Nosh Pit

Critic's Notebook

Beware Falling Prices!

Trend of the month: Restaurateurs across town are repositioning themselves a little lower on the food chain.

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Feb 13, 2012 at 09:00AM 2 Comments

Time was not so long ago when a restaurateur who wanted to up the popularity and lower the accessibility threshold of his or her restaurant would simply open a downmarket adjunct next door. Maestros like Bruce Naftaly at the (sob) soon-to-be-late Le Gourmand would open adjacent bars like the (sob) soon-to-be-late Sambar; the lesser then serving as a kind of literal and figurative anteroom to the greater.

Think Serafina and Cicchetti. Flying Fish and On the Fly. Elemental and Elemental Next Door.

These days the trend appears to have morphed into something else: upscale restaurants downscaling themselves.

Back in October the spendy French jewel in the heart of Pike Place Market, Campagne, became the more accessibly priced Marche Bistro and Wine Bar. (It already had a downmarket adjunct, Cafe Campagne.) Last week Spring Hill in West Seattle stunned the gastronomosphere by lowering price and concept to become Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky, in response to a city’s rapturous embrace of Spring Hill’s weekly fried chicken nights.

Now this week, Restaurant Zoe plans to reopen in its new digs on Union, having fled Belltown and big prices to adopt at least three of the biggest trends currently dominating Seattle dining: kitchen garden, Capitol Hill address—and, yes, a “loosened-up” price point.

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Tags: Restaurant Zoe, Restaurant Marche, Serafina, Critic's Notebook, Spring Hill, Cafe Campagne, Flying Fish, Campagne, Sambar, Le Gourmand, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

Critic's Notebook

How to Look Like a Seattle Restaurant

Opening a Seattle area restaurant? Check out our handy design template!

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Feb 06, 2012 at 09:00AM 3 Comments

Prospective restaurateurs, listen up: Anyone opening a restaurant in the greater Seattle area is legally bound to follow one of three design mandates, on file in the city licensing office. Doubt it? Then why does it seem as if every new Seattle restaurant looks like one of the following?

1. Cool. Stark. Minimalist. Hard-edged. (Frequently deafening.) Think Black Bottle, Spring Hill (soon to be Ma’Ono), Revel, Crush, Boom Noodle, Mistral, Madison Park Conservatory.

2. Hipster chill, mottled concrete floor to exposed ductwork ceiling. Must have at least one wall of exposed brick; extra points if faded paint from a ‘40s-era wall ad is barely discernible. Think Tavolata, Brave Horse Tavern, Staple and Fancy, Terra Plata, Tin Table.

3. Elegant Designer Living Room, upholstered in creamy neutrals. Think Art at the Four Seasons, Canlis, The Book Bindery, John Howie Steak House.

Of course there are exceptions. Think of the overwrought Old World opulence of the Georgian Room; the early-Rococo, late-exploded-flea-market Bizzarro Italian Café; the sparkling, retro-cute Skillet Diner. And don’t forget the magnificent theater pieces from restaurateurs/set designers Deming Maclise and James Weimann, whose Poquito’s is a visual feast of lush Mexican tile and wrought iron, and whose Bastille could be arrested for impersonating a Paris train station.

Maclise and Weimann will be among the panelists tomorrow night (Tuesday, February 7) at Town Hall in the Seattle Architecture Foundation forum, Restaurant Design: How Design Affects the Dining Experience. My esteemed colleague Allecia Vermillion will moderate as they, along with restaurateurs Ethan Stowell and Chad Dale, discuss and debate and digest this most under-discussed critical aspect of the dining experience.

Should be great. See you there at 7pm.

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Tags: Mistralkitchen, The Book Bindery, Spring Hill, Black Bottle, Critic's Notebook, MistralKitchen, Terra Plata

Action Items

Restaurant Shifts and Shakeups

This week: Spring Hill surprised Seattle with a concept overhaul, Microsoft became home to the newest food truck pod, and Seattle Pie Company announced their move from Magnolia to a pie-boat on South Lake Union

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 03, 2012 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

OPENINGS

Eat Local
Queen Anne’s prepared foods purveyor is opening a second shop in the Joule building on Broadway, according to the CHS blog. This shop will be larger than the original Queen Anne location, with a broader selection of artisan-y handmade foods that you can pretend you made yourself.

The Wurst Place
It’s finally opening today, beer and sausage lovers rejoice.

Lunchbox Laboratory
Puget Sound Business Journal reports that the Bellevue outpost of the gonzo Seattle burger shop is opening this Saturday. From that day on the location will be providing its famous giant gourmet burgers every day from 11 to 11.

Mestizo Tequila Ultra Lounge and Grill
In Belltown, what used to be Twist Restaurant and Lounge is becoming Mestizo Tequila Ultra Lounge and Grill, a lounge complete with more than 200 types of tequila, says Eater Seattle.

Microsoft Food Truck Pod
The Microsoft campus is now home to a fleet of food trucks: Where Ya At Matt, Street Treats, and the new Portland-transplant Happy Grillmore, to name just a few, are all moving east for lunch.

Restaurant Zoe
The new home in Capitol Hill is almost ready —there’s hopes to be hosting diners by Valentine’s Day. Though owners Scott and Heather Staples are bringing along most of the staff from the original Belltown location, pretty much everything else will change: menu, logo, prices. Plus they’ve got plans for a deck, kitchen garden, and even rooftop bees.

CLOSINGS

Greenwood Market
Greenwood Market is closing on Saturday, making room for nearby Fred Meyer to expand. Phinneywood reports that as the store’s inventory winds down, there’s lots of Gefilte Fish up for grabs.

Seattle Pie Company
Magnolia Voice reports that the neighborhood is losing Seattle Pie Company. The beloved pie shop is moving to South Lake Union and setting up shop on a boat, making the establishment Seattle’s first floating pie company.

SHIFT CHANGES

Cicchetti
Eastlake’s small plate drinkery has a new bartender, Kate Perry of Tango.

REVAMPS

Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky
Spring Hill surprised us all on Tuesday with news of its pending transformation February 8 they’ll become Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky, with a Hawaiian-inspired menu centered on shared fried chicken dinners. We’re excited.

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Tags: Pie, Burgers, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Seattle Food Trucks, Shift Change, Food Truck Pods, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

Spring Chicken

More Details on Ma’ono

Marjorie Chang Fuller explains the reason behind the big changes at the Restaurant Formerly Known as Spring Hill.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 01, 2012 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Yesterday I caught up with Marjorie Chang Fuller, who was busy fielding a torrent of calls after she and husband Mark Fuller broke the news that Spring Hill will be Spring Hill no more as of next week. It seems the public’s unbridled love for fried chicken helped inspire the decision to change the destination restaurant into the more casual, Hawaiian-focused Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky.

Fuller says the couple was considering the name and concept change this past fall when they re-launched the revered Monday night fried chicken dinners under the Ma’ono name (the Southernist original recipe remains on the menu, along with more Asia-fied preparations). The chef-owner decided to retire these weekly feeding frenzies a few months earlier, prompting a torrent of emails, comment cards and even in-person visits from diners who objected to a world without such brined and battered goodness.

“It was so popular and when we took it away, we didn’t realize the impact that would make,” says Marjorie Fuller.

But flipping back and forth between elegant destination dining and greasy-fingered fried chicken fest didn’t sit right. “I think people got mixed messages as to what we were about,” says Marjorie Fuller.

She describes the new incarnation of Spring Hill as her husband’s style of comfort food. Mark Fuller grew up splitting his time between Kauai and the Puget Sound area. Some of the menu items, according to his wife, are riffs on the picnic lunches Fuller would back with his grandparents before setting off for the beach. Front and center on the new Ma’ono website is a family photo of Mark Fuller’s grandparents, mother, and uncle.

The new menu does maintain some other original dishes, and brunch is largely unchanged (for now). The restaurant’s interior will mostly stay the same, says Marjorie Fuller, save the handy substitution of paper napkins for linens, a savvy idea when trading in mass quantities of fried fare.

As for the Whisky part of Ma’ono, Mark Fuller is a big fan of the spirit, and has been working with bar manager MiNan Ahn to expand the liquor inventory and create a list of more than a dozen whiskey-based cocktails. Ahn, whose bar experience includes Tamara Murphy’s former restaurant Brasa, is also focused on food and spirit pairings, says Marjorie Fuller. According to Eater Seattle, Ma’ono will also add a counter to the bar for more seating.

And in case you’re wondering, the Fullers did consider changing the name to Spring Chicken.

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Tags: Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky, Mark Fuller, Marjorie Chang Fuller

Food News Roundup

Neighborhood Food News: Globetrotting Mondays at La Bête, Late-Night Cheese at Art

Plus: A Super Bowl Facebook competition at Skillet, Raclette at Cafe Presse, and Valentine’s Day plans.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 01, 2012 at 09:45AM 0 Comments

CAPITOL HILL
Skillet is celebrating the Super Bowl with a Facebook competition. Help them get to 10,000 likes and suddenly become the most popular person on the block with a Skillet-catered party this Sunday. If the restaurant and food truck empire achieves 8,000 likes, it opens up a drawing for dinner for two at the diner, while 9,000 likes means dinner for four.

Mondays are going international at La Bête. The two chefs at the helm of the French-influenced restaurant have started a series of global Monday night menus—they’ll be exploring India through March, then on to Eastern Europe, Mexico, Japan, Italy…

Raclette, the perfect warm dish for a cold February evening, is back at Café Presse. Loosen your belt and prepare for some bubbling melted chalet cheese with potatoes, salami, and two kinds of ham.

DOWNTOWN
The new late night happy hour at Four Seasons restaurant Art starts today, reports Eater Seattle. The insane spread of cheese and antipasti that lures crowds in the early evening resumes once again between 9 and 11. The all-you-can-eat spread runs $7, with discounted wine selections to boot.

SAM’s Taste restaurant has developed a Parisian-inspired, Polynesian-based, Northwest-leaning menu to complement the Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise exhibit, on display through April 29. A good example of this three-pronged inspiration: seared scallops with ginger and pine.

Boka is joining the dollar oyster club. Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 to close, stop in for $1 oysters and $5 glasses of sparkling wine.

EASTLAKE
To make sure all their pals working a restaurant industry schedule can make it in, owners Rene Gutierrez and Charles Walpole have extended the hours of Blind Pig Bistro. Walpole and new arrival Matt Fortner will be in the kitchen Monday through Saturday, beginning February 6.

PHINNEY RIDGE
418 Public House is now family friendly, till 8 o’clock at least, ways the PhinneyWood blog. The restaurant is now open to those under 21 until 8 pm, and has a new kids menu too.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
We’ve rounded up some Valentine’s Day dinners from around the city. Your guide to everything from chocolate cherry jubilee to caramelized shallot consomme with braised oxtail is right over here.

Don’t forget—Savor Seattle’s foodie hunt begins today. A puzzle and a prize a day, leading up to the grand prize at the end of the month: a tour for two through every Tom Douglas restaurant.

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Tags: Valentine's Day, Contests, Skillet, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Cafe Presse, La Bete, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

Revamps

New Name, Concept for Spring Hill

Say hello to Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Jan 31, 2012 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Well here’s something that jolted me awake far more effectively than my morning coffee: West Seattle restaurant Spring Hill sent out a release this morning announcing that the highly accoladed restaurant is changing its concept. And its name. As of February 8, Spring Hill Restaurant and Bar becomes Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky.

As the new name suggests, the menu takes more than a few cues from the newly reinstalled fried chicken dinners that chef/owner Mark Fuller offers on Monday nights. The new Ma’ono will serve that same menu seven nights a week, meaning access to the Japanese, Korean, or original recipe chicken may not require a crazy-advance reservation.

While the presser says that the dinner menu “will circle around fried chicken dinners for two or four," the remainder of Ma’onos dishes are Hawaiian-inspired and highly shareable. Fuller has long included these flavors on his menu, but now dishes like saimin noodles and fried chicken musubi hand rolls are at the forefront. No doubt the trip he and wife Marjorie Chang Fuller took to the Aloha State over the holidays included some R and D. Not to worry, the acclaimed burger is still there. And apparently brunch isn’t going anywhere either.

Side note: Dessert looks intruiging. Hello, popcorn ice cream and peanut butter Sriracha pie.

Marjorie Chang Fuller couldn’t be immediately reached for more details on the transition, but this new website has basic details and food pics.

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Tags: Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Revamps, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

Monday Night Fried Chicken Returns to Spring Hill

Let the gluttony resume December 5.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Nov 14, 2011 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Fried chicken is back at Spring Hill …and this time it’s Hawaiian-style. The West Seattle restaurant saddened many a fried chicken fan when it discontinued its weekly dinners earlier this year. Now owner Marjorie Chang Fuller says the decadent Monday night repast will return December 5, albeit with an international twist.

Chef-owner Mark Fuller has bestowed the name “Ma’ono” on fried chicken dinner 2.0. Diners can choose from four different chicken preparations: Korean; Japanese; Chinese, or the beloved original. The family-style sides have also been changed up to include Spam musubi, kimchi, pickled cucumbers, macaroni salad, and steamed white rice.

Dinner for four will set you back $98, and a two-person chicken interlude is $49, plus tax and tip. If crunchy, decadent, juicy fried chicken isn’t your thing, Fuller does a special Monday night a la carte menu that includes kalbi short ribs and curried fried rice with bacon. Much like the original dinners, reservations are required, and I’m guessing these will book up well in advance. Call Spring Hill at 206-935-1075 to reserve.

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Tags: West Seattle, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Seattle Pop-Ups

Freebie File

Spring Hill Is Giving Away Free Fried Chicken Dinners

Here’s how to win one of the gratis meals.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jan 06, 2011 at 10:54AM 0 Comments

As we learned on Tuesday, time’s ticking if you want to nab a seat at one of Spring Hill ‘s crazy-popular Monday Suppers, so it’s good news that the restaurant has announced it’s giving away two of the dinners for free.

The Spring Hill website has details on how to enter, but really all you need to do is dine at the restaurant then fill out a comment card with your contact information. Names of the winners will be drawn on February 28.

The lucky son of a guns will have four seats waiting for them at the final fried chicken dinner, July 11.

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Tags: West Seattle, Free Food, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken

Spring Hill Slaps an Expiration Date on Fried Chicken Mondays

If you want to experience the family-style feast, you better book it.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 04, 2011 at 03:44PM 4 Comments

Seattle fried-food lovers sign up months in advance to get a crack at the crispy chickens served up every Monday at Spring Hill in West Seattle.

Offered as part of a family-style dinner ($98 for four people) that also includes mashed potatoes, cornbread, spaetzle, brussel sprouts, and a salad, the chicken has drawn fans far and wide, including the good people at Travel and Leisure.

But in the immortal words of Guns N Roses: “nothing lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change.” And sadly this truth extends to the hearts beating inside the good people that fry the chickens behind the line at Spring Hill. Chef Mark Fuller announced today via Twitter that July 11, 2011 will be the last of its crispy bird gatherings.

Now, I do realize there are a few months between then and now but I also know that spaces will fill up fast. So if you want to experience the full gorgeous gluttony, you better get on it. Call the restaurant for reservations.

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Tags: West Seattle, Special Dinners, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken

TGIF

Friday Night Specials

Three restaurants. Three specials. One evening out. What’ll it be, Seattle?

Posted by: Rachel Solomon on Aug 21, 2009 at 08:30AM 1 Comments

Congratulations, people. We made it. We’re just hours away from dinner and a cocktail at one of our city’s fine dining establishments.

Everyone’s atwitter over the new Spinasse sans Justin Niedermeyer. What will change, what will stay the same? Find out tonight over Washington squab with lentils and Chioggia beets, from nearby farm Local Roots. $28.

You can’t go wrong with perennial Seattle classic Canlis. They’re serving a $15 appetizer of British Columbian scallops pan-seared with bacon, butternut, and hearts of palm veloute.

Spring Hill recently made Bon Appétit’s list of “Top Ten Best New Restaurants in America.” Agree? Disagree? Weigh in for yourself with a five course taster menu; $84 for entire meal:

First course: Amber jack crudo with a clear curry and young coconuts
Second course: Summer chanterelles with egg yolk, peas, herbed parmesan bread crumbs
Third course: Foie gras terrine with nectarine lillet jelly donut and bitter cocoa
Fourth course: Wood-grilled strip steak with new crop potatoes and sweet corn succotash and onion rings
Fifth course: Yet to be decided

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Tags: Spring Hill, Canlis, Cascina Spinasse, Friday Night Specials

Check the cover shot!

The Burgers We Love…

…the burgers we leave

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on May 26, 2009 at 12:00PM 3 Comments

Today Seattle Met unveils its cover story on Seattle’s best burgers—a great read (supplied by the entire edit staff) that, like Playboy, no one will actually read.

Because who’s kidding who: It’s all about the flesh, as in the luscious fresh-ground half-pounder with bacon that photographer Hank Drew and stylist Tyler Rebman so seductively captured on the cover. That one’s from Spring Hill, a distinguished West Seattle culinary destination that people don’t associate with burgers at all.

We think they will now.

Featured alongside Spring Hill are a dozen other burger joints: the expected (Red Mill Burgers), the unexpected (Voila! Bistrot), the peripatetic (Skillet Street Food), and more.

Notable as what’s listed, it turns out, is what isn’t. The piece has been out all of one day and already, fans of Lunchbox Laboratory, Ballard’s artery-hardening high holy temple of excess, are, ahem, weighing in.

“I love the latest issue with the burger story!” writes one reader. “But I can’t believe there’s no mention of Lunchbox Laboratory! I know it’s a tough call with so many good burgers in Seattle, but I have almost seen a grown man cry when he realized that Lunchbox Laboratory had already closed its doors for the evening and he missed his chance for burger heaven.”

Sigh. We spent an editorial meeting going ‘round and ’round on whether to include this cult fave, as chronicled in boss Katherine Koberg’s Editor’s Note. Ultimately, the nays had it.

You may disagree. (We wish you would…then vote in our on-line best burger contest.) Because, judging from the lines out front, a whole lotta eaters love the Lunchbox.

And get this: Just this morning word landed in my inbox of a new burger joint scheduled to open this fall at Ballard Blocks, a development which at Ballard Way and 15th is just down the steet from Lunchbox Lab.

The idea at The Counter Custom Built Burgers is build it yourself: You choose the meat, the cheese, the toppings, even the buns. Sound like a certain Laboratory you know?

Oh dear…maybe we were wrong after all.

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Tags: Burgers, Spring Hill, Lunchbox Laboratory

It's Ba-aaaaaaack

Dine Around Seattle

Now with all-new swanky places!

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Feb 25, 2009 at 07:00PM 3 Comments

You know Dine Around Seattle, the twice-yearly dining promotion where you can eat 3-course, pris-fixe Sun-Thurs dinners at your choice of several participating restaurants—for just $30. (And lunches for $15.) Well, make plans now: Because it starts one week from today, and will run through the end of March. As in years past, many of the usual suspects are at it again: Ponti, Nell’s, Ray’s Boathouse, Brasa, and Szmania’s, to name but a few of the 30. (Remember when this promotion was called “25 for $25?” Got too popular to stay at that number.) But we got newbies. This March, look for new restaurants ART and Spring Hill to join up, along with established joints like Chez Shea, Flying Fish, Campagne, and Cremant. (Is it my imagination, or are there more swanky places on the list now than in years past? Sign of the times?)

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Tags: Dine Around Seattle, Chez Shea, Szmania's, Ponti Seafood Grill, Brasa, Nell's, Spring Hill, Ray's Boathouse, Flying Fish, Art Restaurant, Campagne, Cremant