Madison Valley’s About to Get a Fancy New Kushiyaki Restaurant

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Madison Valley’s About to Get a Fancy New Kushiyaki Restaurant

After some delays due to the pandemic, new Japanese restaurant Aki Kushiyaki opens Friday, March 5, at 2106 E Madison Street in Madison Valley, bringing an omakase menu focused on skewers. The new place comes from the team behind the popular Tukwila and Ballard destination Arashi Ramen. Instead of noodle dishes, though, the restaurant is going all-in on an upscale kushiyaki experience that emphasizes technique and high-end ingredients, with a 13-course omakase menu at $129 per person. Though individual dishes will rotate seasonally, current offerings include lamb, sous vide duck breast, and A5 Miyazaki wagyu cooked with Binchotan charcoal, favored for its ability to maintain consistent heat for a long period of time. Each meal is rounded out with a selection of apps, truffle-seasoned rice, and grilled ice cream for dessert. There’s no takeout offerings at this time, only indoor seating reservations via Tock (two seatings per night capped at 10 people per seating). Capitol Hill Seattle reported on the restaurant when the project was first announced in 2020.

Woodinville Winery DeLille Cellars Expands Into Old Wheelhouse Space

Prominent Woodinville winery DeLille Cellars will open a new lounge in the former Wheelhouse restaurant space next door later this spring or summer, offering glass pours, flights, and food and wine pairings, in addition to reservations for small private events. DeLille — known for popular Bordeaux-style blends, particularly its signature D2 — was founded in 1992, but has been stretching its wings of late, moving its production and retail facilities under one roof in the Hollywood Station building two years ago. Before COVID impacted the region, the winery had an eye on hosting large tastings and live music in the new digs, but shifted to smaller scale offerings, such as weekly takeout dinners for two. The new expansion should help DeLille ramp up more elaborate plans.

Facebook Eyes Reopening Plan for Seattle Offices

Though the majority of the tech workforce in Seattle is still working from home, one major company has eyed a big change. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Facebook will soon reopen its offices at 10 percent capacity, impacting the more than 5,400 employees working in the Puget Sound region, including those in Seattle, Bellevue, and Redmond. As has been the case in neighborhoods with a high concentration of corporate offices during the pandemic, local restaurants and bars are directly impacted by work from home policies, most significantly those near Amazon’s campus. With this announcement, Facebook becomes the first major Seattle-area tech employer (the fifth largest overall) to publicly announce a return to office plan.