Restaurant Insider Blog - SeattleMag.com

And why don't you--and you--and you--cut out a little early, head over to Marination Ma Kai and settle into a groovy green chair on the sunny patio with a shivery cold scoop of their booze-soaked Shave Ice?

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8 Noteworthy Summer Restaurant Openings

Cocktail Recipe: Summer in Madagascar

A.J.'s Anytime Cocktails: Drinks for Five Different Hours of the Day

Restaurant Inside Baseball: How (Exactly) Greg Atkinson Opened Marché Bainbridge

allison.scheff — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:38:55 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

Most of us fall into one of two groups.

There are the daydreamers, who fantasize about opening a bakery, cafe, bistro or restaurant of their very own one day. They imagine the space, the tables and chairs, the lighting, and of course what kind of food they'd serve.

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Bainbridge’s Marché is Fine Dining with Small-Town Appeal

Bainbridge Island Gets an Art Museum

8 Noteworthy Summer Restaurant Openings

allison.scheff — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:47 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

We're in a familiar spring lull. Seems this time every year there's a short stretch of anticipatory time just before several restaurants open, in time for high summer. This year there are several worth watching for, including a major Tom Douglas project and a hidden Ballard spot from Renee Erickson. Here's what you need to know.

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A Sneak Peek at Westward's Scratch Cocktail and Drink List

Best Restaurants for Dinner 2013

Tanakasan, Assembly Juice and Coffee: New Details on Tom Douglas' Assembly Hall at Via6

2013 Feast PDX Lineup Announced, and It Is Awesome

allison.scheff — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:26:27 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

See that over there? That's a Velveeta Éclair. Or rather, Éclair Velveeta; its creators, chefs David McMillan and Frédéric Morin, hail from the legendary Joe Beef in Montreal. And they're just two of the dozens of chefs who'll grace Portland's second annual Feast PDX with their presence.

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Feast Portland's Secret to Success: Outstanding, Collaborative Chef Dinners

A Sneak Peek at Westward's Scratch Cocktail and Drink List

Does Shanik Live up to the Hype?

A Sneak Peek at Westward's Scratch Cocktail and Drink List

allison.scheff — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:59:56 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

The first thing I did after I read the email detailing Maggie Savarino's cocktail menu for Westward this morning was search "how to make vermouth."

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Tanakasan, Assembly Juice and Coffee: New Details on Tom Douglas' Assembly Hall at Via6

Cocktails for Kathi Goertzen + Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Hey, That Looks Tasty! Brunch Debuts at Canon, Rain Shadow Meats Squared

allison.scheff — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:55:15 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

'Tis the weekend when everyone brunches with mom. But if run-of-the-mill scrambles and hotcakes won't do (for mom, or just in general), take a gander at the new, inspired brunch menus at Canon and Rain Shadow Meats Squared.

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Tanakasan, Assembly Juice and Coffee: New Details on Tom Douglas' Assembly Hall at Via6

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Tanakasan, Assembly Juice and Coffee: New Details on Tom Douglas' Assembly Hall at Via6

allison.scheff — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:04:33 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

If you thought Tom Douglas' recent restaurant domination of South Lake Union meant the big guy was done with Downtown, think again.

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Coyle's Bakeshop, a Pastry Pop-up, Debuts at Book Larder in May

4 Poetic Cocktails for National Poetry Month

Best Restaurants for Dinner 2013

The Lost Pelican Now Open in Belltown

allison.scheff — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:13:39 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

The iconic Belltown corner where Scott Carsberg’s Lampreia lived for two decades (and which later became Bisato) reopened last week as The Lost Pelican.

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The Power of Two: Joule and The Whale Wins

Pine Box Debuts Revamped Menu by Star Chef Scott Carsberg

Langdon Cook's Hunt for Morels

Radiator Whiskey Debuts...with Pig Head on the Menu

Leslie Kelly — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:40 +0000

By:

Leslie Kelly

Gutsy. Very gutsy.

The much-anticipated Radiator Whiskey opens today (April 17) in Pike Place Market and pig head is on the menu. Yup, your dinner has a face. With this bold opening salvo, Radiator Whiskey becomes like no other place in Seattle. Heck, probably no place on the West Coast puts a pig head smack in the middle of the table.

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Updated: A Sneak Peek at our Second Annual Food Establishment List

5 Reasons to Visit Pike Place Market Now

Pike Place Fish Guys Have a Cookbook

Coyle's Bakeshop, a Pastry Pop-up, Debuts at Book Larder in May

allison.scheff — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:12:12 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

I think it's safe to say: Pop-up restaurants are the new food trucks.

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Butter Me Up: Seattle's Best Croissants

Best Neighborhoods: Upper Fremont Avenue North

The Book Larder, a Food-Lover's Destination, Open Now in Fremont

Updated: A Sneak Peek at our Second Annual Food Establishment List

Leslie Kelly — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:09:09 +0000

By:

Leslie Kelly

Have you seen the April issue of Seattle magazine yet? Drool!!

Not only do Allison Austin Scheff and Sara Dickerman walk you through the ideal places to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in their fun-to-read Best Restaurants coverage, there’s also the second annual Food Establishment list to devour and debate about.

Lemme tell you, this list was mighty carefully considered.

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Washington Wine Month: Give Chardonnay Another Chance

Pike Place Fish Guys Have a Cookbook

Take Me Out to Eat at the Mariners Game!

Epic Ales Finally Opens Gastropod! Celebrates With Whole Roasted Pig This Weekend

allison.scheff — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:40:05 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

Cody Morris's Sodo nanobrewery, Epic Ales, is a beer-lovers oasis. Tiny, with just a few stools front and center behind which Morris often stands, tasting folks on beer and talking shop, it's the sort of place you really want to succeed, but still don't want to tell anyone about.

Morris makes clever but always tasty brews, many infused with food and inspired by the seasons. Beets, tea, mushrooms, cinnamon, peppercorns, lemongrass; they've all been put to use.

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Pine Box Debuts Revamped Menu by Star Chef Scott Carsberg

Buzzworthy Microbreweries

Dining Guide: Our Favorite Neighborhood Restaurants

Pine Box Debuts Revamped Menu by Star Chef Scott Carsberg

allison.scheff — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:09:01 +0000

By:

Allison Austin Scheff

Talk about a match made in heaven.

The Pine Box is the absolutely stellar, somewhat hidden beer haven on Capitol Hill co-owned by Ian Roberts (one of our 2012 Tastemakers). I love the place, but I'm a beer amateur. So I asked my favorite beer fanatic, Washington Beer Blog's Kendall Jones, to weigh in on the place. He told me this:

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Beer + Chocolate: Your DIY Pairing Guide

Future Homes of Five Seattle Restaurants (and One Bar)

Capitol Hill's The Chapel Converted to Pine Box, or Beer Heaven