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Welcome back to Eater News, a bi-annual roundup of mini news. Do you have information to share? Email with information to seattle@eater.com.
Canlis will reopen its iconic dining room on July 1st
When the full toll of the pandemic came in sight last spring, Canlis co-owner Brian Canlis said, “Fine dining is not what Seattle needs right now.” The iconic restaurant soon revolved around a range of takeout options as well as some outdoor services. But now it’s almost ready to go back in full. According to an announcement in Canlis’ official newsletter, East Queen Anne will reopen for indoor dining on July 1st. Reservations start at 12:00 noon on June 9th. That will be a day after Washington state plans to lift all restaurant capacity restrictions across the state.
It reopens not long after the restaurant announced that it has hired a new chef, Aisha Ibrahim – the seventh chef in Canlis’ 70-year history – and its first female chef. Prior to the rental, the reinvention over the past 14 months included creating a burger drive-thru, a crab cooker, a range of online cooking classes, and most recently an outdoor grill menu.
“If 18 pivot points haven’t made it painfully clear, we think you’re worth pursuing, yes by a pandemic, but also by our differences, by those things that want to divide us or turn us away,” said co-owner Mark Canlis in the newsletter. “I don’t know what it will take to change our course, but it will take more than one pandemic.”
Food Truck Tres’ House of Cheesesteaks is permanently located in Crown Hill
Since 2019 the food truck Tres’ House of Cheesesteaks has been delighting the locals with sandwiches that are filled with the grandiose variant of a Philly classic. The operation recently moved to a more permanent location in Crown Hill via My Ballard and took over the kitchen at Goofy’s Sports Bar on 15th Avenue NW for the foreseeable future. The move includes later hours and an expanded menu of specialties ranging from pizza cheesesteaks to pork belly versions, as well as a selection of burgers, loaded fries, and mozzarella sticks. While the food truck made the rounds of north Seattle, including a regular spot at Greenwoods Lantern Brewing, it will now be largely retired and only used for special occasions. Goofy’s has long been a favorite of sports fans in the neighborhood, but the location will eventually be replaced with a large apartment complex so the long-term future is uncertain. Currently, Tres’ cheesesteak business is served daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and delivered via DoorDash, Caviar and Grubhub.
Tutta Bella, John Howie and others offer free drinks to the vaccinated
Thanks to the newly relaxed rules of the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board, restaurants, bars, and breweries across the state will be able to offer free drinks to those who present proof of vaccination between May 15 and June 30. Several Seattle companies are already on board. The ubiquitous Neapolitan pizza chain Tutta Bella takes the tab for every drink on their menu when diners show their vaccination cards (when purchasing a food item). John Howie’s restaurant group will also buy guests a cocktail, glass of wine or pint of beer with proof of vaccination until June 6th. On the beer side, the Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery in Greenwood will be hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic on Saturday May 22, buying the first pint for anyone who gets their shots on site. However, all of these places and others opting for vaccination incentives must use careful language – Washington’s intricate revised regulations still do not allow the word “free” to be used in promoting its offers, but note that every company pays for a drink the House.
