In the news

'The Revivalist'

Madison Park's own Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi was the subject of a laudatory cover story in the Seattle Times' Pacific Northwest magazine two Sundays ago.  In it, writer Misha Berson gave credit to Scandiuzzi, ACT's general manager, for the revival of the once-shaky but now well-positioned theatre, which is housed the historic Eagles Auditorium building downtown.

Scandiuzzi, who has been at the helm of ACT for a little over three years, has not only provided vision, creativity and leadership to the 47-year-old theatre but has also lent his talents to helping other arts organization in Seattle cope with these challenging economic times. In addition, Carlo and his wife, Lalie, have proven to be generous patrons of many local arts groups.

Berson does get at least one fact glaringly wrong in her article, however.  Referring to the Scianduzzis' "comfortable but hardly palatial" home, she places the 27-year residents of Washington Park squarely in Madison Valley.  We, however, know better.

Here, by the way, is a recent clip from YouTube with Carlo up close and personal, talking about ACT:

The story behind the Madison Park Bears

The Sun Break, a local "online magazine of news and culture" this month noted the sad passing of sculptor Richard Beyer, who died in New York earlier this month at age 86. While many know that Beyer was responsible for the internationally famous "Waiting for the Interurban" in Fremont, far fewer of us may have been aware that he was also the sculptor of the the bears that grace Madison Park:

The Sun Break's article corrects this oversight (if oversight it is) with a lovely eulogy to Beyer's "witty, never boring" works, which can be found all around Seattle (if you know where to look).

Local patisseries make good

Madison Park's Belle Epicurean and Madison Valley's Ines Patisserie are each singled out for high praise in this month's edition of Seattle Magazine. In an article entitled, "Butter Me Up:  Seattle's Best Croissants," the magazine touts Belle Epicurean's entry as "an impossible-to-resist croissant that seduces in flavor and texture, and an exterior that lands in the middle: not too pale, not too dark."

Ines' "gorgeous" croissants, meanwhile, are described as having "an ideal softness inside, a deeply buttery flavor and a crust that’s neither pale nor too caramelized."

Cafe Parco is "warm and comforting"

That same issue of Seattle Magazine also has a favorable review of Madison Park's Cafe Parco, which reviewer Alison Austin Scheff calls charming, not trendy. She describes Chef/Owner Celinda Norton's cooking as "big-boned, rich and indulgent; the sort of Italian food many of us first fell in love with, not the spare, restrained Italian food we’ve come to adore in recent years."

[Upper photo by Benjamin Benschneider for the Seattle Times. Lower photo by "MvB" for The Sun Break.  Belle Epicurean is located at 3109 E. Madison St., Ines Patisserie is located at 2909 E. Madison St., and Cafe Parco is located at 1807 42nd Avenue E.]

News for foodies

Belle Epicurean launches Provisions

They didn't quite get the doors open in time for the holiday rush, but Madison Park's newest (and, by self description, "Seattle's premier") patisserie did manage to inaugurate its specialty food and fine wine shop, Provisions, just in time for the New Year.  Occupying the eastern half of what was once the Island Video location (3109 E. Madison St.), Provisions is both a wine bar and purveyor of "high quality food stuffs" such as special cheeses, olive oil varieties, doughs, condiments, and frozen bakery items.

According to chef/proprietor Carolyn Ferguson, the concept is for Provisions to be a sort of well-stocked pantry and wine cellar for those who enjoy the kind of food available from Belle Epicurean.  That means that the products on sale are principally those which are used as ingredients by the patisserie.

Ferguson, who is nicely profiled in this month's Madison Park Times, asked us to be sure to report that Provisions will be hosting weekly wine tastings each Thursday in February (5-8 pm), with her husband, co-owner/oenologist Howard Ferguson, acting as sommelier. French regional wines will be featured and will be paired with cheeses and pantry items.

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Cafe Parco recalibrates lunch, asks for menu input

It seems that a lot of Madison Parkers, who might otherwise be lunching in local cafes, leave town for the winter.  So Cafe Parco, which since its opening had been serving both lunch and dinner each weekday, has decided to limit its lunch schedule for the time being. According to a recent email from the restaurant's general manager, Nic Norton, "until the weather warms up" those interested in lunching at Cafe Parco will have to call and make reservations no later than the day before.  If a minimum of six people have asked to dine (not necessarily as a single group), lunch is on for that day and an announcement will be placed on Cafe Parco's website (at which point it's come one, come all).

Chef/owner Celinda Norton, meanwhile, is asking for advice from patrons on the kind of cuisine they prefer.  On the restaurant's blog, Norton notes that some diners are asking for lighter fare, though "ordering patterns tell a different story" given that richer food seems to outsell simple, healthier food.  "Even with a mix of simpler dishes in the menu the servers still have people ordering the richest offerings available and then complaining the food is inedibly rich.  Yes, they chose to order the most decadent item on the menu," she reports.

Norton sums up her dilema this way: "I need to offer what my guests are willing to visit regularly and purchase.  I need to prevent Annihilation via Yelp.  I need to get excellent reviews from Seattle's press."  She says she's open to input and you can provide it by emailing her: chef at Cafe Parco.

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Jason Wilson of Crush connects with Google 

The Puget Sound Business Journal's latest issue includes a front-page story on Crush chef/owner Jason Wilson's unlikely role as the designer of cuisine for the employee restaurants at Google's Kirkland and Bothell campuses, which reportedly feed 1,100 people each day.

It seems that Wilson is a friend of Google's Kirkland campus general manager, who believed that Wilson's "cooking style and priorities--supporting locally grown produce and naturally raised meat--would be a good fit for the company known for employee amenities and free food."

Among the menu items created by Wilson: orange-flavored Skagit River Farms beef stir fry, and Lamb Tagine with tomato, eggplant, peppers and olives.  Of his positive experience working with Google, Wilson is quoted as saying "it's not like working for a monolith."

[Cafe Parco is located at 1807 42nd Avenue E,, and Crush is located in Madison Valley at 2319 E. Madison St. Photo of Chef Wilson from the Crush website.]

Belle Epicurean gets the doors open

They're having a "soft opening" at Belle Epicurean starting today, one which will extent through Labor Day.  After that, according to co-owner/chef/creator Carolyn Ferguson, it's full speed ahead.   The neighborhood's latest food purveyor took on the space vacated by Island Video in March, but getting the new location up and running has taken a bit longer than planned.  Today was the day, however, and they're ready for business.  A few people had already found their way into the nicely refurbished space by the time we arrived a bit after noon--and everyone seemed happy with their new discovery.

Ferguson tells us that the cafe space is essentially completed, although there will be another month of work to do before patrons will see the fully finished interior.  The east side of the building, which is entirely separate right now from the completed space on the cafe side, will ultimately house a new concept for Belle Epicurean which they have branded Provisions.   There are some opportunities to extend the cafe's reach that simply could not be accommodated in the limited space of their downtown location, according to Ferguson.  The second side of their location here will allow for something new and fun, she promises.  The space will accomodate private parties and will, during regular hours, sell (what else?) provisions:  for example, frozen doughs of the various BE pastries, jars of the various BE condiments, and cake mixes (BE opera cake included).   At the top of the Provisons list: wines.

During the "soft opening" Belle Epicurean's hours will be: 8 am until 2 pm, today through Monday, and 8 am until 6 pm through Labor Day. After that, store hours will be 6 am until 8 pm Sunday through Wednesday and 6 am until 10 pm Thursday through Saturday.  The new location duplicates the pastries, sandwiches, rich desserts, and other items available in the original downtown location.  All of those foodie details are available right here.

[Belle Epicurean is located at 3109 E. Madison St.]

Another bakery soon to arrive

Almost simultaneously with the arrival of a new patisserie in the general vicinity (Madison Valley), comes word that Madison Park itself is about to land another bakery alternative. Signs went up this weekend on the old Island Video space (3109 E. Madison St.) announcing the appearance, at some unnamed future date, of Belle Epicurean, which bills itself as "Seattle's premier patisserie." Belle Epicurean's main location is in the Fairmont Olympic Hotel downtown, where it has occupied a choice Fourth Avenue storefront for the past six years.  Owner Carolyn Ferguson, who studied cuisine and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, was profiled in a Seattle Weekly blog posting a year ago, and much earlier by Madison Park Conservatory's Maggie Savarino, back in the days when Maggie was a food writer for the Weekly.  But food writers are not the only ones to give BE high marks: the 95 reviewers of Yelp give the patisserie an average rating of four stars.

Belle Epicurean was famously (though not very) used in a scene for the ABC-TV show "The Bachelor" a couple of years ago, in which local (Kirkland) bachelor Jason Mesnick talked seriously to one of the show's contestants while they sipped hot chocolate. Or perhaps they were eating some of the patisserie's "signature" brioches during that pivotal scene (or is brioche also plural?).  Anyway, the place looked romantic, which may be tough to duplicate here in the new spot on Madison Street.  It seems that more than a bit of construction will be needed before the place is ready to turn out the croissants and spread the ambiance.

We've asked for the full story, and we'll keep you posted.

[Photo from the Belle Epicurean site.]