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Unpaving Paradise, Cafe Metropolitan, Capitol HIll Community Council, The Crescent Lounge and City Market are all co-sponsoring Chill-N-Grill, a block party that happens on East Howell between Olive and Bellevue.  In past years, this same event has been called the Olive-Howell Street Block Party.  Chill-N-Grill on the Hill is a part of National Night Out to encourage communities to reclaim their streets.  I stopped by this block party last year and it was quite fun.  Because there is an incline, many have a good view of the bands.  This year, music will be provided by Mighty Tiger, Eagle Seagull, Norey, Viva la Villain and The Autumn Electric. There may be other parties on the Hill closer to where you live.  We know that neighbors are getting together on 11th Avenue between Harrison and Thomas (thanks Michael Seiwerath for letting us know about it).  If you know of a party, please let us know in the comments.

Keeping cool at the Cal Andersen Wading Pool

Dodgeball on a hot summer night

While we were sleeping, Meza Latin Fare opened (last Tuesday, July 28 says Alejandro Meza the charismatic owner) on 14th - right next to Porchlight Coffee.  Meza has employed some guerilla marketing to introduce itself - including chalk arrows and a plethora of flyers.  If you see the "free tapas" flyer shown in the photo at left, grab one immediately!  The tortilla - a classic Spanish tapas - is on offer for free if you buy any other food item between $6 and $12.  I had the opportunity to try one today and it was reminiscent of the best tortillas I sampled in Madrid.  It's ok to take two bites of the tortilla, even if Alex reminds you it's meant to be eaten in one.  I'm excited to have the Capitol Hill equivalent of Txori and Ocho , though Meza will have more pan-Latin small bites (including the Justin-endorsed arepitas de maiz) than the classic tapas offered at Txori and Ocho.  Meza will be closed Monday but will open again on Tuesday at 11 a.m.  Hours of operation will be 11 am to 9 pm Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  On Friday and Saturday, they will be open from 11 am to 3 am.

More photos on Flickr including shots of the wall art and beautiful black bead chandelier.  Their liquor license is yet to be approved.  Justin recommends the arepitas de maiz (corn fritters).

Official Sounders FC drink Originally uploaded by orionlee

• Black Book Magazine ate at Plum (as did Tobey Macguire) and predicts great success for the vegan restaurant (provided it gets itself a website and a phone number)
• Calf and Kid - the new cheese shop coming to the Hill - is planning for a September opening and has organized a cheese tasting at the Poco Room for September 17
• Frank Bruni dinner at Cascina Spinasse on September 11 with new chef Jason Stratton (speculation in the blogosphere as to why Neidermeyer is out)
• Elliemay - not a fan of stout beer but digs Bluebird's Stout ice cream
• Harvard Business Review blog on "Why the Starbucks '15th Ave' Store Is Doomed to Fail"
• Tavern Law opening delayed to mid-August
• Pat My Butter interviews Anchovies & Olives head chef Charles Walpole

We know that corporate behomeths need all the coverage they can get from neighborhood blogs.  In the spirit of this noble mission, we wanted to draw your attention to some of the best coverage we have come across so far:

• quick & dirty (some might say pithy) CHS post on what you need to know about the Starbucks on 15th (including an exclusive disclosure you will not see in other media)
• video tour above by the Seattle Times Melissa Allison who sets out all the Starbucks talking points in her piece
• joshc over at Seattle Metblogs has a great post and an extensive set of nice photos
• SMOOVEBCOFFEE sums it up: "What is notable? A store conceived and constructed by Starbucks can now be uttered in the same breath as the nation's other premier coffee purveyors"
• Another nice set of photos over at the PI from Joshua Trujillo

The Seattle Police Department reports that a fire department vehicle had a collision with a passenger car on 15th Avenue East at East Howell.  The officer said no injuries have been reported so far (though the photo shows a stretcher).

Cupcake Royale opens its Capitol Hill location today July 22, 2009 at 6 am. Uttering the magic phrase "Legalize Frostitution" will snare you a free strawberry babycake (while supplies last). Cupcake Royale owner Jody Hall on establishing a venue in Capitol Hill: "It brings me a great sense of pride to open my business in the neighborhood I've lived in for nearly 20 years."

There's enough space inside to have a retail operation in the front and a bakery in the back that can churn out several hundred cupcakes in less than an hour. In fact, the Capitol Hill bakery provides the cupcakes for both Madrona and West Seattle. Features of the Capitol Hill retail space include a semi-private party area, bistro tables and chairs, a community table, and a bakery peepshow picture window exposing back-of-the-house operations.

My favorite - the salted caramel cupcakes

Cupcake Royale kids area

The only male baker that I spied

Ever since the Fargonian Coffeehouse closed, I have felt the lack of a neighborhood coffeehouse in Miller Park (admittedly there's Fuel but I like to have options). About a month ago, Cafe Char opened shop a few doors southwest of where the Fargonian was and the Bottleneck Lounge is. Here is a small description from Charnita Baseden, the proprietress and often the barista:

Cafe Char is family owned and its purpose is to provide a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for the neighborhood to relax, get away, socialize and even entertain with a good cup of coffee or whatever is their choice of drink. Our focus is espresso but we have a variety of beverages such as teas, smoothies, lemonade, italian soda and bottled beverages. We also provide pastries, fresh baked cookies and breakfast quiche. We are also up for comments and suggestions on how to better your neighborhood's coffee shop.

They have just started up (the art was not yet on the wall when I walked in a couple of days ago). I'm excited to have them in the neighborhood - especially since they have free Wi-Fi.

Here are some photos from last night's get together with the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog Community at Vino Verite. I spotted yancy, Emily, uncle vinny, jseattle, k, and from Seattlest past/present MvB, Audrey and k_hack. A huge thanks to Vino Verite for hosting and arranging for Eric Claesson to play.

Babeland, 8 Limbs Yoga Boutique, City Home Store, Emerson Salon, Lavender & Vine, Rosebud Restaurant & Bar, Stitches, Triple Crown, Feed Bag, Throwback Northwest, Retail Therapy, Veridis, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, and B-Bam are all joining together to benefit Northwest Harvest.  Stop by any of these retailers - they are offering special discounts July 17, 18 & 19.  You can receive additional discounts by bringing in non-perishable food items to any of these venues.

Some sample discounts:

• Emerson Salon (CHS sponsor) will be giving 10% discounts off cut and colors. All services get an additional 10% discount with donation of non-perishable food
• Babeland has a 20% store-wide sale and will provide an additional 5% discount if you bring in 5 cans
• B-bam (CHS sponsor) is only open Friday but is offering 20% off store-wide and will give you a free t-shirt if you bring in 5 additional cans

Here is the full list of East Pike Street Summer Sale participants and offers

More weekend fun on the CHS events calendar:

Friday July 17 2009
12:00 AM - 01:00 AM	East Pike Street Summer Sale Earn bigger discounts and get special offers by bringing non-perishable food items to participating East Pike Street businesses for donation to Northwest... (more)
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM	Waterlines: free performance about drinking water The installation displays stories with a global perspective on water use while the performance grows out of conversations with Seattle Public Utility... (more)
08:30 PM - 11:00 PM	Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema - Little Darlings Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema Presents This Summer’s Hottest Film Series: I Want My 1980 Seattle’s most eclectic outdoor movie series... (more)
10:30 PM - 12:00 AM	"CARLOTTA'S LATE NIGHT BIG FAT MUSICAL REVIEW REVU The gang is back this month with a BANG before taking a break until the holidaze. The crew is bringing their favorite musical guests, dusting off some... (more)