By
Seattle Times food writer
A popular Seattle pop-up, The Cavatelli Project, can now be found at Holy Mountain Brewing on Phinney Ridge every other Thursday and Friday, with no end date set. Get there early, because this pasta pop-up — Italian fare with South Carolina flair — sold out of its menu within two hours during its debut last week. (The next pop-ups are April 24 and 25.)
The Cavatelli Project comes from Seattle couple Cooper Smith and Ryan Trimble, both former employees at Spinasse, one of the most acclaimed Italian spots in Western Washington. But this project is more an homage to Smith’s Southern roots.
Smith, who grew up outside of Hilton Head, S.C., wanted to showcase dishes inspired by “the saltwater marshes of South Carolina”; an Italian fusion pop-up seemed practical, since Trimble perfected the art of ragus and handmade pastas working the line at Spinasse.
Their streamlined setup at Holy Mountain includes fresh pasta shells to go with three rotating sauces, including a smoked-brisket-and-pickled-mustard-seed ragu and a vegetarian mushroom sauce with collard greens. Last week, the couple opened at 4 p.m. and sold their last pasta bowl by 6 p.m.
Many Seattle-area cooks, food truck owners and aspiring restaurateurs are taking advantage of kitchen-less tasting rooms and breweries by offering their culinary services to these businesses at a time of high costs and food-price inflation, often in exchange for a percentage of the food sales or via a sublease.
Two other new food tenants have found instant success piggybacking on busy tasting rooms. Tacos Extranjeros inside Fair Isle Brewing (Sunday-Tuesday) and Mexican Seoul, a food truck parked in front of Project 9 Brewing Company, are among the most popular restaurants in North Seattle right now.
Another buzzy debut: Figurehead Brewing on Stone Way in Fremont, which already hit a homerun last year when it signed up Midnite Ramen, has added Nanking Ramen, a new concept by the same chef. Noodle master Elmer Komagata, who showcases eight regional ramen styles under his Midnite banner, does his interpretation of the 140-year-old Nanking-style noodle at a stall next to Midnite Ramen.
Finally, four blocks away, Fremont Brewing just enlisted the popular burger truck, Smash That Burger Co., to park in front of its beer garden, which is one of Seattle’s busiest summertime al fresco hangouts.
The Cavatelli Project pop-up
Every other Thursday and Friday (4 p.m. until sold-out, starting April 24 and 25) at Holy Mountain Phinney Ridge: 7011 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle
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