Pass `Go' To Land At The Baltic Room, Soon-To-Be Piano Bar In Old Disco Digs

Linda got herself another one.

Kid Mohair, the deco disco cabaret at 1207 Pine St. on Capitol Hill, has been purchased by Linda Derschang - that's Linda of Linda's Tavern - and Rudy's Barbershops owner Wade Weigel. Derschang, whose Linda's Tavern co-horts are Sub Pop moguls Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, also owns Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen and co-owns the tres chic Capitol Club restaurant.

Derschang and Weigel have closed Kid Mohair for remodeling and will reopen it in late November as the Baltic Room. Although several of the club's more popular designer features will be maintained, including its Milky Way star replica and fine mahogany trim, both the main floor and balcony will be redone for more seating capacity.

The music will change as well. "It's going to be a piano bar Wednesday through Saturday," says Derschang. "We'll run films on Sunday and we're still thinking about Monday and Tuesday. But it won't be a disco anymore."

Derschang said it will have a three-item snack menu and beer and wine. "It won't have a kitchen. Really, it's a piano bar."

Was it named after one of the low-end properties on the Monopoly game board? Derschang laughed and said, "Yes! Baltic and Mediterranean have always been my favorites."

-- Meanwhile, the club formerly known as Moe's - or whatever the folks at Tasty Shows productions will eventually call their remodeled Cap Hill nightspot - is still in the midst of a major overhaul even though a fall opening was anticipated. The outside has been painted and newspaper covers the windows, but near as we can tell from peeking into the cracks, it has a ways to go. Still, we're all dying of curiosity.

-- Just up the street from the former Moe's, the all-ages Cafe Paradiso is also closing for renovation. The popular caffeine and entertainment bistro will be shut down Nov. 16-30 for some needed sprucing up. Until then, the music plays on: Tonight and next Thursday are open-mike nights, Cowhammer and guests will play Saturday, and Candyheart performs Nov. 15.

-- The takeover of Under the Rail by Crocodile Cafe owner Stephanie Dorgan and husband Peter Buck, along with Monqui Productions and the Coastal Kitchen folks, is proceeding. According to Dorgan, the group is in the process of getting permits and taking bids from contractors to remodel the downtown nightclub.

"It needs a lot of work," Dorgan said last week, "and these things aren't nearly as casual as they were when we opened the Croc seven years ago."

Look for the new - as yet unofficially named - club to open in '98.

-- The adult strip club Deja Vu at First Avenue and Pike Street has moved to the former home of Razzmatazz, at 714 Denny Way, which might bode well for the Showbox. For the past year, ever since the Deja Vu chain bought the building that houses the Showbox, it's been feared that the strip club would move into the building and force out the popular music room. So does Deja Vu's move to Denny Way mean the Showbox's future is secure?

"We'll know in 14 months," says Showbox general manager Eric Edwards. "Nothing has changed. We're still on the edge. We've asked to extend our lease past the 14 months we have and there are ongoing negotiations, but Deja Vu could decide it wants two clubs, not one. We're waiting to see."

-- The Select Bar & Grill in Lake Forest Park has re-introduced live music. Korla Wygal, a fine blues and soul belter who regularly appears at the Scarlet Tree on Roosevelt Way in Seattle, will sing there with her band tomorrow and Saturday night.

-- The Little Red Hen kicked off its "Sunday Suppers" food and music presentation last weekend. Music was provided by Texas honky-tonker Cynthia Gayneau. The series continues for the next three Sundays. Supper (lots of serious comfort food) is served after 5:30 p.m.; Gayneau sings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Go hungry and ready to dance. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Phalen is a Seattle free-lance writer. His Ace of Clubs column appears every week in Ticket. Send club information to Clubs, c/o Ticket, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle WA 98111: or fax to 206-464-2239. You must include price and starting times to be considered for inclusion. Information must be received in writing 10 days before publication.