New cafes, bakeries sprout near Green Lake

I'll never forget my first taste of wasabi gnocchi, which was also, fortunately, my last taste of wasabi gnocchi, eaten years ago at the warm, wacky and otherwise-wonderful Luau Polynesian Lounge. Visions of that daring dish danced in my head last month when Belltown sushi chef Yutaka Saito insisted I sample a special dessert. Call me a cynic, but I took one look at the green tea tiramisu and expected the worst.

Who knew? That deliciously creamy confection, delicately flavored with green tea and plum wine, was sublime. Turns out it was the work of Japanese baker Hiroki Inoue, a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle whose eponymous new bakery and cafe, Hiroki, is scheduled to open next week — kitty-corner from Luau Polynesian Lounge. When I dropped by this Green Lake neighborhood for a look, the small cinderblock shop at 2224 N. 56th Street, adjacent to the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall, was in the final throes of construction.

Here I met Hiroki's business partner, Ben Barrett, soon to be working the shop's front counter. He describes Hiroki as a Euro-fusion-style bakery where customers can buy Spanish Basque cakes and New York cheesecakes, chocolate eclairs, Danish, croissants, seasonal tarts, custom wedding and birthday cakes and, of course, Hiroki's delightful green tea tiramisu. Hiroki will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

Another bakery and cafe, Mighty-O (2110 N. 55th St., Seattle; 206-547-0335), is in full swing nearby, having recently given a retail spin to what was formerly a wholesale-only doughnut outlet. Tiny Mighty-O lies in the shadow of that mighty people-magnet, Zoka, where coffee is roasted fresh daily and hanging out has become a local art form. (A form perfected at the dearly departed Honey Bear Bakery — soon to be reincarnated as a neighborhood brewpub. Keep reading to learn more about TangleTown.)

Mighty-O's story began two years ago, according to co-owner Orrin Bourne, a former engineer for Belshaw Brothers — the world's largest manufacturer of doughnut machines. Bourne had come to the conclusion that designing doughnut machines was fun, but designing a doughnut would be even more so. Moved to action, he bought a small propane-operated machine, set it up on the porch of his Wallingford home, and with business-partner Ryan Kellner got to work perfecting a recipe. For the past year, those O's — organic doughnuts containing no eggs, dairy or animal products — have been available at dozens of cafes, espresso carts and specialty grocers, including PCC and Whole Foods. Now they're available at the source.

Describing his company's genesis, Bourne explains, "We wanted to make an organic doughnut, but couldn't find any companies selling organic doughnut mix, so we had to develop our own." After multiple failures involving hundreds of pounds of organic flour, Bourne and Kellner hit pay dirt with a recipe eventually reformulated to accommodate vegans.

Mighty-O's cake-y doughnuts, containing no chemical preservatives, colorings or artificial flavorings, debuted at the University District Street Fair. "They were an instant hit," says Bourne. Having tasted the signature Blue Ribbon cake doughnut as well as a lovely lemon-poppy-seed round, I can certainly see why.

"This is just the beginning," says Bourne, who in October moved the operation from a shared commercial kitchen in Ballard to its present site in Wallingford. There, he's hard at work on a carrot cake and apple spice recipe and in the early stages of developing a recipe for yeasted raised doughnuts. The cafe will soon add soups, sandwiches, and organic and wheat-free baked goods, he says. Mighty-O is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

As if two new bakeshops weren't enough diversion for denizens of this well-trodden tangle of residential streets, those beer-lovin' boys from Capitol Hill's Elysian Brewing Co. (1221 E. Pike St., Seattle; 206-860-1920) expect to open their second Seattle eat-and-drinkery here this weekend. Taking over the long-vacant Honey Bear Bakery site, Elysian TangleTown (2106 N. 55th St., Seattle) will be a nonsmoking, family-friendly operation, open daily serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Owners Joe Bisacca, David Buhler and Dick Cantwell founded Elysian in 1996, offering good eats, house-brewed beer and cocktails in Capitol Hill. TangleTown, a substantially smaller space than its popular Capitol Hill sibling, will offer hand-crafted beers, brewed in-house using a small, three-barrel (90-gallon) system. At the bar, 16 taps and two hand pumps will be supplemented with imported beers and regional specialties.

In addition to knocking back a pint of head brewer Dick Cantwell's latest, Golden Gorgon, a medium-weight Belgian-style ale, customers can kick back here and snack on hummus, stuffed jalapeños, soup, salads or steamed mussels. The modest-priced menu, courtesy of chef Dee Dennis, includes a slew of sandwiches ($6.50-$8) ranging from burgers to panini to BLTs, and entrees ($8-$14) including fish 'n chips, chile verde and a vegetarian coconut curry stew.

Those doing the Green Lake stroll might consider seeking out yet another new neighborhood hangout, Cafe Maree (6560 Latona Ave. N.E., Seattle; 206-235-4998). Owner Hyun Lee's commitment to organic, fair-trade coffee helps makes this a welcome addition to the area's ever-evolving cafe culture. Given my soft spot for sweets from Capitol Hill's La Panzanella Bakery, croissants from Eastlake's Le Fournil and commendation for any coffee joint offering an earful of Jobim along with a perfectly pulled latte, I quickly fell for this arty little spot.

Colorful Café Maree inhabits an off-the-beaten-path location in a former warehouse space between Yasuko's Teriyaki and Cameo Dance studio.

Lee is often on hand to welcome newcomers to his month-old retreat where patrons read and chat in comfort at tables set with fresh flowers. There's a toy-filled kids corner and outdoor seating for sunny-day coffee-klatchers. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Nancy Leson: nleson@seattletimes.com