Edgewater revamps eatery to attract neighbors

It isn't easy being a humble hotel coffeehouse just down the hill from Belltown's burgeoning restaurant scene. That's what Noble House Hotels and Resorts in Kirkland, owner of The Edgewater hotel in Seattle, recently decided.

The hotel's eatery, previously known as Ernie's and then as The Restaurant at The Edgewater, has undergone a $2 million remodel to become Six Seven Restaurant and Lounge.

Hotel guests were making use of the restaurant, general manager Stan Kott said. But as fabulously upscale places - think Cascadia, Restaurant Zoe, Fandango, Brasa - opened left and right nearby, the hotel fell off the radar screen of local residents and tourists. Newcomers who bought condominiums nearby didn't think of the Edgewater as a place to dine.

"We wanted to be more of a draw venue," Kott said. "The restaurant needed to be revamped."

The hotel restaurant's transformation involves every aspect of operations, from the look and layout of the place to the chef. Kott said original hotel architect Carl Myers of Miami was brought in to do the restaurant remodel, along with the hotel's $3.5 million remake.

There used to be some fine views - after all, the Edgewater is perched on the end of Pier 67. But now a window wall makes Elliott Bay visible from any seat in the restaurant. A new outside deck that seats 50 also expands the restaurant's view appeal.

New Yorker Tomas Haas is the hotel's vice president of food and beverage, while executive chef Kevin Rohr most recently cooked at Chandler's Crabhouse on Lake Union. They've created what Kott calls a "global table" cuisine, with dishes influenced by tastes from around the world, served in a way that invites sharing.

Alongside Belltown's pricey company, Six Seven is a bit more reasonably priced. Prices for dinner entrees range from $10 to $25, Kott said. Appetizers run in the $6 to $12 range.

Nibbles

• Italian restaurant Piatti in University Village reopens this week after a five-month closure for renovations. Besides the open kitchen, private patios and dining room, new additions include general manager Travis Rosenthal, who helped open Il Fornaio here in Seattle.

• The Keg Restaurant and Bar has closed its Vancouver, Wash., restaurant, leaving the Vancouver, B.C.-based chain with 11 restaurants in the region from South Seattle to Portland. There are 13 Kegs in the Seattle area.

• Szmania's has opened a second location at Kirkland Waterfront Market. Owners Ludger and Julie Szmania opened their original Magnolia restaurant in 1990.

• The Cafe in The Vault in downtown Seattle found its name raised too many questions. Do you have to belong to The Vault gym club to eat there? Is it part of the club? Now the Cafe has become The Farmer's Table, and yes, anyone can eat there. Chef/owner Diane Carmel worked as a personal chef in town before opening her casual, mostly lunchtime eatery.

• Avenue One in Belltown has resumed serving lunch, nearly a year after dropping the meal. The restaurant plans to offer lunch during the summer season, until Sept. 30, and also during the December holiday season.

• For those who long for high-quality Wiener schnitzel, The People's Pub is a new German restaurant and bar recently opened in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. Co-owner Jon Norris promises "the most authentic food you've had outside Germany, reasonably priced."

• Asian cuisine comes to the Saffron mixed-use development on the Sammamish plateau with the arrival of Mongolian Grill. It is owner Teri Gueng's fourth Mongolian Grill in the Seattle area - the others are in Woodinville, Bothell and Everett.

• Chutneys Cuisine of India has refurbished and reopened its original Queen Anne location. In January of 2001, the four partners in Chutneys split up the business, each take a single Chutneys location. Concept creator Nazir Khamisa retains Queen Anne. The other three restaurants - in Bellevue, Wallingford and Capitol Hill, retain the Chutneys name.

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