Comings and goings this holiday week:
Too bad Barocho couldn’t hang on until the Seattle Art Museum’s new sculpture park opens next year (it's said). Their vantage point at Broad and Western was perfect. But they’re closed. And such a dog-friendly place, too. Bizarre orthography didn’t help; it looked like the name of the place was ibARoChO!—a disgruntled Japanese ballplayer, perhaps? Gesundheit!
There's a newcomer at the corner of Fourth and Wall, replacing SID’s. That stood for Seattle’s Italian Deli, except that it wasn’t a deli and wasn’t Italian either. Sid’s was deplorable, yet the apartment building across the street—looking for some local landmark—was named the Sidney. The new place is called Rockin’ Burrito. Maybe they’ll rename the apartments “The Rock.”
Just up the street, El Portal fills the space vacated by 522 Madrid. Owner is Joe Valencia, formerly of El Gaucho; chef is Pedro Aguilar of Veracruz, signature dish is guacamole prepared tableside ($6.75), motto is “Food our mothers would be proud of.”
And yes, it’s no relation to Porta, formerly on Eastlake, now calling itself Porta By the Market.
Down on Westlake, check out Slo Joe’s Bigtime Backyard Barbecue. You may recognize owner Joe Jeannot, a former bartender at Tini Bigs who also used to run several of the most popular hot dog carts in town (including the one at First and Bell, the closest thing Belltown has to an all-night diner).
Sad to see that my favorite liquid-lunch spot, Spice, no longer serves lunch. At least not during the winter. Guess that means no more nooners!
Finally, for this installment of the buffet, there’s a new takeout place at Third and Lenora. At least that’s what the sign says: “Grand Opening – Takeout” But is there a takeout menu? No. Will there be one? Blank stare.
