In Capitol Hill news we have Linda Derschang expanding her restaurant ‘mini-empire’ to now include the former Elliott Bay Cafe space which is being vacated by Terra Plata Chef/Owner Tamara Murphy when the lease expires in June. Derschang will set up Little Oddfellows inside the bookstore adjacent to the original Oddfellows. Look for a new menu borrowing some staples from the mainstay’s kitchen in late june.

It’s been awhile since we had a holiday to capitalize upon and so rest easy – Sunday, April 26th is…National Pretzel Day. Yes, and in honor of this iconic twisted rope of chewy, salty dough; Rhein Haus will launch ‘Pretzel Hour’ from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patrons get a free order of pretzel bites with obatzda, a Bavarian cheese spread made with Beecher’s cheddar, with any beverage purchase – which you are likely to make to wash down the salty psuedo-pastry. That’s how they get you…

In food entrepreneur news, Art Stone, who has been a vendor at Pike Place Market for years, will be opening Honest Biscuits in the Economy Market building at First and Pike in June. Once the MarketFront expansion opens in 2017, they’ll move down the hill to a new location. A full line of biscuit options are available from the plain ‘Butterhole’ biscuit to the ‘MacGregor’ made with Bavarian Meats bacon, Beecher’s cheese and caramelized onions.