restaurant trends
Vegetable Dishes are the Stars at Many Seattle Restaurants
Once relegated to side-dish status, plant-based foods are now unapologetically the main show
As a restaurant critic, I hope my reviews don’t sound like broken records—that I’m not recommending the same dishes at different restaurants. But, over the past year, I can’t remember eating a meal where I wasn’t totally impressed with the veggies. In fact, the best dishes—the most inventive, boldest and yummiest—have been veggie-based, with grains…
The Allure of the Restaurant Walk-Up Window
Test driving Seattle’s latest restaurant accessory
When I was young, my parents had a Chinese restaurant. In those years, I packed more takeout orders and walked more steps to and from the kitchen than clicks on a viral video. Had there been a walk-up window in the kitchen, it would’ve saved so much time and energy. Alas, it was not to…
Music in Seattle Restaurants is Groovier Than Ever
The food in Seattle’s best restaurants is eclectic, personal and surprising—and now so is the music
During my early 20s, I worked in the kitchens of several Seattle restaurants. It was sweaty work, tiring but satisfying. The kitchen staff wasn’t tipped where I worked; a cook’s perks were free food, a shift drink or two, and, because we worked in closed-off kitchens, listening to whatever music the chef chose. When it…