White Center Now: The blog about White Center

As first reported here July 30th, Uncle Mike’s Superlicious BBQ in downtown White Center had to temporarily close while repairing damage from a kitchen fire. But according to the Uncle Mike’s Facebook page, they may reopen as soon as lunchtime this Tuesday, if fire inspectors give them the thumbs-up.

We went over to Uncle Mike’s Superlicious BBQ in White Center after finding out via the restaurant’s Facebook page that they are closed temporarily because of a small fire. Co-owner “Uncle Mike” Gordon explained a grease fire broke out in their smoker; he had it mostly put out even before the North Highline Fire Department crew arrived – but since it’s the weekend, they won’t really know before Monday what they need to do for repairs and replacement, so they don’t know how long they’ll be closed. Mike and his spouse/business partner Elizabeth Gordon want you to know nobody was hurt – they’re OK, and their dining room is undamaged:

The restaurant at 9640 16th SW has drawn rave reviews – not just for its barbecue, but for other menu items like fried chicken and vegetarian options – since its opening almost a year ago.

By Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

As you might have seen in the comments following our previous story about the former Thai Thai Restaurant‘s future plans – those plans have suddenly changed.

Just a few days after WCN spoke with grieving family members of the late Thai Thai owner Sam about their plans to reopen as Ped Nin Thai, they told us they now have to find a new location.

In what Choothai Chaiboonruang said was as an unanticipated misunderstanding with the property’s owners, lease talks fell apart over terms that the family said were not what they had thought they’d be. So they are instead looking for a new site, after more than a quarter-century at 16th/112th.

Since they don’t have one in mind yet, they would welcome information regarding potential sites at pedninthai@gmail.com. They hope to find a space with more updated equipment and lease terms that serve the long-term vision the family has for the successful business. Chaiboonruang says the family has already removed the appliances and equipment they wish to keep as they prepare to look for a new location in the White Center or Burien area. He will keep us abreast of the family’s journey to bring the new Ped Nin Thai to its new home.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

The former Thai Thai restaurant at 11205 16th SW in White Center will be reopening its doors under the new name of “Ped Nin Restaurant,” as requested by the late owner Sawang “Sam” Sudthaya, who died last month after a year-and-half battle with cancer.

Sam’s widow,Orawan and daughter Samantha will continue to run the beloved Thai restaurant with the continued help of Orawan’s sister Nujaree in the kitchen and Choothai Chaiboonruang, who spoke with WCN on behalf of the family (Nujaree and Choothai are in our photo at right).

For nearly 30 years at this location, Sam hosted patrons with open arms, as Orawan and Nujaree prepared the dishes that brought back repeat customers for not just years, but decades. It was the quality of the home-cooked meals and the graciousness of the family that brought many diners into the lavender-colored cement building, located just before what is now the northern boundary of Burien.

This bittersweet re-opening has been anticipated by many of their loyal and regular customers who for the past year and a half have wondered how Sam’s battle with cancer was coming along. Sam and his wife had returned to Bangkok for surgery and then had come back to White Center optimistic about his recovery and hoping to reopen the Thai Thai. But soon after their return and before they had a chance to reopen, the cancer surfaced quickly again, with no medical solutions. Sam chose to be at home with his family and died there on June 24. He had asked them to continue his life’s work but under the new name “Ped Nin,” which translated to English is “Black Diamond.”

The family is busy doing maintenance on the equipment and building and cleaning the space that sat empty for so long. They hope, depending upon public health inspection schedules, to be open by the end of July. They also are planning to have a website in the future as they begin a new era of the restaurant they are each devoted to. They thank all of their friends who are also their customers for their support as they return to work to fulfill Sam’s request at the Ped Nin Restaurant, (206) 246-2246. WCN will let you know when the opening date is finalized.

(Crossposted from partner site West Seattle Blog) Thanks to a text, we’ve found out Zippy’s Giant Burgers is closed today. According to the recording that answers the Zippy’s phone, it’s because they’re out of food after selling a “crazy, crazy amount of burgers” their first five days in the new 14th Avenue SW location, but they expect to reopen tomorrow.

ADDED 2:22 PM: Just had it pointed out to us (by Krista on Facebook) that Proletariat Pizza, on the other hand, is now open Sundays, as of today.

WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz sends in the proof – customers are in the house and burgers are being served at Zippy’s Giant Burgers (9614 14th SW), which moved from West Seattle after three years of ever-increasing popularity. They had hoped to open the new location a month sooner, but permit/inspection challenges were cited for the delays – all behind them now.

ADDED MONDAY EVENING: The dinner rush is out the door:

Earlier, Deanie caught Jon Talmadge tackling a King Lou Lou – the truly “giant” burger now on the Zippy’s menu:

The King Lou Lou is a dine-in-only option, which’ll cost you $14 and change. Four patties, eight pieces of bacon, grilled onions, quadruple cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato. Topped with a crown (Lil Zip w/cheese). The King Lou Lou is named for Luis Jimenez, one of the creative stars of Zippy’s kitchen.

Two of White Center’s notable events today:

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS OPENS: If you never tried them in West Seattle and aren’t sure what all the fuss is about, you get your chance to see, starting at 10:30 am. We stopped by 9614 14th SW yesterday afternoon to check on Zippy’s proprietors Blaine and Rahel Cook and team, and all signals were go.

WHITE CENTER BUSINESS OWNERS’ HAPPY HOUR: The third event organized by Aileen Sison in her White Center Business Owners of Sustainable Support happy-hour series is this afternoon/evening at Company on 16th SW, 4-7 pm (invite here).

The date is finally set, after unexpected delays – Zippy’s Giant Burgers, moving from West Seattle to White Center (9614 14th SW), will open next Tuesday, May 31st. Details on our partner site West Seattle Blog.

Just published the latest early today on West Seattle Blog. Zippy’s Giant Burgers thinks they’re down to one last inspection before they can open at 9614 14th SW – read the details here.

When popular Zippy’s Giant Burgers closed in Highland Park almost a full month ago, they expected to need about a week and a half to finish getting their White Center location ready to open. Instead, Blaine and Rahel Cook have encountered a number of speed bumps and roadblocks – and if you went to the WC location at 9614 14th SW, you would have seen the sign shown in our photograph. This morning, Blaine had told WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz about passing most inspections but still having a couple hurdles to clear (including one that is dependent on their landlord) – this afternoon, we were passing by and spotted this sign on the door, which says it all. We’ll let you know just as soon as they finally get the go-ahead to open!

If you were ready to be the first in line for the White Center opening of Zippy’s Giant Burgers – which spent its first three years in West Seattle’s Highland Park neighborhood, till the building where they’d rented space got foreclosed on – sorry, it won’t be today, after all. Zippy’s proprietor Blaine Cook tells us they’re still waiting for a key permit – details here.

Story and photo by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

Teo Restaurant and Café owner Phuong Nguyen took a break from extensive remodeling to chat with WCN at his soon-to-be opening White Center Vietnamese restaurant.

Phuong is a White Center resident and first-time restaurant owner, building out the former Home Trust Real Estate Services office at 9650 14th SW as a dining room/cafe. A private room rental will also be available in the space which might accommodate 40-60, according to the new owner. The exterior of the building will soon be revamped with a redesign of the boxy brick building’s facade, to reflect an Asian sensibility.

“White Center is growing very quickly,” Phuong said. “We want to bring this place [to the neighborhood] and [we want to] be as good as the Green Leaf” (a traditional Vietnamese restaurant in the International District). To that end, Phuong has begun searching for a chef who will help bring his family’s dream of high-quality food and service to life for the White Center community.

A beer and wine license has been applied for, with no plans for a full liquor license. “We want people to stop by after work and enjoy a beer while they relax before a nice meal,” Phuong explained.

Teo is the latest addition to White Center’s ongoing arrivals of new businesses on 14th, accompanying Zippy’s Giant Burgers‘ scheduled opening April 25 (just half a block north on 14th SW). Big Al Brewing, a popular beer brewery and tasting room, is less than a block south.

Phuong promises to keep WCN updated on the opening date, with a preview of the completed space and final menu to come.

(Photos by Deanie Schwarz for WCN/WSB)
Almost since its opening day three years ago, Zippy’s Giant Burgers has been one of West Seattle’s most buzzed-out restaurants, so its impending White Center move is fodder for close-up coverage. White Center Now/West Seattle Blog contributor Deanie Schwarz checked back inside the new location (9614 14th SW) now that we’re less than two weeks away from its scheduled opening. Above, that’s the expanded counter, where for the first time, Zippy’s will be processing credit-card transactions. Next – the kitchen, with features much more expansive than Zippy’s current, cozy quarters in the Highland Park neighborhood:

Still a lot of setup to be done, but there will be five booths, as well as tables and counters, with 40 able to be seated comfortably:

The gold wall, Deanie says, will be the “bun wall,” with a sesame-seed look – behind it, the pinball/game alcove. And check the floor – freshly polished concrete, “a labor of love” as Zippy’s proprietor Blaine Cook describes it. Last but not least, note the windows … should be lots of light, with the southern and western exposure (Highland Park faces north-northwest):

But don’t worry that it’ll be too hot in summertime – a high-efficiency, quiet fan will keep things cool. Zippy’s plans to close in Highland Park once it’s out of food this Saturday, April 16, and then hopes to swing open the doors in White Center on April 25th.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

The restaurant formerly known as Be’s Restaurant at 9826 16th Ave SW has undergone a major expansion over the past few months, if you’ve noticed the new signs outside, and is now Be’s Crawfish Grill.

Inside, the spruced-up restaurant, after working out all of the first-month kinks with a new partner and an added dinner menu, continues offering the same breakfast menu as always (and also as the 4509 California Avenue location where Be Nguyen and her kids have been serving the West Seattle community for 22 years).

But only White Center’s new Mardi Gras-themed location is offering a full dinner menu (3:00 pm till closing) of traditional Cajun-influenced, Louisiana-style seafood dishes developed by Brandon Vo, a family friend who grew up in New Orleans and also owns the popular Crawfish Grill near the Renton IKEA store.

The sharing of Be’s large White Center space with Vo has expanded the offerings to include seafood boils and happy hour beer specials (Monday through Friday 3-6 pm), featuring a pound of fresh crawfish which the Vo brothers pick up daily at Sea-Tac Airport (flown in from approved Louisiana farms) . The market price for fresh crawfish varies by season, and though the season began late this year due to poor weather in Louisiana, March into April is usually considered mid-season and the per pound price is currently $7.99. Other boils feature more local seafood also set at market price and include Dungeness and king crab, as well as shrimp.

Large, casual family-style crawfish feeds are frequent in the restaurant where patrons gather round the paper-wrapped tables for a juicy, messy meal of the fresh crustaceans, sausage and corn-on-the-cob informally dumped on the tables, where bottles of Tabasco stand by along with ample rolls of paper towels.

The entrée list features a number of baskets, including fried shrimp, oyster, catfish and softshell crab. New Orleans barbecue shrimp and smothered catfish (with house-made etoufee sauce) are the most expensive entrée items at $16.99 and $12.99. The appetizers and lagniappes (French Cajun for sides, or little extras) range from $3.99 for french fries to $7.99 for fried calamari. Additional sides include fried mushrooms, fried gizzards, yam fries, onion rings and Cajun wings. Be and Brandon also have their own take on Po Boys: fresh french bread sandwiches which include fried shrimp, oyster, catfish or softshell crab.

Be’s Crawfish currently has a beer and wine license, but is awaiting approval of a liquor license, which they think will come through soon. A stage and dance floor in the large bar area are separated from the all-ages, TV-free dining area by a wall of heavy dark curtains, behind which beers (Blue Moon, Abita Amber and Abita Purple Haze, Corona, Bud, Bud Light and Heineken) and seafood can be enjoyed while watching karaoke or television. They are discussing the possibility of adding Vietnamese-type appetizers down the road.

Be’s Crawfish Grill, 9826 16th Ave SW, 206-588-1613, online here; on Facebook at Crawfish Grill (for current market price postings and specials)

(Crossposted from partner site WSB)
It’s “the pizza that made White Center famous,” and Proletariat Pizza confirms it’s about to venture into delivery (as hinted Tuesday on their Facebook page). WCN/West Seattle Blog contributor Deanie Schwarz talked to Proletariat’s Stefanie Albaeck, who says they’re starting simple – a customized bicycle now being built in Georgetown will enable home delivery in the 9622 16th SW pizzeria’s immediate area. After that, Proletariat expects to expand to delivery by car, to a much wider area (no boundaries set yet, though eventually they would hope to cover much of White Center, West Seattle, and Burien). Right now, they’re strategizing the logistics of this expansion. It’s already been a half-year since Proletariat celebrated its one-year anniversary – here’s the story Deanie wrote last fall.

Lots of movement in the restaurant ranks lately; thought we would note the listing discovered for Pho My Loi, south end of the main business district.

Check out what WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz spotted at the future location of Zippy’s Giant Burgers on 14th SW (a story she broke for West Seattle Blog and White Center Now exactly two weeks ago). “SoRo” and all! (Yes, we know there is a “SoRox” faction.) Deanie also reports that the interior sprucing-up is under way. And we can tell you that Zippy’s has applied for its liquor license (beer/wine).

For Proletariat Pizza fans – they just posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page that they’re on vacation, reopening February 24th. (Just so you don’t drive by and worry that they’ve closed, we’re mentioning it here.)

In case you missed it – longtime KING 5 reporter Jim Forman followed up last night on our Thursday night story about Zippy’s Giant Burgers, wildly popular in West Seattle’s Highland Park neighborhood, moving to White Center this spring. You can watch the full story above (including Zippy’s proprietor mentioning the newly coined nickname SoRo – south of Roxbury!).

(Crossposted – with a few amendments – from partner site West Seattle Blog)

(Photos by Deanie Schwarz for WSB/WCN)
Earlier this week, Zippy’s Giant Burgers said it would likely have news of a new location by the end of the week, since the foreclosure mess at its original Highland Park location didn’t seem likely to result in a continued lease, or purchase, of the building – and tonight, White Center Now/West Seattle Blog contributor Deanie Schwarz has just confirmed with Zippy’s ownership that the new location is finalized: A long-empty restaurant spot on the northern edge of White Center. 9614 14th Avenue SW (map), right behind the Roxbury Bartell Drugs, about a block and a half north of Big Al Brewing.

Blaine Cook from Zippy’s explains that among other things, staying at the current location would have meant triple the current rent. As for other possibilities around West Seattle and White Center, it would have cost too much for the “buildout” at other locations they explored. Staying in this area was important, since of their 11 employees, all but two live in West Seattle or White Center. It’s a three-year lease with two options for five-year extensions. It’s a lot bigger than the current location – 1,600 square feet, with room for up to 60 people to sit down. That means they might eventually expand their menu – breakfast is a possibility.

This also means:

–They can accept credit cards
–They’ll cut their own fries
–They’ll seek a license to offer beer

They’re hoping to open in late April or early May, with minimal downtime for a moveout from Highland Park before their lease expires on April 19th. The White Center site is truly turnkey, Cook says – some floor work and “kitchen tweaks” are needed, plus permits. But overall, he says, “We are stoked!” They’re looking forward to being part of White Center’s ongoing renaissance. And remember the term SoRo – South of Roxbury – if it catches on, he’s the one who made it up!