allison.scheff's blog

After putting a call out via social media for votes on where the third Molly Moon’s Ice Cream shop should open (and drumming up an impressive amount of neighborhood enthusiasm in the process), Molly Moon Neitzel has decided to open not one but two new shops, one in each of the top vote-getting ‘hoods. Read more »

Even though he's in real estate now, Billy Poll says he feels like he grew up in the restaurant industry. The longtime Schwartz Bros employee is now one of the owners of the soon-to-open Grace Kitchen at the University Village. Poll told me the opening is slated for August; the restaurant is moving into the old Zao's locale. Read more »

Indian food is beyond scarce in the south end, but that's about to change. Travelers, the friendly, soothing Indian decor, jewelry, clothing, etc store on Pine Street, is opening a full service restaurant on the north end of Beacon Hill in the can't-miss-it purple house that housed Culinary Communion and the short-lived Tasha's Bistro. I'm told that Travelers will open in about a month (they're shooting for late June). Read more »

The Jade Pagoda, the long-lived but eminently cheesy Chinese place that lived on Broadway until it was shuttered a few years ago, was never about the food.

No, it was the kitschy digs, the waiters dressed up in shoddy sailor suits, the bad (but strong!) cocktails that called to us…it was an experience. And the food was about as bad as you’d expect. But like the Twin Teepees (may they rest in peace), the Pagoda was a neighborhood icon. Read more »

Il Corvo, an artisanal pasta bar that serves lunch and dinner, opens today inside Procopio Gelato on the Pike Place Market hill climb. The chef is Mike Easton, who worked his pasta magic at Bizarro before helping open Lecosho. Yum: Look at today's menu! Read more »

The good news of Spinasse's expansion broke earlier this year. Chef Jason Stratton, one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2010, would be doubling the seating of the current dining room, but more than that: He promised that the marble counter I so adore dining at would extend into the new space. And that they'll be adding a new pasta production room. Read more »

On Monday evening I heard the very sad news that Kim Ricketts, founder of the ever-popular Kim Ricketts Book Events, had passed away. Kim had been battling AL Amyloidosis as well as a rare bone cancer since the fall. Read more »

If your charitable spending budget is around $350 and you want to taste the wares of several terrific Seattle chefs, as well as meet acclaimed Alinea chef, Life, On the Line author and cancer survivor Grant Achatz during a half-hour VIP reception, the upcoming 20th Anniversary Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research dinner on May 22nd is an unmatched opportunity. Read more »

Good morning, sunshine! And good news for Marination fans: The mobile food mavens have put down roots on the corner of Pike and Broadway, just up the escalator from QFC, and opened Marination Station. Read more »