Restaurant Will Clone Its Success

It's the Year of the Tiger. But, for Blowfish, the Asian eatery at Seventh and Pine Street, it could as well be the Year of the Charging Bull.

The restaurant has added a new executive chef, Bill Beck, formerly of Cucina Cucina. Beck takes over from Marianne Zdobysz, who presided over the opening months of the jazzy restaurant concept (a bar lined with Pachinko machines, exotic cocktails and platters meant for sharing).

One rationale for the personnel change: Blowfish expects to clone its success, according to restaurant developer Arnold Shain.

Shain says, "Blowfish is about to add three more units." That's restaurant jargon for opening three more Blowfish: One on the Eastside, one in Portland and one in South Seattle.

At the same time, Shain is beginning work on a restaurant for Paul Allen's Experience Music Project, the rock music museum at the Seattle Center.

Shain is working with restaurant consultants Robert Mesher and Kathy Casey. Target date for opening the museum eatery is September 1999. Shane says, "It will have a broad appeal with Northwest flair."

Whatever that means.

Hold that note: Speculation continues over the Eastside mansion that's for sale, asking price $26.5 million and the seller's identity "undisclosed."

Whose home is it?

After guessing wrong 10 days ago, I hesitate to float any new names. But callers (about 20 of them) aren't so reluctant.

One said, "You wouldn't want to be the last to know, would you? The house belongs to Kenny G." That's the saxophonist who made history and the Guinness Book of Records for holding a single note for 45 minutes.

Since the realtors are so tightlipped, there's no way to be certain if it's Kenny G's Hunts Point digs. But, on the good side, there aren't many houses in that price class.

Hare brush: Restaurateur Bill Schlink (Salsa in West Seattle) says he'd stopped for a fast-food fix at the South Lake Union Burger King the other night. He was parked west of the Burger King, munching a burger, when what should appear but a white rabbit.

After a minute or two, Schlink spotted a second rabbit, white with black ears. Schlink thinks the two, which, he figures, must weigh 10 to 12 pounds apiece, must be someone's pets.

Either that or they're late for a very important date.

Fast network: Event coordinator Suzanne Hight just happened to bump into Los Angeles Laker star Shaquille O'Neal in the lobby of the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel.

It was only hours before Friday night's "Evening of Hope" gala, a benefit for the Northwest AIDS Foundation.

Hight persuaded Shaq to autograph a program and donate two tickets to Saturday's Sonics vs. Lakers game for the auction. The impromptu package brought $750.

View from the top: Vanity plate on a nifty green sedan spotted on Interstate 5: UCMEICU.

Fatal attraction: From the Metro Cinemas' current newspaper ad: "TOMORROW NEVER DIES/ Ends Tomorrow."

Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Local News section of The Times. Her phone message number is 206-464-8300. Her e-mail address is: jgod-new@seatimes.com