Storm puts eateries in dark or in demand

Chef Holly Smith feels forlorn when she thinks of the month's worth of handmade ravioli and other filled pastas lost to a weekend of no power in her Kirkland restaurant, Cafe Juanita.

"It's depressing to throw steaks away. It's depressing to throw tubs of mascarpone away," Smith said Monday as her staff prepared for the first evening of dinner since losing power in Thursday's storm. "We were booked every single night and had private parties every single night."

"A lot of special occasions went unmarked."

The region's wild weather spawned a weekend of feast or famine for area restaurants: A feast for those with power and able to feed the hordes searching for a hot meal; famine for businesses unable to cater holiday parties or serve dinner on one of the busiest dining weekends of the year.

While the crew at Seattle's Piatti restaurant in University Village hustled to feed an unending stream of diners, The Herbfarm in Woodinville was forced to call guest after guest to cancel dinner and holiday party reservations.

The Herbfarm was still without power Monday during one of its busiest times of year, with no clear picture of when electricity might be restored. Kerosene heaters warmed plants in the restaurant's greenhouse, and owner Carrie Van Dyck was beginning to worry about the fluctuating temperature of the wine cellar.

"It's definitely a big impact. The staff was really hoping to make some money, and customers were really hoping to have a nice holiday time," Van Dyck said. "We had to cancel all of last week, and now it's looking like we'll have to cancel a bunch of nights this week."

Eateries able to open their doors found themselves slammed with crowds. Whole Foods Market, one of the few Bellevue establishments with power after the storm ebbed, was overrun, as was Mercer Island's Roanoke Inn. Restaurants throughout downtown Seattle, including Il Fornaio and Boka Kitchen & Bar, had hours-long waits for a table during the weekend.

Piatti had the largest crowds in its 11-year-history from open to close Friday through Sunday, said general manager Joe Bongiorno. That translated into $18,000 in net sales on Friday and Saturday respectively and $15,000 on Sunday, up from $12,000 to $13,000 on a typical weekend this time of year, he said.

Thomasin Levin, the dining-room manager, said the restaurant served 730 meals on Friday, 130 more than the same day last year.

"This is a busy season for us already, but with the power outage this knocked us even further into the busiest weekend of the year," Levin said. "We had people 'round the clock preparing more and more food so we wouldn't run out."

But for those who couldn't reap the benefits, the storm came at the worst time of year, especially for smaller establishments who rely on the winter holidays for the bulk of their business.

With its lights out Friday and Saturday, Madison Park Bakery had to cancel orders for holiday parties, meaning a lot of disappointed customers and $13,000 in lost business, said co-owner Karen Hofman.

"We're kind of jumping on things and trying to pick up the pace again and make up for the lost sales," co-owner Terry Hofman said. "It put a dent in our sales. Hopefully the customers will come back and understand."

Restaurateurs said they were thankful for patient customers and appreciate colleagues who have reached out to lend a hand.

"I got a call from [chef/owner] Jason Wilson at Crush and [chef/co-owner] Tamara Murphy at Brasa, checking in to see if we needed help," Cafe Juanita's Smith said. "That means the world to me."

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618

or kgaudette@seattletimes.com