Ch-ch-changes ahead for the crumbling buildings in the 2200 block of Belltown, from Mama's to Tula's (and Rocco's, Shorty's, Clever Bottle, and the Wayne Apartments in between): the three parcels are the target of Atlanta developer Wood Partners (builder of Dimension, three blocks away), which wants to build a 124-unit apartment building on the site. Mama's, on a separate parcel, is already slated to be demolished in favor of an 8-story, 60-apartment structure. Predictable wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth at the latest gentrification, but truth is this half-block of "restaurant row" is over 100 years old and no longer represents today's Belltown.
The Wayne was cobbled together from three rowhouses built in the late 19th century. between 1888 and 1893, then raised on stilts so that commercial buildings could be fitted underneath. Similar retrofitting occurred in the International District and the Pike/Pine corridor.
And just remember: at street level, almost every new building will have new cafés and lounges. sushi bars and pizza parlors. All those well-paid techies moving in, they've gotta eat, too.
Meantime, it turns out that 13 Coins, Seattle's venerable, 24-hour eatery, has been given a new life. Its rundown building next to The Seattle Times at Fairview & John will disappear when the property is redeveloped (twin 42-story towers), but the developer plans to include space for a shiny new Coins. "We aren't going anywhere," said 13 Coins owner Al Moscatel.
The Coins is a dark and welcoming spot you can visit after the bars close and sit in one of those wing-back leatherette chairs and watch the line cooks set your food on fire as they fry, scramble, flip and toss your order. The 24-hour à la carte menu tops out at $40 with the Steak Sinatra, shown above (onions, peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spaghetti), but the most popular dish is a frittata called Joe's Special (eggs, spinach, chopped beef) for an entirely reasonable $15.
13 Coins is also planning a new Seattle restaurant in an Embassy Suites hotel under construction in Sodo and set to open in 2017. Additional Coins can also be found in Bellevue and at SeaTac.
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