Author Archives: Nick Turner, CHS Summer Intern

Replacing The Saint, Dacha Diner bringing ‘Eastern European cuisine with Jewish fare’ to Capitol Hill

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It seems the hot pink building on the corner of E Olive Way and Bellevue is destined for a new paint job. What was formerly The Saint, a Mexican-style bar that was painted a shade called “bougainvillea pink,” has changed ownership and will become the Dacha Diner, a family-operated business striving to give Capitol Hill a taste of east European-style cuisine and Jewish fare.

“Italian food and French food has gotten a lot of play around here,” said Joe Heffernan. “The really humble and hardy food of Eastern Europe — We just saw that it wasn’t really being represented here.”

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Capitol Hill’s Cascina Spinasse celebrates 10 years on 14th Ave

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Spinasse’s egg pasta with butter and sage (Image: Spinasse)

August marks a decade of perfect pasta and carefully curated wine inspired by northwest Italy on Capitol Hill’s 14th Ave.

Cascina Spinasse turned ten this month and it celebrated with a party full of longtime customers. “Most of our regulars came over and showered us in love and support,” Spinasse’s general manager Angela Lopez said. “We’ve been on cloud nine for a few days now. It feels great.”

Piedmont is a region in northwestern Italy bordered by France to the west and Switzerland to the northeast. Not only is it an extremely mountainous place — it’s surrounded on three sides by the Alps — much of it is covered by rolling hills and vast plains. The menu at Spinasse, along with its list of wines, is derived largely from the history, traditions and culinary arts of the Piedmontese region.

“We’re lumped into a general Italian category, but really we drill down into the style of a specific place,” Lopez said.

Spinasse was born small but with a passion for amazing pasta. It was half the size at its start but received outsized praise — and produced plenty of food and drink drama.
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As redevelopment continues, community celebrates opening of Yesler Terrace Park

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“As this city becomes increasingly dense, we continue to need spaces like this. This is the kind of space where memories will be created by all the young people here,” Christopher Williams, interim superintendent of the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, said at the grand opening of the brand new Yesler Terrace Park on Saturday. “This park will be the center of the Yesler community.”

Yesler Terrace Park includes a fountain, public seating, a soccer field, basketball court, an intricate playground and an expansive view of the Seattle skyline, all of which were designed and created by several city groups and local organizations. Community members, city officials, and families gathered to celebrate this new public space.

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Emmett Montgomery selects Capitol Hill for Secret Grandpa Subscription Service headquarters

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Montgomery on stage, surely thinking about his Secret Grandpa responsibilities

Creepy grandpas, chihuahua ice cream cones, and spatulas with insect legs.

These are the things that Emmett Montgomery is thinking about when he wakes up in the morning.

A self-proclaimed weirdo, Montgomery has been a standup comedian, storyteller, and artist on Capitol Hill for years. Recently he unveiled his latest creation — the Secret Grandpa Subscription Service.

“This was kind of a wonderful experiment,” he said. “Now it’s a significant part of my day. I wake up thinking about what weird grandpa thing I’m gonna do.”

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Sole Mates brings sneakerhead paradise to Capitol Hill

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Seattle’s sneakerheads will have a new foothold on Capitol Hill when Sole Mates, a sneaker consignment store above the Broadway and Pike QFC, opens shop at the end of the month. Owner Parris Johnson said culture is “in demand” on Capitol Hill, and that preparations are basically done and the store should be open by August 31st.

“I felt like this is what the area needs,” Johnson said. “A real true boutique. Brick and mortar.”

Johnson, who grew up in Seattle, jumped at the opportunity to open a business less than a quarter mile from where he grew up on 20th and Union. Continue reading →

Perched on Capitol Hill’s western slope, The Reef brings pot to E Olive Way

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Bud, oils and pre-rolled joints were everywhere as The Reef, Capitol Hill’s newest cannabis retailer, opened the doors to its new location for a preview Thursday night.

With its first shop opened in Bremerton three years ago, The Reef’s new storefront takes full advantage of its perch on Capitol Hill at a busy intersection where its predecessor pizza joint and its notorious flashing sign served as a de facto western gate to the neighborhood. With generous amounts of light coming in through windows spanning the width of the storefront, the new location will give Capitol Hill residents a convenient option for their cannabis-related needs.

John Ueding, general manager of The Reef’s Capitol Hill location, explained that the company wants to invest in the community and explore options to work with and support local charity organizations.

“The owners are intent on giving back as much as we can,” Ueding said. “Being local Seattle guys, we really want to be involved in the community.” Continue reading →

While Capitol Hill waits for Dingfelder’s, Loxsmith brings one-of-a-kind bagels to Montana Bar pop-up

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BktE0-Ng7w6/?hl=en&taken-by=loxsmithbagels

There are four things that make Matthew Segal’s bagels special: wild yeast, high gluten flour, fermentation and a sodium hydroxide lye boil. Other places have some of the elements, sure, Segal said, but the combination of all four is why Loxsmith Bagels sold out on the first day it started selling its creations from a daytime popup inside E Olive Way bar Montana,

“I’m the bagel guy. I do everything. I roll ‘em. I cure all the salmon. I cut all the veggies. I make all the bagels,” Segal said. “There’s really nowhere to get a bagel like what I make.”

Slated for a month of Saturdays at Montana, Loxsmith returns for its limited pop-up series this weekend:

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/event/loxsmith-bagel-and-bar-mitzvah-popup-cafe-brunch-and-seattle-bagel-club/?instance_id=7456480

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Capitol Hill’s last independent service station’s days numbered as developer has deal for 15th Ave E corner

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After more than half a century of business on Capitol Hill, the Hilltop Service Station on 15th Ave E is slated to be no more. Customers have been told the station’s last day of service is coming — possibly this week.

Cadence Capital, a Colorado-based real estate and development firm, finalized an agreement to purchase the property last month, according to King County records, making the deal official and paving the way for the property to be acquired and redeveloped. Financial details and terms of the memorandum of agreement are not yet publicly available.  Continue reading →

Development at MLK and Union has created new housing, a new restaurant, and space for a longtime Central District boxing gym

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A new home for Cappy’s

With renewed community support and now space for a proper fighting ring, Cappy’s Boxing Gym is welcoming clients new and old to use their facility. They provide one-on-one fitness classes as well as a youth boxing program for children between 8 and 17 years and a competitive team that goes up against other local teams and clubs.

“Cappy’s is a welcoming community,” said coach and office manager Ara Jane Olufson. “It’s welcoming. It’s open. It’s encouraging.”

Olufson, who became the gym’s office manager in November, also coaches boxers at the gym. Before that, she was a customer at Cappy’s for more than 11 years.

“I remember my first class,” Olufson said. Continue reading →

Still meaty, Central Smoke rises on E Jefferson

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Eric Banh and chef Mike Whisenhunt (Images: CHS)

A rush of red meat in the Seattle restaurant scene has settled out with a transformation of E Jefferson steakhouse Seven Beef into a new concept centered on more accessible but still meaty offerings — Central Smoke.

With fried rice and pickled cucumber on the menu alongside ribs and brisket, Central Smoke now brings Texas-style smoked meats and a unique combination of Taiwanese, Japanese and Chinese flavors to E Jefferson. Headed by owner Eric Banh and chef Mike Whisenhunt, who together carry more than 40 years of experience in the kitchen, the new bar and smokery replaced Seven Beef on the corner of E Jefferson and 13th Ave last month.

“What we do is multicultural. I would call it very eclectic,” Banh said. “I want to do something that is very soulful and really feed our creativity and passion.”

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