Cate Hardy starts Friday as the new chief executive officer of the local PCC Natural Markets chain. She’ll be the first female CEO of the organic-foods co-op. Hardy comes from nine years at Starbucks, where most recently she was vice president of operations. She calls PCC “an incredible, beloved Seattle institution.” Hardy’s also on the board of the local nonprofit…

GASTROPOD EXPANSION NEWS Gastropod’s Travis Kukull is planning a second restaurant called Mollusk. Gastropod is the tiny, excellent gastropub counterpart to Sodo’s Epic Ales; Mollusk will be in South Lake Union, on Dexter at Valley. Kukull’s menu at Mollusk will center on southeast Asian and Indian curries, and the space will seat 100 people and include a seven-barrel brew…

The influential soul food restaurant Kingfish Café will close its doors after nearly 20 years on Capitol Hill.

Co-owner Leslie Coaston said during a brief phone interview Tuesday night that “our last day on 19th and Mercer will be January 25.”

By Jeff Albertson Special to The Seattle Times I knew something was happening when I smelled the familiar aroma of grilled onions on my morning bike commute coming down Fremont Ave. on Thursday morning. I’ve lived in upper Fremont for nearly eight years now and have woken up to that smell almost daily. Even though the windows…

BRAND-NEW RESTAURANTS PASEO in Fremont: Yes, it’s true — the world’s best sandwich is back, as of today! I talked to the new owner… MORE>>> NUE on Capitol Hill: Owner Chris Cvetkovich worked in video games for 15 years, but he never owned an Xbox — he spent his free time cooking and traveling. Nue…

Paseo is back, and new owner Ryan Santwire says, “The food is better than ever.” Seattle’s favorite sandwich shop “soft-soft opened” today at its original Fremont location, with no fanfare out of concern for the kitchen getting slammed. “We literally didn’t tell a soul,” Santwire says, but the smell of onions frying from the still-papered-up storefront this morning…

Today’s review of Dahlia Lounge is the ninth in a Seattle Times series called “Second Helpings.” Introduced last August, the series evaluates restaurants that haven’t been reviewed in 10 years or more, but many of them have had much longer life spans. Dahlia Lounge, the restaurant that launched the Tom Douglas brand, debuted in 1989,…

This column should actually be titled “News you can’t eat.” After plenty of other restaurant and bar shutdowns in 2014 (plus these, too), eight more are throwing in the towel right at the end. And there are zero new places to report on this week, coincidentally. (Or maybe not so coincidentally — with…

One of the best winter drinks I’ve had in recent months is the Calvados Old Fashioned at Damn The Weather, the newish bar in Pioneer Square. Have you tried it?

The Calvados Old Fashioned is featured at the Pioneer Square bar Damn The Weather. Photo courtesy of Eleanor Lonardo

The cocktail is clean and robust. Even better, it’s easy to recreate at home, the perfect drink by the fireplace or while watching the Daily Show.

Below is the recipe courtesy of Damn the Weather owner/bartender Bryn Lumsden.

SNOQUALMIE ICE CREAM RECALLED: Listeria was found at the Snoqualmie production facility and in some tested ice cream. Because Snoqualmie makes their ice-cream base, Molly Moon’s and Full Tilt are closed today. Also possibly impacted: any Snoqualmie-produced ice cream in your freezer. Find out how to check it. MORE>>> MAMMOTH OPENS: This “beer and sandwich lover’s destination” opened…