By Christopher Howard
There has been a lot of recent turnover in the Seattle area restaurant market, creating some new options where your old favorites may have been.
Michelin-Recommended Chinese Fare in Bellevue
Michelin has not yet awarded any stars to Seattle area restaurants, but there are Michelin “recommended” restaurants, including the newly opened Jiang Nan (11111 NE Eighth St., Suite 120, Bellevue; 425-362-6136; jiangnanny.com) in the Shops at Bravern. We visited on a Tuesday evening so it was not too crowded, and we got the benefit of one of their multi-course prix fixe menus that they only offer Mondays and Tuesdays. Otherwise, the size of the menu, presented on a digital tablet for the table, would have overwhelmed us.
By opting for the Tuesday special we got the grilled striped bass, the “golden combo,” the boiled boneless chicken with chili sauce, the eggplant with smashed peppers and the ham fried rice. This prix fixe menu came with a choice of teas, and we both had passion fruit green tea (and also a Toki Manhattan, but that was not included in the Tuesday special). These several items arrived in a somewhat leisurely fashion consistent with a relaxed meal. The fish was very impressively presented, but all the dishes were flavorful and worthy of ordering again and we found the fish and the fried rice our favorites. We note it would be much more expensive to order these items separately and the Tuesday night special was a good bundle.
Jiang Nan has grown out of its Flushing, New York, origins to currently have eleven locations with just over half of those in the New York and New Jersey area. Its Bellevue location is in a swank neighborhood (but with ample parking that is validated). We very much enjoyed our visit, but there are more cost-effective options for similar food.
Small Space, Big Flavor, Bold Vision
Named for the 1990 song by Cocteau Twins, a Scottish rock band from the ‘80s and ‘90s, Pitch the Baby (600 19th Ave. E. ; instagram.com/pitchthebabybar and www.pitchthebabybar.com, a website in progress) has moved into the storied location recently vacated by Rocket Taco on Capitol Hill. This was the spot of Kingfish Café for 18 years, Earnest Loves Agnes for one year, Contadino for only six months, and Rocket Taco since 2018, until they moved a few months ago into the larger space across the street (that was previously Tallulah’s and then Bounty Kitchen). Pitch the Baby is created by experienced Seattle restauranteurs Monica Dimas, whose significant Seattle-area experience includes the former Tortas Condesa on Olive Way and, more recently, Westman’s Bagel and Coffee, and Anais (Ani) Custer of La Dive.
Pitch the Baby is a women’s sports bar. It will soon be paired with a restaurant, Condesa, to be at 502 19th East, named for a neighborhood in Mexico City, and a rebirth of Torta Condesa, the walk-up window that closed in 2019, when their lease expired at the Olive Way location. This incarnation will be a sit-down restaurant adjoining Pitch the Baby. The opening date for Condesa is not yet set, but it will be soon. The menus in both Pitch the Baby and Condesa are inspired by the cuisine of Mexico City and they have a shared kitchen.
We were there at a weekend brunch time. The menu may have been the same, but the Torta de Chorizo y Papa seemed totally appropriate for a brunch entrée. This is a sandwich with housemade chorizo, slaw, potatoes, pickled peppers and topped with a fried egg. The flavors merged beautifully, but be wary of treating it as a sandwich — the first few bites are very messy and then the bottom of the bread disintegrates. It is necessary to eat this item with a knife and fork. We understand that is not uncommon for an authentic chorizo torta. We accompanied this with a very interesting concoction from the bar, their Melon Baller, made from honeydew infused vodka, lime cordial, yuzu curacao, and mint. This drink had a complex and unique flavor that held up well to the strong flavors of the torta.
Overall we would try both of these items again, but we would not try to eat the torta as a sandwich next time. Pitch the Baby is a nice place to watch a WNBA game (not limited to the Storm), and we plan to return as well as look forward to the opening of Condesa next door. There is a rumor that some neighbors are seeking a change in the name of the sports bar; we will keep you posted if this establishment changes its name.
A Trendy New Spot on East Pine
Open less than two months and already trendy? Well, after building up a following with several pop-ups, Phê (721 E. Pine St. ; instagram.com/phe.yet) opened this summer a block west of Broadway in one of the old
“autorow” buildings that have been rebuilt into modern apartments with commercial on the ground floor. And the following from the pop ups has translated into lines whenever we go by this busy location near SIFF’s Egyptian Theater and Seattle Central’s campus.
Most of the customers appear to be attracted by Phê’s Vietnamese coffee and matcha creations, some of which are quite colorful as well as tasty. But they have a food menu too, and we were there to sample it. Since this turns out to be a popular place for people to set up with their computer, one of us made a point of getting there early to snag a table — the last table as it turned out, and the tables did not turn over that often while we were there.
We tried Bò Kho, which is a braised beef stew with potatoes and carrots and served with a baguette, and a meat bánh mì. (They have a vegan bánh mì with braised tofu and vegan pate.) We accompanied these with sweet potato fries that are cut thin (almost shoestring style but not quite) and dusted in a cheddar powder. And, of course we had to try some of the beverages: the signature Banana Pudding Hojicha Latte and a lychee iced tea.
First the beverages: very entertaining. We can see that the coffee/matcha bar is the heart of this operation. The Lychee Iced Tea, served with a lychee nut garnish, was on the sweet side, but enjoyable. The Hojicha Latte came with the serving of banana pudding on the top, not mixed in, and the recommendation eat the pudding first (as we learned it becomes harder to eat as it mixes in with the ice). For those unfamiliar with Hojicha, it is a Japanese product made from roasted green tea, giving that portion of the drink almost a smokey flavor. And the pudding was indeed banana pudding, a bit like having dessert in your beverage. But, if you are a typical Seattleite be warned: Hojicha is lower in caffeine than matcha (or black tea, or coffee).
Of the food items, the sweet potato fries disappeared before either of the main courses. They were fresh with a good mix of slightly crunchy and soft inside. And, we could taste the cheddar dusting, but it was not overpowering. Both the sandwich and the stew were good, with the appropriate mix of flavors. The stew was gently spiced with the herbs cooked in rather than added at the end. We would order both again, but they would not be the reason we returned, especially given the price range which was more in the downtown range.
Phê is friendly to special dietary needs. In addition to having several vegan options, Phê’s menu clearly marks which items contain gluten.
All three of the new openings we checked out were worth trying, depending upon what you are looking for. Given the price point for each, the one we are most likely to return to most often is Pitch the Baby to watch a Storm game.
Dining Out is coordinated by Christopher Howard, who welcomes comments and suggestions at 206-669-5956 or chh@f2t.com.
