The Red Line Is No More

While driving by the corner of Olive and Denny recently, my eye spotted something different inside The Red Line, those purveyors of tasty sandwiches and pizzas. Sure enough, the place was undergoing some interior decoration changes, and a sign was up on the window:

Coming soon: Amante Pizza & Pasta

Immediately, scary thoughts crossed my mind. No more Red Line? No more coffee, pizza, and espresso within walking distance? No more Oscar parties? No more friendly staff and customers that you recognize from visits past?

In doing a little research, the Seattle PI seems to have the scoop. Apparently owner Katy Carroll has decided to call it quits (her partner, Derrick Aiona, left some time ago). Amante Pizza & Pasta is a local chain, which, as the name implies, is mainly focused on the pizza/pasta trade.

Now, that's the bad part. There is a good part. According to the PI article:

• This particular Amante will continue to serve Red Line's sandwiches, coffee, and free wi-fi.
• The place will be open 24 hours.
• A bar will be added.

Well, I'm now down from "severely disappointed" to "hopeful". Katy had a great thing going with The Red Line, and I'm sad to see her go. But Amante seems to be catering to local preference in keeping some of Red Line's signature dishes and coffee-shop-feel in place.

I'm anxious to see who wins: local preference (assuming people still dig Red Line's sandwiches and coffee) versus chain uniformity (repeat after me in a monotone: "Everyone must serve the same. We must conform"). I'll report back once we visit the place, but if someone beats us to it, let me know how it was.