Your Daily Dose of Food News, Events and Must-Read Miscellany

The big news of the day comes with Tom Douglas leading the minimum wage discussion in Seattle. Earlier yesterday Douglas blogged about the addition of an explicit 2% charge being added to customer’s bills to ostensibly cover costs related to the first tranche of wage hikes on the way to $15/hr. By the end of the day, and after much backlash from customers and armchair quarterbacks, Douglas backed down from the plan citing the mostly negative feedback for the reason behind the decision. Here’s to a business owner listening to his customers and also avoiding the trap of adding line item surcharges to cover costs of doing business. What’s next? A line item for the price of beef which has skyrocketed? Cow surcharge = 5%. Enough said.

Business continues to boom in SoDo where rents are cheaper and space is abundant. The latest entry is Elsom Cellars which opened yesterday at 2960 4th Avenue South. Elsom is known for it’s big, burly reds – primarily Malbec blends and Cabernets. Winemaker Jody Elsom’s new space features a tasting bar, and patio, the new tasting room will have glass pours and offer a menu of small bites starting in May. The winery was previously located in Woodinville and has now joined what has become dubbed ‘The Seattle Urban Winery District’. Did you know that there are over 25 wineries now located in the area? No word on whether limo tours or woo girls will begin making an appearance in the near term.

It’s Friday which means fish dinner for many people. And Pike Street Fish Fry is doing its part by complimenting their main course with free fries on the first Friday of every month from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. And you don’t even need to buy a beverage! But who could resist the temptation that $1 Hamms brings you – but only for an hour starting at 3 p.m. You can also get pints for $2 and wells for $3 during happy hour at Moe Bar. Drink up!