Fifth Street Shuffle 

After years of papered over windows, the spot at 621 Fifth St. in Eureka where the former Banana Hut's palm fans once waved from the ceiling is open again. Once inside, look up and you'll see the namesake vintage stove hood — roughly the size of a pickup truck bed — suspended over the host stand. It, like a good chunk of the menu, was hauled out of the Sixth & E kitchen blocks away.

Owner Christine Silver is making some swaps with her Old Town businesses. Delish on 5th's deli side — sandwiches, charcuterie, a cold case of meats and cheeses — will move into Sixth & E's smaller space without its retail kitchen goods side. Delish's location, she says, "just never worked for us ... as soon as everybody left Old Town [during the pandemic], we had to close down." And while business has picked up again, it's not enough. But she's hopeful a focused sandwich spot will find its audience on a new corner.

Those who enjoyed the burgers can still find them at the Hood. "We just kind of needed the refresh," says Silver. "And at Sixth & E, we used to pack the tables pretty tight, and after COVID I just didn't feel comfortable." After merging the old Banana Hut dining room with the space next door, there are two rooms to spread out in and a long bar with a countertop built from the salvaged wood lanes from Blue Lake's defunct E&O Bowl. Counters running between the bar and booths are topped with them, too, giving the place an airy nostalgia. The bigger remodeled kitchen means Executive Chef Mike Ammon-Mitchel, who worked at Silver's Redding tapas restaurant years ago, has some room to spread out.

"We've transferred most of our menu but a few things didn't make the edit," says Silver, who notes the addition of pastas, steaks, seafood, new appetizers and salads. The onion rings, topped fries and tight platoon of burgers that won Sixth & E its following are on the menu alongside pastas like chicken marsala over pappardelle, shrimp, chicken and grilled artichoke piccatas with linguine, and rib eye variations. Fat drumettes come with eight dressings, like the sticky honey garlic, on the wing menu. On the June 23 opening night, churros and a springy tres leches cake were up for dessert. "We're just excited to chef it up again," she says.

Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the arts and features editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400, extension 320, or [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @JFumikoCahill and on Mastodon @jenniferfumikocahill.