Two businesses on Ballard Avenue are close to opening. The Noble Fir will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday and D’Ambrosio Gelato is hoping to open on Friday.
Ellen Kelly and her husband Rick are owners of The Noble Fir at 5316 Ballard Ave NW. Ellen tells us that the new bar is a “neighborhood beer, wine and hard cider tavern featuring trail guides, hiking maps and atlases to plan your next wilderness adventure.” They’ll serve small plates like meats and cheeses, bread, sandwiches and chocolates. “Our idea is that the food compliments the beverage,” Ellen says, “We are really focused on the beer, wine, cider (and of course the wilderness guides) but if you get a little hungry, you can have something other than pub food and fries.” Once open, The Noble Fir will be open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., “and for the thirsty Ballard Farmer’s Market goers, we’ll open at noon on Sundays,” Ellen adds.
Although the brown paper is still up on the windows of D’Ambrosio Gelato (5339 Ballard Ave NW), Marco D’Ambrosio tells that they’re hoping to open on Friday afternoon. “Things are moving fast and we are expecting several final inspections this week,” D’Ambrosio says, “Possibly we can get Health Department approval sometime on Thursday morning which could allow us to open on Friday afternoon.” When we spoke to the owner back in March, he told us that he decided to open his gelato shop on Ballard Avenue because it reminds him of a little Italian street.
