David's On Broadway To Reopen in March ( 6. February 2007, 06:41 by Derek Young) ~ David's Is Back
First we heard that David had a stroke and the building went up for lease. Then silence at David’s on Broadway as the For Lease sign hung over Stadium Way. Over the last month we’ve watched the construction crews go in and out. We’ve seen them on break out on the back balcony. Then, somebody would tell us that they heard the building was going to be torn down. “No”, we said. “They’re doing way too much slow work in there to be tearing it apart.” We hoped at least. The News Tribune has now provided us with a few more details. What are we getting? A remodeled building featuring a billiard club called the Twisted Cue and restaurant called Winfield featuring “higher-end food, he said, at moderate prices”. It’s set to open in March.
Link to The News Tribune
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Interesting — my wife and I fell in love with Tacoma too late to know what that place was. Great to see it’s being re-purposed and not torn down. I’m sure it’ll be a valuable spot in and of itself without needing to be more condos. Good luck to Mott and crew!
1 | Posted by KevinFreitas | Feb 6, 06:51 AM
Yet another great addition to this end of town. And it did not have to be razed in the name of progress.
2 | Posted by Mary | Feb 6, 08:12 AM
Love it, all these new restaurants coming in and condos…......hmmm….should be interesting how this all plays out without any other sort of growth like real retail and commercial….......You know I went to the Matador the other night, and all the workers cheered when we entered because they had noone there….just an observation….....and it wasn’t even 10pm….....They said everyone was at Paddy Coynes….once again, this is following my whole theory, that everone says is hogwash, that the crowed just moves to the new restaurant and the others suffer….how many more restaurants can we support on an internal population??? Should be fun to watch…....so far, we are doing nothing to attract an outside population to provide growth in the downtown area…......this should really be interesting…if this continues, maybe we should start a poll of which restaurant will close first??
3 | Posted by Rich | Feb 6, 09:45 AM
Ditto Mary’s comment. I’m glad the building will be open for use again. The 1888 building, home of the Union Club, later joined by a merge of the University Club (thus the emblem on the door), is a diamond that’s been in the rough lately. Early photos when it stood alone on that site are spectacular. Many of the patrons who mobbed the nightclub-style parties that were held there last year were terrible for the neighborhood, with crime, broken bottles strewn about, and people intentionally tying up traffic. While I share the big-picture feeling expressed on other threads and by Rich above, I’m so glad this classic building has a new lease on life. I was afraid it wouldn’t fit some narrow band of criteria and the owner would think it Isn’t the Kind That Needs Saving.
4 | Posted by Dave L. | Feb 6, 10:17 AM
Rich, I think you underestimate the fact that with a rich array of restaurants to offer, downtown Tacoma will bring outsiders who want a nice place to eat.
Maybe right now Paddy Coyne’s is pulling the crowd at the detriment of other restaurants, but of course everybody wants to try the new place. Give it a few weeks and everything will level back off: Paddy’s, Matador, Vin Grotto, and Meconi’s can all pull respectable crowds, not to mention other places to the south such as Pacific Grill.
These things don’t have to be self-sustaining just from the downtown dwellers…word of mouth goes a long way, and people who haven’t been downtown in a long time might just start coming when they want a nice night out.
Worth mentioning also that these places are doing good business at lunch time as well, given that they are right near the CBD where most of the downtown workers are.
5 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Feb 6, 10:19 AM
We’ll see…...just remember lunch doesn’t produce the revenue that dinner should….....I’m still waiting for a reason for people to stay in downtown after work for other than happy hour…..oh, and what happens on the weekends??
6 | Posted by Rich | Feb 6, 11:02 AM
Rich,
I may have an exception to your theory. I’ve never seen Stadium Bistro with more than 3 or 4 tables occupied at a time, even right after it opened. Looks like the “in” crowd never populated Stadium Bistro; maybe they couldn’t afford it. Although it’s a nice addition, it would be a shame to lose that one, I hear the tapas are pretty good.
7 | Posted by drizell | Feb 6, 11:12 AM
Nice development at Davids on Broadway.
I used to go there years ago. It had alot going for it: incredible views, great history and place and great location.
Unfortunately, the place was worn and the food was fried. It never got more people when I was there to do much more than limp along.
However, with a new cook and some restoration work, it will do great. There are now many more people on Broadway than 10 years ago and the area is in much better shape.
I can’t wait to see it!
We come to town several nights a week just for the restaurant/entertainment and Arts scene. Competition will weed out the weak players in any game. We tend to return to the old favorites often, especially when they’re not so crowded.
9 | Posted by Les | Feb 6, 12:17 PM
rich I gotta disagree with your theory. I was just at Paddy’s last friday, the place was packed. Then we walked down to the Matador and the place was packed. And sure enough, I saw many of the same people at the Matador that I saw at Paddy’s. Having many great places right next to each other is a GOOD thing because patrons can hop around, it was great seeing activity on the sidewalks between Paddy’s and Matador. Also to counter your theory, you ever been to the Swiss on a Friday or Saturday night? Sometimes you physically cannot walk around inside that place, theres so many people. And The Swiss is probably the oldest nightspot in downtown. Obviously people havent left it in favor of the newer “hipper” joints.
10 | Posted by ca | Feb 6, 12:51 PM
Just to throw in a few more thoughts on the North Downtown dining situation, one more thing that makes me think that good restaurants can make it here is ease of parking in the evening and weekends. As soon as all the weekday workers stop chain parking and go home, there’s literally easy and free parking everywhere. Even on event nights you can usually find something within a few blocks of the Pantages. I think we’re still in the “if you build it…” stage.
11 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Feb 6, 12:58 PM
Having many great places right next to each other is a GOOD thing because patrons can hop around, it was great seeing activity on the sidewalks between Paddy’s and Matador
I agree. The dynamic seems to be the “more the merrier.” The restaurants on 6th Avenue proved that.
At first, Primo Grill was all alone and was half full. With every new restaurant added, each one seems to be getting more busier.
As far as the north end of Pacific, the number of people after 6 p.m. has increased at least 5 fold from a year ago.
With Matador coming in, we had a single large destination. With Paddy Coynes in, we now have a lively street scene set up between the two that enhances the businesses already in the area between them.
There’s alot of capacity still out there from people driving to Seattle to eat or driving to fry pits in strip malls in Tacoma.
The cool thing will be to see how summer works out downtown as they each have outside eating areas.
According to the News Tribune, there’s going to be a breakfast buffet. That ought to really bring in some people if they promote it right, downtown really needs some better breakfast options. We’ve got the eggs/hashbrowns/toast/pancakes market all taken care of, a little fresh fruit in the morning would be a very welcome addition.
Recently, I was actually able to get into Paddy’s during Friday’s happy hour only because of a reservation in advance. When I left there a couple of hours later, it was still packed. Heading over to the Swiss, there were no available dining tables. It was packed a few hours later when the band came on.
I don’t know if these places are drawing the “outside population” or not, but I know people who were coming in from 30mins away. This to me says these places are filling a demand that is more than just Tacoma.
14 | Posted by DavidS | Feb 6, 01:05 PM
Friday nights are great in the “new” DT Tacoma, but I have to agree w/Rich. Other than Friday happy hour/night, most places are not busy. Restaurants can’t survive on one-day-a-week only. While I like being able to get in anywhere on Sunday-Thursday, it would be great to see more bodies out there. But hey, it’s a start right?
15 | Posted by MG | Feb 6, 01:24 PM
In reference to David’s on BWay, maybe its just me, but I’m still a little skeptical. I walk past that building every day and every time, there’s just nothing about the exterior at the moment that screams “comeback!” Yes, I’m sure there’s still a lot of work to be done (I hope) because I can’t put my finger on it, but I still get a shady vibe. Maybe it has to do with the habiually overflowing tipped over dumpster, or the broken lawn “furniture” splayed out on the dog-eaten grass. And the fact that it’s reopening as a pool room doesn’t neccessarily dimiss the images of pool-room barflys, pulltabs and casino food that run through my head when I walk by. Don’t get me wrong, its a beautiful building and I’m glad its finally getting off its feet. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t flounder….
16 | Posted by Broadweezy | Feb 6, 10:52 PM
drizell,
As the owner, and father of the chef, of Stadium Bistro, thanks for the kind words, I, too, think we are a nice addition. A few thoughts while trying not to go astray of the no ads and no self referral rules.
As one who has invested everything in a local restaurant, I’m very happy about every one of the new places opening. Each one has a different vibe, and heads in a different direction. Some, like Paddy Coynes and Matador, indeed draw the happy hour crowd, or as you put it, the ‘in’ crowd. Pacific Grill and Sea Grill offer very nice, classic menus, and execute them well. For a steak, El Gaucho is excellent. Our culinary point of view is different still; we offer original, and affordable fine dining, with inventive vegetarian options. We focus on whole, fresh, organic ingredients prepared from scratch using French techniques. We don’t own a deep fryer or a microwave.
Believe me, Rich, retail and commercial development is welcome and important, more so for some restaurants than others. Destination restaurants depend on their product and execution far more than on the foot traffic that drives Paddy Coynes and Matador. In the short time we’ve been open, I can tell you that folks will drive to get to a place they like.
Tacoma is an interesting market, on the one hand, folks seem justifiably tired of the ‘fry pits,’ while on the other, a new place can be labeled as ‘too expensive’ by those who haven’t even walked through the door to enjoy a meal for under $20.
Ed Murrieta, of the News Tribune, wrote about Stadium Bistro on Dec. 1 last year. In his article he complemented us for being a family run, chef driven restaurant in a city ‘rife with corporate kitchens,’ then criticized us for rushing to open without art on the walls and every piece of finish work completed. He was correct, we lacked the corporate dollars to complete every detail, so we focused on the food, and trusted the public would be patient with a few decorating details. By the way, the first of the local artist’s pieces arrive this Friday.
I am thrilled to be a small part of the revitalization of downtown Tacoma, it is long overdue. I know that retail and commercial development will come, and that more restaurants will open, and some will fail. Those focused on a quality product at a reasonable price will compete well. It cannot all happen simultaneously. For now, you’ll understand if I don’t participate in the pool.
I hope this works out for this place! I used to see this place from my apartment and the crowd it drew wasn’t the best. We even had a drive-by done by some of it’s former patrons after a big party there… hope it turns around and gets cleaned up.
18 | Posted by Rebecca | Feb 7, 08:56 AM
I’ve actually been trying to get to The Stadium Bistro for some tapas…....soon….. I honestly hope that people don’t think that I want all the restaurants to fail…I hope they all succeed, I’m just concerned as to whether or not the current population of Tacoma (north end mostly) can support these restaurants. And yes, if your a destination restaurant, then people will perhaps drive from other areas outside of the north end.
As for the street around Paddy Coynes and Matador, I have always thought that would be a great area to stuff a bunch of restaurants/bars in so people can venture there in the evening and hop around from place to place. That would be great. But, it will have to compete with the other areas that offer that to a certain extent.
As everyone knows, I would love to see some big box retail and commercial downtown due to the fact it would provide a reason for folks to come downtown on the weekend and after work on weekdays. If you were able to get just a couple big box retail to open up along Pacific between say 13th and Paddy Coynes, it would bring much needed foot traffic to that area which in return will get people walking by the local merchants and supporting them also. I sense that all the merchants are afraid of big box retail because they think they’ll be put out of business…am I righ? are there any merchants that can offer some info on how they feel about the subject? All these businesses can co-exist…...Has anyone walked down broadway in Portland?? I lived on broadway back when they opened up pioneer place and as far as I can remember none of the local merchants suffered, and they are still around thriving with the much needed traffic downtown…and of course the rest is history…Portland is zooming to the moon…....I’m not saying it was just the addition of Pioneer place that did it, but it was a COMBINATION of developement projects that complemented each other…..and I think the key word here is COMBINATION..........now, frankly I barely recognize downtown Portland when I go back there…..amazing on the transformation…...Anyways, as far as the local merchants, I think that it is important to make sure that the local merchants succeed and we need to make sure that they can, because it adds Tacoma’s character to the mix. But big box can compliment the merchants business and bring additional people in from the outside to do business. Not the mention it would help create even more of an urban environment for every person who lives downtown…....
I know everyone always says that Tacoma is not Portland, or Tacoma is not Bellevue, or Tacoma is not Vancouver….folks yes we are…..we have one of the largest ports on the west coast, we have the world headquarters for Frank Russell, we have the glass museum, and the soon to be car museum…we have so much and I think sometimes we don’t give ourselves the credit we need to because of the whole Tacroma thing…I’m convienced that we can properly develope downtown if we can just get a vision in place that isn’t narrow minded, to ensure that the developement is even…including all things that we need as far as commercial/retail/condo….Tacoma can be a metropolitan destination…we just have to believe and we can’t be afraid of change and of taking a leap of faith…....just a few thoughts…....
19 | Posted by Rich | Feb 7, 09:19 AM
pweikel,
I visited Stadium Bistro about a week after it opened and was quite impressed. I had eaten French food (in France) and am just not used to paying $15 for a plate of apples and imported cheese, but the wine was very good. I strongly encourage those establishments that try to break the mold.
As far as restaurants go, I think many fail because they try to be too ambitious too quickly. Without building up a customer base first, the restaurants are largely empty even with a small crowd, and the ground rents are too high to stay in business. With a smaller space, even quieter business periods seem really busy. People want to go where other people are, so consequently, if they see a tiny but busy restaurant, it will be more appealing.
One type of eating establishment I would like to see more of is the lunch counter/small cafe. It’s essentially a sliding window out on the sidewalk with maybe a table or two inside. These types of joints are all over the place on the East Coast and Europe, but you don’t see to many of them out west. They create a large amount of sidewalk and street activity, something that most of Tacoma lacks.
20 | Posted by drizell | Feb 7, 10:34 AM
I know everyone always says that Tacoma is not Portland, or Tacoma is not Bellevue, or Tacoma is not Vancouver….folks yes we are…..
This is probably a good topic on it’s own. I think that’s why this web site exists: to help define what Tacoma is. Right now we can only compare and contrast with other places that have grown a few stages beyond Tacoma. But Tacoma is unique among them. What then is Tacoma?
22 | Posted by morgan | Feb 8, 09:12 AM
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