Food News: Sitka & Spruce Moving?

Say wha? You heard me: Word is, Matt Dillon's moving Sitka & Spruce to Capitol Hill. More details to come, but read about that and more food news over on my Seattle Mag blog.

[where: 98112]

Best Restaurants: The Ones That Are M.I.A.

So far this morning I've recieved five emails from loyal fans of Serafina, telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I screwed up, missed the boat, or was crazy not to include them in our Restaurants that Stand the Test of Time section of this year's Seattle Mag Best Restaurants issue (on newsstands this week).

Every year our Best Restaurants issue is our most popular, and it's also our most controversial. But I love reading other diners' thoughts on which restaurants "make" Seattle. So please, chime in and nominate/complain all you want right here. I really do want to know what you think.


[where: 98101]

Food News: Culinary Communion closes for good

Yep, the sad rumors were true: Culinary Communion is gone. Read all about it here.


Read owner Gabriel Claycamp's official statement over here.

[where: 98118]

Food News: A New Tom D. Resto is on the Horizon

Yep, Tom Douglas is adding another restaurant to his collection. Read about it and more on Seattle Mag's food & drink blog.


[where: 98101]

Food News: 3 lunch options for south-enders

Rejoice, south-enders (talkin' to you Georgetown and Beacon): There are two interesting new lunch spots (plus one returning champ) to check out. Two are cheap as all get-out, one promises to inspire, um, skepticism. Read about it all on Seattle Mag.



[where: 98108]

Food News: Pagliacci's 30 today, and the pizza's cheap

This is one gimmick I'm actually planning to take advantage of: Pagliacci's turning back their prices to what they were in 1979 in celebration of their 30th year in business.

Get the whole run-down here.

Food News: Moshi Moshi opens Thursday

Despite what you might've read, um, elsewhere (I'm a huge fan of Voracious, but it's probably a better policy to update a blog post when you publish incorrect info rather than deleting it from the blog and making your readers think they're going crazy), Moshi Moshi actually opens this Thursday, Feb. 5th.

I've been anticipating the opening of this place for months; seems like there's a lack of really good sushi in the neighborhoods, and I figured the team behind Bricco might just do it right.

Head over to my Seattle Mag blog to get all the details.

[where: 98118]

Eating Seattle: Poppy

I've got a theory about Poppy which I'm hoping you can either confirm or deny. The theory goes something like this: Men hate/dislike/roll their eyes at the place, and women love it/like it/are intrigued by it/find it fun.

Now, I'm already about to throw a wrench into my own simplistic assumption by telling you that I do not love Poppy, and I am a woman. But then again it's entirely possible, and maybe even probable, that I like to eat more like your typical man than your typical woman. I don't know if this is true (more studies must be done, surely), but it's possible.

Anyhoo, my review of Poppy is up on the Seattle Mag website now, and I hope you'll read it to get a more rounded, broad idea of what I think of the place.

But if I were forced to sum up my reason for not loving it, it'd come down to this: I like to get lost in a dish I enjoy. I like for there to be enough of something warm, stewy, meaty, savory and so on for me to actually feel satisfied after eating it. I love a big bowl of pho, a hearty cauldron of ramen, but size isn't all that matters--we can all get our fill of a rich, hearty chili or an intensely clammy chowder in a thick cup of the stuff. I just like to take my time, taste it a bunch of times, really get to know my food.

At Poppy I was frustrated by all the little dishes that neither added real value nor enhanced the other dishes. But mostly I was frustrated by the tiny portions at the heart of the thalis, because, when they were good, I just wanted to get lost in them, and I couldn't. Have you ever been to a mediocre (or even worse) restaurant, eaten a full meal, but left feeling like you just didn't scratch the itch? You're belly was full but you were far from satisfied?

So Poppy doesn't curl my toes. What about you?

[where: 98115]