A note taped to the door of Local Cafe on Capitol Hill caused quite a stir a few weeks ago, and we were happy to help you get to the bottom of just what was going on with the restaurant’s seemingly permanent vacation. As we reported in our Food Files column on Aug. 17, for former owner Matt Bertles, it is a permanent vacation—to the isle of Bainbridge. A resident there, he told us he’s tired of the commute, which seems fair enough. If you live on the Winslow side of things, keep your eyes open for a local Local Cafe; Bertles took the name when he left Olive Way and, last we heard, was planning to open something there.
Back on Aug. 17, we also promised we’d fill you in on what to expect from Dinette, which is what the space is going to be called next. Here’s the scoop: Chef Melissa Nyffeler has left the kitchen at Century Ballroom in order to continue what she’s been doing in her kitchen at home.
Sunday supper in the Nyffeler household had become a big event; at her 10-top dining-room table, friends and friends of friends gathered to enjoy the chef’s multicourse family-style meals. When Nyffeler realized how much her Sunday supper e-mail list had grown, she began thinking about taking the concept to the next level. With Dinette, Nyffeler is planning a shortish menu angled toward Europe, and while she’ll be operating as a traditional restaurant five nights a week (dinner only to start), she’ll eventually continue cultivating community with friends-and-family-style dining. Because Tuesdays will be her Sundays (Dinette will be closed Monday and Tuesday), Nyffeler will host special suppers around a large communal table twice a month on that evening. And don’t worry about that dinner-only stuff. Nyffeler knows her new neighborhood will demand brunch, and she’ll eventually serve that, too.
In last week’s Food Files, we mentioned that Christian Potvin has taken up residence at XO Bistro on Capitol Hill, and again we promised more. Well, Potvin was kitchenless after Au Bouchon closed abruptly this spring, leaving fans of France and of discounted French dinners without a meeting room. But, XO Bistro has taken in the chef and Au Bouchon’s concept that if you invite people to practice their parlez vous-ing and offer them half-off their dinner, voila! Francophilia! The first Francophile night at XO is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 13.
Now back to notes taped on doors: Maybe you’ve seen the notice on the door at the Wine Shop on 24th Avenue Northwest in Ballard. It’s not from the owner but from King County. The store is changing format from a retail shop to a wine bar and cafe, requiring a posted change of liquor license.
The change also requires a bit of a makeover. In the past few months, owner Aaron Merkatz’s new partner, David Shuler, has been redesigning and remodeling the space to look less like a wine store and more like an Italian cellar. Ballardites who have wandered in and seen Shuler with a hammer in one hand and a bottle of cab in the other have done excited double takes; Shuler is the former chef/owner of Dish Urban Market, where hungry 9-to-5-ers picked up premier take-out on their way home. Happily, Shuler isn’t just redesigning the space, he’s designing the menu. He wouldn’t tell me too much about what he plans to serve, and he probably hasn’t told the excited double-taking Ballardites, either.
“I’m just telling people that I’m planning a few surprises,” he said somewhat mischievously. He did allow, however, that “small plates with big flavor” would be on offer. And, of course, breads from the Wine Shop’s neighbor, Tall Grass Bakery.
When the new Wine Shop is ready to go in a few weeks, it’ll make a great waiting room whenever the line at Dandelion is too long, and, open until midnight on the weekends, the space should add a little enlightened late-night atmosphere to a stretch of already fabulous eating-and-drinking spots.
