Renee Erickson Is Opening a Doughnut Shop at 11th and Union

Stop what you're doing and get a load of this: Renee Erickson is planning a doughnut shop as part of the trio of new spots she's opening on Capitol Hill this October. Here's what you need to know:

First, and perhaps most importantly, there's General Porpoise Coffee and Doughnuts. Erickson's take on doughnuts will be similar to the ones she fell in love with at Fergus Henderson’s St. JOHN in London. Expect fillings like dark chocolate and vanilla custard, as well as seasonal jams like tomato and tarragon, roasted lemon curd, nectarine and bay leaf jelly, huckleberry and long pepper. The space will seat 24 and double as a multiroaster coffee shop managed by Jeff Butler from Milstead and Co. He's planning espresso, pour over, and cold brew on tap. You'd be hard-pressed to conceive a more perfect combination of people and consumables under one roof.

More details on Erickson's other two projects at 11th and Union have emerged, too. There will be an oyster bar called Bar Melusine, accepting walk-ins only. "Melusine will be Walrus's French Atlantic cousin," Erickson says. Look for "snacks from the sea" that are served raw, cooked, pickled, and smoked. The dining room will seat 50, with an additional 15 seats at a seasonal sidewalk patio. Jay Guerrero, of Boat Street Cafe fame, is coming on as chef de cuisine.

Bateau will focus on in-house butchered and dry-aged, grass-fed beef from Erickson's Whidbey Island farm, La Ferme des Anes. "We are excited to be working with whole animals and steering the entire process—breed, care, feed, finishing, butchery, and aging," Erickson says. Steaks will be sold by weight and cooked in cast iron with tallow and butter. Other menu items will include "modern starters, handmade frites, and Boat Street Cafe favorites—like the pork chop and the amaretto bread pudding." There will be 45 dining room seats and reservations will be encouraged.

Though they're a little behind their original summer opening projection, it sounds like these projects will be worth waiting for.