Best New Restaurants 2011
Book Bindery: Best New Restaurant 2011
A Queen Anne spot where environs are just as elegant as the food coming out of the kitchen.
True, chef Shaun McCrain has an impressive background that includes Thomas Keller’s fine-dining beacon Per Se in New York City. And his signature dishes, such as the pork belly and melon appetizer ($14) and caramelized scallops ($25), are unapologetically focused on technique and composition. But that doesn’t impress as much as the fact that the…
Revel
Fun, accessible, spicy Korean dishes in a supremely likable, upbeat space
We’re admittedly a bit of a broken record when it comes to chefs Seif Chirchi and Rachel Yang: The couple’s first restaurant, Joule, serves some of the best and most original globe-trotting cuisine going in Seattle. Now at Revel, the casual “street food”–inspired Korean spot they opened in Fremont last winter, they’ve done it again:…
Sushi Kappo Tamura
We named this Eastlake sushi spot the Best New Restaurant of 2011.
What it brings to the table: Spine-tinglingly fresh fish shimmering from the sea, with a focus on sustainability and seasonality. Move over, Shiro’s and Nishino: This is the best sushi in Seattle—and it’s also the most consistently stellar restaurant to open this year. After decades of deserved praise, the two sushi powerhouses—Shiro’s and Nishino—have been…
Cuoco
People-pleasing Italian food with an artisanal touch: pastas made with a delicate hand and vegetable
It’s the crown jewel of Tom Douglas’ trio of restaurants in his refurbished South Lake Union brick warehouse tucked beneath the shiny new Amazon buildings (it’s also home to Brave Horse Tavern’s tasty pub food and Ting Momo’s hit-or-miss Tibetan dumplings). Sturdy reclaimed wood and walls of exposed brick create a masculine backdrop for pasta…
Madison Park Conservatory
A sophisticated addition, current enough to draw food obsessives, approachable enough to bring the p
Tucked away in the tony enclave of Madison Park in the old Sostanza space is a restaurant where the chefs, managers, bartenders and servers all seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, a vibe that spills over into the elegant dining room, now pared down with a spare Mediterranean vibe. Owners Bryan Jarr and Cormac…
Reviewed: Skillet Diner
Toddlers and hipsters are equally at home at this upbeat, affordable diner
Skillet Diner may share a name with owner Josh Henderson’s popular Skillet Street Food Airstream, but the brick-and-mortar version has a personality all its own. Though it’s hardly a greasy spoon, Skillet is a diner in the truest sense of the word: The avocado-green booths are vinyl; stools at the long counter swivel. Doors open…
Where Ya At Matt
The Louisiana native that pilots this popular food truck is almost as much of an attraction as his b
Not just anyone could convince Seattleites to eat gumbo and po’ boys out on the sidewalk in the rain. Even really, really good gumbo ($5/$8) and po’ boys ($9). That’s the thing about Where Ya At Matt, the roving Creole truck that Louisiana native Matt Lewis opened last summer. If it weren’t for the ever-boisterous,…
Bar del Corso
A Beacon Hill restaurant good enough to lure folks to this underrated corner of the city.
Jerry Corso may not be a household name quite yet, but to the tight-knit chef crowd, he’s well known and much loved. Chef Corso long worked for someone else—at Betty and The Harvest Vine (among other local spots)—but not anymore: Now, he’s got his eponymous place in his Beacon Hill neighborhood. Wood-fired pizzas cooked hot…
Hitchcock: Best New Restaurant 2011
Finally, there’s a definitive restaurant on Bainbridge Island that highlights the best of the region
Chef Brendan McGill worked at Seattle restaurants Il Bistro, The Harvest Vine, the now-defunct Cremant and for the Via Tribunali group. But when it came time to open his own restaurant, he was drawn to Bainbridge Island, where his wife’s family has lived since 1890. Hitchcock takes its name from McGill’s wife’s family tree, and…
Fuji Bakery
This French-meets-Japanese bakery opened in the International District last year.
There are people in this world who love sweet baked goods, and there are people who get more excited about savory tastes. Both types unfailingly rave after a visit to Fuji Bakery. This French-meets-Japanese bakery opened in the International District last year (the bakery has been in Bellevue since 2009). Owner Akihiro Nakamura found pastry…