What nearby dining has COVID knocked out?

(Updated January 7)

As we all know, the pandemic has hit the restaurant industry terribly hard. I've gone through my reports and determined whether the restaurants near the office closed permanently during the pandemic (❌), closed temporarily (❓), are still open (✔️), or already closed before the pandemic (⭕). Surprisingly, there's a lot of them somehow still surviving.

There's still no telling when we'll be back in the office, and for now, in the interest of safety, if you do get special dispensation to go in, you should bring food and coffee with you rather than go out.   

Disclaimers: I'm making the almost certainly incorrect assumption that some of these closures were pandemic-timed. An "open" restaurant is likely open only for carry out or delivery. Research consisted of Google searches, Yelp reviews, a few tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagrams, so take their listed status as a best guess, not as a well researched answer. Some of the "temporary" closures will likely be permanent, because restaurateurs are often overly optimistic.

Likely victims of the pandemic:

❌ Biscuit Bitch (closed two of their four locations)
❌ Berliner Döner Kebab (South Lake Union location open)
❌ Cherry Street Public House
❌ Copal
❌ Il Corvo
❌ Grand Central Bakery (other locations open)
❌❓ Kigo Kitchen (Google and Yelp say closure is permanent. Their web site says temporary. I have my doubts.)

❌ Pacifica, the bar across the plaza from Copal 
❌ Phở Fuchsia
❌ Manu's Bodega
❌ Quality Athletics, but see my note at the end
❌ Specialty's Cafe and Bakery
❌ Tenoch (moved to Beacon Hill, which is "being remodeled")
❌ 206 Burger Company (First Hill and Fremont locations open)

Other closures in 2020:

❌ Planet Java Diner (but not due to pandemic: "When the viaduct came down it made our building waterfront property and they are eventually going to put in condos.")
❌ RPM Pizza and Records (was "closed for repairs" for months, and announced closure March 9.)

Temporarily closed. Hope springs eternal:

❓ Box House
❓ Casco Antiguo
❓ Cherry Street Public House
❓ Evergreens (both the 1st Avenue and the Smith Tower locations) 
❓ Flatstick Pub
❓ Fuel

❓ Hole in the Wall BBQ
❓ JuJuBeet
❓ Lady Yum ("Our Pioneer Square location will remain closed until we have more visibility on what the neighborhood reopening plan is." - June 6)
❓ Manu's Tacos ("We want to be smart about this decision, so we decided to hit the pause button for now and wait it out to see what happens." Nov. 23)
❓ McCoy's Firehouse
❓ Mr Saigon's
❓ Starbucks (both nearby locations)
❓❌ Il Terrazzo Carmine (Unclear. Their web site says "closed due to the lockdown" but that their Bellevue location is open for takeout.)
❓ Zaccagni's
❓ Zocálo

Still surviving:

✔️ Aloha Plates
✔️ Altstadt Bierhalle & Brathaus
✔️ Asia Ginger Teriyaki #5 (Yelp review says new ownership)
✔️ Bacco Café
✔️ Bad Bishop (opened in October 2018, closed in August 2019 due to a broken pipe, reopened in October 2020, defying the odds)
✔️ Beecher's Handmade Cheese
✔️ Blue Water Taco
✔️ Caffe Umbria
✔️ D&E
✔️ Damn the Weather
✔️ Dick's Drive-In
✔️ Din Tai Fung
✔️ Dominos
✔️ Dough Zone
✔️ El Borracho
✔️ Fat Shack (it isn't somewhere I've made it to yet, mainly due to their rage-inducing $3 check surcharge, but it appears that they might've removed the surcharge.)
✔️ Ferry Noodle House
✔️ General Porpoise Donuts 
✔️ Great State Burger
✔️ Harbor City
✔️ Ivar's Fish Bar
✔️ Jack's Fish Spot
✔️ Kau Kau (because there's no karma in this world).
✔️ King Noodle
✔️ King Street Bar & Oven

✔️ London Plane (re-opening January 13 after a two-week closure)
✔️ McCoy's Firehouse
✔️ MOD Pizza
✔️ Merchant's Café and Saloon (but they've got a GoFundMe running, which isn't a good sign)
✔️ Orient Express
✔️ Paseo SoDo
✔️ Pick-Quick Drive In
✔️ Ping's Dumpling House
✔️ Pizza Professionals
✔️ Post Alley Pizza
✔️ Salumi
✔️ Samurai Noodle
✔️ 7-Eleven
✔️ Shanghai Garden
✔️ Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill and Irish Pub
✔️ Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack and Watering Hole
✔️ Taco Del Mar (1st Ave. closed before the pandemic; 3rd Ave still open)
✔️ Tat's Delicatessen
✔️ Thai Curry Simple
✔️ Thai Taste
✔️ Von's 1000 Spirits

And for completeness, other places I visited which closed before the pandemic:

⭕ BOKA Restaurant + Bar
⭕ Bakeman's Restaurant
⭕ Calozzi's Cheesesteaks (Georgetown location open)
⭕ Cheese Meats Bread
⭕ Delicatus
⭕ FX McRory's
⭕ Girin 
⭕ Great Northwest Soup Company
⭕ Faerie Queene/Pittsburgh Lunch and Superette (became Kraken Congee)
⭕ Kraken Congee
⭕ Marcela's Creole Cookery
⭕ Meg's (closed Jan. 24; replacement Two Doors Down opened in July and is still in operation)
⭕ Pioneer Square Market and Deli (became Meg's)
⭕ Radici (became D&E)
⭕ Rain Shadow Meats (Salumi moved into the space)
⭕ Tofully
⭕ Windy City Pie (moved to Phinney Ridge pre-pandemic)

As noted above, Quality Athletics closed during the pandemic, but three new concepts have opened in that space, according to The Stranger: Trophy Pizza, Burb's Burgers, and Cookie's Country Chicken.

Also, the two Starbucks closest to the office (1st & Yesler, Jackson & Occidental) aren't on Starbucks.com's map. Closed? Dunno.   

Did I miss any? Do you know any differently? Comment below and I'll update this list.

Coming soon: Chicha

Seattle Met reports that the Little London Plane, which appeared to have been used for meeting overflow from the London Plane, is now being operated by Copal, the Mexican restaurant across the plaza, and will soon re-open as a new bar, Chicha, with limited food options trending toward Latin American and Brazilian.

From the article:

"Limited though food options may be, the options Turpin is currently finalizing sound awfully appealing: sikil pak (a pumpkin seed spread with roots in the Yucatan), vegetable escabeche, the Brazilian dried meat known as carne seca, made in-house. Plus a few larger items like a Cubano, he says, and a few tamales. Nope, no tacos here—that’s Copal’s thing."

Mmmm. Tamales.

Just waiting on the license.
Coincidentally, Copal is reflected
behind this shot.

To get your bearings, here
are the players involved.

March 13: Lady Yum

I've never had a macaron before, so I enlisted the help of my daughter, who is home from college for spring break and adores macarons. She's had them before from Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria Las Vegas, and from Macaron Station in Tacoma, which closed just three weeks ago.

I surprised her with a 10-pack of macarons from Lady Yum, implying that she should share with her mother. It helped that I also surprised my wife with a 50-pack of frozen xiao long bao from Dough Zone, implying that she should share with our daughter.

Ordering was a tiny bit confusing. I arrived at the slow part of the day, with three staff each performing non-checkout functions. Each time one started to help, another said they'd do it, and then they conceded to the other, and then two more would try. We got it sorted out, and I ordered "two of those, and two of those, and two of those..." pointing and naming the ones I wanted. I asked for eight, but they upsold me to 10, pointing out that a 10-pack comes in a case that'll better survive the commute home.

So, at home, we dug into the choices. I jumped in with both feet, having the lemon one. Its smell overpowered the rest of the macarons in the pack, and after biting through the cookie's firm outer shell into its chewy center, and then into the zesty lemon filling within, it had me puckering. That's a lemony lemon cookie.

My daughter started with the the raspberry chardonnay macarons, which started with "wow", but ended with "good, but the raspberry filling was a little too seedy". She then remarked on the forward flavor of the vanilla bean macarons (and the "nice firmness" of the cookie). Nevertheless, she ranked Lady Yum as third out of the three macaron bakers she's tried. She implied the flavors were slightly too aggressive. "The strawberry would be a good medicine flavoring," she said, adding that it tasted like they really ground down a lot of strawberries and concentrated them.

She's yet to try the "shindig" flavor, topped with Fruity Pebbles cereal. She's also waiting on the salted caramel, which she noted has a very sticky filling, and which caused me to ponder the cost of replacement dental work.

It's definitely not a negative review; the cookies are still decadent and flavorful. I expect most of them will be eaten by tonight. If you like macarons, I'd bet that they're the best in town.

And now my daughter is texting me with macaron locations near her upcoming summer internship location. What have I done?

Mr Saigon's bánh mì is on the way (plus a few updates)

Did you know there was a fourth space available for a restaurant in the building? Me neither. Cherry Street took one section, then Źóćáló, and then Mod Pizza ... but I was surprised to hear today that Mod Pizza isn't taking over that whole space. There's one more spot in the northeast corner.

A little bird tells me that it'll soon be the latest outpost of Huy Tat's burgeoning bahn mi empire, Mr Saigon. Seattle Met reports that he's just opened a spot near 2nd and Pike, and that he's got a Pioneer Square location coming soon. My tipster says that it's in our building.

Back in our Federal Way days, I'd occasionally veer way from the phở at my frequent lunch spot and have a bánh mì sandwich. It's a small baguette, meat (I go with chicken), and veggies (cilantro, cucumber, carrots, cabbage).

Mr. Saigon's sandwiches should be cheap, too, especially compared to Grand Central and Delicatus. An undated review of their Central District location -- and the background image on Mr Saigon's web site -- shows prices as low as $5.50 for a classic bánh mì. Fast? Cheap? Tasty? Not pizza? Sounds like a good fit.

There's been no timeline announced for opening, which is admirable. Most restaurateurs seem to throw out a best, soonest possible opening date, and then disappointingly miss it. Better to under-promise, or make no expectations at all.

Otherwise, the neighborhood's been a bit slow. Three things I've noticed:

• Yeah, JuJuBeet opened this week in the old Taco Del Mar space. That's like healthy fruit-and-vegetable juice cleanse voodoo vitamin stuff, though, so you won't catch me near there. 

• Mod Pizza's construction is in full swing; they announced last year that they're targeting an April 2019 opening. I ate at their Union Square location two years ago and said it was "the way I like it: crispy, messy, made to order." I prefer a pepperoni cleanse to a juice cleanse any day.

• Lady Yum and their macarons opened last month, just across the street. It took longer than expected (window signs said Summer 2018), but they made it. I'm waiting a few days until my professional macaron taster arrives in town for a proper review.

And one more nibble: Like Il Corvo? I sure do -- enough that it inspired my cat's name, but not enough to wait in that block-long line. Several sources (the Seattle Times, The Stranger, Eater) are reporting that a dinner version, Il Nido, will be opening near Alki Point next month. That's a bit far for an after-dinner walk, but if you're in that area, well, get in line for dinner.

This little piggy (D&E)

D&E opened in the old Radici space today. I've got tentative plans for dinner with friends before the Monday night Seahawks game, so I was scoping out their menu.

Just saying: whichever manager gets this for their team this holiday season wins Christmas:

December 4: Meg's

Pioneer Square has been in need of a quick counter-service burger joint. Sure, Planet Java has burgers on the menu, as do most of the bars (e.g., Bad Bishop, Fuel, McCoy's), but they're sit-down, wait for your order, tip the waitstaff kind of places. Great State Burger  ($) and 206 Burger fit the bill, but they're a bit of a walk from Occidental. The People's Burger food truck works, when it used to be in the square, but for now it's a small trek down to Safeco T-Mobile Field to get it (until they open up their brick and mortar location).

After revealing their neon sign last month and working incredibly quickly the last few weeks, Meg's opened four days ago in the old Pioneer Square Market space. It's got a retro '50s color scheme of bright yellow, turquoise, and orange, and specializes in burgers. "It's close, it's quick, and it's open late," pointed out a high school classmate I bumped into on my visit. Eater.com's report says that next spring, Meg plans on keeping the joint open on weekends until after the bars close.

So how's the food? I arrived at the tail end of the lunch rush, and reports I've heard from others are that they've been slammed pretty hard. The half empty napkin dispensers and fountain drink area puddles showed that today was probably no different. With only a few people in front of me, the order taking was quick, and the food was up before I even finished the credit card transaction. I grabbed a Stubborn Cola from the fountain, a few cups of ketchup, and grabbed a window stool.

First, and worst, the fries. The best fries are the ones so hot that they punish you a little bit for eating them. The chart of french fry temperature versus quality is a hockey stick. Super hot, super good, and as the temperature drops, the quality plummets, until you get to room temperature, where the cardboard sleeve the fries come in probably tastes just about as good.

Much better than it looks

The fries I got were floppy and just above room temperature. They'd been under the heat lamp for a while. Almost as bad, I think a lot of it came from the bottom of the fry tray, too small to dip in the ketchup, almost like trying to eat cubed breakfast potatoes with your fingers.

The burger, on the other hand, was fairly good. I didn't order the "deluxe" with onion, pickle, and lettuce to get in the way. Instead, I went basic: double burger, sauce, cheese. The buns served merely as a delivery device for the cheesy beef: not remarkable, not falling apart. The patties were hearty and glistened a bit, but weren't too greasy. Also, cool on them for printing custom burger wrappers. That's pretty neat.

On the way out, I noticed that the staff had already cleaned up the soda puddles, were emptying the not-quite full trash, and were preparing to refill the napkins. Nice work.

There's not a lot unexpected here. A good burger, a relatively low price, quick service. Up the fry game, and we've got a new contender to get into my weekly rut.

Meg's
200 S. Jackson
Double burger, fries, cola, $12.66

Adios, Taco Del Mar

"We lost lease
Our last day of business 11/30/2018"

The Taco Del Mar on 1st Avenue, which was only the 10th stop on my local restaurant adventure, closes on Friday. I've been trying to get into a rut (i.e., Tat's on Mondays, Taco Del Mar on Wednesdays, Bad Bishop on Thursdays, RPM Pizza on Tuesdays or Fridays), but these closures and openings are making that a bit challenging.

The TDM has been there since at least 2005, and was right around the corner (in what became The Faerie Queene/Pittsburgh Lunch and Superette) before that. They offered what was probably the best lunch deal in Pioneer Square: $7.98 out the door for the Wednesday burrito special, with chips, salsa, and a drink. If you know of a better, cheaper, edible meal nearby, I'd love to know.

On the bright side, the window coverings are down at Meg's, the lights are on, booths are in, and table assembly and carpentry appear to be in progress. I think it might be ready for business in the next few weeks.

Coming soon: D&E and Meg's. Coming later: The People's Burger

Just steps away from each other, signs are up and work is being done on the former sites of Radici and Pioneer Square Grill, which are due to become D&E and Meg's, respectively. In the other direction, The People's Burger is making plans for their first brick and mortar location.

D&E looks to be a restaurant and bar using the same footprint as Radici. Based only on a handful of photos, it might be focused on hip comfort foods, like squash soup and chicken sandwiches. There's more wood and a brighter interior than Radici. It promises to be open by the end of the year. (web / Facebook / Instagram)

Meg's menu, zoomed way in, through a
reflective window. I can almost read it.

Meg's looks to be going for a '50s burger joint theme, kinda like Great State, with pastel yellow, orange, and turquoise decor. "Meg" is Megan Coombes, part owner of nearby German Altstadt Bierhalle and Brathaus. The window signs advertise burgers, fries, hot dogs, and shakes, but a peek in the window shows a menu adding a fishwich, PB&J, some kind of a melt, and an egg and cheese sandwich. Opening is unknown, but it's looking close. (Internet silence, as far as I can find)

The People's Burger is one of the better burgers in town. Their food truck used to show up in Occidental Park, and I've eaten at their quasi-permanent truck across from CenturyLink a few times. The Stranger was the first place I saw to mention the possibility of a brick and mortar location; The Alliance for Pioneer Square spilled the beans that they'll be moving into the old copy center at the corner of Occidental and Yesler, a huge distraction on the way to Tat's. I haven't seen any movement on the site yet, so I'm sure it's still several months away. (web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram)

October 17: Bad Bishop

My go-to place is back!  Back when this was Easy Joe's, I'd try and make it in once a week for a burger or tacos or some chips. Late in its life, it felt like the owner just wasn't into it, my favorite bartender left for greener pastures, and in the end, a bad experience with a dirty glass and a scurrying bug had me sadly walk away.

The owner sold the bar to Jesse, who closed it, remodeled the interior, changed the decor, and tightened the menu. He's clearly excited to be the new owner of Bad Bishop, and his feeling is infectious. I stopped in on the first day of its soft opening to check it out.

The shape of the space remains the same, but it feels a little more airy. The brickwork of both walls reminds you that yes, you're in Pioneer Square. A shelf of several dozen vinyl records sits above a turntable; subdued jazzy music is playing. Because it's the first day of the soft opening, I went in expecting a few hiccups. Instead, lunch was nearly flawless. I ordered the Bishop Burger and fries.

The fries were the shoestring variety that Easy Joe's used to serve, crisp and plentiful. A small side of comeback sauce (a slightly spicy remoulade) was provided for dipping -- much better than ketchup. The burger was good but small: 1/8 pound, Jesse said. I pointed out that the bun was a little greasy; Jesse said the plan is to shift to Kings Hawaiian buns soon. Nice.

There's still a few things that need some finishing touches, but it's not officially open yet, so these aren't criticisms at all, just observations. Coke came in a can, served by Jesse with a bartender's experienced flourish. There's room for more tap handles, and the liquor selection is sparse. They just received their re-seller's license today, though, so problem solved. Other than that... nailed it.

I love the fact that the TVs were off. On game days, sure, crank those up. If you've ever been sick at home and tried to watch TV at lunch, though... Let's just say that sports talk shows are a distraction at best, tending toward irritating.

I've been trying to get into a weekly rut, and this is sure going to help: Mondays are Tat's, Tuesdays are RPM, and so on. Bad Bishop has just made a power move, unobstructed and now controlling the center of my board.

Bad Bishop

704 1st Ave

Bishop burger, fries, Coke, $17.31

Bad Bishop opening date(s) set

I poked my nose into Bad Bishop this afternoon, and briefly talked to Jesse. They're hanging wallpaper today, and plan for a soft opening with limited menu next Wednesday, October 17. The next Wednesday, October 24, is the grand opening. That's quicker than I expected.

He says they'll have a very limited menu at first: get the basics down, then expand. Sounds like a good plan. He also confirmed that it's a chess term. I hadn't heard it, but Google has. That's what I get for being the A/V guy in high school when my friends were on the chess club.

SeattleMet.com has a lot more details that I didn't bother to ask about. I'm looking forward to it.

Salumi is moving into Rain Shadow's

Eater.com reports:

After nearly 20 years in its current nook, Salumi, the tiny but nationally respected salumeria and sandwich shop in Pioneer Square, will gain a major space upgrade next month when it moves to the former home of Rain Shadow Meats Squared nearby.

No more squeezing out past the line of people waiting to get in? More seating? No tents outside? NEXT MONTH?

*squeeeeee!!*

Small but Mighty Salumi’s Relocation Brings Big Possibilities

September 29: Great State Burger

(No photos for this one -- I started eating and by then, it was too messy to shoot.)

I ran to Uwajimaya in search of a strange exotic recipe ingredient (Australian finger limes), but struck out. For lunch, I could re-do Aloha Plates (mmm... Spam...), try Cheese Meats Bread (grilled cheese did sound good) or try Great State Burger, which I've heard good things about. It's burger time!

Sure, I thought Ivar's was pricey yesterday, but these burgers are priced like I'm in a theme park or a tourist center. Granted, you're paying for the organic, grass-fed, humanely treated cow that's given to you between a couple of buns, so at least I felt better doing it.

I'd considered a double bacon burger, milkshake, and fries, but at $5.50 for the shake, I decided to stick with the fountain Jones root beer. Maybe I mumbled, but the bacon didn't make it into the order.

They handed me a buzzer, and I briefly shared a table in the crowded restaurant with another solo diner. Bzzz. I got my tray, sat back down, removed the burger from its wrap, and had a bite.

That's a tasty happy cow. A little grease and a little "state sauce" dripped into the tray, but the crisp crinkle-cut fries were happy to scoop it up. It's a really good burger and fries. For that price, it ought to be.

Great State Burger
504 5th Ave S.
Double burger combo (fries and a drink), $16.24

Menu from Great State's web site. Don't do the math on the combos.

September 28: Ivar's Fish Bar

I'm not gonna miss that viaduct.

I went out wandering today, maybe Ferry Noodle House? Once I got there, I just wasn't feeling it, so walked past it, out to the waterfront, and turned north. Ivar's! It's a chain, sure, and there's one near my house, but fish and chips sounded good. Maybe I'd feed a french fry to a seagull, like you do.

It was OK. Nothing special. The fish was firm and hot; I singed the roof of my mouth a little. The fries were a little floppy. I added on some clam chowder; good, but not great.

The big downside? The price. I know their Acres of Clams location next door is slightly more upscale than this order-at-the-counter and eat-in-the-shelter spot, but $18.21 for this? Safe yourself $5 and trek up to Jack's Fish Spot instead.

Ivar's Fish Bar
Pier 54 (just north of the ferry terminal)
3-piece fish and chips, cup of chowder, diet coke, $18.21

Feed the seagulls, Ivar!...

...but not on the patio.

Morimoto opening new ramen joint in International District, 2019

Well this is exciting! Chef Masaharu Mirimoto is opening Momosan Ramen and Sake in the international district next year. You might know Chef Morimoto from Iron Chef, but aside from his celebrity status, he’s actually a great chef (unlike some... I’m looking at you Guy Fieri).  Im most familiar with his eponymous restaurant at MGM Grand Las Vegas, which gets consistently stellar reviews. This may be my most anticipated opening of 2019.

More details at Celebrity Chef Morimoto’s NYC Ramen Restaurant Is Coming to Seattle (Eater.com).

Bye, Joe. Hello, Bad Bishop?

A note from Jesse's Facebook page

I was walking back to the office from Ferry Noodle House yesterday, and was shocked: Easy Joe's is closed. It was my favorite lunch bar at one point, but Angel, the cute and super friendly bartender, recently left. At my last visit in late July, a roach ran across the bar while I ate, and my first diet Coke after the city's no-straw policy went into effect smelled like a dishwasher.

Angel's replacement, Jesse, was a great guy, and provided excellent service. My first thought when I saw that Easy Joe's is becoming Bad Bishop Bar was "I hope he ended up somewhere great."

See you later, Joe.

From a few snippets of things I've found on the internet (here and here and here), my best guess is that Jesse Spring (same guy? I think so.) bought the bar -- his first! --and began renovations in early August. He seems to be as enamored with the space and classic Pioneer Square brickwork as anyone. According to Yelp it's scheduled to open October 7, but as with all restaurant openings, treat that as tentative and optimistic.

The windows are currently papered over with pages from a chess book (bad bishop -- get it?), but I might poke my head in next week to see what more I can find out. Good luck, Jesse! I am so looking forward to finding out what you do with this neat, fun spot.

August 17: Dominos

Voice of experience :-(

I've long said that the best pizza is whatever one is nearest. Domino's isn't great pizza, it's not fancy, it's not even above average. It's the McDonald's of pizza: you know what to expect whether you're ordering from a Seattle storefront or sadly eating it in a dim hotel room in a small New Jersey town because it's late, you forgot to eat dinner, you're tired, and everything else is closed.

That said, RPM Pizza is still the best, because it's close, and the pepperoni does that little grease cup thing. But Domino's just opened, which created an exception to my rule.

Free!

The best pizza is free pizza.

I'd banked up a couple of free pizzas with Domino's rewards program over the last few years, so when the Domino's on 1st Avenue opened last week, I knew I'd be eating here soon. Medium, pepperoni and bacon, yum.

Now open

Online ordering was quick and painless as always; they've really put a lot of focus into the user interface, even for edge cases like mine when the grand total is $0.00. I placed the order, waited a few minutes, and headed over.

The store, to my surprise, has a few booth-tables for small groups and a counter for individual seating. On one wall, a monitor displays the wait time for orders in the system. Mine was in the oven with 7 minutes to go.

Eight minutes later, I was out the door with my pizza. No hassle, no receipt, no nothing. I grabbed a Diet Coke from the Apple-pay enabled vending machine and ate at my desk.

What did you expect? It's a pizza.

It's Domino's. What else can I say? It looked good, it greased up a few paper towels, it's sitting heavy, and will probably be even better when I have another slice for a snack late this afternoon.

Domino's
112 1st Ave. S.
Medium 2-topping pizza, Free* plus $1.50 vending machine soda

* Allegedly $16.97 at normal price but something's always available for under $10 with discounts

August 9: Cheese Wizards

This is the droid you're looking for.

What sorcery is this?

A challenger appears!

The Lady of the Lake placed me on a quest to seek out the best grilled cheese sandwich in the area. In April 2017, The Great Northwest Soup Company emerged victorious, throwing Beecher's into the Pit of Despair, and designating Grand Central Bakery as a wretched hive of scum, villainy, and eternal lines.

During that quest, I encountered many a traveler who spoke kindly of a stout yellow truck housing two legendary Cheese Wizards, sons of Ballard but native to the wilds of Bellevue, on the dark side of the pond. Alas, the journey would be too lengthy, the conveyances too treacherous, the rewards too meager.

That'll be a dozen Zorkmids, sir.

But yesterday, I learned from a member of my party that a wormhole had opened: the wizards have made the journey.  When the stars align every Thursday, they appear where the paths of 2nd and Columbia meet, across from an ale house known as the Metropolitan Grill.

It's not a far walk -- up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start, according to one ancient map. We assembled a party of five adventurers for the quarter mile journey to sample their wares.

I ordered the Goblin King: three cheeses, chicken, peppers, and a mild sriracha aoli. I was achin' (yup, yup, yup) for some bacon (yup, yup, up), so added that, too. It came with a side salad and not cake. I added a cup of BBQ sauce from the Arc of the Condiments. (It's sacdelicious.)

If Great Northwest Soup's grilled cheese was good, well, they just took an arrow to the knee.

You are over encumbered and cannot run.

The Wizards' salad was as fresh as if ET himself had brought it to life. The elements of the sandwich -- cheeses, sauces, ever so slightly greasy bread -- combined to make a single, unified Voltron of flavor. I also chowed down on their large cookie, which was nearly as chewy and melty as their sandwiches. Om nom nom nom.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. The other half was already won -- by Cheese Wizards.

I'll be back.

Cheese Wizards
Food truck at 801 2nd Ave on Thursdays
Goblin King with bacon, cookie, Diet Coke, $15.24

Like macarons? Lady Yum is coming

Signs in the window of the former Laguna Vintage Pottery space tell the story, and Eater Seattle confirms: Lady Yum's champagne and macaron shop is opening in a few months. Just off the north end of Occidental Square, they'll also be offering "savory amuse buche/tapas style snacks highlighting the best of the northwest, a full line of individual French style entremets (also keeping them all gluten free), house brewed craft beer, a take on afternoon tea, and so much more!", according to this post on Facebook.

There's a lot to translate there, especially for someone a little less sophisticated than the champagne/macaron/tea set. Here goes.

Macaron: a colorful meringue-based mildly-sweet sandwich cookie, made with almond flour and buttercream or jam filling. Not to be confused with macaron, a grated coconut super-sweet drop cookie; Macron, a French president; macron, an straight bar accent mark above a letter (e.g., Māori), Marconi, a telecommunications inventor; or macaroni, Yankee Doodle headgear.

Amuse-bouche: spelled wrong by Lady Yum's Facebook post, it's a bite-sized appetizer selected by the chef and served for free.

Tapas: small plate. Less food for more money, but often incredibly intricate and artistically presented.

Entremets: Desserts, usually a mousse cake.

House-brewed craft beer: Not Budweiser.

Another one down: Radici is closed

I've eaten at Radici several times since my April 2017 review. The food was excellent, the prices seemed artificially low, and the service was solid. When someone asked me "where's a good spot to eat nearby?", Radici was usually on the top of my list.

Well, that's over. In a Facebook post on June 5, and a sign in the window today, owner Rudy LaValle announced the June 13 closure.

It's on a bittersweet note that we announce our last night will be next Wednesday June 13th. ... I will miss all of you and hope our paths cross again.
Ciao, Rudy

Eater.com has a few more details. There's no indication that its closure is related to the closure of building co-occupant Pioneer Square Deli, but that possibility exists.

My most memorable TRAVEL meals

It's a bit off topic, but it's my food blog, so I can do that if I want. Prompted by a Facebook post by a friend of mine, and in honor of Anthony Bourdain, here are my most memorable travel meals. The best meals I've had are at the end of the list, but the rest of the list is in no particular order:

The snack that smiles back

Todd English Olives at Bellagio, August 2009: My wife had a softshell crab sandwich, and didn't expect it to be a still-assembled deep fried crab on a toasted roll. It was one of several meals she had that trip that stared back at her.

Pietro's Pizza, Hood River, OR, 2015: Nostalgia for the Pietro's I grew up with, which I hadn't had in nearly 30 years.

Din Tai Fung, Bellevue, WA: The first few visits were outstanding. Their xiao long bao is still the best Asian food anywhere, but the rest of the menu has gone from "great" to merely "pretty good" my last few times.

Spaghetti dinner, Boy Scout Camp Hahobas, Tahuya, Washington, June 1990: Before camp started, stress and tensions were high among staff. This mediocre meal became the biggest food fight I've ever seen, with a dozen staff in full scout uniforms flinging pasta coated in tomato sauce across the room at each other, with tables upended to serve as fortification of positions. "Come on guys. We don't need a food fight." "Did someone say... FOOD FIGHT?!!".

Bella's

Bella's Espresso House, Wells, NV, and Pink Pony at Circus Circus, Las Vegas, June 27, 2005: These two meals bookended a day of driving the most remote section of US-93 through the Nevada desert, arriving at my first visit to Vegas. Bella's Espresso served decent breakfast food in the morning, completely hiding the fact that it's also a brothel next door. The Pink Pony diner at Circus Circus was my first meal in Vegas, so I've gotta point that one out.

Sonic, Winslow AZ, June 30, 2005: After years of seeing ads but not having a Sonic in the neighborhood, we stopped here for lunch after a long morning drive and standing on the corner. It was as good as I'd hoped.

And my best meals?

#6: EAT Las Vegas, almost every non-solo Vegas trip: Some of the best breakfast food on the planet. Nothing unusual, just perfect execution of the basics.

#5 A bit of a cheat, but the entire Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, every Vegas trip: China Poblano has amazing Mexican/Chinese fusion (don't tell Chef Andrés I said that). Chandlier has amazing drinks. Estiatorio Milos has really good Mediterranean seafood. Secret Pizza has well above average slices.

Red snapper!

#4 Monsieur Paul, Disneyworld July 2015: Thin sliced potatoes on red snapper were not only amazingly plated to look like fish scales, but tasty enough to make this one of the best meals ever.

#3 Worthington Hotel, Fort Worth May 1998: Bacon wrapped filet mignon, served in a hotel conference room of all places. Fort Worth knows its beef. This place did it right, so tender, with pure gristle free bacon that managed to not be floppy yet not be crispy, either. Magical.

#2 MIX at THEhotel, February 2012: Pressed chicken between two layers of fois gras with wild mushroom pumpkin/potato gnocchi, followed by pepper crusted filet mignon so good that a tear literally came to my eye when I ate the last bite and realized there was none left.

#1 Victoria and Albert's, Disney World July 2015: One of the only five diamond restaurants I've experienced: perfect salmon, delicious quail with poached egg, great wines paired with each course, capped by tableside-percolated coffee, with service that is unmatched. My only regret was that my daughter was a year too young to enjoy the wine with us.

What are yours?

Closed: Pioneer Square Market & Deli

The smaller sign in the window, if you can't read it, says:

To our Patrons
It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to serve you over the years. The owner is retiring and our last day of business will be Thursday, May 31. We wish to thank all of our customers for their support over the years.

I'm not sure where to find chicken strips around here any more. Even though the ones here were like slippery tempura, I haven't found any better yet.

Restaurant owners allegedly give food trucks the boot

Well there's a lunch option I didn't figure would be going away: Say goodbye to the Occidental Park food trucks. I heard about this change in an office rumor yesterday, and heard it again today from a totally different person. So this afternoon, I went to a reliable source and got confirmation. As of June 1, there will be no more food trucks in Occidental Park.

Local restaurants and the Pioneer Square Alliance felt that the trucks were taking away their business. As a compromise several months ago, the Occidental "pod" shrunk from the four trucks down to two. The restaurants still complained. The trucks' five year run is over, simple as that.

You might still find the Mangia Me food truck a block north, and the People's Burger truck way down south by Century Link Field, but that's about it.

Another source close to the trucks wrote to me: "We've always loved serving the folks of Pioneer Square, and the addition of the food trucks not only gave some extra character to the area, but also helped revitalize the park years before Weyerhaeuser broke ground. It's sad we were ultimately killed by our own success."

But we'll have Domino's.

Hello, MOD Pizza. Goodbye, Rain Shadow et al.

A few quick bites:

• MOD Pizza will be opening in the vacant northwest corner of the Weyerhaeuser HQ, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal (paywalled). Owner Scott Svenson is targeting an April 2019 opening. I reviewed their Union Square location in January 2017. It's good and will give (struggling?) RPM a run for its money, some extreme competition to Pizza Professionals, and a higher quality alternative to Domino's upcoming 1st Avenue location.
• Rain Shadow Meats ^2 is closing on Friday, May 18. Eater.com quotes the owner as blaming a construction-based sales drop and an increase in rent as the reason. I'll miss it a little bit, although Delicatus has a tastier, sloppier french dip.
• Also closed? closing? undecided? is Pittsburgh Lunch and Superette, formerly Faerie Queen. Eater.com says they closed in December, with a Facebook post promising a February reopening. Their web page says March. It's mid-May.
• Next door, a yet-unnamed Italian restaurant (Bisato?) will be opening later this year. Sounds like it could be pricey, but it's got decent credentials.
• Two food trucks in the park not enough? One visionary is considering a street food market in front of King Street Station.
• General Porpoise Donuts is open. Bring some to our next meeting, will you? Thanks. 

In the works: Evergreens, Domino's

On my regular Tuesday walk to Easy Joe's, I spotted something new. No, the Evergreens window wraps have been up for several weeks now, next to Jimmy John's, so that's not new. (A salad place? To compete with Sprout? You know me better than that. You don't win friends with salad.) But look next door...

Domino's? In Pioneer Square? "Does that really fit in the area?" I thought to myself. "I mean, what other major chains are there?"

And then I thought a little more... about Subway. And Starbucks. And Taco Del Mar. And Jimmy John's. And even Halal Guys. Yeah, I guess Domino's does fit.

Sometime soon, Pizza Professionals and RPM Pizza will have a new competitor. Sure, it's not a great pizza, but it's cheap pizza, and sometimes, quantity is better than quality. Wouldn't an extra slice be great to pull from the refrigerator as you head for the train, even as the grease and cheese fight each other for control of your digestive tract?

It's just signage so far. There's probably several weeks or months until you can buy full pizzas for under $10, but options are good, no?

Oh. Not that option. That's just not right.

March 5: RPM Pizza is back

"Have you been to 13 Coins yet?"

"Is 13 Coins open yet?"

"We're having a team get together at 13 Coins. Sorry you can't make it."

Lunchtime today, I was going to go to 13 Coins. It didn't happen. I decided to wander past RPM Pizza to see if they still had their sign in the window announcing that they'd be rising from the dead in February. I've seen enough restaurants claim to be reopening, so I was going to take a photo of the sign, be snarky, and say something like "guess it's still February a week into March."

No sign. I saw a couple of people inside the darkened space, so pressed my face against the door to get a better look. The guy at the cash register waved me in.

No snark. A week into March. They. Are. Open.

RPM Pizza (July 2017)

Better yet, get in there quick because they've got a special on $3 slices, and the slices are huge -- like 1⁄6 of a giant pizza huge. For the price of a meal at 13 Coins, you could probably walk out with enough pizza to last you a week. This photo is from when they opened in July, but yeah, it's still that big. Back then: $12.46. Today: $6.33.

Today was their first full day open. They're still waiting for their liquor license, so no PBR yet. The lights are dim. The pizza was, unfortunately, not quite as good as before -- so instead of OMG THIS IS THE BEST PIZZA IN SEATTLE GET IN MY FACE it's more like HEY THIS IS GREAT PIZZA OM NOM NOM NOM.

I think they tossed some extra cheese on top when they re-heated it, which didn't blend correctly, and -- much to my disappointment -- soaked up the tidepools of grease in the pepperoni disks I had so much affection for in my previous visits. There's a little more

With only two people working up front, it was easy to see that they're still training. The dough-spinner was telling the cashier that if someone asks what kind of crust, it's not New York Style, it's Seattle Style. That's not a bad description. The inner third is still floppy like New York, but the outer two-thirds is crisp and crunchy and generally pretty good. Not quite Pietro's St. Louis-style crisp, but still mostly crispy. (Aside: if a Pietro's were to open nearby, I might as well shut down this blog, because that's all I'd eat until the day I died.)

A co-worker of mine has had mixed results there in the past with proper topping dispersal. Sometimes the toppings went almost over the edge; other times there was more than an inch of crust left once the sauce and toppings were eaten. I encountered no such problem today. Distribution was perfect.

I'm so glad they're back. My fingers are crossed that they've got the bumps that caused them to close smoothed out. Nearby Pizza Professionals is good, but not great, and their recent price bumps left me wandering in search of better options. RPM is the better choice.

RPM Pizza and Records 
240 2nd Ave. S. 
Pepperoni slice, RC cola, $6.33