CITY LIGHTS
By Al Hooper

Call it karma. Or natural reflex. By any name, it doesnt alter a fundamental truth about human behavior.
Which is this: Real men keep trying.

We take you now to the professional football season of 1970, which was a year after the New York Jets had rocked the planet by beating the Baltimore Colts in a historic Superbowl upset.

Now its a season later and the hero of that Superbowl stunner, Jets quarterback Joe Namath, looks bleak as he faces the press with his arm in a sling.

Earlier that day Joe had tossed an interception, then chased down the ball carrier and tried to tackle him.

Result: a shattered collarbone. No more heroics for Broadway Joe. No playoffs for the suddenly neutered Jets.

So tell us, Joe, says a media type at the post-game interview. Do you have any regrets about trying to make that tackle?

Namaths head swivels as fast as the sling will allow. Regrets? Silly question, he says testily. Im a football player! Its what I do!

Seaun Richards can relate to that sentiment.

The Edmonds restaurateur had to shutter his 5th Avenue Grill four months ago for economic reasons; i.e., his loyal customers kept coming but in a flat economy there werent enough of them.

Even as the grill doors closed for the last time, those loyal patrons wanted to know, Where will your next restaurant be, Seaun?

The question, youll notice, was where. Not if.
Seaun Richards is a restaurant guy. Period. Its what he does. He poured his heart into operating four different local restaurants and his clientele knows hell always be there for them. Or at least nearby.

Sure, he has a hobby or two. He lost a race for Edmonds City Council once. Happened in the 1990s, if anyone remembers the 1990s. Hint: they took place sometime before the disastrous 2000s.

As for where Seaun Richards next restaurant might locate, were here to say it already has.

You can find Seaun and LaRae Richards at their new bistro at 23209 56th Avenue West in Mountlake Terrace. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Been open two weeks. Goes by the picturesque title of the Red Onion. It had been an Arctic Circle outlet when Seaun and LaRae Richards took over and totally revamped it. The final touch was a neon sign with a red onion dancing nimbly atop the premises.

And then came opening day.
Thats when the grill blew up.
Hey, nobody said operating a restaurant would be easy. But now the Red Onion is percolating right along as the fifth restaurant in the Seaun Richards pantheon.

Launching any new business in tight economic times is an act of faith. You run a tight ship. Seaun is his own chef, wife LaRae waits tables, and son Dayne (20) and daughter Laura (16) volunteer on a need-you-NOW basis.

Then theres Eva, who has backstopped Seauns operations for 13 years. She would be embarrassed if we used her full name, but Seaun calls her The Rock she takes care of anything and everything that needs doing around here.

He says the Red Onions menu is about 60 percent of what we had at the 5th Avenue Grill. The piece de resistance is burgers, along with salads, wraps and barbecue.

The dining room, which seats 40 people, already seems a tad small because of a rapid early response. From the first day people were coming by to welcome us to the neighborhood, Seaun says. And they havent stopped yet!

Visions of expansion hover on the periphery. Which would require more staff, more space, more
Which is why LaRae thinks its time to discuss some ground rules.

Im on for five days a week, she tells Seaun. Six days a week are negotiable. Seven days? Forget it!

Running a restaurant is a 14-hour-a-day proposition. Every day. You have to love it. As Seaun Richards does.

Call it karma. Or reflex. Or whatever.
A mans gotta do what hes gotta do.
Take your order, sir?