Lark owners to open lounge; D'Lish leaving Pike Place Market

Lark is feathering its nest. So says chef John Sundstrom, whose Capitol Hill bistro will soon have a loungelike adjunct: Licorous. "The space just to the north of us, just across the alley, came up [for lease] and we decided to grab it," says Sundstrom, who runs Lark (926 12th Ave., Seattle; 206-323-5278, www.larkseattle.com) with his wife, JM Enos, and Kelly Ronan.

Slated to open in April with 30 seats and a wall-length bar, the new addition will have a more contemporary feel than its rustic-romantic sibling, known for its sensational small-plates menu. Sundstrom envisions the lounge as "more of a drop-in, late-night place" with "banquettes and some cushy chairs, a comfortable mix of furniture."

Now, instead of sending waiting diners up the street to the bar at 1200 Bistro (Lark only reserves tables for large parties), he'll be keeping the bar-business in the family, sending them next door to Licorous — a name he describes as "an ancient term, referring to someone who really loves food and is always anticipating it." Like Lark, the newcomer's menu will feature "small plates that are fun and inventive," says Sundstrom. Tentative hours: 6 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays and till 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Dishing it out — elsewhere

Kathy Casey is calling it quits in Pike Place Market. With business booming elsewhere (see: Dish D'Lish in Sea-Tac Airport, Dish D'Lish specialty-food products headed for national distribution, and the Diva of Dish making appearances here, there and everywhere) it's small wonder.

"It was always our dream to be at Pike Place Market, but there's just not enough people going down there to buy our kind of food," she says. "There are just too many great [specialty-food] markets in the neighborhoods, and people aren't coming down here to shop for takeout. And now, with Whole Foods set to open downtown — forget it!"

D'Lish at the market will close in March, when it will be re-envisioned by new owner Moi Teeranooti as Zaab, offering Thai-style wraps and grilled fare. That closure will correspond with the debut of a second airport Dish D'Lish outlet set to open "pre-security" at Sea-Tac March 6.

That translates as accessible to those of us dropping off or picking up passengers but not heading through the airport's security gates to Pacific Marketplace, the fancy new food-court where Casey has offered takeout — as well as a slick sit-down cafe for dining-in — since April.

Meanwhile, Casey and her husband and business-partner, John, are preparing for big changes at things at their Ballard headquarters, Kathy Casey Food Studios (5130 Ballard Ave. N.W., 206-784-7840; www.kathycasey.com), where a new Dish D'Lish flagship store is set to open next summer. "It will be a combination of both business models: food T'Go-Go, like down at the Market but also the sit-down-cafe model, like the one at the airport," says Casey.

Taking his 'cue from down South

Cortlandt Inge, an Alabama boy with a fancy culinary-school education from the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America, not that other CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y., has opened The Bourbon & Barbeque Grill (4332 Leary Way N.W., Seattle; 206-706-1443; www.bnbgrill.com). He and his business-partner, David Colbeth, have made over the former Claudio's — across from Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub — remodeling and rustling us up a full-blown, Southern-style barbecue joint, with drinks.

Inge is cooking fried artichoke hearts, boiled shrimp and seafood gumbo, as well as po'boys, pulled pork, beef brisket, barbecued chicken and Coca-Cola-marinated ribs. Sides like corn bread, country coleslaw and New Orleans red rice and beans are part of the program, and modest prices ($6.95-$12.50) should be a hit with the locals.

Inge says he's coming off a long dry spell — courtesy of a degenerative bone disease that had him bedridden before major neurosurgery and a titanium cage (among other bionic bone-restructuring) got him up and running again.

Exhausted but happy to be doing what he loves, the chef says, "I haven't seen my wife in two and a half weeks." He's blaming that on 15-16-hour days and too many dates with his Cookshack smoker.

"Our menu is half of what it will be as soon as I can get my worlds in line," he notes, after spending a recent Saturday on the roof of his new restaurant replacing the kitchen's fan motor.

"I've opened seven restaurants in Alabama, but opening a restaurant in Seattle has been a learning experience."

Learn more about Inge and his menu, served from 4 p.m. till closing (Tuesdays-Sundays).

El Grow-cho

Rumors about El Gaucho heading East were cemented last week: Another El Gaucho is slated to open in 2009 in downtown Bellevue. Chad Mackay, president and COO of Mackay Restaurants, last week announced plans to open El Gaucho in Washington Square, a $1.2 billion mixed-use development whose first phase of construction is presently under way. The first of the company's luxury steakhouses opened in Seattle (2505 First Ave., 206-728-1337; www.elgaucho.com) in 1996, followed by steakhouse siblings in Portland (2000) and Tacoma (2002).

Thanks for the memories

Responding to last week's column note regarding the impending closure of the late Elio Andolfi's Italian Spaghetti House, Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson had this to say about that:

"My 28-year-old son just e-mailed me a copy of your story on the imminent closure of the Italian Spaghetti House on Lake City Way. His words to me were, 'I'm sorry to see it go, as that will end the tradition of going there after our babies are born.' When he was born, I took his 2-year-old brother with me to the restaurant for dinner while my wife and newborn were in the hospital. Both of my sons will become fathers for the first time this year and they were looking forward to the tradition!

"I began frequenting the Spaghetti House when I was in high school, and it was a favorite place for my family and friends for many years — great pizza, and always a good stop after Husky football games. But like football after Don James, pizza after Elio was never the same. He was the heart and soul of the place. I wasn't aware of his passing, and it saddens me. My thanks to all the special servers who spent careers working there and treating customers like family. Thanks for 40 years of memories!"

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com.

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