Food and Drink

Street food market site sought; could this be the place?

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Skillet serving meals in the Queen Anne neighborhood last summer. Photo by Benjamin Hollis.
Skillet serving meals in the Queen Anne neighborhood last summer. Photo by Benjamin Hollis.
Skillet, the folks who serve bistro cuisine in an Airstream trailer, have an idea:

Hey skillet nation !!

an idea……

we have an idea we would like to implement. Seattle doesn’t have enough street food, and we want to help change that. We are toying with the idea of creating a weekend street food market. We would like to have a parking lot of some kind perhaps in a neighborhood say ballard, fremont, cap hill, udistrict, beacon hill etc…where us and maybe 5-10 other street food vendors could set up for a saturday and sunday during the day and perhaps even into the evening. I believe it could be a great experiment (and successful) and perhaps couple it with some farmers, musicians etc…anyways…if you have any suggestions or perhaps a location…please don’t hesitate to email me (josh) at eat@skilletstreetfood.com…

and thanks…we want to make seattle the epicenter of street food..!!!

Beacon Hill currently lacks a farmers’ market. Something like this would be an interesting alternative. Perhaps at El Centro, next to the train station (once it’s opened)? An event like this would draw visitors to the neighborhood, potentially helping the Hill’s economy, as well as giving us something interesting to do on the weekends. However, it’s possible the local restaurateurs would feel threatened by potential weekend competition. Have an opinion? Let Josh know at eat@skilletstreetfood.com.

Thanks to Slog for the heads-up.

History of the Hill

Angetina Isernio, 1906-2009

Angetina Isernio, a long time Beacon Hill resident and mother of Frank Isernio of Isernio’s Sausage fame, passed away on February 15 at the age of 102 years old.

She was born in San Marco la Catola, Italy, in 1906. Her family later settled on Beacon Hill, where she met and married Frank Isernio Sr., who was born here in Seattle and, along with his brothers, farmed land in what is now part of Boeing Field, and sold produce at Pike Place Market. She raised rabbits and chickens in the backyard of their Beacon Hill family home (where she lived for 70 years of her life) while Frank Sr. raised vegetables. Together, they raised two children, Gloria and Frank.

Angetina’s homemade sausages from the family recipe eventually inspired Frank Jr. to found his gourmet sausage business. Angetina made a special effort to contribute to his success, by going around to local grocery stores and asking the meat department managers “Do you have any of that wonderful new Isernio’s Italian Sausage?”

A funeral mass and life celebration will be held at Saint George Catholic Church, 5306 13th Avenue South, this Saturday, February 21, 10:00 am. There is an online guestbook/memory book to post your memories of Angetina Isernio.

Opinion, Urban Planning

Reader Opinion: North Beacon needs higher density

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Higher density near the Columbia City light rail station. Photo by Matthew Rutledge.
Higher density near the Columbia City light rail station. Photo by Matthew Rutledge.
(We recently asked a few people to write their opinions about House Bill 1490 and how it relates to Beacon Hill. The bill was altered and no longer directly affects the Hill, but Andrew Smith still has a few things to say about density in our area.)

By Andrew Smith

Recently House Bill 1490 has started a discussion in our region over density and transit-oriented-development. Originally the bill required cities to create zoning packages that would have allowed increased density in a half-mile radius around all light rail and commuter rail stations. In a recent revision, that requirement was scaled back to apply to only communities defined by the Puget Sound Regional Council as “growth centers”: Auburn, Downtown Bellevue, Overlake, Everett, Federal Way, Kent, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Puyallup, Redmond, Seatac, Capitol Hill, Downtown Seattle, Northgate, the University District, Downtown Tacoma, and Tukwila. I imagine many in Southeast Seattle breathed a sigh of relief when they read that, as many in that area were very concerned about increased density changing their neighborhoods. However, I’d like to make the case for increased density in these areas, focusing my argument on Beacon Hill, and point out that while increased density could change the neighborhood, that change might be a better change than what will happen if density is prohibited.
Continue reading Reader Opinion: North Beacon needs higher density →

Life on the Hill

Visiting one of Beacon Hill’s smallest parks

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McClellan Place. Photo by Wendi.
McClellan Place. Photo by Wendi.
Recently I was browsing the Seattle Parks website, looking for Beacon Hill area parks. One park caught my eye: McClellan Place. There is no picture on the park’s web page, but the address is there: 16th and McClellan. “16th and McClellan? But… that’s the Red Apple!” I thought. And then I realized — McClellan Place is the tiny triangle of greenery at the corner there, the one that cars cut in front of when taking a right turn onto McClellan from Beacon Avenue. It has a tree and a rhododendron plant, and unfortunately, usually a few pieces of debris as well.

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department has a collection of histories about most of the city’s parks, including one that gives us a fragment of information about this most tiny park. The original improvement, it tells us, was financed by the Beacon Hill Lions Club. Unfortunately, it gives no date. (Anyone know when? Do we even still have a Lions Club on the Hill?)

Next time you walk past the Red Apple, take a moment to visit McClellan Place, and enjoy a bit of one of the Hill’s — and Seattle’s — smallest parks. Perhaps next summer it would be nice to bring a lawn chair and a hibachi out there and have a picnic.

Its OK to enter the park! Photo by Wendi.
It's OK to enter the park! Photo by Wendi.
Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Pets, books, and a neighbor needing help

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Local Events

Plan a walkable city with Feet First

The folks from Feet First want you to know about their upcoming planning meeting:

On Saturday, February 21st & Sunday, February 22nd, Feet First will embark on the first strategic planning meeting designed to develop a new framework to guide us in the next three years. Feet First needs to hear from you.

When: Saturday, February 21, 9am-5pm and Sunday, February 22nd, 9am-2pm
Where: EOS Alliance, 650 South Orcas Street, Suite 220 (Georgetown neighborhood)

Your participation in both days is encouraged. Lunch will be served both days.

RSVP to Atsuko Murota, by emailing atsuko@feetfirst.info or by calling 206-652-2310.

Feet First is a non-profit advocacy organization founded to promote walkable communities and to advance pedestrian interests.

History of the Hill

Beacon Hill past and present: movies on Beacon Avenue

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Beacon Avenue South, just north of Bayview, facing south.
Beacon Avenue in October 1949, just north of Bayview, facing south, near the current location of Baja Bistro. Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives, item 41958.
The same street, almost 60 years later in February 2009.
The same street, almost 60 years later in February 2009.

Some of the sadder losses to Seattle are the neighborhood theaters that used to exist in just about every part of the city, including Beacon Hill. On the left side of the “past” photo, you see the Beacon Theatre at 2352 Beacon Avenue South, then showing a double bill of Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal in The Fountainhead, and Glenn Ford and Ida Lupino in Lust For Gold.

The Beacon was previously the Grey Goose Theatre, and featured a pipe organ, installed in the 1920s to play music with the motion pictures of the day. The theater was demolished in 1964.

The 1949 photo looks very different from the modern scene on the left side of Beacon Avenue, but the right side is remarkably unchanged. The house with the vertical stripes still exists, as does the retail building to its left (though it has had changes to its façade). McKale’s service station is now a 76 gas station (just beyond the edge of the photo), but sadly, full-service gas stations have also gone the way of the old-time neighborhood movie theater.

Crime

Valentine’s Day robbery

SPDBlotter reports:

On Saturday, February 14th at approximately 8:02 p.m. officers responded to a 911 call of an armed robbery of a clothing store in the 2500 block of 15th Avenue South. After robbing the store, the two male suspects fled the scene on foot and remain at large. Nobody was injured during the robbery and no shots were fired. An SPD K-9 unit responded and conducted an unsuccessful track. Suspect #1 is described as a black male, late teens to early 20’s, 5′7″ tall, 160 lbs., short black hair and wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and a red,white, and black scarf over his face. Suspect #2 is described as a black male, late teens to early 20’s, 6′1″ tall, 180 lbs., short black hair and wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and a black doo-rag over his face. Both suspects were wearing gloves. One suspect was armed with a silver handgun and the other with a black handgun. It is unknown at this time what was taken during the robbery. Anyone with information about these suspects or their whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police immediately.

Local Events

Sukiyaki Dinner March 7 at Blaine Memorial

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Sukiyaki. Photo by Mari.
Sukiyaki. Photo by Mari.
Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church is having their annual benefit Sukiyaki Dinner on Saturday, March 7, and all are welcome! Dining hours are 4:00 – 7:00 pm, and tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Takeout is also available earlier in the day; details are on the event flyer. Rumor has it there will also be a bake sale, so there will be no shortage of tasty edibles, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Beacon Avenue Food Bank and the El Centro De La Raza Food Bank. Blaine Memorial is located at 3001 24th Avenue South.

Edited to add: Blaine Memorial UMC mentions in the comments: “During the month of March, we will also be holding a food drive to benefit the Rainier Valley Food Bank.”

Edited again to correct the name of the Beacon Avenue Food Bank.

Help Wanted

Are you able to help a neighbor?

Kerrie Carbary of Volunteer Chore Services writes:

“An extremely independent 87 year old who lives near the VA Hospital on Beacon Hill is very proud of how energetic and capable she is, but during the cold last month she fell, and now she realized that she could use a bit of help to be able to stay in her own home. Her house is charming and lovely, and she loves to keep it nice. Would you like to visit with her for an hour or two a month, and help her with the chores she can no longer do, such as bending over, lifting, and light housework? During the summer, she has a beautiful garden, so some gardening may be in the future for the right volunteer as well. She has no family in the area to help her out, and until now has been the helper for her friends, who are mostly older than her. She is full of wonderful stories, and would love a visit from you!”

To volunteer, go here or email Kerrie at kerriec@ccsww.org. Volunteers are required to complete a registration packet, provide three personal references, pass a background check, and attend an orientation.