and a cocktail menu designed by Jabriel Donohue (who previously spent time at Dino’s Tomato Pie), with regional ingredients and novelties like hot drinks served in Thermoses. Following that, a location of Genghis Cohen, a famed New York-style Sichuan Chinese restaurant and music venue based in Los Angeles, will open in the hotel in late 2019.
University District
Pho Huy
This new spot serving soul-warming pho, spring rolls, vermicelli noodles, banh mi, hot pot, and other Vietnamese staples has opened in the Broadcast Apartments building on Capitol Hill and had its first Yelp review on January 8.
Capitol Hill
CLOSURES
Dexter Brewhouse
According to a social media post, the South Lake Union brewery and restaurant, which originally opened under the name Gastropod and subsequently rebranded as Mollusk and then Dexter Brewhouse, has “made the voluntary decision to close” on February 1 and will offer modified hours before then. Its sibling, Magnuson Cafe and Brewery, will remain open and continue to serve beer from Mollusk Brewing.
South Lake Union
Green Bean
Greenwood’s community-oriented neighborhood coffee shop the Green Bean, which announced it was closing last fall, will have its last day of business on Saturday, January 26. To say goodbye, they’re inviting customers to share their memories at a farewell party with pastries and coffee.
Greenwood
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Josh Henderson re-opening Poulet Galore
Josh Henderson, the restaurateur behind the Huxley-Wallace Collective restaurant group (which currently includes only the Pioneer Square sports bar Quality Athletics), will re-open his defunct coal-fired rotisserie chicken restaurant Poulet Galore in Ballard, in the former space of Volterra. Previously, the restaurant was located in South Lake Union, but closed, along with Henderson’s other restaurants, Vestal and Cantine.
Falafel Salam opening permanent food truck location in Georgetown
Chef Shimi Kahn of the food truck and West Seattle brick-and-mortar restaurant Falafel Salam is planning to open a customized food truck in a fixed location in Georgetown next month, serving the same Israeli-Mediterranean fare such as fresh falafel, fresh pita, hummus, garlic fries, and more. The restaurant will also feature an indoor/outdoor greenhouse seating area with plants and a wall for local artists to add graffiti, and will be a stop on the Georgetown Art Attack Art Walk.
Reuben’s Brews opening new brewery and taproom
The acclaimed Ballard craft brewery Reuben’s Brews is opening a second brewery and taproom called the Brewtap, located about a half mile east of its current location, on Saturday, March 2, coinciding with the date of the Washington Beer Open House. The new location will serve as a facility to help with the production of some of the brewery’s more popular beers.
Hot Cakes introduces gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookie
According to a press release, molten chocolate cake emporium Hot Cakes has rolled out a gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate chip cookie, an update on a dairy-free recipe they previously offered. Owner Autumn Martin, who also co-owns the plant-based ice cream shop Frankie & Jo’s with Juicebox owner Kari Brunson, was inspired to make the change since she eats a dairy-free and occasionally gluten-free diet.
Schooner Brewing joins San Juan Seltzer and closes kitchen
The family-friendly SoDo microbrewery Schooner Brewing, formerly known as Schooner Exact, has merged with the spiked seltzer company San Juan Seltzer and closed their restaurant on January 18, discontinuing their full food menu in order to focus exclusively on producing craft beer and hard seltzer. (Schooner originally started brewing and canning for San Juan Seltzer in spring 2018.) Their taproom will continue to offer light pub snacks such as pretzels and snack mix.
Hot pot chain coming to Pacific Place
The wildly popular hot pot chain HaiDiLao will open a location in Seattle’s Pacific Place—the first U.S. location outside California—sometime this fall. In addition to its Sichuan-style hot pots, the chain is known for its outstanding customer service and free entertainment, including “noodle dancers” who perform a stunning dance as they stretch dough into 10-foot-long ribbon-like swathes and must undergo four to six months of training, as well as a waiting area with free manicures, hand massages, board games, and unlimited snacks. (Unfortunately, manicures are not offered at the chain’s U.S. locations.)
EVENTS
FRIDAY, JAN. 25
Robert Burns Night with Traquair House
“Here’s a bottle and an honest friend! / What wad ye wish for mair, man?” Celebrate the Bard of Ayrshire, the 18th century Scots bard, with a Robbie Burns lookalike performing poetry and songs and two brews from Scotland Traquair House Brewery. One of them is the coriander-spiced Traquair Jacobite Ale, which was “first brewed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Scotland’s 1745 Jacobite rebellion.”
Roving Cheese Monger & Chocolopolis Present: Cheese & Chocolate Pairing
At first blush, cheese and chocolate might sound like an odd pairing, but this class from the “roving cheesemonger” Alison Leber and “chief chocophile” Lauren Adler of Chocopolis will convince you the two are meant for each other with tastings of expertly paired cheese and chocolate. You’ll also learn how to taste cheese and chocolate and put together successful pairings of your own.
JAN. 25-26
Counterbalance Brewing 4th Anniversary
Sip special releases and exclusive barrel-aged bottled beers to celebrate Counterbalance Brewing’s four years of existence.
Strange Brewfest 15
Port Townsend’s annual beer festival offers pours from over 30 breweries, from classics to Northwest-inspired oddballs. The organizers add: “Our theme celebrates all brewers for who they are—strong, badass superheroes! Please dress as your favorite superhero, and capes are encouraged.”
JAN. 25-27
Barleywine Bacchanal
Barley wines are a particularly potent style of beer, boasting a whopping 6 to 11 percent or 8 to 12 percent alcohol by volume. Tap into your hedonistic side with the 16th edition of this annual festival highlighting the “biggest, boldest brews born between Bellingham and Belgium (and elsewhere),” which will feature more than 70 hefty barley wines over the course of four days, with 30 dedicated taps and a new selection each day. Proceed at your own risk.
Ray’s Cafe Shellfest
Revel in all things shellfish with this menu created by Ray’s executive chef Paul Duncan, including dishes like Dungeness crab bruschetta, pan-seared Pacific oysters, and bourbon-garlic prawns.
SATURDAY, JAN. 26
Bubble Tea at Home!
Learn to make bubble tea with regular tea, milk, and sugar or natural sweeteners. You’ll go home with recipes and a container of boba.
Indian Republic Day Special at Nirmal’s
Try new dishes from Nirmal’s on the anniversary of the day India’s constitution came into effect.
La Cocina School Vegan Tamales Cooking Class
Non-dairy eaters, rejoice: El Centro de la Raza’s La Cocina School will teach your how to make vegan tamales from a pro tamalera. Hear a brief history of the dish before diving into the cooking process.
Peat Week 2019: Closing Night Party
Close out a week of pungent fermented refreshments with some Westland peated cocktails, smoked bites from Bitterroot BBQ, and peated ice cream from Cupcake Royale, plus carnival entertainment, music, and games.
Sambusa’s First Pop-Up Shop
Be the first to try Somali fusion fare from the brand new pop-up and catering business Sambusa, which specializes in the savory stuffed triangular pastry of the same name.
SUNDAY, JAN. 27
2019 Mochitsuki
It’s a Japanese Lunar New Year tradition for families and communities to perform Mochitsuki, the process of pounding rice to make mochi (a sweet and sticky rice cake). This celebration will feature other Japanese cultural activities as well, including a lesson on the history of the festival.
Cookbook Club: Half Baked Harvest
Grab a copy of Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest: Recipes from my Barn in the Mountains and decide which recipe you want to make, then show up with your creation and taste what others have whipped up.
Comadre Panaderia Pop-Up
Scarf delicious pan dulce treats like coconut conchas and piggie-shaped puerquitos from Mariela Camacho’s Chicanx bakery pop-up.
The Great Machine House Bake Off
Can’t get enough Great British Bake-Off? At Machine House’s “mildly competitive” monthly potluck, watch contestants vie to turn out the best cakes, pies, breads, and loaves, judged by votes from other participants and patrons (one drink buys you one voting token). Competitors can win bonus points for including Machine House brews in their bakes, and the baker with the most tokens at the end of the six months will be crowned the victor.
HIGHBALL’R Seattle
Belltown cocktail bar Rob Roy will partner up with four other Seattle bars (the Fog Room, the Hideout, the Palihotel, and the Nest) and Brooklyn-based mixer-maker Q for a one-night celebration of highball cocktails.
MONDAY, JAN. 28
Crafting Libations with Jared: Pisco
Learn how to create craft cocktails with pisco, a unique brandy and the national spirit of both Peru and Chile. Light snacks will be served.
Dinner and a DJ – Volume 25: La Colonial
Ciudad’s new executive chef Joe Bayley, a former Chopped contestant who runs the Spanish-Filipino pop-up La Colonial, will serve a menu with dishes like kinilaw (smoked mackerel), ensalada pinoy with charred cabbage and young lettuces in romesco vinaigrette, and grilled secreto pork.
