General Porpoise Doughnuts Opens; Zoi Antonitsas Leaving Westward

Welcome to CascadiaWire, a weekly collection of restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.

WEST SEATTLE — The delightful, delicious Beloved Mexico has been wheeled away from its Fauntleroy location as of this week. After five years serving the community authentic Mexican food, they've closed up shop forever. Co-proprietor Christian Guerrero says that part of Beloved Mexico's decision was due to the arrival of Chipotle Mexican Grill to the area. Although Chipotle is currently closed due to an E. coli outbreak linked to its food, the arrival of the store within the last two months has affected the food truck's bottom line.

CAPITOL HILL — All three of Renee Erickson's much-anticipated Capitol Hill projects are now open. Last week, her Bar Melusine and Bateau opened, with General Porpoise still pending. Now, the coffee and doughnuts shop is ready for public consumption. The cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving coffee from four roasters: De Lâ Paz from San Francisco, Dapper & Wise and Heart from Portland, and Toby's Estate from Brooklyn. Pastry chef Clare Gordon is whipping up the fried dough; four to six doughnut flavors will be offered daily.

FREMONT — If you've come to love Zoi Antonitsas's food at Westward, you have just a few more days to enjoy it. Word came over the weekend that Antonitsas is moving on, with her last day in the kitchen set to be this Friday, November 13. Antonitsas has earned plenty of good press for her work at Westward, including being named to Food and Wine's list of Best New Chefs this year. It's uncertain right now where she's headed next.