Photography by Aaron Leitz, courtesy of Heliotrope Architects.
From Seattle chef Renee Erickson (of the sadly departed Boat Street Cafe, my favorite in the city), a trifecta of new restaurants on the hip (and busy) Pike/Pine corridor in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The interiors were brought to life by designer Price Erickson and Heliotrope Architects, members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.
General Porpoise
Doughnut and coffee shop General Porpoise is the early riser of the three, and opens onto the street via an oversize garage door.
The space is a lively pink and white, anchored by a La Marzocco Strada espresso machine, custom powder-coated in pink.
On the mezzanine level: additional cafe seating and a communal marble table with pink-painted trestles.
A porpoise in a captain’s hat extends the nautical theme of the restaurants.
As at the Walrus & the Carpenter, another Erickson restaurant, the oyster bar is the star of Bar Melusine, which serves Brittany-style raw, smoked, and pickled seafood and shellfish.
Bar Melusine is named for a water sprite of French and European legend.
The color palette is green and white, with brass and walnut accents.
Melusine’s herringbone floor is made of rough-cut, handmade Moroccan tile.
Bateau
Bateau is Erickson’s take on a steakhouse and a reimagining of Boat Street Cafe. It serves meat that has been raised, butchered, aged, and cooked in-house, between the Bateau kitchen and Erickson’s farm on nearby Whidbey Island.
Beef hangs from meat hooks in the dry-aging room, and a chalkboard lists the cuts of the day.
Simple pendant cord lights hang in wooden basket shades.
The neutral-hued restaurant features herringbone wood floors, slate-topped tables, and whitewashed wood siding.