Nosh Pit

Gettin’ Piggy With It

Seattle restaurateurs love naming their establishments after animals—but one beast tops them all.

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Dec 05, 2011 at 09:00AM 2 Comments

Photo: Nick Feldman

Owner Kurt Beecher Dammeier poses with the Maximus Minimus pig.

The Seattle area has restaurants whose names honor creatures many and various: there’s an insect (Golden Beetle), a horse (Brave Horse Tavern), a couple of birds (Lark, Crow), a handful of sea creatures (Chinook’s, Steelhead Diner, Flying Fish, Seastar, Kingfish Café) an eel (Bisato), a moose (Señor Moose Cafe) and at least two joints that appear to reference the devastating social problem that is caprine inebriation (Fainting Goat Gelato, Stumbling Goat Bistro).

There’s even the generic: La Bete.

But the recent launch of Blind Pig Bistro in Eastlake reminds us that the far-and-away top, er—dog among restaurant animals is the one made out of bacon. Consider: Pig Iron BBQ, Three Pigs, the Honey Pig, Inner Sanctum of the Temple of Porcine Love at the Swinery, and the late, great Pig ‘n’ Whistle. El Puerco Lloron honors pigs in Spanish; Lecosho in Chinook. (Place Pigalle has a lot more to do with prostitutes than pigs, but that’s academic.)

We even have a mobile restaurant shaped like a pig: the Beecher’s Cheese people’s Maximus/Minumus.

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Tags: Pigs, Restaurant Names, Critic's Notebook, Blind Pig Bistro

How Many Restaurants in Seattle are Named for Family Members?

Bet you can think of a few we missed

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Jun 28, 2010 at 08:00AM 6 Comments

Meet Marjorie!

So I was sitting in the brand new Union Street Marjorie the other night, unfairly early for an actual review—though I couldn’t help noticing that its two swoony signatures from the charming gypsylike original Marjorie in Belltown, Miss Marjorie’s Plaintain Chips with grilled pineapple salsa and the freakishly divine Bourbon caramel bread pudding are still on offer, and still terrific—and it occurred to me that this restaurant, named for owner Donna Moodie’s mother, is in good company around town.

Etta’s Seafood is named for owner Tom Douglas’ daughter. Another Douglas restaurant, Lola honors his wife Jackie’s Greek grandmother.

Thierry Rautureau’s latest, the swanky little bistro Luc, is an homage to his father, a bulldozer driver from Brittany. (And no, Rautureau’s original restaurant Rover’s was not named after his dog—he inherited the name from the former owner.)

Restaurant Zoe and Quinn’s Pub are owner Scott Staples’ love notes to his kids.

Carmelita, the beautiful vegetarian sensation on Phinney Ridge? Co-owner’s mother.

Are there others?

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Tags: Restaurant Names, Etta's, Lola, Restaurant Zoe, Quinn's Pub, Marjorie, Carmelita, Luc