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GOOD TIMES NEWS BLOGDecember 2005Pursuit of amusement on Seattle's west side is a long-lived story.SEATTLE-PORTLAND – It's fitting that the building housing Salty's
on Alki for 20 years this month was originally built as a flour
mill. One of Seattle's nationally recognized landmark restaurants, Salty's
on Alki is located near the birthplace of Seattle, an area rich in history
and the pursuit of amusement. The building on piers that houses Salty's
was originally constructed as the Novelty Flour Mill in 1893
(see photo above). It ground out "Excellent Flour" for decades.
The area known as the West Side was Seattle's escape from everyday life
with sports, parks, clubs, festivals and a roller-skating rink and natatorium
(swimming center) called Luna Park (see picture right). The pursuit of amusement in the 1900s centered around Luna Park, a combination swimming palace and carnival which opened in 1907. The 12-acre amusement center was set on pilings just north of Duwamish Head, where a recently opened waterfront park commemorates its location (at low tide you can see the pilings). Luna Park was a waterfront pleasure resort with a large saltwater natatorium, a skating rink and a dance pavilion. The carnival attractions closed in 1913 but the saltwater natatorium stayed in business for many years. Local history books tell us the area had a bad year in 1956, in the middle of an otherwise promising decade, and the Novelty Flour Mill ground to a halt. It was the West Side's oldest industry at the time. To find out more about the history of Seattle, plan a visit to the Log House Museum when you visit Salty's. It's located only a few miles away (see more at www.loghousemuseum.org). Salty's history wouldn't be complete without mentioning the beloved Joyce Entus, who greeted Salty's guests for 18 years before retiring just a couple of years ago. Before the Kingens bought the waterfront property in 1985, Entus operated the facility for many years as the locals' favorite seafood grill The Beach Broiler. After extensive remodeling, the Kingens reopened it in 1985 as the third Salty's Restaurant, the flagship of the group. Today Salty's on Alki ranks 90th in the Nation's top 100 restaurants in Restaurants & Institutions magazine. "It's no small feat that we rank in the Nation's top 100 restaurants but I give it up to happy employees who create happy guests," says Alki Managing Partner Bonnie David, a veteran of 10 years. You can learn a lot about the culture of an organization from its team members. A veteran of 12 years, Operations Manager Mary Davis explains the spirit of Salty's, "This is our house, our family. When you visit us, you're sitting in our dining room. That's how much we care." "Cuca Cosette, controller of the lunch-time Front Desk at Alki since its opening 20 years ago, is our prototype," says Davis. "Our long-time business lunch patrons keep coming back because they know Cuca and Salty's will take care of them." "I've worked at all three Salty's from the time I was 18 years old," says newly appointed Alki Executive Chef Jeremy McLachlan, "and I can say without a doubt that this is a family company." McLachlan is returning to Seattle to head the kitchen at Alki after a celebrated two-year shift at Salty's in Portland (see Mintz-Her Words below). Although Salty's on Alki opened its doors 20 years ago, Salty's in Portland has been in business for a quarter of a century opening on the Willamette River in 1980 as Salty Pickerel's and Angus McHereford's (well, it was the '80s). It is now located on the Columbia River and is known as Salty's on the Columbia. Next came Salty's at Redondo Beach in 1981 (more on their history in another newsletter). "Visit us in January for the continued pursuit of amusement at all Salty's restaurants as we celebrate our 25th anniversary featuring Salty's Chef's Best of 25 Years Sampler Platter," McLachlan recommends. (Historical information is from West Side Story published by Robinson Newspapers and available for sale at the Log House Museum; see www.loghousemuseum.org. The Luna Park photo is from the Jung Family. ) Salty's gift cards now available at a 10% discount for school-scrip programs. Or get a free $20 promo card with purchase of $100.SEATTLE-PORTLAND – Salty's now feature a 10% discount for School Scrip Fund-Raising Programs. Approved schools can buy Salty's gift cards online at a 10% discount and sell them for the full amount to raise funds for their school. If you are interested, please request approval by emailing us at orders@saltys.com; give us your name, phone, school address, the principal's name and phone number. Once your school is approved (usually within five business days and depending on principal's response time) you will be given a password to enter a special gift card page online. Please call us at (206) 923-5455 with questions.
Holiday parties are a specialty at Salty's.SEATTLE-PORTLAND – There is no better way to enjoy your holiday
get-together than by celebrating it at a Salty's restaurant. Salty's Restaurants offer a uniquely casual elegance that sets the stage for holidays dining. From festive decor and breathtaking views, to award-winning Northwest cuisine, to impeccable service, Salty's has everything you need to create the perfect holiday party. Whether you are looking for aged charbroiled steaks, or fresh Northwest seafood, you can expect a distinctive, sumptuous menu showcasing Northwest cuisine. "At Salty's Restaurant, we love to celebrate and we're always cooking up something special, and you'll find us in full festive swing during the holidays," says Columbia Managing Partner Linda Addy. For private dining at Redondo in South Seattle, please call (253) 946-0636; at Alki in Seattle, call (206) 937-1600; for Portland (503) 288-4444. Or make reservations online at www.saltys.com/reservations.
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Although flour is no longer the output, it's one of the main ingredients
used in the Pastry Kitchen and in the homemade pizzas. The Salty's team
has their nose to the grindstone creating a delectable array of brunch
pastries, desserts and wood-oven baked pizzas. "We use almost 20,000
pounds of flour annually," says Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson,
a Salty's veteran of eight years.
"Salty's
continues to serve the role of escape from everyday life for almost
200,000 guests annually," says Gerry Kingen, creator and
owner of the Salty's concept along with his wife Kathy Kingen.
Buy
Salty's Gift Cards for friends, family and business associates and receive
a $20 promotional* card for every $100 purchased when paying the full
amount. You won't need approval to go online to 
"We'll
make sure your holiday party is one that is remembered," says Redondo
Managing Partner Terianne Broyles. "At Salty's, our staff feels
a special responsibility to ensure that your special occasion is a memorable
one."
What's
better than a long, wet sip of Oregon wine? A long, wet sip of Oregon
wine followed by a handful of Oregon hazelnuts and a nibble of Oregon
cheese on top of a juicy Oregon pear.
SEATTLE
AND PORTLAND–Salty's Chefs' prix-fixe menu continues
through November, Sundays through Thursdays. Sometimes you just want
to let the chef choose your dinner for you. Salty's new $30 prix-fixe
menu is our Chefs' choice when you want three courses, all for
just $30. Our Chefs may want to make your life easier, but you'll
still need to deliberate between the three appetizers, the three entrées
and the three desserts. 
SEATTLE
AND PORTLAND–Salty's restaurants are known for their bountiful
buffets every weekend and the one at Thanksgiving is no exception. Roasted
turkey basted with fall herbs, giblet gravy, country sage stuffing are
presented to you right alongside fresh Northwest seafoods, carved beef
and ham, special salads, house-made pastries, pumpkin pie and desserts
galore. 
"I'm
excited to continue my working relationship with Elizabeth, a beautiful
singer, who expertly provided the voice of Guadalupe on my own Cosmo
Street CD,” Janusz tells us. “When she sang the song Skylark
in the Salty's Café-Bar on a busy summer night, she brought
the room to a hush with her rendition.” Skylark, which is Hoagy
Carmichael and Johnny Mercer's song, is featured on her new
CD. 
SEATTLE–Romance
is alive and well in Seattle. Just spend a Friday night in the Café-Bar
at Salty's on Alki where Singer-Pianist Victor Janusz and
String Bassist Tim Koss begin their seventh month playing standards,
swing, bossa (a Brazilian music genre) as well as their own tunes. 
Yes,
this is yet another you-gotta-have-it CD with torch standards like “Black
Coffee” and “You Go To My Head,” classics by Cole
Porter, “You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To,” and Gershwin's
“How Long Has This Been Going On?” and Broadway hits like
Fats Waller's “Ain't Misbehavin'” and Lloyed
Weber's “Unexpected Song.” It also features three original
compositions by Vic, “Just Another Sunday,” “French
Kiss,” “Martian Carol,” as well as tracks with renowned
bassist Spencer Hoveskeland (who introduced Vic to sideman Tim Koss).
“Penn
Cove mussels have won international taste contests and will win you
over with their sweetness,” says Redondo Chef Gabriel Cabrera.
Naturally prevalent from Alaska to Washington, these blue mussels prefer
pristine bays where snow melt keeps the salinity lower than the open
ocean. The geography of Penn Cove makes it a nutrient trap for the outflows
of the Skagit and Stillaguamish River systems. The fresh water and nutrients
combine with sunshine from the rain shadow effect of the Olympic Mountains
and turn Penn Cove into a bay of plankton soup for the mussels.
SEATTLE–Violinist
and Sony Recording Artist Tyler Reilly will step into the spotlight
for a “Random Act of Music” at Alki, Friday, September 23.
He joins resident Piano-man and Singer Victor Janusz and String
Bassist Tim Koss. Tyler has sat in with Janusz and Koss on at
least three occasions at Alki, always much to everyone's delight,
especially to Janusz. “I rarely get to work with a fiddler and
was apprehensive when Reilly first showed up,” says Janusz. “Nevertheless
he truly mesmerized the audience to the point where many regulars have
asked me, when will that violin guy be back? So I got him to commit
to a whole night, with rehearsals!”
PORTLAND–The
Oregon Coast Council for the Arts and 2005 Master Jazz Artist Mel Brown,
who plays at Salty's in Portland Fridays and Saturdays, present
the second annual Jazz at Newport Festival featuring “Some Fine
Ladies of Jazz.” Marlena Shaw headlines the festival backed
by the Mel Brown Quartet. Shaw, the first female vocalist signed by
Blue Note Records in 1972, was a featured singer with the original Count
Basie Orchestra. The quartet features Dan Balmer on guitar, Tony
Pacini on piano, Ed Bennet on bass and the legendary Brown
on drums. 
I
picked up a five-dollar guitar of my sister's when I was eleven. I couldn't
put it down. I've always loved to sing and realized that by strumming
along with the guitar I could have my cake and eat it, too. Although
I wasn't playing professionally at the time, about six years ago, Paul
Kroeger of PoodleBomb asked me to come play a set at Salty's and so
I did. Well, the rest is history. I've been playing there ever since.
SEATTLE
AND PORTLAND—Located to the west of the Kenai Peninsula, 100 miles
southwest of Anchorage, Cook Inlet serves as a major migration corridor
for countless fish bound for the Kenai Peninsula–which has frequently
been characterized as a miniature Alaska, with its immense ice fields,
turquoise glacial lakes, sparkling runoff streams, forests, fjords and
towering mountains.
“To
that end,” says Salty's Group Sommelier and Beverage Director
Tim O'Brien, “We feel good about our partnership
with all of Salty's coffee providers: Starbucks Coffee Company,
Seattle's Best Coffee and Boyd Coffee Company. They offer Salty's
guests a commitment to economic, environmental and social benefits to
communities where coffee is grown. At the same time, we wanted to offer
a coffee that matches the quality of the food Salty's serves,”
O'Brien reports. 
Boyd
Coffee Company, the Pacific Northwest's oldest, family-owned coffee
company, has a partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. Their certification
program is comprehensive and holistic, addressing the three pillars
of sustainability: people, profits and planet. On Rainforest Alliance-certified
farms, workers are treated fairly, soil and water quality are not compromised,
waste is managed efficiently, chemical use is dramatically reduced and
relations with surrounding communities are strong. For more information
on the Rainforest Alliance, go online to 
The
secrets for incredible coffee drinks are about to be revealed. It
is true that you can put nearly any liquor into coffee and call it a
drink. I have my favorite, and you guessed it, Irish Coffee. Of course,
it's available at all Salty's Restaurants.
Jof
Lee (pictured right) joins the Mel Brown Trio on Fridays
and Mel Brown Trio also plays Saturdays. “It's been said
they plug in and go into some sort of unearthly orbit. You will find
them simply stunning in the music they play and the way they play it,”
says Addy.
Dan
James at Redondo Beach, Saturday, July 2.
Sax
great Mark Taylor joins Vic & Tim for
SEATTLE
AND PORTLAND—The opening of our seaside decks, the opening
of the Redondo Beach outdoor Seafood Bar and the arrival of Cook Inlet
wild salmon from Alaska are all harbingers of summer at Salty's.
Another sign of summer is the arrival of the rare and highly sought
razor clam. 
SEATTLE—The
third annual Washington Wine Restaurant Awards, hosted on March 14 by
the Washington Wine Commission and the Seattle Times Company, honored
51 Washington restaurants for their commitment to supporting the Washington
wine industry. The program recognizes restaurants that use innovative
methods of showcasing Washington's
quality wines.