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Thanks to construction delays, the opening for Saint Helens — the all-day brasserie-style cafe headed to 3600 NE 45th St — has a new ETA of February 2016. To ease the wait, owner Josh Henderson provided a peek at the plywood. Inside, the space's cozy but modern decor is coming together. The wooded façade sits right next to the Burke Gilman trail in Laurelhurst. Similar to Henderson's staple Westward, there's an outdoor area with around 38 seats and a fireplace. Inside is a full 30-seat dining room, an eight-seat café counter and a private dining space intended for up to twenty people. The café counter will serve the full menu all day.
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Director of Culinary Operations Eric Rivera offers a sneak peak of the menu, with house made breakfast pastries followed at lunch and dinner by the likes of seared albacore with preserved lemon aioli and celery salad ($12), and nutrient-jammed meta sides like roasted carrots on a bed of smoked char bread yogurt, drizzled in carrot top oil and carrot juice reduction ($8; pictured). Saint Helens will serve plates for breakfast, lunch, dinner and, of course, weekend brunch.
Soon after Saint Helens opens, keep an eye out for the doors to open at Noroeste for "sexy tacos," and two Great State Burger locations, all of which are also expected in 2016.
—Lara Douglass