Jerry Traunfeld, chef at the world-famous Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville for 17 years, is the creative force behind the new restaurant which will open on or around Sept. 13 at 622 Broadway E., just across Broadway from the Deluxe Bar & Grill. (The restaurant is waiting for final permission from the city.) It occupies the former Elite Tavern and a Vietnamese restaurant locations, which have been vacant for 20 months.
It won't be a place for cheap eats, but, as Jeff Olund, Traunfeld's partner said, it won't take all evening to drive to the restaurant, linger over dinner, and drive home, either. He said he and Traunfeld are absolutely delighted to be on Capitol Hill.
"We think Broadway, Capitol Hill in general, is revitalized, on the way up," Olund said from a seat on the floor, next to what once was the front door of the Elite. Olund's own creativity is exercised on the restaurant with his work and designs for the space itself.
Citing several excellent restaurants that have begun calling Capitol Hill home, such as Quinns and La Spiga, he said the North Broadway business district was a great place to start a new a restaurant.
"It's hip, urban, sophisticated," he said "It's in tune with what we will offer."
What they will offer is something completely new in dining, a sort of Indian/Pacific Northwest fusion.
"Jerry went to India and was inspired by the way they serve the food on a thali," Olund said.
A thali is a round tray used to serve a variety of small dishes. Typical Indian thalis have rice, vegetables, curd, dhal and other items, usually 10 or 11 in number.
"It will be modern, Northwest cusine, served in kind of a thali style," Olund said. Traunfeld's plan is to have a fixed menu each evening - meaning there won't be a range of choices - featuring Pacific Northwest ingredients. Each guest will receive his or her own thali with about 10 different dishes representing what is fresh and in season in the Pacific Northwest.
"Everyone gets their own tasty menu of small dishes," Olund said.
The menu will change regularly depending on what is fresh in the market.
"We've done some test dinners, and it's a very engaging way to have dinner," Olund said.
A fixed menu requires a lot of trust on the part of diners. Traunfeld has earned a lot of trust.
Besides being the executive chef of The Herbfarm, Traunfeld won the James Beard Award for "Best American Chef: Northwest and Hawaii" in 2000. He's written two well-received cookbooks, and has appeared on several food-oriented television and radio shows (yes, even Martha Stewart).
"Jerry spent a lot of time looking around for a place to open his own restaurant," Olund said. The place they selected is an older, one-story building, one with high ceilings, exposed beams and even parking out back. There is also space for an herb garden.
"A central part of his cooking is herbs," Olund said. "He will be able to continue that in our herb farm on Capitol Hill."
Traunfeld also became very interested in Indian spices. That is likely to become part of the fusion of the thalis as well.
Décor in the new restaurant will be Danish Modern, using natural materials and clean lines. There will be no artwork or patterns on the walls. Of course, there will be a full bar, and the restaurant is expected to seat about 120.
"We have a wine list that is about 50 percent Northwest regional wines and 50 percent selected wines from around the world," Olund said.
Besides the thalis, which Olund estimated to be about $32 per person, there will also be appetizers in the $5 to $10 range and desserts for about $5.
Olund said he thinks that is very reasonable for the quality of the food the new restaurant will be serving.
So why Poppy?
"Poppy is actually Jerry's mother's nickname," Olund said. She lives in Maryland, but they are expecting a visit soon.
If you want to visit, Poppy is already accepting reservations online at www.seattlepoppy.com.
Freelance writer Korte Brueckmann can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com.[[In-content Ad]]