West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
Three years have passed since we reported that Just Poké was planning to open in West Seattle – as soon as the locally based restaurant chain found a spot. A WSB reader recently observed that Just Poké’s website listed a “coming soon” Jefferson Square address. That address, however, is supposed to be future home to another business. So we inquired with Just Poké. Co-founder Norman says they’re finalizing a location that’s actually across the street – the former Wallflower Custom Framing space at 4735 42nd SW. No projected opening date yet; as shown here, Just Poké is looking to double in size, opening another dozen or so locations this year. Here’s what they serve.
West Seattle’s Luna Park Café is reopening indoor dining today, at 25 percent capacity as per state guidelines. Proprietor John Bennett says the restaurant will be open 8 am-9 om seven days a week and will still offer takeout orders (206-935-7250) plus “for the hardy … we have a few tables outside. Join us for Valentine’s weekend ! Boozy raspberry vodka shakes and cranberry mimosas.”
Luna Park Café is at 2918 SW Avalon Way.
Three biznotes this midday:
THE GOOD SOCIETY’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY: The brewery/pub at 2701 California SW opened right before the pandemic. Surviving this kind of year is a big reason to celebrate. From the announcement:
This weekend, The Good Society turns one! Our first year has been a crazy one. From a completely packed pub on opening day to being able to sell only crowlers a mere thirty days later to partially opening inside to setting up outdoor seating to upgrading the outdoor seating to upgrading the outdoor seating again to closing down inside again to opening partially inside again all while brewing some pretty good beer and making new friends with our community.
While we cannot have the party we had hoped we would when we opened a year ago, we still could not let this weekend pass without mention. So we lined up a few small things to celebrate one year.
Our mission has always been about togetherness and community. On Friday we will release our final numbers on how much we were able to donate to local causes last year. Make no mistake, we were able to do this because of the support you gave us. We will also unveil a new way for you to pick which cause your beer supports.
They’ve also restocked on merch; they’ll be offering dipping sauces for their famous pretzels; and then ….
Beer! What kind of brewery anniversary would it be without an anniversary beer? Nuclear Kitty Eyes, our first Double IPA, is a hoppier, more intense version of neighborhood favorite, Neon Kitty Eyes. And for added fun, we also brought back Neon Kitty Eyes! Both will be available on draft and in cans.
Anniversary-weekend hours are 3-9 pm Friday, noon-9 pm Saturday, noon-8 pm Sunday (“actual anniversary) and Monday.
CAPCO BEVERAGES’ FINAL DAY … FOR NOW: As we’ve reported previously, the liquor store at 4100 SW Alaska is making way for Swedish medical space, so today is the last day, but it’s expecting to reopen with new ownership and a new location at nearby Jefferson Square, according to manager Dolly, who says she’ll be back too.
MARINATION MA KAI’S VALENTINE TREAT: The restaurant at Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW) is offering pre-orders if you’d like a half-dozen or dozen guava-filled malasadas for Valentine’s Day – order yours by Friday afternoon, pick them up Sunday. They might have some available for walk-up sales that day, but it’ll be a two-per-person limit that day, first-come first-served.
Two months ago, Endolyne Joe’s in Fauntleroy announced it would close until “this nightmare is at least close to over.” Now that our area is in Phase 2 and indoor dining is allowed at 25 percent capacity, the restaurant at 9261 45th SW has decided to reopen next week, starting Tuesday, February 16th. The restaurant’s announcement says, “We have been freshening up our dining room and are having our wood floors refinished this upcoming week in anticipation of us giving indoor dining another roll of the dice!” Hours “for both in-house dining and low-contact curbside pickup” will be Monday-Friday 11 am-8 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am-8 pm.
Another big restaurant anniversary ahead – Circa (2605 California SW) marks 23 years this Saturday (February 6th). On that day, proprietors Gretchen and Bill plan to reopen indoor dining (25% capacity) and offer anniversary specials: “$2.30 pieces of our chocolate cake, $2.30 discounts on our burgers, items from our original menu, and big discounts on our growlers and growler fills.”
(Photo courtesy La Rustica)
Thanks for the tip: A longtime family-owned West Seattle restaurant has changed families. The Pellegrinis have retired and sold La Rustica, the Italian bistro at 4100 Beach Drive SW, to the Hoffmans. Co-proprietor Kat Hoffman explained via email, when we asked, that she and her husband have owned La Rustica since November, but have loved it far longer:
My husband and I have been going to La Rustica since 2002, when my sister-in-law told us about the cutest place in West Seattle with the best cannelloni ever, garlic bread that we would eat baskets of, and the most amazing tiramisu. We have been going there ever since. I can’t tell you how many of our dates started out walking along Beach Dr while waiting for a table.
I don’t know if you believe in fate, but I do. I think things happen or don’t, when they are supposed to. We had been looking for a new business to buy since the summer of 2019, had even made some offers but deals fell through for one reason or another. So one morning in January of 2020, I was looking at a business-for-sale site and saw a listing that caught my eye. It said 25-year-old West Seattle Italian Restaurant. I told my husband, “I bet you this is La Rustica.” He lost the bet, and we bought the restaurant. It took almost 10 months to go through because of Covid.
The main thing people ask or are afraid of is, what is going to change. Really, most of the changes that have happened are more because of Covid than the ownership change. I have really only changed 4 things since taking over. I switched from paper gift certificates to plastic gift cards, made some labels for the to-go boxes and bread, started making the chocolate mousse cake instead of it being store-bought, and just introduced homemade panna cotta to the menu.
Other than that, the food/recipes, the chefs and wait staff, and everything else that makes La Rustica La Rustica has stayed the same because that is we fell in love with so long ago.
I know some people think we were crazy, buying a restaurant during a pandemic, especially with so many restaurants closing. But it’s La Rustica. The neighbors and community have been so supportive and welcoming. We haven’t made a big announcement not because we are hiding it, but because we want our guests to see nothing has really changed and that the food is still amazing. The Pellegrinis said they are planning to come back for a week this summer when things are hopefully back to normal to see everyone and to say goodbye.
La Rustica, open since 1996, is the only restaurant on Beach Drive and is across the street from Weather Watch Park.
Some call it the “Up House” – the little old house at 4526 42nd SW between big new(er) buildings. Starting tomorrow, you can just call it Moto. We went over this morning after a reader tip (thank you!). Lee Kindell opens the restaurant on Friday, offering Detroit-style pizza:
What’s Detroit-style pizza, you ask? Well, for starters, it’s square, and deep-dish. Moto will use sourdough. You can see the menu online. Moto will also offer soft-serve ice cream in fancy handmade cones:
Coffee, too. By the way, since the building is set back from the street, look for this closer to the front of the lot:
Moto opens at 4 tomorrow and will be open 4 pm to 9 pm Wednesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
(WSB file photo)
Here’s another tqsty way to help local students. Received from the Genesee Hill Elementary PTA:
January Dine Out for Genesee Hill – Mission Cantina
The Genesee Hill Elementary Restaurant of the Month is Mission Cantina! This is a two-day fundraising event taking place on January 24 and 25 (next Sunday and Monday)! Mission Cantina will generously donate 20% of ALL sales that the restaurant makes on those days. This includes all food, alcohol, gift cards, and Mission Cantina’s “Whole Enchilada” take-and-bake kit. To order regular menu items, please call Mission directly at 206-937-8220. The restaurant will begin to take phone orders starting at 11 am both days. Please note, we are trying to encourage families to work with the restaurant directly rather than use 3rd-party apps such as GrubHub and Ubereats to help the staff get more of the funds from tips and orders.
“The Whole Enchilada” Take-and-Bake Kit
This delicious kit gives you all of the items below for ONLY $60 plus tax (gratuity not included). We are taking orders in advance for this awesome deal until January 21. Please click on the Signup Genius so that you can reserve your dinners for pick-up on one of the two days, with payment at pickup.
· Chips and salsa
· Child-sized black bean and cheese enchiladas
· Potato, carnitas, chicken, green chili enchiladas
· Red rice and Black beans
· Cheese and three different enchilada sauces
In addition to takeout/pickup, Mission Cantina (a WSB sponsor) also has outdoor dining.
The AT&T store site at California/Fauntleroy has been up for lease for nine months, according to the Commercial MLS website (the store’s still open). Now, city records suggest a new tenant has been found – Ezell’s Famous Chicken, the Seattle-based fried-chicken chain with a national reputation. The plan is shown on a renovation-permit application filed Friday; we found it while doing routine research in city online records.
West Seattle’s fried-chicken scene has been in flux in recent years – KFC closed in 2018 in the spot that now holds Habit Burger, while Harry’s Chicken Joint departed in 2019 from the space now holding HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Café. But Ma’ono is going strong, and chicken fans who don’t mind driving a few miles south to White Center have their choice of Popeye’s, Bok-a-Bok, or KFC.
Ezell’s, however, is considered fried-chicken royalty – a 36-year-old company with legions of fans including, famously, Oprah Winfrey. They’ve grown to 16 locations, as far-flung as Spokane and Tigard, Oregon; the nearest to West Seattle are in the Central District and Rainier Valley (further than they used to be, with the bridge out).
The corner space in Morgan Junction was built when the old West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) was rebuilt following the 1997 fire. Its original tenant was a Café Starbucks – a food-service concept the company eventually ditched – that only lasted a year, closing in early 2000. The space became a Tully’s Coffee shop a few months later; that lasted a decade, and cell-phone retail followed.
Again, this is an early-stage filing – on occasion those fall through, so don’t count your (fried) chicken until it’s hatched, as the saying goes. We have a message out to an Ezell’s spokesperson for comment on status and timeline.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Thanks to Dan for the tip: The newest food stand on Alki is TACOntainer, set up in the front yard of the former bike shop/mask shop/boutique space at 2532 Alki Avenue SW. The name is because of its shape – part of a shipping container. Here’s a closer look at the menu:
TACOntainer is open 11 am to 8 pm daily for starters.
P.S. This is not the only change on the way for that site – a permit for a deli called Natalie’s on Alki has been making its way through the city-permit system.
ADDED THURSDAY: We followed up with TACOntainer proprietor Victor via email. We asked about the structure; he explains, “The structure is an actual 10-foot shipping container that had 1 trip on an ocean cargo ship. It is not cut, but rather a rare container that comes in this particular size. Initially I wanted a larger container, but Seattle public health rules and regulations required me to put it on wheels and a smaller container made more sense, so I had to be inventive and make it all fit and work! I built it myself from the ground up in 2020.” As for how long he plans to be on Alki, at least a month in this spot, depending on how the unrelated future business in the building proceeds, but he lives nearby and hopes to find another Alki spot whenever a move is required. No website yet but there is an Instagram account he plans to eventually use, here.
In the first week of the new statewide “Healthy Washington” reopening roadmap, businesses are still exploring the fine print. For food and beverage businesses, though indoor dining is still banned in Phase 1, “open-air” service is allowed as well as outdoor seating. That means establishments such as Best of Hands Barrelhouse (Instagram photo above) that have walls with multiple windows can offer 25 percent capacity seating with those windows open. The Lodge in The Junction plans to start offering open-air seating tomorrow; the West Seattle Junction Association tells us Matador and JaK’s Grill have it too, and others are planning to follow. This is in addition to the numerous establishments that already have patio and/or “pod” outdoor seating, from Mission Cantina (WSB sponsor) and several Alki spots in the north, to places like The Bridge and The Westy in the south. You can read the new state guidelines here. Phase 1, by the way, will last at least one more week; the state is announcing every Friday what phase regions will be in as of the following Monday, and today’s news is that everyone stays in Phase 1 – although you can see on page 4 here that the Puget Sound region, including King County, was close.
Three biznotes about food:
LA RUSTICA VALENTINE’S DAY: First announcement we’ve received about Valentine’s Day – now only a month away. La Rustica (4100 Beach Drive SW) tells WSB, “La Rustica is now taking reservations for our outdoor, heated/covered patio for Valentine’s Day. Because space is limited, they will go fast. We are also taking a wait list for people to call should we move into Phase 2 of reopening and be allowed to seat customers inside.”
DICK’S TRUCK RETURNING: One month after drawing a crowd in The Junction, the Dick’s Drive-In burgers-and-shakes truck (no fries) is returning this Friday, 11 am-2 pm outside Easy Street Records (whose café DOES have fries).
(Photo courtesy MilkRun)
MILKRUN: This Portland-founded “farm-to-table” food-delivery service wants you to know it’s now serving West Seattle. MilkRun offers weekly deliveries of produce, meat, and other products from regional growers/makers, as explained here.
(WSB photo)
A truly special delivery this afternoon at Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle gave a boost to both health-care workers and local restaurateurs. At left in our photo are Suzanne Roberts and Lisa Riebe, West Seattle mental-health-care providers. They paid Admiral District restaurant Circa – whose co-proprietor Gretchen Evans is at center – to cook up 85 dinners for front-line workers at The Mount. The staff doesn’t dine on site, so the dinners were foil-wrapped and ready for them to take home after work. There to accept the special delivery were, at right, Colleen Farrell and Molly Swain from The Mount. Evans tells WSB that Roberts did this last spring, too, buying meals from Circa to deliver to Harborview Medical Center employees. She added that it’s hoped “this may inspire those who want to support restaurants and frontline workers by going to their favorite restaurant and offering to buy meals for those working on the front lines in some regard. It’s a double dose of donating. It’s been amazing!”
P.S. The Mount team told us their recent outbreak is under control, with no new cqses in their most recent testing, and vaccination for caregivers and residents has begun.
ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: We first reported more than three months ago about the plan to open Allyum in the former Duos Lounge space at 2940 SW Avalon Way. Now the sign is up and opening plans are set – Allyum has announced that this Friday, New Year’s Day, will be its first day, open 11 am-3 pm for takeout. Chef Ally Rael told us in September about her plan for an upscale, local-focused plant-based menu, also spotlighting beverages. You can now preview the menu online – including a “New Year’s Nosh” featuring latkes, matzo-ball soup, and a Reuben sandwich centered on “pastrami-marinated mushrooms.” Allyum also plans to soon be part of the trend of restaurants offering “markets” – describing their intention to offer “an array of housemade, farm fresh and specially procured items for your enjoyment at home. From fresh pasta and signature sauces, to ‘off the beaten path’ bottles of wine and local farm-fresh veggies.” Post-holiday hours are on the Allyum website.
ADDED TUESDAY: In response to our inquiry, Allyum confirms it’s takeout TFN: “We do have a limited amount of outdoor furniture but our rain gear isn’t quite ready. We will do online orders from our website and walk-in orders. No delivery (yet).”
(December 17th)
Earlier this month, as reported here, an overnight windstorm destroyed the canopies that Arthur’s in The Admiral District had put up to facilitate outdoor dining. Some asked how they could help the restaurant recover. Rosemary Orr, mom of Arthur’s proprietor Rebecca Rice, has set up a crowdfunding account to facilitate that. Rosemary tells WSB, “She has worked so hard since Spring to keep her business open and viable, and the windstorm and destruction of the canopies was just the worst in a string of challenges. She will need new covers to make enough money to survive another few months.” The GoFundMe page is here.
That’s the new covered outdoor addition at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), one of the West Seattle businesses that will be open on Christmas Day (8 am-4 pm). As always, we’re building info lists for the holidays, and publishing this reminder that it’s not too late to let us know about retailers and food/drink businesses’ hours on Christmas Eve/Day. All the info we have so far – including the complete grocery-store hours list for Thursday/Friday – is toward the end of our West Seattle Holiday Guide page (which has a list of church services, too). We’re still checking around, but if you can help by providing info, please email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Endolyne Joe’s in Fauntleroy is temporarily closing, until indoor sit-down dining is back again. Libby Bills from Chow Foods, which owns the restaurant, tells WSB, “Endolyne Joe’s is temporarily suspending service. We tried to make a go of the curbside/delivery services that we have been offering for the last several months, but we are at a point that we need to preserve enough capital to re-open when this nightmare is at least close to over.” Joe’s general manager Jeff Andrew adds, “We did not come to this decision easily and want to thank the West Seattle community for all their support. We look forward to having our West Seattle family back in our restaurant enjoying our food and drink the way it was meant to be enjoyed.” (added) The restaurant’s last day for now will be Tuesday (December 22nd).
One week until Christmas Eve, and it’s time to finalize your holiday-food plans. Some options:
MARINATION MA KAI (1660 Harbor SW): The Seacrest eatery is offering a Christmas brunch box for pickup 1-4 pm Christmas Eve, $45 to serve two:
-Monkey Bread
-Choice of Quiche Slices
-Ellenos Yogurt W/ Guava Jam
-House-made Tropical Granola
-Fruit Salad W/ Li Hing Mui
Potential add-ons, too, including beverages. Go here to order.
SALTY’S ON ALKI (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor): Tomorrow (Friday, December 18th) is the deadline to order a Christmas meal kit (featuring ham AND turkey), serving 2 for $70. You can order online or by phone. See the menu here.
PHOENECIA (4717 42nd SW): The Junction bistro is offering a reheatable Christmas dinner for two, $100. The menu:
-Fig and walnut salad
-Trio of spreads
-Roasted fingerling potatoes
-Balsamic-braised lamb shank
-Chocolate panna cotta
Text “reserve” to 206-250-5482.
WEST SEATTLE THRIFTWAY (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor): Turkey or ham dinners – see the menu here. Sunday (December 20th) by 7 pm is the deadline to order, and the pickup deadline is 7 pm Christmas Eve.
HUSKY DELI (4721 California SW); Monday is the deadline for ordering Christmas dinners – ham or turkey, serving 6 to 8 people. See the menu here. Order by phone at 206-937-2810.
PECOS PIT (4400 35th SW; WSB sponsor): Meals available with smoked turkey, ham, or prime rib. Monday (December 21st) is the ordering deadline. The menu, and ordering info, is here.
METROPOLITAN MARKET (2320 42nd SW; WSB sponsor): Full holiday dinners still available as of a short time ago include ham, turkey, and lamb; ordering deadline is Saturday night. See what’s available here.
WHOLE FOODS (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW): Holiday meals serving from 4 to 12 people are available; the online ordering site says they need qt least 48 hours’ notice (and keep in mind, the store will be closed on Christmas Day).
Others to add? Comment, or email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Though there was no storm advisory, the wind kicked up in a big way overnight, and that led to the damage you see above – Rosemary sent the photo, explaining:
Arthur’s in the Admiral District has been working since the pandemic restrictions began, to continue to operate and serve customers. It has been an extremely difficult year. A few weeks ago, tents were erected [photo] to make it possible to eat outside in relative comfort and heaters were also installed. Last night, the tents blew down despite anchoring concrete blocks. Rebecca Rice and her staff have worked so hard to maintain the business and this is yet another devastating blow to their work.
We contacted Rebecca by email to ask if there’s anything the community can do to help; she says she’s “trying to sort it out.” We’ll update when we hear more.
(WSB file photo)
From Matt at Grillbird Teriyaki (35th/Morgan):
Every day we are giving out a gift card to a random customer; however, the gift card is not for them to use but for them to pass on to an individual or family in need of a hot meal. We hope to extend the generosity of our customers outward to our community so that no one goes hungry this winter. Many have asked us how they can contribute as well, so we have also come up with a way for customers to add a “Pay It Forward” gift card to their order online. The response has already been incredible.
Here’s how you can contribute.
Eat local! Three West Seattle/White Center food notes:
BIZZARRO ITALIAN CAFE: We first reported last month that Bizzarro Italian Café, a north Seattle fixture, was adding a White Center location, in the ex-Noble Barton space at 9635 16th SW. Tonight is opening night; they’re offering takeout and third-party delivery 5-8 pm nightly for starters.
LA RUSTICA: While we’re talking about Italian food, we have an update from La Rustica (4100 Beach Dr. SW):
We at La Rustica just wanted to remind everyone in West Seattle that our covered, heated patio is open for dining. Our patio is super-cozy and we are making sure all tables are socially distanced. We can take reservations for 5 or 5:30 pm. We also offer online ordering for takeout at larustica.westseattle@gmail.com. There are delivery and pick-up options available.
We are open Tuesday-Sunday 5-9 pm, Friday and Saturday until 10 pm. We really appreciate all of the support we have received from the community. If you have aany questions or to take a reservation, please call us at 206-932-3020 or email us at larustica.westseattle@gmail.com.
SHUG’S: And now, for dessert:
I am having a Holiday Pop-Up at our Shug’s Mini spot – 3800A California Ave SW, at the corner of Charlestown. The Pop-Up starts on Thursday, 12/17-12/23. Hours are 2-7 pm, and then 12/24, 2-5 pm.
We will be offering ice-cream gift boxes, pints of ice cream, bottles of dessert wine, and a bonus Pike Place Market Favorite foods table of goodies!
Got a business note, food or otherwise? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thanks for the tips. The West Seattle Junction restaurant Mashiko has announced another temporary closure for COVID safety: “We have had a COVID exposure to a family member of one of our teammates and will not reopen until everyone gets tested and the results come back negative.” The restaurant reported a similar situation one month ago.
Thanks for the tips. Zeeks Pizza in West Seattle is closed today. No note on the door but the website confirms the closure and employees have been notified that it’s because of a positive COVID-19 test. That’s the second temporary closure in less than a month.
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