Best Restaurants 2009: 100 Years of Seattle Dining

10+ YEARS
The tech boom of the late ’90s spurred a rebuilding of the formerly gritty Belltown neighborhood, and delicious restaurants followed. But the era also saw a shift toward destination-worthy dining in  other Seattle neighborhoods, including off-the-beaten-path areas of Capitol Hill, a then-gentrifying Madison Valley and a little-known pocket ’hood called Columbia City.


Harvest Vine (1998, Madison Park)
What it brought to the table: A sunny bastion of Basque fare and terrific tapas. Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez and his wife, Carolin Messier de Jiménez, gave us some of our first tastes of smoky Galician-style octopus and blood sausage with piquillo peppers. Why we still love it: Tissue-thin, melt-in-your-mouth slices of Serrano ham, eaten while parked at one of the 10 highly coveted seats at the kitchen bar—there’s just nothing better.

Monsoon (1999, Capitol Hill)
What it brought to the table: Vietnamese food that went way beyond pho.
Why we still love it: The claypot catfish and signature drunken chicken remain among the most lauded plates in town, yet co-owner Eric Banh’s innovation hasn’t flagged: He was one of the first to put mangalitsa pork, bred for its higher fat content and unparalleled flavor, on the menu.

Boat Street Café (1995, Lower Queen Anne)
What it brought to the table: The shabby chic charms of an off-the-beaten-path bistro and absolutely addictive brunches.  Why we still love it: We still swoon over the candlelit ambience of the café, as well as the everyday French country cooking.

Shiro’s (1995, Belltown)
What it brought to the table: The return of chef Shiro Kashiba and one of Seattle’s best sushi bars. Why we still love it: Kashiba’s enthusiasm is contagious, and he takes the intimidation out of sushi. Though he’s now semi-retired working the sushi bar only a few days a week, his restaurant is filled with his generous spirit.

Flying Fish (1995, Belltown)
What it brought to the table: Serious food and a serious scene, in white-hot Belltown.
Why we still love it: Christine Keff’s shareable platters make for fun, delicious any-night dining, and the floor-to-ceiling windows still provide prime Belltown people watching.

Palace Kitchen (1996, Downtown)
What it brought to the table: A little ’tude and some serious style: downtown dining minus the formality. Why we still love it: The place flat rocks. You still can’t get a seat at the bar without a wait, and the food is righteous in a stick-to-your-ribs way.

Matt’s in the Market (1996, Pike Place Market)
What it brought to the table: Our first cult restaurant. Matt Janke’s eight counter stools fast became a foodie’s rite of passage. Why we still love it: Now triple its original size and owned by Janke’s longtime business partner Dan Bugge, the new Matt’s doesn’t have the elbow-to-elbow charm of the old Matt’s, but the place is still vibrant in spirit and on the plate.
 
La Medusa (1997, Columbia City)
What it brought to the table: Sensational Sicilian home cooking in then undiscovered Columbia City. Why we still love it: Owner Julie Andres keeps our favorites on the menu—grandma’s greens, thin-crusted pizzas with decadent prosciutto—while inventing market-fresh dishes with Sicilian inspiration. And it’s all scrumptious. 

Carmelita (1996, Greenwood)
What it brought to the table: Fine “green” dining when it wasn’t in vogue. Why we still love it: Owners Kathryn Neumann and Michael Hughes have kept the Phinney Ridge institution artful and cozy while making sure the seasonal, fresh fare—richly layered soups and Moroccan-style tagines—is as adventurous as ever.
 
Kingfish Café (1997, Capitol Hill)
What it brought to the table: Soul food with a side of swank. Why we still love it: The glamorous Coaston sisters’ drawing room remains one of the best places to keep an eye out for local celebrities while hiding behind a gargantuan slice of red velvet cake.

Brasa (1999, Belltown)
What it brought to the table: A sexy showpiece for one of Seattle’s hottest and most innovative female chefs. Why we still love it: Tamara Murphy’s menu is a carnivore’s dream, with sweet-savory items such as pork belly with poached egg and truffle-honey syrup, and a happy hour that’s the talk of the town.

Salumi (1999, Pioneer Square)
What it brought to the table: Locally crafted charcuterie, when the craft was still largely a mystery outside of Italy. Why we still love it: Lamb prosciutto. Honkin’ porchetta sandwiches. Impeccable daily specials. We could go on.


5+ YEARS
Seattle chefs became obsessed with micro seasonality, changing menus daily to accommodate the farm-freshest local produce. But the zeitgeist also shifted toward a new type of restaurant: one that is both casual and convivial, yet still serves sensational food.


Lark (2003, Capitol Hill)
What it brought to the table: Fanatically seasonal cooking and a reverence for local farmers. James Beard Award–winning chef John Sundstrom’s affinity for vividly fresh, locally sourced ingredients soon became the mantra among many Seattle chefs, whose support for the farmers’ markets brought them to the forefront of our dining culture. Why we still love it: The lively room, the ever-inventive food, the energy—it’s all so good. The unbelievably fresh taste of the yellowtail carpaccio with preserved lemons and olives shows that a light hand in the kitchen is an asset when the ingredients are this sublime.

Le Pichet (2000, Pike Place Market)
What it brought to the table: Our first real, everyday Parisian bistro. Why we still love it: All scruffed up and lived in, this bistro makes for a no-brainer spot to drop in for charcuterie, a perfect cheese plate or the best roasted chicken (cooked to order) we’ve ever tasted.

Café Juanita (2000, Kirkland)
What it brought to the table: World-class northern Italian cooking in suburban Kirkland, the most unlikely of settings.Why we still love it: Every part of Café Juanita is gorgeously synchronized—the impeccable but easygoing service; the intriguing, primarily Italian wine list; the hallmark feathery handmade pasta and flawlessly roasted game—creating one of the most seamlessly high-caliber dining experiences in the Puget Sound region.

Restaurant Zoë (2000, Belltown)
What it brought to the table: A grown-up carefully-crafted meal, and genuinely fun dinner in Belltown. Why we still love it: The menu’s as smart and soul-satisfying as ever, the cocktails are still outrageously
good, and when the place is packed (and that’s pretty much every night) there’s no better place to have a great time.  

Union (2003, Downtown)
What it brought to the table: A reinvigoration of the tasting menu and our first taste from innovative chef, Ethan Stowell.  Why we still love it: Stowell’s flagship (he’s also owner of Tavolàta, How to Cook a Wolf, and Anchovies and Olives) has lowered its price point, but remains a foodie destination for serious (and occasionally stunning) cooking.