A Late Night Donut Pop-Up Comes to Capitol Hill

And it's free.

By Seattle Mag October 31, 2014

donuts

How much would you donate (dough-nate?) to bring a late-night donut shop to Capitol Hill?

Chef Justin Newtsrum (Portage Bay Café, Crave) hopes it’s enough to help him reach his $16,000 goal to open a deep-fried dream called 9th & Hennepin. He’s a big Tom Waits fan. 

“I think Seattle needs something like this,” says Newstrum. “Kind of that boozy, down on the wrong side of the railroad tracks sort of feel. I chose Capitol Hill because I need a part of town that has a pretty solid nightlife and I kind of see myself as being complementary to that.”

Newstrum got the idea about 15 years ago when he was in New Orleans, wandering around the French Quarter, drunk, in the middle of the night. “I was going from bar to bar, having a great time with friends. Eventually, you get to that point in the night and you need something in your stomach besides all the booze that’s already there and the Café Du Monde is there.”

9th and Hennepin will serve hot donuts, booze and coffee and “there’s probably going to be booze in the coffee and booze in the donuts. And maybe some coffee in the donuts, occasionally.”

Newstrom talks of fritters, crullers, raised and cake donuts and ,”things that probably stretch the definition of what a donut is.”

To help reach his lofty goal (so far, he’s raised about $5,000), Newstrum is holding a pop-up at Café Pettirosso this Sunday from 6-10 p.m. The donuts will be free, but donations are encouraged (you wouldn’t really stiff a guy now, would you?). There will also be $5 glasses of bubbly.

The menu is subject to change, but it could resemble something similar to this: local sugar pumpkin challah knots with Woodinville Whiskey caramel icing; Collins Farm cardamom pear fritters; and sour cream cake donuts with chocolate hazelnut ganache.

Check out Newstrum’s Kickstarter page to learn more about his project and, of course, to donate. 

 

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