It's all about the art and music, people

Art and music - that, along with a great drink in your one hand (caffeine or otherwise), and cupcake in the other was the exactly what last night's Block Party was primarily about. Aside from meeting the very talented etching artist, Joey Katzer at Happy Delusions and viewing the new art installation at Liberty Cafe, my favorite art presence were the chalk drawings on our South Third Street boardwalk. Anyone could drop down and join in - and surprisingly, many did, like Samantha Goetz-Granquist pictured above.

The family artwork of 4 generations turned Liberty Cafe into something that felt like a art salon of old. So many canvases were hung that the work covers nearly floor to ceiling. The ambiance created is colorful, vibrant and inspiring. The above painting is just one of many that caught my attention last night. Mark Arnold Remington, the impetus behind this family congregation of art, said that about 200 hundred people came through the door last night and he couldn't have had more fun if he tried.

Joey Katzer here with her copper plate etchings. A self professed shy and retiring individual, having a show at Happy Delusions for Joey was quite a stretch. Her work is of an incredibly high caliber and one can only hope that she will grace us with her presence more often. Check our her Flickr photostream here and marvel at her detail. Joey's work has a permanent site in Mary's store, but the full complement of her work will remain up throughout the weekend.

I thought that these mini Common Ground cupcakes with the DTR/I heart Renton buttons on them were the best idea yet in promoting our dear little main drag. Still hearing people question those "in the know" about the meaning of "DTR". How long is this gonna take? Acronyms, we Americans usually eat this stuff up! Get with the program already, Renton! If you have a DTR button, help out by wearing it proudly and giving people the "look" when they query what it means. That will teach them not to make our downtown part of their weekly rounds!

And the MUSIC - well, DC's Bar & Grill hosted DJ Nich Sullivan of the soon to open Tyrannosaurus Records for the later part of the night and he had things rockin'. DJ Phil Anthony was over at Liberty Cafe and I recommend him highly. If you happened to miss this month's event. stay tuned and catch up with the fun next time around. Why go outside the zip code when you can hang right here and have fun?

Party on the Block - Friday night at Liberty Cafe

Friday night and South Third Street in Downtown Renton is the place to be! Liberty Cafe will be hosting their Grand Opening Celebration from 6pm - 9 pm, and all of you are invited!

If you have never been to the new little shop that graces the top of S.Third and has lent a definite "European Cafe" air to the downtown area, please do take this moment to find out what you have been missing and meet some of the town.

Joe Kennedy of Calico Cheesecake will be making some of his infamously good savory cheesecake (I could gorge myself on this heavenly party snack), possibly some Bruschetta from Armondo's, and of course beer, wine, coffee and music.

Mike Moscowitz and Johnny Uysal , owners of Liberty Cafe will be on hand to party with all of us. Don't be shy - come on by!

Liberty Cafe 926 South Third Street
(425) 235 -1400

After the Fire - what's so great about Renton

Common Ground Coffee and Cupcakes has some smoke damage and loss of power after the 5 Alarm Fire that struck the neighboring building last night. And, they also have an order for a bunch of cupcakes for a Renton neighbor who is about to get married. That's right - Wedding Cupcakes.

The woman who placed the order lives right downtown - she heard the news of the fire and saw the damage. But Crystal (employee, cupcake baker) and Hang (owner) called her today and said that they wanted to make sure that her wedding went off without a hitch - and with her order of cupcakes.

This is were the story gets good and our town is, well, Great. The Law Offices of Green & Rousso (corner of Wells and South Third Street) agreed to give Common Ground a space in their offices to decorate the cupcakes today.

This is Crystal, with ingredients in hand as she goes off the make and bake the wedding cupcakes. She told me that she put on her favorite cupcake earrings today to lift her spirits for visiting the store after the fire.

Joe Kennedy, owner of Calico Cheesecake

More great neighborliness is exhibited by Calico Cheesecake, just up the street at the corner of Main Street and South Third, who are letting Common Ground bake the cupcakes in their ovens today. How cool is that!!??

I can never get over how wonderful it is to live in a town where people care. I have lived the anonymous life in great cities here and abroad - and it's kinda nice when you live somewhere that your face doesn't go unnoticed, nor do your troubles.

In this article here, by fellow blogger Randy Corman, it seems that we can hope to see the cupcake shop back soon. Ahhh - what a relief. This is exactly what hard times calls for - a little sweet relief, like only a cupcake or slice of cheesecake can provide. So get take your sweet tooth in hand and help out by snacking in your zipcode and showing that you care.


Common Ground Coffee and Cupcakes www.commongroundcupcakes.com
900 S. Third St. Unit A Renton WA (425) 235-1717

Calico Cheesecake Co. www.calicocheesecake.com
919 S. Third St. Renton,WA (206) 851-2571

An Ode to Joe of Calico (Cheesecake, that is!)

When the Cheesecake sign went up at the corner of Third and Main, I began to salivate. How long we Rentonites have waited for some great deserts in our little burb. The last week in Oct. brought not only Calico Cheesecake, but it's two sister establishments, Cafe Lure and the Tapestry Bar into our midst. Now we have a new breakfast destination and a bar with eight rotating taps, apps and a full dinner menu. Whew! That's a mouth full!
Calico Cheesecake, the brainchild of owner and head chef, Joe Kennedy, began around the corner on Houser in 2003. He began with a few local accounts (Melrose,The Met),word of mouth grew, and he was doing business. But he always wanted "his own piece of the pie" (don't you mean,ummm,cake, Joe?), and so when the space became available he and sous chef, Willie Dzul, picked up their other tool set and went to work. The store front was almost completely gutted and redone into the beautiful, interconnected trinity of eateries you see today.
Calico offers Joe's renowned cheesecake and Mukilteo brand coffee, but you can wander over to Cafe Lure through the connecting door and sit down to a full menu of good ole' American cuisine with a twist/nod to such flavors as the Southwest, France and Asia. Head a little further and you can sample from a full bar (only top shelf in their well drinks!) and great beer on tap. Though the Tapestry Bar also has it's own menu of more "pub grub" fare and tasty apps like clams and mounds of garlic fries, all menus are available wherever you end up sitting.
"People are never subtle about their food here," shared David Spooner, server and Marketing go-to guy at Calico. "Their response is just over-the-top." Momentum for the eatery is quickly being built by word of mouth. Joe Kennedy has a reputation for putting together a mean plate of food - whether it be sweet or savory. "Delicious food on adorable plates" is the best comment left by a customer so far to describe the experience that awaits you at the place that Joe made right here in our little ole' town.
919 South Third Street
Hours: (425)572-5931
Calico Cheesecake Tu-Sun 11-9 Closed Mondays
Holiday cheesecake flavors: Cranberry/White Chocolate,Caramel Apple,Pumpkin, Sherried Eggnog
Cafe Lure Tu-Fri 11-3, 5-9 Sat-Sun 9-2 Closed Monday
Tapestry Bar Tu-TH 4-10, Fri-Sat4-12 Sat-Sun 9-2 Closed Monday
Current Beer on Tap!!!
Arrogant Bastard,Diamond Knot XIPA,9LB Porter,Spaten Optimator,Snoqualimie Copperhead, Alpine Pilsner,Lagunitas IPA,Scuttlebutt Amber Pints /$4.75, 22 oz Imp.Pint $6-$6.25
Cheesecakes take time to make so order your goodies in advance so no one is disappointed this holiday season.
http://www.calicocheesecake.com/home.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBVQH0DqeoM