1200 Bistro under new ownership; Scotty Simpson weighs in on another place

Barry Rogel has been a fixture on Capitol Hill for a long time. But not as long as his DeLuxe Bar & Grill. The DeLuxe (625 Broadway E., Seattle, 206-324-9697) has been in continuous operation since 1932. Barry's father, Joe Rogel, and Bernie Minsk bought the place back in '62; and in 1999, Barry — who'd been running the restaurant and bar for years — bought them out. He continues today as its hands-on operator.

Barry Rogel has long considered opening a second restaurant, and when he learned 1200 Bistro — and the building that housed it — was for sale, he took a serious look. It sold to an investment group who then offered him the lease on the restaurant. Rogel jumped at the chance to own a piece of the action at 12th and Pike, Seattle's newest restaurant row.

Six-year-old 1200 Bistro had everything a restaurateur could want: A great corner location. A built-in clientele courtesy of original owners Kenny Carlson, Jim Deitchler and Keith Moergeli. And a reputation as a popular lounge with an adjoining fine-dining venue: the "favorite place" of many on the Hill.

Staffers were apprised of the sale, and Rogel met with key personnel. And while he knew there was "some trepidation" about the changeover, he wasn't prepared for what he found when he showed up Aug. 1 "to get my feet wet." Turns out there was more trepidation than he imagined.

Much of the staff had fled as if there'd been a tsunami warning. Chef Bo Maisano, on board since March, had left abruptly (he's now running the kitchen at Madison Park Café). Hearing various rumors — that everyone was going to be fired, that Rogel was going to turn the fine-dining restaurant into "another DeLuxe" — others followed suit.

"I expected some turnover after I got here," says Rogel. But what he found that first night was a restaurant running with a skeleton staff. Original co-owner Moergeli says he was shocked as well, and explains the mass exodus this way: "The rumors get started, everyone starts to panic and there's a lemming effect."

Thinking fast, Rogel closed off the dining room and did a brisk bar business. "A group of guys came in, saw me busing tables and said, 'Hey, I know you! You're Barry, from the DeLuxe,' " he recalls. And when they asked him what he was doing there, he told them, deadpan, "I'm busing tables." One guy looked at him quizzically and said, "Is the DeLuxe alright?"

The DeLuxe, says Rogel, couldn't be doing better. But, he says, it was clear that 1200 Bistro certainly could. On Aug. 2, he closed the restaurant, putting a sign on the door telling the bistro's many fans that there's been a change in ownership and that the closure should be brief. He's since embarked on a plan to reopen by the end of August.

Moergeli and Deitchler were on hand early this week, showing their successor where to find the fuse box and the paint needed for a cosmetic spruce-up. Rogel has hired a new executive chef, Andrew Ingram, whose brief menu will retain the seasonality that the kitchen's been long known for. Now fully staffed with a mix of new employees and old, Rogel says that once re-opened, "We're hoping people will come in, take a look and say, 'Hey! It's the 1200!'

"The [bistro's] M.O. is established, and we'll keep that format. We'll try to keep it upscale, but bring the menu price-point down," he says. He's revamping the wine list, training staff and looking forward to bistro ownership with cautious optimism. "I bought this business for a reason," says Rogel. "To grow it. We're going to figure out the best way to accommodate the customers, listen very carefully to what they tell us, learn from it, adapt for it and grow."

Moergeli says he and his former business partners will sorely miss their steadfast clientele. And with new management staff taking their place, he's happy to report that several of his top employees will remain with Rogel. He notes that "longest best" bartender Mark Noyes, longtime lounge-act Blake Holway, server Julia Gaylord and others will help make the transition less of a transition when the place reopens for dinner and drinks.

Speaking of transitions

Ever wondered what happened to Scotty Simpson, who sold his vaunted Blue Onion Bistro in 2004, returned — albeit briefly — with the upscale Capitol Hill restaurant Fork, then all but dropped off the face of the Earth? He's still around — though you might not recognize him.

Simpson underwent bariatric surgery last year in Mexico and has since lost more than 200 pounds, now weighing in at a slim 190. "I'm half the man I used to be," he says, with his trademark laugh. And, if all goes accordingly, he expects to be in business once again — this time in Ballard.

He's leased the little red building at Northwest 73rd Street and 15th Avenue Northwest (formerly inhabited by Ballard Brothers Burgers, vacant since Ballard Brothers relocated to its new digs near the Ballard Bridge). And he plans to spend the next few months transforming it into — are you ready for this? — The Lunchbox Laboratory, where he'll make "really ultra-awesome burgers, amazing milkshakes, killer sandwiches and soups" — exactly the kind of food I was hoping he'd do before he went forky with Fork.

Scotty's thinking mac 'n' cheese, boneless short-rib sandwiches, homemade ice cream and hot brownies with marshmallow stuffing. You know, the kind of stuff that made him a minor culinary miracle at the original Blue Onion Bistro. With only 20 seats and 1,800 square feet, it sounds too good to be true. And if it isn't, well, I'll be one of the first in line to try his "Noble Oval," a burger named after the kiddie drum set he's planning on putting in the window.

The road less traveled

After hitting a few speed bumps on the road to its debut, Skillet — the moveable feast built as a restaurant-in-an-RV — plans to "go live" any minute.

Co-owner and chef Joshua Henderson (who's spent the past few years feeding photographers on-location out of an RV) says he and his business partner Danny Sizemore (who sells kitchen equipment) expect their custom Airstream to be out and about this week and urges potential customers to track their not-so-speeding bullet via GPS at www.skilletstreetfood.com. Their first stop is slated for South Lake Union.

Skillet is envisioned as a gourmand's version of the taco trucks and mobile construction-site eateries that dot our edible landscape. The evolution of street-food in America has failed to keep up with the evolution of restaurants, says Henderson, who hopes to change that with Skillet.

"We may only have four or five menu items each day, but they'll be done from scratch, and done damn well. If we have a burger, it'll be a custom blend," he says. "But even if people don't know what they're eating" — say, a crabcake po' boy with roasted garlic and preserved lemon pistou — "I want them to say, 'I don't know what that was, but it was really freakin' good!' "

Henderson expects his prices to range from $3-$7 at breakfast and $7-$12 at lunch. "We're going after the office parks and high-rise buildings, the people who shop at Whole Foods and at farmers markets." That being said, he notes, "Talk to me in six months. We'll do whatever our customers call for." What he won't do, he insists, is compromise on food quality.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.

More columns available at seattletimes.com/nancyleson.