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Capitol Hill food+drink: Chino’s E Pike street food, Block Party prep, late-night Eltana

Things come. Things go. There’s work and passion and life in both. And hopefully some delicious food and drink. Got a tip? [email protected]
 

 E Pike’s Oasis Cafe bit the big one before last week’s notes but didn’t make it into the bullet-point batch because we were working a hot angle on the story and… the story fell through. We told you Oasis had been for sale. Nobody bought it. But we did talk to one project that was hoping to transform their street food concept into a fixed-place model. They say, nope, we’re not moving into space. Looks like the space will be empty. For now.

We were wrong. We soon heard back from our contact Walter Lee who told us he was still in talks to bring his Chino’s street food concept into a fixed-place restaurant. Now we’re happy to report that Lee and wife Marielena Tiscarenno have purchased the property at 11th and Pike and are hard at work transforming the space into their vision of a location to showcase “food from the street.”


Lee said he was happy to have his friend break the news on the Seattlest blog:

They are “renovating” the space currently visioning something modern minimalist- simple and clean. Minus the grunge of the back alley, albeit with all the flavor.

When CHS first talked with Lee back in June, he told us about his original plan to create a street food truck and said he had shifted toward the fixed-space business as he learned more about the difficulties of making the mobile game pencil out. They were still in the process of finalizing the loan to buy the retail unit a few days ago but Lee said the landlord gave him the key and let him get to work on getting the space ready for its new life as Chino’s.

As for the food, Lee says it’s a little hard to explain: 

it will be Taiwanese and Mexican small plates, to share, while drinking. The food will be authentic and true to the flavors of the cultures, rather than “fusion” (where you have chipotle mayo on a sushi roll, or kobe sliders with wasabi aioli). Rather, we will serve simple, authentic comfort/street food, that is true to the flavor profiles of Taiwanese-Chinese food, as well as *real* Mexican food — which is very similar to Chinese food (think of slow braised or roasted cheap cuts of meat and meat parts with simple spices, NOT cheese-drenched refried beans or heavy, fried, floury things like chimichangas).

It’s the first restaurant project for the husband and wife team. Lee says that he and Tiscarenno are UW graduates, have “corporate” backgrounds and are ready to drop out of the rat race and “live the dream” of owning a business.  “I’m hoping the place will be known as a casual, fun, neighborhoody place for people to hang out at and grab some drinks, as well as order some shareable plates of tasty food,” Lee tells us. “Kind of like a Sun Liquor but with food, or a Taco Gringos but with liquor.”  You can learn more about the coming-soon restaurant at http://chinosseattle.com/

  • Lee’s new neighbors, in the meantime, are gearing up for the weekend. The 2011 Capitol Hill Block Party starts Friday. Many businesses will be slammed with customers seeking food and drink. Others nearby will try to entice the crowd their way — or, in some cases, get the crowd to stay away. Curtis Bigelow of the Lobby Bar is ready for action. We’ll have more on the E Pike (and nearby) business community’s end of things later in the week, but Bigelow says he’s ready for a better year for his bar at the eye of the proverbial Block Party storm thanks to increased help with security from organizers and a reconfigured sound engineering booth that will reduce the bottleneck near the music festival’s beer garden.
  • There will also be some special visitors at this year’s Block Party. Sounds like there will be a food truck pod set up inside the gates. @CharliesBuns and others will be there.
  • Commenters on our post about Varro’s financial woes note that the 12th Ave lounge has posted a message inside saying their back rent had been paid. In a brief statement, Varro’s Glenn Walker told CHS he intends to either sell the lounge or “re-concept” the space to find a more financially successful formula. Calls to Walker to learn more have not been returned.
  • We also haven’t yet heard back from Charles and Lauren Knox, the owners of the Chapel Bar who announced Friday night they would be closing the 8-year-old lounge in September. One thing un-noted in our post from before the weekend is the bar’s proximity to the super-hyped and well-loved Melrose Market. Gotta think the space is coveted as an opportunity to be part of the Melrose buzz.
  • Speaking of that Melrose place, Terra Plata has a Web site and a liquor license underway. Late summer is almost here.
  • We had the name but Puget Sound Business Journal has the details of Altura, the restaurant moving into the former Edgar space on Broadway across the street from Poppy.

    Altura will serve seasonal Italian cuisine with an emphasis on locally grown and foraged products, Rebecca Lockwood said.“Nathan’s philosophy is that the freshest seasonal foods, simply prepared and perfectly presented, are the most elegant. The menu will change weekly, and sometimes daily,” she said.

    We’ll talk with the Lockwoods before Altura’s planned fall opening.

  • Cool story from the Top Pot Facebook page:
  • Quite often we receive inquiries as to where the first Top Pot cafe is located. The cafe is located at 609 Summit Ave E in north Capitol Hill and proudly displays the original neon sign. The letter “S” that once made up the center of the sign fell off along Interstate 5 and was replaced with a metal percolator shown here.

  • We never really said much about Eltana’s dinner options (they have them and we’ve heard they’re good). Now the bagelry’s late-night window is being readied. When the yellow light is on, you can get your drunk-food bagels.
  • Happy first birthdays to Jimmy’s on Broadway and CHS advertiser Big Mario’s.
  • Happy 5 years to 12th Ave’s Lemongrass. With all the love for newly opened Ba Bar nearby, the 12th Ave across from Seattle U location of the mini-chain might as well get some attention, too.
  • Cork House is having a Craigslist “going out of business” rummage sale.
  • Faire hosts a “live painting” show on Tuesday nights?
  • Keep track of the progress of Canon’s overhaul of the old Licorous space.
  • Tom Hajduk of Vino Verite shares a bard-inspired list of low-priced wines.
  • City Council expected to pass new mobile food rules for Seattle in Monday afternoon vote. One of the most vocal opponents of the new laws? Freddy Rivas of Rancho Bravo. UPDATE: Passes
  • With new burger joints opening any minute now on the Hill (Lil’ Woody’s? So soon. Blue Moon? A little longer.), we were happy to see a PR piece pop into the CHS inbox re: The DeLuxe’s Wednesday night Burgerama. We either write about brand new places — or closings — it seems sometimes. Here’s a reminder that it doesn’t have to be new to be tasty. And a pretty damn good deal.
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4 Comments
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DAVID IRVINE
DAVID IRVINE
12 years ago

I think Chino’s will be a Surviving Hit in the district as both Mari and Walter Lee are excellent cooks and food preparers and know what they want. Both have excellent tastes and skills for their nationality food and business backgrounds and have and are doing their home work as this venture takes place.

Chino's
Chino's
12 years ago

Thanks Uncle David! You can always count on family for support!

No other comments huh? I guess there is a lack of interest.

Alright! change of menu! We will offer Korean-Hawaiian Tacos, Ahi-Tempura Dragon Rolls with Chorizo Aioli, and Wasabi-Infused Kobe Beef Sliders! Booya, Master Chief!

Noelle153
12 years ago

This is fantastic news! When stuck in Bellevue, Chantanee is our go-to place for amazing cocktails, very excited about this. I also believe that this change was necessary. When we went to Ba Bar the wait on drinks was so long that they were coming out AFTER we had almost completed our dinner, and you could see the bartender chatting it up with friends/co-workers instead of serving up cocktails which was a bit infuriating. To top it off I ended up sending my $12 cocktail back, because it tasted like, as my husband described it, “the essence of band-aid.” All rants aside, very excited to head back to Ba Bar to check out Chantanee level drink artistry!

akb
akb
12 years ago

This guy is pretty much screwed for a long time, if not forever, when it comes to job hunting. “Are you that Danny Jeffers?” He’s probably going to have to change his name.