February 23: Cherry Street Public House

I was out on vacation the first few days that Cherry Street Public House opened, which might have given them the time they needed to smooth over slow service. The general consensus around the office, though, is the food is, shrug, OK, I guess.

One of my coworkers had a gyro earlier this week. After waiting what he said was a very long time for his food, it was bland and just OK.

Another one of my coworkers had their savory waffle. "How was it?" I asked. "OK. Nothing special. Umbria is better."

When the staff told me last week before opening that Persian food was a major menu component, I was skeptical. So... coffee, lamb, and flatbreads? I freely admit that I know zero about Persian foods, but it seemed like an odd combination. Then they released the menu, which didn't make the combination of foods make much more sense, with waffles and lox added to the mix. It's pretty scattered.

But what do I know?  I don't know what a chicken khoresh is supposed to be, so I'm going from the menu. It's a "Persian stew, served over saffron steamed basmati rice with yogurt, fresh herbs, and Persian flat bread, [with] tomato and eggplant." I ordered at the register, grabbed a seat at the counter, and the food arrived very quickly.

I don't have a basis for comparison, so the following is without judgement or opinion: The rice was slightly crunchy, as if it were cooked longer or shorter than typical Chinese rice. The chicken meat, peeking out from under a heavy ladle of the khoresh, was dark grey with yellow and green flecks. Tender, but firm, almost too much to cut with a fork. The khoresh itself was a mild inoffensive blend of tomato and -- I think -- split peas, topped with a sprinkling of fried or dried.. something. Some kind of starch, I think. Maybe grated fried potatoes? Overall, the flavors were very muted, except for the spoonful of veggies, which was contrastingly spicy (and, to my western eyes, unidentifiable).

Overall, just as my coworkers experienced, it was OK. I paired it with a cappuccino, which had a bolder taste than the items on my plate. It was, however, strong enough that it's what I imagine middle-eastern coffee tastes like, so that cleared up a tiny bit of my menu confusion.

Cherry Street Public House has the advantage of being in the same building as our office. Don't go there thinking you'll get something great or out of the ordinary. It's OK. I suppose that's OK. I was just hoping for more.

Cherry Street Public House
210 Occidental Ave S.
Chicken khoresh, cappuccino, $15.62

Downstairs soon: Todos Santos, Cherry Street Public House

The wraps came off of Cherry Street Public House yesterday, revealing a much airier concept than I'd expected. This space just to the left of Weyerhaeuser's front door is bright.

When I think about a coffee shop, I think dark woods, dim lights, browns, tans, and maybe some dusky reds and oranges. You know, Starbucks, Peets, Tully's, Seattle's Best.

When I think pubs, I think nearly the same thing, just with golds added in. I've never been to London or Dublin, but movies tell me that's what they all look like, so it must be true.

Not true with this place. White neon above the light wood bar proclaims that whatever ails you're treating with ale, you won't be nodding off. The blue, green, and white accents at the counter (go, Soundinerhawks!) are mirrored in the blue plates and bowls. The exposed concrete ceiling and industrial-chic ventilation ties in with the Weyerhaeuser offices next door. Today, it looks like they're applying the finishing touches. I might've been able to walk right in, but there's still binders on some tables and a few laptops being poked at. Their Facebook page said "two weeks" on January 30, so it's two days past -- this place looks like it could go live at any minute. "Bar, Coffee Shop. Restaurant." Curiosity abounds.

Our southwest corner, however, is still under brown-paper cover. Back on November 23, I explored a little bit into the name and liquor license application, Rumors from coworkers were that a brewpub was going in the space, perhaps because Elysian Brewing founder Joe Bisacca's name was tied to the site. I felt that "Todos Santos" might be a placeholder name, but today, I'm feeling fairly confident that it's accurate. We won't be lowering growlers down to get them filled with an IPA.

Two job postings I found from December (link, link) describe Todos Santos as "a new, 7,000 square foot modern Mexican restaurant located on Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. The food theme will be modern Mexican as is currently being executed in Mexico City (not Tex-Mex rice and beans)." This is likely to give nearby Casco Antiguo some competition.

So... Mexico City style cuisine? No rice and beans? I'm way over my head here, but Google pointed me to a pair of articles, one about traditional Mexican restaurants in Mexico City, another about a restaurant in Phoenix owned by a woman from Mexico City aiming to remedy the problem that "the Mexican food [in Phoenix] didn’t resemble what she ate in Mexico City."

So: no rice, beans, nachos, or sour cream. Yes to street tacos, guacamole, tamales, perhaps chorizo and potato tortas, and apparently lots of mole sauce. And with the liquor license, you've gotta know there's going to be tequila and, I hope, mezcal.

Also a bit confusing: the name. Todos Santos is a coastal town, about 40 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, so I'd assume by the name that it'd have an emphasis on Mexican seafood. Mexico City is 150 miles from the coasts.

Regardless, I'm excited to see what shows up downstairs, and look forward to the smell of chorizo and pollo wafting up.

(Edit: December 16 update below)

I spoke with an employee of Cherry Street Public House this morning. She says they'll be opening next week (edit to edit) Sunday, February 19, with waffles and other breakfast items in the morning, and lunches focused on -- did I hear her right? -- Persian food, especially stews. She says their menu should be on their Facebook site soon. (edit to edit: now it is! Click the image to the right to embiggen.)

A few more details ("Equipped with a full kitchen, serving breakfast, lunch, late night fare, beer & wine, and of course exceptional coffee!") are in a recent Craigslist job posting.

February 2: Merchants Café and Saloon

I didn't expect to end up here, it just kind of happened. I've walked past it maybe a dozen times, perhaps a dozen more in Google Street View, but didn't take the time to stop into Merchants Café until today.

I left the office for lunch, not sure where I'd end up. I was kinda craving a tuna melt, but I'd already had the one from Grand Central Bakery back in September, and wanted to try somewhere else. Down Washington to 1st, north a block to Yesler. Maybe I'll just grab another slice from Pizza Professionals.

Construction and signage indicated that the sidewalk was closed. I felt bad that Merchants Café, "Seattle's Oldest Restaurant", was being blockaded by construction, so I decided that's where I'd have lunch. I briefly walked out into Yesler, around the construction equipment, but a cop gently reminded me that I should use the crosswalks instead. Three crosswalks later and I'm walking through the swinging saloon doors.

Three regulars are at the bar. One couple is at the table. Michael Bennett is on TV. None of the ghosts are hanging out. The barkeep brings me a menu and a Diet Coke, and I'm pleased to see they serve tuna melts, "on Grand Central Bakery Como bread" (ha!) with Tillamook cheddar. I order it with fries.

It's firmer and less sloppy than Grand Central's was. Flecked with red onion, the mix-ins don't overpower the tuna. The bread is grilled perfectly, not burned, but seared lightly to hold its shape down to the last bite. Perhaps one of the best tuna melts I've had in town.

The menu calls out the "thin cut fries", but instead, they're fairly large chunks of spud. They're not a jo-jo wedge, not even quite steak fries, but the size of a chubby, floppy, rectangular pencil. They're hot, and taste OK, but not great. The surprise 3.2% credit card surcharge left me with a bit of a bad taste.

This place has a long, colorful history, but I had to research it to find out about it. Some sites mention the restaurant's fliers, but I never saw one. I won't rehash what you can already find at Huffington Post, The Stranger, the Merchants' Haunting page, and this YouTube video from Bucket List Bars:

Merchants Café
109 Yesler Way
Tuna melt, fries, Diet Coke, $19.97