Nosh Pit

Reviews

Madison Park Conservatory: “Best Restaurant Real Estate in Seattle”

Seattle Met’s restaurant critic reviews the Cormac Mahoney dinner house.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Mar 30, 2011 at 10:22AM 0 Comments

Buzz for Madison Park Conservatory has been mounting, and Seattle Met’s Kathryn Robinson takes her turn weighing in.

If you’re not familiar, MPC is the new venture from chef-owner Cormac Mahoney, whose previous venture had him operating Eastlake’s erstwhile Tako Truk. (Remember that from the summer of ’09? What fun.) Considering its shiny-classy, bi-level digs skirting Lake Washington (“best restaurant real estate in Seattle," Robinson opines) Mahoney makes what appears to be a 180 with the Conservatory.

Which begs the question: How well does Mahoney ride the transition from street food slinger to pedigreed Madison Park? Read the restaurant review to find out.

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Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Madison Park

Openings

Belle Epicurean Parisian-Style Bakery to Open Madison Park Location

Nobody rents movies from a brick and mortar much anymore. But they still eat croissant sandwiches like crazy.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 21, 2011 at 03:10PM 2 Comments

An eagle-eyed Nosh Pit tipper snapped this photo of the future location of Belle Epicurean near the intersection of Madison Street and Lake Washington Boulevard. The Parisian-style bakery and lunch spot, currently confined to one petit slice of the Fairmont Hotel downtown, is planning a second branch in the space last occupied by Island Video.

Le Cordon Bleu-trained baker Carolyn Ferguson, who owns Belle Epicurean with her husband Howard, has been searching for years for a suitable second home for BE. She said she loved “the history and feel” of the structure at 3109 East Madison Street, which housed a yogurt shop before Island Video moved in.

In addition to the desserts, soups, sandwiches, quiches, Caffé Vita espresso drinks, and patisserie offered downtown, the new Belle Epicurean will serve up hot appetizers in the afternoon and evening. Ferguson hopes to obtain a liquor license, and would love to do wine and dessert pairings. A more spacious kitchen situation means the new bakery will also be able to create larger cakes for events and such.

Memorial Day is the tentative opening date.

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Tags: Downtown, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Madison Park, Bakery, Seattle Bakeries

Are You Already Thinking About This Weekend’s Brunch?

No shame in it. Let’s talk options.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 11, 2011 at 03:22PM 0 Comments

I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve heard many, many raves about the brunch at Harvest Vine. The menu sounds fantastic—egg and sherry-battered fried toast with figs and orange syrup, scrambled eggs with duck confit, caramelized onions, and cream…..Brunch is from 10am to 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Easy Joe’s, the new comfort-food spot (the concept reminds me of that at Bing’s in Madison Park) in the former Tidbit spot, is doing weekend brunch from 9am to 2pm. Dungeness crab hush puppies? Yeah, they make that.

I had a chance today to check out Local 360, the new restaurant in the old Flying Fish space in Belltown. It serves a straightforward selection of sustainably sourced breakfast items like buttermilk biscuits and preserves, a sausage and egg sandwich, steel-cut oatmeal, grits and eggs, etc. Get there early so you can score a booth and park it for the morning. Ahhhhh.

I like the sound of duck-ham eggs Benedict, on the brunch menu at new West Seattle restaurant Avalon. Crab and cod Benedict, a root vegetable hash, and a leek quiche all also grace that menu. Brunch at Avalon is Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm.

The Row House Cafe over in South Lake Union is doing brunch on the weekends. They have a build-your-own breakfast sandwich option that’s pretty cool, and who can argue with baked brie with honey and pine nuts and an Illy cappuccino in the morning?

Not you, my hungry cheese-loving friend. Not you.

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Tags: South Lake Union, Belltown, Brunch, Madison Valley, Madison Park

Valentine’s Day Survival Stuff

No need to hate on V-Day. There are some good things like wine dinners and double-ganache cakes.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 10, 2011 at 11:46AM 0 Comments

Most people I know don’t like Valentine’s Day so much. But it’s not all bad. Here are three very good Valentine’s Day things.

1. This wine dinner at Madison Park Conservatory: On February 13, the new-but-already-beloved MPC (now you know what the cool/lazy kids call it) is co-hosting a $125 dinner with the winemaker and owner of Vignalta, an Italian winery.

The menu includes: fluke crudo, quail al Mattone (that usually means cooked/grilled under a brick) with pear mostarda and radicchio, tongue and cheek raviolo, and grilled venison with celery root caponata and cocoa nib gremolata. Plus: cheese, sweets, palate cleansers, and lots of wine.

Best of all it’s one long table—none of the coupley mumbo jumbo. Go with your friends! It’s just a day!

2. Deathcake Royale, the double-ganached chocolate cakelet that Cupcake Royale rolls out every year amidst much marketing fanfare. It costs $6.65 and tastes unbelievably good, thanks, in no small part, to the fact that one of its ganaches is laced with Stumptown coffee.

3. Snoopy Valentine cards. Those make everyone happy.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Valentine's Day, Special Dinners, Madison Park, Cake!

Openings

Cormac Mahoney: Next Stop Outer Space

An update on forthcoming restaurant the Madison Park Conservatory.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Oct 08, 2010 at 01:08PM 1 Comments

Earlier in the week I got in touch with Cormac Mahoney, curious to know how things are coming along at Madison Park Conservatory. Mahoney, a Sitka and Spruce alum and one of the guys behind much-loved, bygone Taco Truck, is opening said restaurant near Lake Washington where Sostanza Trattoria used to be.

Here’s what he had to say: “We are plugging along between trips to Venus and Mars—have you tried Martian caviar? Holy shit.”

Can’t say I have, Cormac. Will it be on the menu?

Look for the Conservatory to open its doors by early December.

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Seattle Restaurant Openings, Madison Park

Openings

Independent Pizzeria Opens in Madison Park

A new wood-fire pizza place takes over Impromptu Wine Bar’s former space.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 03, 2010 at 09:37AM 1 Comments

The Independent Pizzeria, owned by one Tom Siegel, has taken over the lake-facing space that once held Impromptu Wine Bar Cafe. It opened quietly just nine days ago, and seems to be enjoying a steady business right from the start. Expect a steely, handsomely minimalist decor, four beers on tap, and wood-fired pizzas available for dining in or carrying out.

You can learn a lot about the pizza by checking out this photo. Looks delicious, I can’t wait to see how Independent’s pies stack up against the city’s best.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Pizza, Madison Park