Restaurant Black Dog opens with high hopes
April 6, 2011
By Dan Catchpole
Snoqualmie’s art scene has a new hangout in the city’s downtown. The Black Dog opened its doors in mid-March. It’s a café by necessity, but in the eyes of the owners, it is venue for supporting the performing arts — while providing good food and drinks.
As with other restaurants in downtown Snoqualmie, the owners will rely heavily on tourists to keep The Black Dog from going into the red. But they want to lessen their dependence on seasonal traffic by expanding the café’s culinary and entertainment offerings.
Jill Brocco (left), Sharon Chapman and CJ Chapman catch up at The Black Dog in Snoqualmie. The three used to be regulars at Isadora’s Café, which closed in December. By Dan Catchpole
The owners — five friends — know the economy is tough. The previous tenant in their location, Isadora’s Café, went out of business at the end of December.
The group isn’t new to the restaurant business. For one, opening The Black Dog is like coming home.
Chris Coffing opened Isadora’s in 1990, which she sold in 2008 to an employee, Jody Sands. Coffing still had money in the café, though.
“When I’m behind the bar, it feels like I never left,” Coffing said.
Not long after Sands took over, the economy went into recession. The decline in business finally caught up with her in late 2010. In November, she decided to close before the new year.
It just didn’t make financial sense to keep the doors open, Sands said before closing.
“It just made me too sad to see it close up,” Coffing said.
Since she was still invested in Isadora’s, she would have to take a financial loss if she walked away. Or she could reopen the café.
At the time, Coffing was performing in a production of A Christmas Carol in Preston. She approached some of her fellow actors about joining her in taking over the location under a new name.
The group chose a name indicative of their vision of creating a place to support the performing arts. They had performed together as Theater Black Dog. So, Isadora’s became, The Black Dog.
Before reopening, the space received a makeover.
“We’ve put a lot of sweat equity into it,” said Rich Payne, one of the owners.
Payne worked in restaurant construction for several decades before being laid off in 2008. He has overseen the extensive and ongoing physical modifications to the location.
The location’s stage has been converted into a black box theater. The minimalist setting is flexible and puts the focus on the performance.
The owners also plan on adding a patio and outdoor seating behind the café for the summer.
Most of the changes to the floor plan won’t be noticed by the customers, but the kitchen staff will greatly appreciate the expanded space in the back.
Two of the owners, Janet Payne, Rich’s wife, and Greg Bulmer, Coffing’s husband, are in charge of the food. Janet, who has more than two decades in the culinary industry, is the café’s primary chef.
The menu will feature some standards, such as a BLT, but will change regularly, Janet said.
The Black Dog will also feature several homemade items, including bread, soup, pasta and “killer cinnamon toast,” Coffing said.
In addition, the café will have a well-stocked wine bar and selection of microbrew beers.
The expanded menu and live entertainment are keys to the owners’ plan for attracting new customers and new revenue.
Live music will be the mainstay of The Black Dog’s entertainment. It will run the gamut from rock to bluegrass, said Payne.
The owners plan to have live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday mornings, when the café will serve brunch.
They hope to partner with arts groups in Snoqualmie Valley, including Valley Center Stage.
CJ Chapman is happy to see the place back open.
A former regular, he now lives in Seattle, but the electrician volunteered to help with wiring the kitchen. Several members of the arts community lent their time and skills to the project. When he lived in the Valley, Chapman came to Isadora’s to perform or watch friends perform. Even after moving to Seattle, he tried to stop in once a month.
“A lot of my legend was made here,” he said jokingly.
But he did build up a reserve of stories from hanging out at Isadora’s. There was the time he and the audience took a performance onto the street, down Railroad Avenue and into the former bingo hall.
“They took their bingo very seriously,” Chapman said. “Dabbers flew.”
The location encouraged artists to experiment.
“It was like a large living room,” he said.
Chapman hopes it will be again. He is trying to bring Seattle artists out to Snoqualmie, to build a bridge between the two art communities.
“It’s sort of like an evolution,” Chapman said.
Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.
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