Best Restaurants 2009: Restaurants to Watch

Recently opened:
Taberna del Alabardero, a new Spanish restaurant that opened in Belltown’s former Cascadia space in January, is quite possibly Seattle’s most authentic ethnic restaurant—from the food down to the staff (managers were flown in from Spain). Old-school items such as a traditional lobster paella share the menu with a delectable fried suckling pig dish, accented with apple cream sauce. l Lauded by Food and Wine magazine as “the Northwest’s über restaurateur,” Ethan Stowell opened his fourth restaurant in February, Anchovies and Olives, on Capitol Hill. Here, chef Charles Walpole, formerly of Stowell’s How to Cook a Wolf, serves up grilled octopus with chickpeas and parsley pesto ($12), and classics like spaghetti with anchovies, chiles, and herbed bread crumbs ($14). The open kitchen gives curious diners a voyeuristic view of the talented team at work.

Opening soon:
Emmer, an ancient grain, is the name of the new restaurant headed by former Stumbling Goat chef Seth Caswell and opening on South Lake Union. Look for inventive dishes based around the namesake ingredient. l When Queen Anne’s Veil closed its doors last October, chef Shannon Galusha went full-steam ahead onto his next project, a charming, as yet unnamed restaurant on Ballard Avenue with a 5,000-square-foot rooftop herb and produce garden. The Provençal-style menu, with classic dishes like steak frites, will share space with salads made from lettuces grown in the roof garden. Look for this restaurant to open in early summer. l Chef William Belickis, formerly of Mistral (which closed in March 2008), will open Mistral Kitchen by late summer/early fall downtown.The much-anticipated 100-seat restaurant will treat all the senses, with four open kitchens (one of them housing a tandoor oven) and counter seating at each station for a front-row experience. Though much of the restaurant will be dedicated to casual fare in the $5–$20 range, those who miss Belickis’ higher-end plates will still be able to enjoy them in the nine-table “jewel-box,” a secluded dining area situated by the main kitchen. l Delancey, a 30-seat pizza joint named after owner Brandon Pettit’s favorite subway stop in New York, opens this spring in Ballard. The N.Y.-style pizzas will be fired in wood ovens and made with locally sourced ingredients (including dough made with Washington state flour). A rotating “Market” pizza, such as one topped with caramelized ramps, Gruyère and bacon, will offer seasonal toppings from the farmers’ markets.