Sutra

Rain City Yoga owners Colin Patterson and Amber Tande, along with partners Aaron and Jan Geibel, opened tiny vegetarian Sutra in Wallingford last July. Walls pop with bold chartreuse paint, succulents hang from ceiling hooks, and Patterson, a chef-turned-yogi who traded his apron for yoga pants a dozen years ago, is back helming the stoves. He serves four-course, seasonal vegetarian meals ($28 to $35 depending the cost of ingredients) at just two seatings per night. Tande manages the front of the house, and she’s a charming server, stopping to chat with each guest seated at communal tables. And then: Gong! Patterson grabs diners’ attention with a loud tap, says a short prayer of thanks, and dinner begins.

Courses flow at a good pace and reveal a menu bursting with the season’s freshest produce—juicy peaches with tomato-mint salsa scooped onto guacamole-filled romaine lettuce “boats” during my August dinner (the menu changes every two days). Patterson has an affinity for using rare spices, and he’s not afraid to spike ginger and soy-sauced soba noodles with a dose of chile heat. The noise level is on the high side since the dishwashing station is too near the dining space, and hokey moments are part and parcel (such as when raw coffee beans are brought out for diners to sniff prior to coffee service).

Still, this meat lover left Sutra feeling rested, sated but not stuffed, and in a much better mood than when I’d arrived.

Dinner Wed.–Sat. Wallingford, 1605 N 45th St.; 206.547.1348; sutraseattle.com. $$ A.A.S.