The Rest of the Best

40 of the city's top restaurants.

By Kathryn Robinson

Madoka

Pan-Asian Bainbridge Island’s finest destination and the darling of its carriage trade has its yin and its yang in perfect equilibrium, radiating both serenity and vitality in its elegant modular design—and sincere warmth and deep professionalism in its welcome. But it’s the food, the province of co-owner and fabled Seattle chef Alvin Binuya (Other Place, Café Sport, Ponti), that secures it a berth in the upper tier. One of the authors of Pacific Rim cuisine, Binuya deftly plies pan-Asian and Nuevo Latino traditions to come up with dishes like sweet pan-seared scallops with parsnip fritters, ginger-chili pesto, and chipotle crème fraîche; or a quesadilla packed with kobe beef, caramelized Walla Walla sweets, charred tomatillo salsa, and queso fresco. Binuya is a stickler for the finest ingredients, a perfectionist who never lets a miss leave his kitchen, and a true innovator; we’d like to see even more of his creativity unleashed at Madoka. 241 Winslow Way W between Finch Pl SW and Wood Ave SW, Bainbridge Island, 206-842-2448; madokaonbainbridge.com. Closed Mon & Tue.

Matt’s in the Market

Northwest It’s Pike Place Market’s neighborhood restaurant, boasting the kind of ever-present crowd and soul-rich vitality that showier joints only dream about. If you haven’t been in a while, you haven’t really been—the “little restaurant that could” busted out its walls and traded up from its butane stove, upgrading its view to iconic status through its pretty half-moon windows (there’s the Market pig!) and enhancing its ability to seat the throngs who come knocking lunch and dinner. The appeal? Fresh, exuberant innovations—tortilla-crusted halibut with guacamole, savory braised duck leg over lentil pilaf with fig jam—that showcase that day’s bounty from the fishmongers and high-stallers downstairs, at times pleasantly, at times extraordinarily. Where to bring the out-of-towners. 94 Pike St at First Ave, Ste 32, Pike Place Market, 206-467-7909; mattsinthemarket.com. Not wheelchair accessible.

Nishino

Japanese Seattle’s most sublime sushi. This neighborhood favorite draws tony patrons in two shifts—Madison Park matrons early in the evening, young professionals in black for later seatings—but everyone is warmly welcomed by the cheery sushi chefs behind the bar. It’s supremely artful, and not just thanks to the dreamlike Fay Jones paintings that warm the austere, high-ceilinged room. The really dazzling art is the exquisite raw seafood. One kampachi sashimi appetizer featured delicate strips of the fish fanned in a star around the plate; the sweet, smooth tuna—followed by a crunch, then the kick, from a paper-thin jalapeño slice—delivered a heady rush even for a non-sushi-lover. The omakase sampler is a house favorite because it’s unforgettable. When those chefs at the sushi bar send you off with a chorus of goodbyes, they’re pretty sure they’ll be seeing you again. 3130 E Madison St at Lake Washington Blvd, Madison Park, 206-322-5800; nishinorestaurant.com.

Palace Kitchen

New American Medievally lit, anchored by a twinkling bar, lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, dripping with chandeliers, peopled by…everyone—this is the Tom Douglas restaurant Seattleites love best. Oh sure, it’s the food—big satisfying plates of grilled mustard sausage and applesauce or Piedmontese ravioli or goat cheese fondue or grilled rib steak with chanterelle jus—or any of the rest of Douglas’s canny comfort—food originals. But more, it’s that the Palace virtually crackles with the energy of a smashing cocktail party, till well after most restaurants are shuttered for the night. It’s the place where you can pop in for a plate of sausage and grits at midnight (it’s open every night until 2am), assured that the server will know just the right cocktail to accompany it, and confident that you won’t be drinking anywhere near alone. Reservations are essential; pity they don’t take them for parties of less than six. 2030 Fifth Ave between Lenora and Virginia Sts, Belltown, 206-448-2001; tomdouglas.com.

Paseo

Caribbean/Sandwiches Lorenzo Lorenzo’s sun-splashed, tin-roofed hit of Havana is so cruelly popular its addicts endure lines out the door knowing that they must pay cash, they will almost assuredly not get a table (there are three), and there will be hell to pay laundry-wise (these sandwiches drip). Yet still they wait, their prize of choice to arrive between the halves of a toasted baguette slathered with mayo, cilantro, and plenty of caramelized onions. Perhaps it will be the marinated pork, perhaps the sautéed prawns, each a plate-filler and served with a cob of fresh corn. Perhaps it won’t be a sandwich at all, but rather a plate of fiery fish in red sauce over rice, or a wickedly fragrant bowl of salsa chicken over black beans and rice, jalapeños and cheese, and every last spice in the Caribbean palette. So the meat arrives overcooked; you’re in no mood to quibble. We’ve actually found it’s impossible to quibble to a steel-drum soundtrack, amid aromas transcendent as these. No alcohol. 4225 Fremont Ave N between N 42nd and N 43rd Sts, Fremont, 206-545-7440. Closed Sun & Mon. 
6229 Seaview Ave NW, Ballard, 206-789-3100. Closed Sun & Mon.

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Published: October 2009