Huxley Wallace Group Rolls Out Tons of Restaurants | Miyabi 45th to Close

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

PLYWOOD REPORT—The wait for a whole bunch of Josh Henderson/Huxley Wallace Collective restaurants to open is nearly over. This month, the chef/restaurant group owner extraordinaire will roll out the first of his eventual 8-to-10 Great State Burger outlets, along with his Bar Noroeste taco bar and Saint Helens, an American-style brasserie. Henderson/HWC are going to be busy the rest of the year, too, with more recently-announced projects.

BOOZE NEWS—Last year, Fairmont Hotels revamped its global cocktail program, aiming to offer an accessible menu that bartenders around the world could make regardless of country-by-country restrictions on spirits imports. The menu was developed over four very rigorous (and boozy) days at Kathy Casey's Liquid Kitchen in Ballard, and the six cocktails comprising the new menu are now available at Fairmont locations worldwide.

WALLINGFORD—The handmade soba at Miyabi 45th in Wallingford is soon to be no more—perhaps temporarily, perhaps forever. Chef Mutsuko Soma, whose brilliantly crafted cuisine landed her restaurant on the Eater 38, is departing Miyabi 45th after February 13 for maternity leave. She'll continue offering the restaurant's regular menu until then, and she says she plans to return at some point. The timeline for that is unclear, and it seems as though a permanent change may be on the table.