Food News: Spring Restaurant Openings

Spring is a great time to grow, and two Seattle cult faves are doing just that. Joining the trend of restaurants adding locations on the Eastside isAgua Verde, the easy-breezy taco mecca with great fresh guacamole and margaritas. The second shop will open in the concession building at Houghton Beach State Park in Kirkland (5811 Lake Washington Blvd.), hopefully by Memorial Day, or in early June if there are delays. 

Also joining the Eastside bandwagon: Skillet Street, which is set to start feeding the hungry hoardes at the West Seattle farmers markets on Sundays this weekend. Skillet's owners are hoping to launch an Eastside trailor in late May. Right now they're, "scouting locations and taking suggestions...but will be a combo of Bellevue/Bothel/Redmond/Woodinville/Factoria etc...," said owner Josh Henderson. 

Old School Frozen Custard, which is already a huge favorite with families that frequent its Bonney Lake location, should be opening shop on Capitol Hill (1316 E. Pike St.) in mid-to-late May, owner Nathan Hedin told me today. Bonus: They're currently hiring (check website for info on that). 

And just because we can't seem to get enough of the frozen treats lately, Molly Moon's opens shop this weekend in the Oddfellows buidling, serving free kids cones on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm.

West Seattle will be home to catering company Herban Feast's first full-service restaurant when Fresh Bistro (4725 42nd Ave. SW) opens in May (the company currently has a booth at the West Seattle farmers market on Sundays). The restaurant's menu is an ode to local-fresh-seasonal foods, including this spring stunner of a dish: rice cracker-crusted salmon belly and asparagus salad with pickled red onions, shaved fennel and dill. 

Brandon Pettit's Delancey (1415 NW 70th St.) will be opening in Ballard this June, serving N.Y.-style pizzas fired in wood ovens and made with locally sourced ingredients (including dough made with Washington state flour). A rotating “Market” pizza, such as one topped with caramelized ramps, Gruyère and bacon, will offer seasonal toppings from the farmers markets.

Finally: That Tom Douglas restaurant I told you about a month ago? "No news," said the big cheese himself, Tom Douglas, yesterday via email. What a tease.