No sign of the dentist’s office anymore; this construction is bringing a brewpub to North Beacon Hill. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.Remember when the Rainier brewery was open down the hill from us in Sodo, and we could smell the beer brewing up here on North Beacon every day? It’s been a few years since then, but beer brewing is returning to the vicinity, and now it’s even closer! Beacon Hill’s first brewpub, Perihelion Brewery, will open later this year.
The pub will be located across S. McClellan from the Red Apple, in the building that houses Salon Nouveau. The salon is staying; the pub is taking over the former dentist’s office on the west/16th Ave. S. side of the building.
A few days ago, the BHB was out there peering through the windows to see the progress. (And it’s nice to see the windows uncovered, after all of those years they were covered up!) We were happy to see that Owner/Head Brewer Les McAuliffe and Assistant Brewer Hunter Jaworski posted photos in the window showing historic views of the building. (Maybe the photos will be inside after the pub opens?) The space is small, but looks roomy enough for a cozy neighborhood hangout.
These old photos show the appearance of the building years ago. It looks very strange without the big trees on Beacon. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Seattle Beer News tells us the brewpub will be kid-friendly and the kitchen will serve “elevated pub food.”
You can find all the beer-geek details about the new most-local of brews at Seattle Beer News, and follow the pub on Twitter at @Perihelionbeer.
A new restaurant has opened at 15th and Beacon, in part of the building that was once the Beacon Hill Library. Hiroshi’s opened yesterday with a sign in the window promising “Japanese Food, Take Out, Deli, Catering,” not to mention a big blue neon sign that says “Sushi.” We haven’t been able to try it out yet and probably won’t be able to for a few days, so if you check it out, tell us what you think!
As of earlier this month, the “Grand Opening” sign was still up in front of the former Luisa Taqueria — now being remodeled into Beacon Ave Sandwiches. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
The space at the intersection of 15th and Beacon, where Luisa Taqueria opened for business but then closed for good only a few months ago, will soon reopen — this time, as a sandwich shop/deli: “Beacon Ave Sandwiches.”
Luis and Leona, owners of The Station coffee shop, will be opening the new shop later this year. Luis told the Beacon Hill Blog that the store will be “like something that would have been on Beacon Hill in the 1920s,” a place where customers can purchase sandwiches but also meats and cheeses by the pound.
Luis told the BHB he has a lot of ideas in mind for Beacon Ave Sandwiches, including sandwich names based on local landmarks and references. In a post on the Beacon Hill Blog Facebook page, he asks for “serious” suggestions from the community.
In just a bit over a year, North Beacon Hill has acquired an Italian restaurant, an Indian restaurant, two pubs (you can now get a burger without leaving the Hill!), and a taco trailer. Soon, these will be joined by the new sandwich shop. Things are changing rapidly in the neighborhood, aren’t they? After all these changes, what do you think we still need here on the Hill? Tell us in the comments.
The Tippe and Drague as it looked in July, before opening. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
The Tippe and Drague neighborhood pub at 3315 Beacon Ave. S. opened for business this afternoon. When we went by to check it out, there was a cheerful crowd within ordering beer and food, and watching football on TV. The kitchen won’t have a fryer, so the menu consists of sandwiches and salads, including a very evil grilled peanut butter and Nutella sandwich (with optional bacon). There is also fresh popped popcorn—the popcorn machine was formerly installed at the Columbia City Cinema.
Owner Melissa told us that the pub has hired several Beacon Hill neighbors as staff, so the business has not only brought food and drink to the Hill, it’s also brought a few jobs.
The new alehouse on Beacon Avenue must be getting a bit closer to opening. The new “Tippe and Drague” sign is painted on the front of the building, and the interior is looking pretty close to completion. At least one subset of customers is already getting served there — neighborhood dogs can drink from the doggie dish outside the door.
Photo by Susan Sanders.Shiny and new. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.The interior looks like it will have a warm and cozy feel. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.Dogs are welcome to drink up. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
The Oak restaurant's exterior is much improved. As far as we know, the owners are still waiting for the liquor license before they can open. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
No news yet on the opening of the Oak, though much work has been done on the building.
The Tippe and Drague down the street is also getting closer to opening, with the recent completion of drywall work in the interior.
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Browsing around the eater.com website, we noticed a Beacon Hill job listing, posted a couple of weeks ago:
“Bar del Corso is looking for that perfect person. MUST HAVE wood-burning pizza oven experience and a touch for dough. We are a small, owner-run restaurant / pizzeria, with a tight-knit group of professionals, in a family-like environment. There is lots of room for growth in this position. Knowledge of Italian cuisine, good knife skills, a passion for food are all a plus!”
A new business has come to the hill: The Skin Firm, a skin care and waxing studio, opens tomorrow (Friday, June 1) at 4501 15th Ave. S., Suite 103, just west of
MacPherson’s Produce. There is a grand opening reception at 7 p.m.
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Luisa Taqueria at Beacon and 15th Avenue South has made a few changes. Starting June 3 they will serve brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.– 3 p.m, with coffee and new brunch dishes in a collaboration with Inay’s. The taqueria will also be open 7 days a week now, from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends.
This site on Beacon Avenue is being remodeled into The Oak. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.The much-talked-about Oak restaurant, expected to open on Beacon Avenue this spring, has a problem. Owners Lisa Jack and Mat Brooke have received a letter from the state Liquor Control Board which states that they face possible denial of their liquor license because the Board has received 14 protest letters but only 5 letters of support for the business.
They must respond by March 26 with a statement outlining why the Oak should still be approved for a liquor license, and letters from the community will be considered as well.
Brooke and Jack attended the North Beacon Hill Council meeting last week and spoke about the project. They have taken steps to reduce neighborhood concerns, including locating the 21+ bar portion in the center of the building, to limit exterior noise; no door access to the alley, except for emergency exits; no smoking allowed in the back of the building; and no karaoke or live music. There will be all-ages kid-friendly dining space. The menu is planned to be “family-friendly” comfort food such as burgers,salads, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potato fries, with lunch and dinner seven days a week until 10 p.m. as well as weekend brunch. Ingredients will be locally-sourced.
Brooke and Jack will not be absentee owners; at the meeting, they explained that they will be living at the site themselves, and have a direct stake in the quality of the neighborhood.
After the NBHC discussion, several neighbors who live or work adjacent to the Oak site and had attended the meeting to express their concerns about a possible “tavern” moving in indicated that their concerns had been addressed and they seemed to have a much more positive feeling about the new restaurant.
It is unclear whether the protest letters the Liquor Board has received were sent before the NBHC meeting. When the news came out on the Beacon Hill mailing list last night about the Oak’s difficulty with the Board, the reaction on the list was one of surprise, with several subscribers expressing their intent to write in support of the business. In the previous discussion on the Beacon Hill Blog, the comments were overwhelmingly in favor of the Oak.
If you would like to express your opinion on the Oak, send a (snail mail) letter to the Liquor Control Board at:
Washington State Liquor Control Board
Licensing and Regulation
P.O. Box 43098
Olympia, WA 98504-3098
Here’s what has to go in the letter:
Referencing The Oak
License #408904
3019 Beacon Ave. S.
Seattle, WA 98144-5853
This flyer recently appeared on doorsteps near the location of the planned new bar/restaurant, The Oak.[Editor’s note: Gwen Lewis’ letter has been edited on 2/22 to remove her address and phone number.]
Online reactions to The Oak, the new restaurant/bar planned to open soon on Beacon Avenue South, have generally been positive. However, not everyone is thrilled about the new business. Residents living in the area around the Oak, at 3019 Beacon Ave. S., recently found flyers on their doorsteps bearing the headline “Are You Aware?”
“Are you aware that there is a pending application with the Washington State Liquor Control Board for our new neighbor @ 3019 Beacon Ave. South to operate a TAVERN in our neighborhood? … This will definitely impact all of us (positive or otherwise) but the bottom line is that we should have a say about this matter. We are asking you to get involved!”
The flyer suggests sending objections to Alan Rathbun of the Liquor Control Board, as well as to James Kenny, the Assistant City Attorney, then ends with the appeal “Act Now … Participate … Beacon Hill is also yours!”
Redd Mateo is the contact person listed on the flyer. The Beacon Hill Blog asked Mateo how many people are involved in the group protesting The Oak, and he said “I can’t tell you that as of yet but from the initial input we gather, there is a good number of neighbors (mostly with children).” Asked about his group’s specific concerns with The Oak, he listed several potential issues: littering, noise, crowd control, and public urination. “The bar they operate in Capitol Hill opens from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Assuming that they close at 10 p.m., who will stop them from extending those hours to 2 a.m.?”
Mateo forwarded a letter written by another neighbor, Gwen Lewis, addressed to the Liquor Control Board and objecting to The Oak’s liquor license. (Read the letter here.) Lewis’ letter includes a concern that “…Beacon Baptist Church, Beacon Lutheran Church, and the Beacon Hill Library may be within 500 feet.” (According to Google Maps, the Oak would be roughly 630 feet from the front door of the Library, about 730 from the Baptist Church, and roughly 800 feet from the front door of the Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church no longer operates but there is still a preschool on the site.)
The letter also alleges “chronic illegal activity (Per RCW 66.24.010) associated with the applicants operations of the premises proposed to be licensed AND the applicant’s operation of another licensed premise.” The letter then describes circumstances at the owners’ other establishment, The Redwood, back in 2006 when the bar had newly opened and had problems with some of its neighbors on Capitol Hill, who complained about noise and filed a zoning complaint with the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). However, The Redwood’s case with the DPD has been closed since 2007 and the business is still operating at the same location on Capitol Hill.
Other allegations in the letter include statements that the Oak’s owners have worked on the property without permits and were issued a violation, and that representatives of the Oak “informed neighbors that the applicant was opening up a coffee shop (but) on February 6 the applicant posted a liquor license application notice.” According to the DPD website, there was a complaint and violation last month, but the Oak’s owners have also received two permits since that date.
Lewis’ letter also brings up the 2008 shooting at the Beacon Pub, limited parking in the area, and a “known drug area at nearby Triangle Park” (Stevens Place Park) as additional reasons to object to the Oak’s liquor license application.
Lisa Jack, one of the co-owners of The Oak, was shocked to hear about the flyers and the opposition by these neighbors. She told the BHB, “When buying this building we were told that Beacon Hill would support this move wholeheartedly as they were looking for new fun businesses. The Redwood is an entirely different establishment in an entirely different neighborhood; it would be lovely if one of these disgruntled people would just come talk to us.”
She added, “We have been very honest with everyone, even in the early stages of not knowing what it would be… we have said ‘restaurant/lounge that will serve children as well in the dining area.’ We intend The Oak will be a neighborhood place for Beacon Hill residents and we hope to have weekend brunch too.”
Mateo and Lewis are concerned that The Oak, as a drinking establishment, won’t be a good fit for the location, which is a commercial building but has residences directly adjacent to the south and west. Mateo said, “Please don’t get me wrong. I really welcome new business in our neighborhood… just like that new pizza place. What a great place. But a tavern is totally different. This is something that will impact a lot of people in the neighborhood.”
Jack, who along with co-owner Mat Brooke is moving to the neighborhood herself, is disappointed at the turn of events. “It seems like the responses in your blog as well as passers-by have been very excited by what we are doing. It breaks my heart that we may have to struggle once again to make a good honest business.”
This building is currently being gutted and remodeled in preparation for transformation into "The Oak." Photo by Joel Lee.(Full disclosure: BHB contributor Joel Lee has worked with one of the owners of The Oak in the past. He asked them for a bit of information about the new project. – Ed.)
I was pleasantly surprised stepping into the building at 3019 Beacon Ave. S. to discover its large, inviting, well-lit interior. Over the years a series of businesses have passed through this space with such crowded window coverings that I always imagined the interior to be dark and tiny. Although it is still in the early stages of a major remodel, it is now easy to see the potential of this space that attracted the new owners (Tim Purtill, Kelly Staton, Lisa Jack, and Mat Brooke) to open their new restaurant/bar The Oak in our neighborhood.
This group has already launched a bar on Capitol Hill in 2006 (The Redwood) and promises to bring parts of their successful formula (and hopefully their spicy sweet potato fries) to Beacon Hill with an emphasis on local-sourced, organic American comfort foods and local breweries.
The owners are holding their cards close to their chests and are not ready to give out too many particulars, as they are finding the right balance between all-ages restaurant and grown-ups-only bar. It is, however, safe to assume a spring opening as they are working diligently on the space. Two of the owners are also moving to North Beacon and plan to bring to The Oak that local touch and community focus that comes with living on the hill.
(Editor’s note: Co-owner Lisa Jack told the BHB in an email that “We hope to have an all-ages room with our full menu that will close at 10, and the lounge will be cozied in the back operating all day with a full menu also. We haven’t decided on the hours yet.”)
