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The continued expansion of focus on Asian cuisine in our fair city continues with the announcement that Zhu Dang will be opening on December 12th at 1715 E. Olive Way. Owner and Seattle native Steve Cheng recently of Urbane and TASTE teams up with Exec Chefs Pat Chang (of Brasa/Joule/Revel and Nell’s) and Ken Lee of Din Tai Fung. Curating the Beverage menu is Chris Tanghe, most recently of Aragona. This ‘all-star’ cast of culinary minds promises dishes such as house-cured duck ham, seafood clay pot, cumin lamb with red kale and Taiwanese beef noodle soup. The 2500 square foot space housed in a former auto dealership from the 1920’s seats 150 and includes bar and patio space. Giddyup.

If you’re into farming, fermenting and food then you’ll be interested in the upcoming ‘matchmaking’ dinner to be held at Gastropod on Thursday, December 4th at 7pm. Come meet emerging farmers, chefs, and food industry folks at this event for food friend finders. Share your business opportunity and hopefully hook up with some interested investors. Supplementing this food speed dating fun fest is Chef Travis Kukull’s 5-course menu featuring ingredients from local farms and producers. $65 gets you in for what may be your opportunity to seal the deal. Email info@gastropodsodo.com for reservations.Ever wonder what you could do with all that empty space on rooftops in the city? So did Zach Pickens of Rooftop Ready Seeds based in NYC – a small business focused on cultivating seeds specifically for use in urban farming. In this story on Civileats.com, Pickens talks about his vision and the art and science of developing seed stock that is designed to thrive in the urban environment. Read on and get motivated to talk to your building super…