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.]

When one door closes, another opens

We've had a spate of stories over the last few weeks about businesses in the area closing their doors. So it's nice to be able to report on a new business that's filling a space recently vacated. Ines Patisserie in Madison Valley quietly opened its door at the end of last month, without advertising or fanfare.

Located in the space that was exited last year by Suess Chocolates (2909-B E. Madison St.), the patisserie features local and organic products wherever possible, according to owner Nohra Belaid, who says she's aiming for "small" and "quality" in her new establishment.

Until sometime in 2008, Belaid was the owner/chef of Bistro Mazaran, a well-regarded French restaurant in Madrona.  She reports that she gave up that business because of the hassle of trying to run a restaurant while raising two children.  The patisserie, she says, offers her the opportunity to do what she loves while still having time to devote to her family.  She spent two months on renovations to the space. The shop is open 8 am - 5:30 pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Interestingly enough, there are two reviews of Ines Patisserie on Yelp. The first review is by someone named "Nohra b."  Her five-star review says "Simply an awesome place!!!"  The second reviewer gives the place only one star and ends her review with "expensive..not worth it."

[And while we're on the subject of doors opening and closing, we should note that it is not true that Park Place Deli has changed hands. Some may have seen the notice on the door late last month stating that there was "new management" and that the shop would be closed for a day.  We checked on the story and discovered that the ownership of PPD has not changed.  John McCormick, who bought the shop almost four years ago, has simply taken a step back from day-to-day management, turning that role over to manager Emelia Harris. The temporary closing was simply a re-tooling day, she tells us.  She adds that she's not expecting much in the way of changes, but new menu items will probably be on the board as we move into summer.]