“It actually wasn’t that hard narrowing it down to ten from the 82 Ballard restaurants we visited. Our top ten turned out to be a good mix of cuisines and price points. They spanned the course of this project, which makes me think we spread out the good ones fairly well,” the write in their Best of the Ballard Restaurant Project 2011 post.

To see their list and explanations for selecting each one, click here. (Thanks Gnomie for asking about this in the forum!)

We asked owner Laura Olson about what makes Po Dog unique:

We serve up our wieners in a custom made Macrina Brioche hot dog bun that was made specifically to fit our size wieners. We offer Uli’s Famous Sausages as an alternative to our 100% Kosher all-beef dog. Po Dog does different monthly specials in addition to our 12 signature dogs. This month we are featuring the Kimchee dog, next month will be our Thanksgiving Dog (mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce). Our signature dogs vary in selection from a peanut butter banana dog to a more simple version of the Seattle Dog with cream cheese and scallions.

More dogs on the menu here.

Olson says they hope to open mid-to late November. Once open they will serve dogs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Saturdays. (Thanks Brooke and Kim for the tip!)

“Our emphasis is definitely on, first of all house-made things. We’ll make our own pasta, have focaccia by the slice,” Linnea says. “We have an emphasis on sourcing local vegetables, local fish, fruit, that’s all super important to us.”

“It’s a family-oriented neighborhood cafe,” Linnea tells us, that will have its soft opening next week. Starting off, they will be open Tuesday through Saturday for breakfast and lunch with the hopes of expanding into dinner. You can check out their menu here.

During the three-month closure, Shawn tells us that they’ve added new taps, including a red wine and white wine tap, and will have cold beer – really cold beer. “We’re hoping to have some of the coldest beer in Ballard,” Shawn says. There will also be a new focal point to the bar – the actual bar. Shawn and Cory’s dad is a master woodworker and is coming in to make the new bar. “That’s kind of exciting because that will be a huge focus of the bar itself, which it never had.”

While a lot has happened cosmetically, not much else has changed. The menu will look almost identical, although a few items will be switched out and the faces will remain the same. The entire crew, from the waitresses to cooking crew is coming back.

The former owner, Steve Katsandres, closed Bad Albert’s in July. “When there was talk that he was going to be closing it up, we definitely put our names in the hat to buy it,” Shawn says. “After a few different people, he wanted to work with us and it worked out.” Katsandres is a big support for the Rockey brothers, even though they have their own vision for the place.

Once open at this location, which may be as early as next month, they will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. “This allows the public to be able to count on us being opened specific hours,” he says. “Too many concessions keep very irregular hours and in the long run hurt their business as everyone has too much on their minds to remember.”

This will be their fourth location. They are currently in Bellevue and Issaquah and will soon open in Woodinville.

Earlier:It seems that the Eastside pizzaria, Tuscan Stone Wood Fired Pizza, may be heading to Ballard.

A new sign has popped up at the intersection of Leary Ave NW and 8th Ave NW, near the Fred Meyer. The bright red sign says “Tuscan Stone Wood Fired Pizza; Coming Soon!; and lists its website.”

According to their website, Tuscan Stone has one pizzeria in old Bellevue at the corner of Bellevue Way and Main Street. We have an email into Tuscan Stone and will update this post when we hear details.

The cafe is open 4:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends. Prices fall in the $5 to $7 range.

The Red Mill Totem House (3058 NW 54th St) will be open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. As with their other restaurants in Interbay and Phinney Ridge, the Ballard spot will only accept cash and checks.

The burger joint opened in February 2010 at 2008 NW 56th St, next door to Malena’s Tacos. “It is closed. It has been sold and a new concept will be starting shortly,” owner William Wen tells us. “A BBQ concept will be going in there, don’t know the name but they have a lot of experience so should be very good.” (Thank you charliecooper for posting in the forum.)

This morning came word that Hines will unveil her Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Golden Beetle in Ballard in late February. Golden Beetle — named for a 27-ingredient spice mixture from Morocco, ras al-hanout, which includes dried golden beetle, a Spanish fly that is considered an aphrodisiac — will take over the former Via Verde location at 1744 NW Market Street.

From the press release:

Hines is known for her commitment to locally organic and sustainable practices at Tilth, which will also be maintained at Golden Beetle. Tilth is one of only two Oregon Tilth certified restaurants in the country and Hines will seek this certification for Golden Beetle as well, meaning that 95 percent of what is purchased will be organic.

Cultural influences of the Golden Beetle menu are rooted in Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. The food will be rustic with spices such as sumac, fenugreek and ras al-hanout seasoning dishes as well as offering some heat spiced dishes. The selection of ingredients will also be reflective of the Eastern Mediterranean with an emphasis on small game birds, lamb and rabbit. Beef will be featured as skewers and meatballs in place of a large steak offering. Fish and vegetarian items will also be represented at Golden Beetle.

The menu will focus largely on small plates with a more freestyle presentation that will be representative of what the menu reads. Larger entrée plates will make up approximately one-third of the menu and bare more resemblance to a composed and focused presentation. Overall, the menu will encompass elevated “street food” from the cultures in which it draws, slightly resembling a gastropub menu versus the elegant dishes found at Tilth.

Craft cocktails will receive a strong emphasis and beer and wine offerings will feature Northwest selections that complement the menu’s flavor profiles.

Hines’ interest in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine is rooted in her travels to the area, often due to her interest in rock climbing. “The food from these cultures really resonated with me. It is a bold and exciting departure from Tilth’s New American menu and demands a different type of creativity. It opens me up to exploring different flavor profiles and cooking techniques, which is incredibly exciting to me as a chef,” said Hines.

Given her interest in the cuisine, the concept for a bar and restaurant seemed like a natural fit in Seattle. Eastern Mediterranean influences are not often seen in Seattle, especially with an emphasis on locally organic.

Hines will split her time between Golden Beetle and Tilth. She recently promoted the Tilth sous chef, Jason Brzozowy, to chef de cuisine.

Hines is currently traveling in Istanbul, Beirut and Cairo for additional research for Golden Beetle and tweeting with pictures throughout her trip.

The Ridgeback is a neighborhood cafe featuring a full lineup of crepes, sandwiches, Belgium waffles and some tapas, as well. It serves beer, wine and espresso drinks. Owner Justin Taft says he created The Ridgeback in the same vein as his other restaurant, the well-regarded Hangar Cafe in Georgetown.

Taft said they received final permit approval for The Ridgeback from the City of Seattle at 2 p.m. Friday, and he opened the doors an hour later — months after they originally intended to open.

“It feels fantastic. It’s been such a journey, but it’s been a great experience,” a very satisfied and relieved-sounding Taft told PhinneyWood. “We’re so ultra prepared. We are so stoked.”

The Ridgeback will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hours are 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Fridays, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays. Taft eventually hopes to hold communal dinners on Sunday evenings.

Earlier this month, The Blue Glass restaurant opened a few doors down.

(Thanks to Dale at PhinneyWood for help on this story!)

Seattle Restaurant Week runs Sunday through Thursday until October 28th and participating restaurants will offer a 3-course meal for $25. (Disclosure: MyBallard is an editorial partner with the Seattle Times, who is sponsoring Seattle Restaurant Week.)

The Missing Link Cafe, inside the newly opened Dutch Bike Co. on 4741 Ballard Ave., has also applied for a license to sell beer and wine.  The cafe and bike company are part of the renovated Kolstrand Building.

The Missing Link Cafe inside Dutch Bike Co.

We stopped by this morning to take a look inside where crews are still busy renovating the dining room. Owner Larry Holm tells us the restaurant will seat 32 people and will offer lunch and dinner between 10am and 8pm. They’ll start out with a larger sandwich selection than pizzas, but plan to expand the menu as they go. They’ll also offer such fare as chicken strips and buffalo wings.  Stackers also hopes to start delivering in the near future. (Thanks to Joel for the tip!)

Bailiff expects the tent to be operational by the beginning of May. (Full disclosure: Ristorante Picolinos is a sponsor of MyBallard.)

So while the new dim sum restaurant isn’t in Ballard, it is closer than the International District. It’s just in Wallingford (4900 Stone Way.) According to our sister site, My Wallingford, the former owner of House of Hong in the ID has decided to open his new Chinese restaurant, called Bamboo Village, in north Seattle.

Bamboo Village will serve dim sum all day everyday as well as Cantonese and Mandarin dishes. The new restaurant is slated to open in late May or early June. You can read more about the new restaurant here.

The sign on the door at Tigertail restaurant and bar on 65th St. says the establishment has been temporarily closed by the Liquor Control Board. My Ballard reader Roy Hobbs sent us this photo below. The sign reads, “Sorry, we’ve been shut down by Liquor Control. Be open soon.”

Earlier this week, Chris sent us an email to say he saw another sign on the door that claimed Tigertail is having issues with the IRS. The sign disappeared a short time later. Our sister blog PhinneyWood has called the IRS, which referred them to the county auditor’s office, which then referred them to the county Recorders office, where they left a message. They also called the public records line at the State Liquor Control Board, where they were told there is a “pending issue on their license.” They also left a message for Tigertail’s owners, so stay tuned.

Rebekah Denn of “Eat All About It” took some video of the interior, the pizza-making and the actual pizza. Delancey will be open Wednesday – Sunday at 5 p.m. closing either 9-ish or 10-ish depending on the day. And as Brandon tweeted today, they will take reservations for parties of 6 – 10.

Honore, the French bakery at 14th & 70th, is taking advantage of the sunshine. They opened this small patio in back a few weeks ago.

Given Honore’s limited seating inside and their popularity, people we talked to are excited about this. And as we’ve reported, Hamburger Harry’s on Market has applied for sidewalk seating, so stay tuned for that.

• Back in November, we wrote about a plan to convert Obermaier Machine Works at 5307 Ballard Ave. NW to a French restaurant. The new owners were just issued a construction permit to begin work on structural improvements as well as a new covered outdoor seating area. The initial target to open is sometime this June.
• My Ballard reader Becky wrote us after she saw “store consolidation sale” signs at Skarbos Furniture in Old Ballard. Not to worry, Skarbos tells us they’re not closing, but they are closing their other store down in Southcenter and consolidating their inventory in Ballard.
• The new Greek restaurant going in next to Uma on 20th Ave., Plaka Estiatorio, plans to open Wednesday. (Plaka advertises on My Ballard.)