2010 was a biggie for restaurant openings in Seattle. Nosh Pit looks back on the year with a survey of new standout foods we couldn’t stop talking about.

In a strip mall storefront that once housed Sitka and Spruce came Nettletown in March. Teensy in space but big in vision, the casual Eastlake boite would serve as chef and owner Christina Choi’s gastrolab of seasonal, foraged Northwest edibles. (In her review of the restaurant, Kathryn Robinson noted, “Nettletown’s menu reads a little like a botanical survey of the forest floor.”)

Star among the banh-mi–like baguettes and noodle bowls is the lemongrass elk meatball sandwich. The seasoning is just so, the game is tender and flattened to nicely fit into Le Fournil bread. Garnishing it is—what else?—a smattering of gathered vittles. As with all of Choi’s chow, the herbs and pickled vegetables bear delightful freshness. Kind of like Nettletown itself.