FOOD MATTERS | It gets better
No need to be alarmed. The feeling of emptiness, the post-holiday letdown, the gray skies full of rain — it’s all perfectly natural. We’ve been through it before, and we need to remember that it’s going to get better — and soon.
As January turns into February, as the days get longer and the skies clear up, we’re going to see a couple of new restaurants in our neighborhood.
The first is up in Madrona, where Brian Clevenger is putting the finishing touches on his new space. Yes, of course, I know about Vendemmia (1126 34th Ave.). It’s been a huge success with Madrona diners almost from day one, back in June.
(In retrospect, I checked it out a couple of weeks too early, before the kitchen and dining room staff had settled into a successful routine. I wrote, back then, that Clevenger was off to a rocky start, but every reviewer who showed up after me found the place adorable and the food great. The moral: It gets better!)
At any rate, the space next door was also available, and Clevenger didn’t hesitate — he dove right in. He has created something we haven’t seen too often in Seattle: a combination market (produce, shellfish, fresh fish, cured meats, salads) with a communal table overlooking the sidewalk.
The spot opens at 11 a.m., offering both sit-down and take-away lunches, and remaining open until about 7 p.m. to provide overflow seating for diners waiting to be seated in the restaurant. Yes, freshly shucked oysters will be available.
That’s the front of the place; the back is already reserved for Vendemmia’s private banquet space.
As for the produce, much of it will come from a garden that Clevenger intends to plant on the 3,000-square-foot roof of the building. You can be sure he’s not going to pay “indoor” rent.
It’s still an ambitious project but clearly not beyond Clevenger’s capabilities. After all, he’s worked in France, in San Francisco and for two of Ethan Stowell’s restaurants.
The name? Ah, the name. It was originally announced as West Anchor Seafood, but somewhere along the line, Clevenger changed his mind. It’s now, officially, East Anchor Seafood. There’s probably a story in all that (and maybe, eventually, another eatery).
In any event, you’ll probably see a blizzard of write-ups in coming weeks. As for me, I’ll give everyone a chance to settle in first.
The Moon in Leschi
The folks at Heavy Restaurant Group (Larry Kurofsky and his wife, Tabitha) started Barrio (1412 12th Ave.) on Capitol Hill after opening three wine bars — all named Purple, in Woodinville, Kirkland and Downtown Seattle. They also have an event space, Cast Iron Studios, and a modern eatery, Lot No. 3, both in Bellevue. They’ve decided to shift gears for their newest spot, Meet the Moon (120 Lakeside Ave.).
For one thing, with only 50 seats, it’s their smallest venture yet. (Well, OK, outdoor seating on the patio in good weather.) And they see it as a breakfast-lunch-dinner neighborhood cafe, something that’s been missing from Leschi for some years now.
I poked my head in before the workers had finished installing all the kitchen coolers and cabinetry and was told it’d be ready to open the doors within a week.
Once again, I’m saving the best for last: the name. You thought Ernest Loves Agnes was obscure? We could start with Starbucks, right? The First Mate on the Pequod, as I’m sure you know. Wilde Rover in Kirkland, as in Oscar Wilde. Well, here’s another one: Meet the Moon.
It’s a line from Robert Frost’s poem “Going for Water”: “We ran as if to meet the moon that slowly dawned behind the trees.”
So, run as fast as you can! To the lake!
Quick updates
Luigi di Nunzio has opened his Aglio e Olio (2743 E. Madison St.) in the old Pizza Hut space — unpretentious and moderately priced salads and sandwiches at lunch; pizza and pastas at dinner.
Finally, a quick word to remind you that St. Clouds (1131 34th Ave.) will continue its admirable tradition of providing monthly suppers for the homeless in 2016. Owners John Platt & Paul (Pablo) Butler recruit volunteers from the neighborhood to prepare the food, almost all of which is donated by local purveyors.
“Lots of folks in Seattle spend their days and nights without protection from the elements,” Platt writes in the restaurant’s newsletter. “Help us prepare a warm, special meal that tells them, at least for dinner time once a month, ‘You matter, you count, and we care.’”
RONALD HOLDEN’s next book about the history of local food and drink, “Forking Seattle,” will published in July 2016. To comment on this column, write to MPTimes@nwlink.com.