Yuzu’s new home at 954 E Union is *almost* ready to open after a few construction delays

Over Block Party weekend, the Madison Holdings-backed Kaisho concept quietly debuted, replacing the Madison Holdings-backed Boom Noodle at 12th and Pike. It was part of the group CHS called — tongue in cheek, Eater Seattle-style — 9 of Capitol Hill’s most anticipated summer, maybe fall Asian restaurant openings… ever earlier this year. On the backside of Pike/Pine, another new player part of the Asian-flavored wave has plans cut from cloth altogether different than its 12th and Pike counterpart.

The owner will also have something in common with many of his customers.

“My rent is ridiculous!” Jun Park tells us about his partnership’s investment in a new restaurant space in the new construction at 10th Ave and E Union.

Yuzu by Musashi will bring together two longtime Seattle food and drink owners teaming up for the first time for their foray into the teeming Capitol Hill entertainment economy. Park opened Musashi’s in Factoria about two years ago in the spirit of the longtime N 45th St sushi favorite. His partner Sam Park is the proprietor behind Tig Asian Tapas Bar on 1st Ave. Their prior ventures are solid if not unspectacular components of Seattle food and drink. Jun Park says he wants Yuzu to make a bigger — but affordable — splash on Capitol Hill.

“I want to bring those $17, $18 rolls to people for $10 and $12,” Park said. “We’ll let people try more exotic fish without emptying out their wallets.”

Meanwhile, the other Park is charged with bringing the Yuzu bar and lounge experience to life.

Jun Park says the goal is to be open by early November with a 3,000 square-foot space that includes a big sushi bar and a full lounge. He’s hoping for a more modern, industrial look with “one big room with some nooks” and an area with more secluded booths.

Park said he sees the success of high-end sushi at Momiji as an example of the opportunity to bring great Japanese food to Capitol Hill — but at a lower price point. “I think we can cater to more of a variety of customers,” Park said.

He’s also excited to be working in a more open-minded, experimental neighborhood.

“What I see is a lot of culture,” he said. “I see so many different people. People of different race. Different gender. A part of town where all the cultures come together.”

That’s a happy thought. Park also sees the challenges in the neighborhood with sky-high rents and shifting demographics. But he can also offer a silver lining to clouds of concern about such a storm of development so tightly focused in Pike/Pine.

“I don’t think I would have been able to open up my restaurant without it,” Park said of the wave of new buildings under construction around the Hill. “I really appreciate all these buildings going up. It gave me and my business a chance.”

Yuzu is planned to open this fall at 954 E Union. There is no website or Facebook page yet so stay tuned to CHS for more.

Capitol Hill food+drink notes

• As we mentioned above, Kaisho did, indeed, have a quiet opening over the Block Party weekend. We wrote here about the 12th/Pike project. This Thursday night brings the official grand opening.
• There’s another Asian-flavored food and drink project destined for Capitol Hill that we caught wind of. They’re not quiet ready to talk yet, however, so more details soon.
• Turns out Maxime Bilet, the modernist chef we reported was arrested for DUI and hit and run on Capitol Hill earlier in July, is opening “an interactive space near the downtown waterfront where he encourages visitors to, essentially, play with their food,” Seattle Mag says. The glossy, of course, makes no mention of the DUI charges Bilet pleaded not guilty to. His case has a pretrial hearing slated for August.
• New York Times (Eataly-Style Food Halls Are Taking Over America) didn’t go with our whole Capitol Hill complex thing.
• Shibumi’s Eric Stapelman tells us: “Master sushi chef Suzuki San has joined the Shibumi team and we will be launching tomorrow. We will feature Wagyu nigiri and Wagyu sashimi along with premium quality fish.”
• Purveyor of craft popsicles Six Strawberries is opening a brick and mortar location by next summer — but not on Capitol Hill :(
• Starbucks’ Capitol Hill experiments have paid off.
• Congrats to Poppy’s pastry chef Matt Bumpas on the nuptials.
  

  Ladies & gentlemen I’m married! pic.twitter.com/Zp5e9XtSWj

  — Matt Bumpas (@SweetBumpas) July 24, 2014

• Via Reddit, here’s what people ate for breakfast in 1994 at the corner of 10th and Pike:
• Ruh roh. Pike/Pine hot dog vendor Deez Dogs nailed by health department during CHBP. 
• Waid’s is gone and Taste of the Carribean is ready to move on at 12th and Jefferson.
  

  Monthly fish fry at Taste of the Carribean

• While Nuflours works on the cafe portion of its 15th Ave E cafe, stop by on Friday’s for a weekly gluten free baked goods pop-up.
• Trove is hiring:
• And, apparently, some part of Trove will be painted “million dollar” red:
  

  (Image: Heliotrope Architects via Facebook)

• You have until August 16th to eat at La Bete (as we know it).
• Former La Bete co-conspirator Tyler Moritz has landed at the Zig Zag.
• Cafe Barjot welcomed its first pop-up recently: