Photo by Leslie KellyJesse Dean, chef Craig Hetherington, and the Taste crew will go on break when SAM temporarily closes at the end of the month. Looking at the crowds for the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, it’s hard to imagine that the doors will close for a couple of weeks at the end of the month because of budget woes. Damn recession.What’s a double bummer is that this furlough also means Taste is going dark from Jan. 31 through Feb. 14.

“We will be refueling and gearing up for an exciting time introducing new menus and new hours at Taste,” said GM Danielle Custer. When the restaurant reopens on Feb. 15, it will be open Tuesdays. It had previously been closed Mondays and Tuesdays to mirror the museum’s hours. Before Taste takes a break, get in there and check out the fabulous cocktails created for this exhibit, as well as the new late-night menu, which includes $5 desserts. For Picasso’s final week, Taste will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Next weekend, the lounge will be open until midnight.