April 2011

The Beachside Cafe at Alki opens today and owners Sharon and John Bang are excited about the improvements and changes they are bringing to the former Alki Bakery space at 2738 Alki Avenue s.w.

As the West Seattle Herald was the first to tell you in December the former bakery tenants moved out suddenly, due to a failure to find suitable lease terms and their departure had serious business impacts on the Alki Cafe directly across the street.

That's when the Bang's initiated the process to re-open the business, but the process hasn't necessarily been easy. "When I took over I thought everything was in working order but I think the bakery knew they were closing so they kind of ran everything down to the ground. I had to replace a lot of the machines and fix a lot of things. The espresso machine and the Point of Sale system were so outdated (…) these are all brand new machines now."

By David Rosen

At about 12:43am, Seattle Fire was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident on 16th Ave S.W. involving one car.

According to Seattle Police, “The vehicle was traveling Northbound when it drifted across the center lane and struck a parked car, continued on, crashing into a fence and landing in a front yard. The driver of the car was being taken to the hospital by AMR to be examined with unknown injuries.”

Speed or alcohol involvement has not been determined.

West Seattle (and University District) Farmers Markets fresh offerings for the week of April 4 -10.

NEWSWORTHY:
Stoney Plains Farm, Foraged and Found (wild mushrooms and nettles) and River Farm are back at the West Seattle Farmers Market.
Master Gardeners – always a popular feature of the West Seattle Farmers Market will be back with their weekly clinic booth beginning this week.
Asparagus – The date for the first appearance of this local Washington crop has been postponed to April 16... We all need more sun!
Easter is on Sunday, April 24. Farmers are taking orders for farm raised Hams, Leg of Lamb and Fresh Duck.

The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance is a Seattle based, non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that operates seven farmers markets in Seattle. The NFMA is dedicated to supporting local farms, our local farm economy and preserving Washington’s farmland. Your tax deductible donation helps the NFMA continue to grow and serve our farmers and communities.

Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance Markets:
University District (UD) – Saturdays, 9 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND –
West Seattle (WS) – Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND

Robert Esposito opened Abbondanza Pizzeria in the Morgan Street Junction at 6503 California Ave. s.w. ten years ago and the family is planning a celebration to thank their customers, but the gifts are for you.

They write:

"Dear Friends of “Abbondanza”,
In celebration of our 10-year Anniversary, and to thank you for your continued support of the restaurant, we would like to invite you to a special brunch buffet, on us, on Saturday, April 16, at 11 a.m.

We hope you can make it, and would appreciate it if you would give us a quick reply by email, either way.

Thank you,
The Espositos"

That means all you need to do is drop an email to Salinnc@yahoo.com to make a reservation to enjoy this special event, but space and reservations are limited.

El Chupacabra is the newest restaurant set to open in West Seattle on Alki at 2620 Alki Ave. s.w. on Friday April 8. A soft open is expected on Thursday the 7th.

A casual mexican restaurant with no menu item over $10 they specialize in three things: Cocktails, burritos and tacos.

Owner Aaron Wright has owned El Chupacabra in Greenwood for six years and planned to open the new on March 16 but things got delayed. The Casa Feliz is the former tenant in that space.

Wright worked at Linda's Tavern on Pike Street and began as a bus boy, working his way up to become the Bar Manager.

Why is Wright moving into West Seattle? He's very confident that his combination fo elements will work here as it has up north. "It's really good food, we offer a lot of vegan and vegetarian options. We have vegan cheese and you can't get a vegan enchilada anywhere in the city. We have "fake steak" that looks like steak and cooks up like steak, it's delicious. Everything we do is homemade."

While he has hired "three or four new people" Wright's entire staff is also going to work some shifts at the Alki location.

By David Rosen
Seattle firefighters quickly responded to a fire in West Seattle shortly after 4:30 pm this afternoon around the 4500 block of Delridge Way S.W.

The fire broke out on the 3rd floor of the building.

According to James Hilliard from battalion 5, “The fire started in an unattended clothes dryer and the fire was enclosed to the dryer only. No extension to the structure, just a lot of smoke in the unit, it fused the sprinkler head so we got a little bit of water damage up there."

No injuries were reported and no one was home at the time except a dog that fire crews rescued.

 Press Release:
On April 9, the West Seattle Tool Library will be re-opening in a new space at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle. The new, larger space in the Dennis Jorum Workshop will allow for the tool library to greatly expand its collection, as well as offer workshop space for individuals and groups to borrow or rent. 
 
Grand re-opening festivities will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m and include tours of the new space, demonstrations by Do-It-Yourself experts, snacks and beverages. Visitors are invited to sign up for a membership or donate tools in good condition.
 
The library's hours will remain the same for the time being: Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., although the workshop space will be available for rent by request at other times. 
 
Youngstown, located at 4408 Delridge Way S.W., is home to a wide variety of arts and nonprofit organizations, attracting a steady stream of West Seattle area residents attending dance classes, watching theater productions, or taking community education classes. 
 

Saturday, April 2, 2011 - 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Pet Elements, 6701 California Ave. S.W.
206-932-0457

Stella Ruffington’s, 7003 California Ave. S.W.
206-932-RUFF

Saturday, April 2, Noon-4 p.m. Two local businesses are hosting three Animal Rescue Groups. Come meet the kittens, cats, puppies, dogs and small mammals waiting to be adopted. Info: furryfaces@hotmail.com.

You can attend the West Seattle-based Furry Faces Foundation's Catsino fundraiser tomorrow, Sunday, to adopt cats on hand, and inquire about dog adoptions:

http://www.westseattleherald.com/2011/03/07/features/furry-faces-founda…

By Rob Atkinson, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

I would like to respond to a statement by a Woodland Park Zoo official in the March 29 article, “In Close Quarters: Local activists continue to demand more space for the Woodland Park Zoo elephants.” The official stated the Sanctuary is for “…elephants who are struggling,” and that the Sanctuary does not “have the same type of care, expertise or mission” as the Woodland Park Zoo.



I am not in a position to speak about the policies and practices of the Woodland Park Zoo, but I can address the Sanctuary’s purpose and what we offer our elephant residents, most of whom are retired from zoos and circuses. At the Sanctuary, the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for elephants, we have more than 2,700 acres of natural woodland, creeks and lakes for them to explore and in which they can socialize and forage for natural foods. 



By Christina Hahs

When most people think of the West Seattle Tool Library, they probably imagine shovels and saws. While we have all of those available for use, we also have a collection of kitchen tools that can help you preserve the harvest. Tool #485 is an electric food dehydrator.

Dehydrators are great tools because they are so versatile. Drying can reduce large amounts of food into more manageable amounts. Drying also helps you preserve food without investing money into a freezer or time into canning. The dehydrator does most of the work for you, so you can spend more time using our other tools.

Some of our favorite ways to use a dehydrator:

Dried Fresh Fruit. Have an Italian plum tree or a bumper crop of grapes? Save some of that produce in the summer and enjoy it all winter long.
Dried Tomatoes. Nothing beats the taste of a fresh, vine-ripened tomato but a dehydrator can help you come close. Dehydrate your extra tomatoes and use them in soups, stews, and casseroles for that tomato taste in the winter.