Hungry for news? Welcome to our Friday Feed, where we run through all the local food and restaurant news this month—and maybe help you figure out where to eat this weekend.
Not Quite a Death Knell for Nell’s
For 26 years, chef and owner Philip Mihalski helmed Nell’s Restaurant, earning praise for his seasonal, contemporary American food, but come the end of June, Mihalski plans to retire. Never flashy, always dependable, Nell’s quietly marched through the decades—in multiple senses of the word. In an era of increasingly noisy restaurants, it stood out for its peaceful environment.
“Working in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest has been a treat with a great range of special ingredients that make a cook’s work a pleasure,” Mihalski wrote in his retirement announcement. His only plans for the future are to travel and spend time outside, hiking, biking, and Nordic skiing, he says. The restaurant has been sold, and the buyer, per Mihalski, plans a similar restaurant in the space—including keeping the same staff both in the kitchen and the dining room.
Open Passage
Whidbey Island jewel The Inn at Langley debuts its new restaurant today, with a lauded East Coast chef crossing the country to lead the West Coast-focused tasting menu. Passage takes its name from the Saratoga Passage over which it looks, and its inspiration from the same waters—and the Pacific Coast in general. The Maryland-born Spero comes to Whidbey after closing his Michelin-starred modernist fine dining spot, Reverie, and Basque-style bar, Bar Spero, both in Washington, DC.
Burgers Beef Up
The local chains keep grinding out more locations, with Burgermaster celebrating the grand opening of its Issaquah location in the former Triple XXX Root Beer last month and Dick’s Drive-In announcing an 11th location. The planned opening, across from the Quil Ceda Creek Casino on the Tulalip Reservation, should happen by the end of the year.
Busy Times in Ballard
It’s musical breweries, bars, and burgers in Ballard right now, starting with closing announcements from Distant West Brewing and Wheelie Pop Brewing—though the latter plans to continue operations at its Mill Creek location. Meanwhile, two other brewers with Ballard taprooms are joining forces: Bale Breaker Brewing acquired Cloudburst Brewing, taking over as Cloudburst founder and icon of the Seattle beer scene, Steve Luke, plans a move to New Zealand.
One block over from Bale Breaker, Capitol Hill’s beloved burger spot Ox Burger is now setting up shop in Fair Isle Brewing’s kitchen space on Sundays and Mondays, when the usual tenant, La Marea, is off-duty…