There's nothing in Seattle even remotely like Von Trapp's, a vast, 10,000-square-foot barn of a place on Capitol Hill, a former candy factory and furniture warehouse that's now been converted, at a cost of $1.5 million, into a 420-seat Bavarian Biergarten. It's the latest venture of the long-haired Deming Maclilse and his partner, the bespectacled James Weimann, the duo behind Bastille and Poquitos. Their genius is to assemble a giant garage sale worth of genuine vintage items and salvaged pieces, whether from Paris flea markets or Mexican market towns. The inspiration for Von Trapp's was the Hofbräuhaus in central Munich, nondescript outside, lavishly decorated inside, with long wooden tables and painted ceilings. The designers added Viennese chandeliers, railings salvaged from the McCaw mansion in Medina, stuffed elk heads, leather club chairs, Belgian doors, and a colossal Austrian fireplace. Three bars, two mezzanines, and five indoor bocce ball courts, each 8 by 50 feet (complete with a bocce ball concierge, Angela Mora).
The chef, Peter Fjosne, will make all his own sausages from scratch, ten or so varieties, both fresh and smoked, along with sandwiches and German-style flatbread. Once Von Trapp's starts serving lunch, he'll add another German favorite, Weisswurst, a traditional mid-morning treat. Doug Wargo will curate the list of two dozen draught beers.
Munich's Hofbräuhaus, Angela Mora, Peter Fjosne, sausages in the smoker.
Von Trapp's, 912 12th Avenue, Seattle, 206.325.5409 
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