A star bartender opens a French-inspired lounge and an acclaimed brewery expands to Woodinville

Roquette

One of the year’s most anticipated bar openings, this Belltown lounge showcases cognac, calvados and armagnac. The estimable Erik Hakkinen, formerly of Zig Zag Cafe, is behind this 46-seat, Parisian-inspired cocktail bar in Belltown.

The neighborhood has some interesting openings of late, including the natural-wine bar Vinnie’s and the Peruvian-inspired Imperial Lounge. At Roquette, expect Chartreuse, Lillet and Genepi to be incorporated into Hakkinen’s French-inspired, 20-cocktail menu. With bar snacks, think the French version of the stellar JarrBar at Pike Place. Expect French and Spanish tin seafood as well as cheese and charcuterie.

Hakkinen, who made our 2017 list of rising star bartenders, also plans to open another bar next year in downtown, Pink Lady, in the former space of Lusty Lady. At Roquette, you can find Hakkinen behind the bar from Tuesdays through Thursdays.

2232 First Ave., Seattle; website pending

Black Raven Brewing Co.

The illustrious Redmond-based brewery is becoming a major player in the regional beer scene, with a second production facility and taproom in Woodinville that will allow it to crank out four times more beer. Their popular Trickster IPA and other beers are available in Alaska, Washington and northern Idaho, but with a new 30-barrel system, expect this Eastside brand to expand to Hawaii and the rest of Idaho in the coming months, with eyes toward Oregon and California in two years.

The new taproom has about 120 seats and boasts 24 taps. The good news for parents is that children are allowed until 7 p.m. There will also be televisions to catch the Seahawks and Mariners games and, in the future, an outdoor patio. There’s no kitchen, but a rotating roster of food trucks will be parked during lunch and dinner hours.

Mark your calendar. Its highly anticipated 10th-annual anniversary party (Aug. 17) will be in the new Woodinville taproom, featuring limited sours and barrel-age releases.

15920 Woodinville-Redmond Road N.E., Woodinville; 425-881-3020, ext. 101, for questions about the new taproom; its Redmond taproom will remain open; blackravenbrewing.com

Other bar openings: Four miles north from the new Black Raven brewery is Route 522 Taproom, with 48 craft beers, ciders and wines on tap. In Renton, Dubtown Brewing Co. finally opened after a yearlong delay. The popular Puyallup Crockett’s Public House has expanded to Maple Valley.