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Welcome back to Eater News, a semi-regular round-up of mini news bites. Have info to share? Email intel to seattle@eater.com.
So long to East Trading Company
Sad news for Capitol Hill bar hoppers this week. East Trading Company — a cocktail bar on Pine Street known for tea-infused booze named after Chinese zodiac signs and eye-catching decor — closed permanently, after just a year of operation. Owner I-Miun Liu, who also oversees Oasis Tea Zone and Eastern Cafe, explained to Seattle Met that he was stretched thin with other projects and “doing business in Seattle is a lot more difficult than it used to be.” Liu also owns the much-lauded Dynasty Room, which won an Eater Award for best bar in 2018, and only has a few more months to go before it ends its own short run.
Capitol Hill Scores a Major Trophy?
In happier Capitol Hill news, Trophy Cupcakes may be on the way to the neighborhood. Capitol Hill Seattle perused city permits and reports that the dessert shop looks to be planning an outpost in the under-construction Capitol Hill Station, which will also feature an H Mart and a farmers market. Trophy Cupcakes opened its first shop in Wallingford in 2007. Wife-and-husband owners Jennifer Shea and Michael Williamson have since expanded to University Village, South Lake Union, and Pacific Place, and opened Bellevue’s Cafe Trophy — an all-day cafe with pastries and champagne on tap — in 2016. This would be the franchise’s sixth Seattle area location. Eater Seattle reached out to the shop for confirmation, but didn’t hear back before this roundup was published.
Ethan Stowell Inks a Huge Deal
One of Seattle’s biggest restaurateurs will be in expansion mode soon. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Ethan Stowell recently signed a deal with Seattle Hospitality Group (a major local investor) to help free up more cash and branch out the business. Though no specifics were given on upcoming openings, Stowell (who recently opened the restaurant Wolf in New York City’s new Nordstrom flagship store) said he’s eyeing other locations beyond Seattle, including Spokane and Boise, Idaho. He also indicated that there would likely be no one-off projects, and that any expansion would be for existing restaurants, such as Tavolata.
