Customers of Ristorante Picolinos on 32nd Ave NW will soon be able to dine under a giant tent that can be opened or closed, depending on the weather.
This morning a 30-foot aluminum mast was hoisted up and over the fence with a crane and then slipped into the footing, which is set in a 6-foot-square concrete block in the middle of the back deck. Rainier Industries is constructing the tent which has been rated for gale-force winds.
“It went through very rigorous review because it’s the only tent in the city, outside of Teatro ZinZanni that’s allowed,” Picolinos owner Tom Bailiff explains about the city permit for the project (which can be viewed here.) The mostly white tent, with a touch of forest green, will be draped over the mast and securely attached around the perimeter.
“What I’m finding is, there’s not a lot of outdoor space that you can use in Seattle consistently,” Bailiff says, “Now I have guaranteed seating, come what may as the weather, outside hurricane winds.” The tent can be opened or closed in about 20 minutes, Bailiff tells us.
Bailiff expects the tent to be operational by the beginning of May. (Full disclosure: Ristorante Picolinos is a sponsor of MyBallard.)