Skip to content

Food & Drink

Read More ›

Ballard Restaurant Addo Expands Pastry Offerings from a Hyperlocal Source

Seattle magazine food editor’s cakes by the slice are now available at chef Eric Rivera’s new restaurant in Ballard.

TinBoxBakeShop_Jan2015-22-1

Chef Eric Rivera’s buzzy new pop-up eatery, Addo, which recently landed a permanent space in Ballard, is about to get a little sweeter. As of July 13, the hard-to-describe space (part incubator for new food businesses, part all-day restaurant) offers cake by the slice from Seattle magazine’s very own food editor, Chelsea Lin.

Lin, who has been writing for Seattle magazine since 2014  launched her side hustle, Tin Box Bakeshop, in early 2015 while she was freelancing and exploring options on how she can pursue food in different ways, rather than just writing about it. She takes custom cake orders, mostly for birthdays but also the occasional wedding.

“People always ask me if I want to open my own bakery, and that’s never been the goal,” says Lin.

Rivera, who took over the Royal Drummer space in June (though they will still be doing coffee service in the morning) when he was looking for a permanent home for his incubator/restaurant, Addo, put a call out for pastry professionals and cake vendors on Facebook. He heard about Lin’s delicious cakes based on a few referrals from their mutual friends.

“Obviously, because of my job [at Seattle magazine], I don’t have time to be baking every day. But I told him I’d start with a couple cakes a week, delivered on Fridays,” says Lin.

This Friday, the featured flavors will be vanilla cake with strawberry-rhubarb jam and chocolate cake with espresso cream. Look forward to coconut cakes with pandan custard, ginger cakes with cardamom cream cheese, vanilla cakes with lemon curd and many more other not-overly-sweet flavors, which is Tin Box’s sweet spot in Seattle’s growing cake-by-the-slice offerings.

The Seattle edit staff certainly has indulged on occasion when we’re lucky enough for her to bring some in. Lin’s cakes will be available at Addo’s walk-up pastry counter all day on Fridays until they sell out. Plus, there is a dessert happy hour on Fridays from 4-6 p.m. and again from 9-10 p.m. where you can celebrate the weekend with a glass of rosé and a slice of cake for $12.

“People who don’t like cake think that they’re going to be both dry and super sweet—mine are neither,” says Lin. “I love baking for someone who thinks they don’t like cake—I have a pretty good success rate of changing their minds!”

Restaurant Roundup: 3 Pearls and Restaurant Week Redux

Restaurant Roundup: 3 Pearls and Restaurant Week Redux

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

When something tastes good, you gotta go back for seconds—and that’s exactly what we’re doing for this fall’s Seattle Restaurant Week, Oct. 18-31. Building off a successful spring spread, this edition brings back curated menus at various price points ($20, $35, $50, and $65) at restaurants, bars, cafes, and pop-ups across the greater Seattle area….

House Special: A Taste of Ecuador at Bad Chancla

House Special: A Taste of Ecuador at Bad Chancla

Chef José Garzón brings a coastal Ecuadorian classic to his 335-square-foot Capitol Hill kitchen, where he hopes to introduce more dishes from home. 

There is not much room at Bad Chancla. The bright pink walk-up on East Olive Way seats a handful of people elbow to elbow, mostly outside, and the kitchen behind the counter is small enough that chef and co-owner José Garzón can talk to you while he cooks.  Garzón grew up between Guayaquil and the…

Opening Night: GoodMart Makes Lunch Feel Like Luxury

Opening Night: GoodMart Makes Lunch Feel Like Luxury

Victor Steinbrueck, owner of Fremont’s acclaimed Local Tide, opens his second seafood-centric restaurant in the heart of Ballard.

On a Thursday afternoon I was able to walk right up to the counter at GoodMart on Ballard Avenue and order lunch, which surprised me.  GoodMart is owned by Victor Steinbrueck, who opened Local Tide in Fremont during the height of the pandemic (August 2020) and built it into one of Seattle’s most acclaimed seafood…

Where to Warm Up With a Drink This Fall and Winter in Seattle

Where to Warm Up With a Drink This Fall and Winter in Seattle

From swanky speakeasies to a cozy literary bar, these spots serve inventive cocktails and zero-proof options.

Seattle’s drearier days are slowly arriving, but it’s not all gray and gloom from here. Finding a cozy spot to warm up is part of the trick to enjoying the darker, colder months. The right place lets you bring a friend, a book, a journal, or simply yourself, and let time pass by.  Whether you…