By Christopher Howard
Staying in town for mid-winter, we tried a mix of local new openings and re-openings.
We visited the refurbished Coastal Kitchen, 429 15th Avenue East, 206.322.1145, https://www.coastal
kitchenseattle.com/, soon after its official grand reopening. Coastal Kitchen has been a Capitol Hill landmark for three decades But, after being closed for much of Covid, then reopening with new ownership, it had another interruption in service from what the staff refer to as “the crash” (and they are not referring to the economy) last May. The new owners took advantage of the opportunity to remodel and change the format. Gone are the periodically rotating regional menus for which Coastal Kitchen was known; now they have a standard menu without even any daily specials when we visited. Gone also is the gluten free friendly menu (clearly marked and, for example, gluten free fish and chips). The staff also is all new and very professional and experienced, drawing on the likes of Damn the Weather, Deadline and Tallulah’s, in something of a contrast to the traditional independent attitude that had been shown by the staff before (in the Surrogate Hostess Capitol Hill tradition).
We tried the wild Alaska Salmon in a mushroom zucchini fennel sauce, and shellfish risotto. The salmon was quite flavorful and was accompanied with potatoes and carrots (as well as zucchini). It was quite good and we would order it again. The risotto, on the other hand, was disappointing; the risotto was dry and grainy with a sauce that had little flavor except a hit of tomato. We tried a red pinot by the glass recommended by the bartender to go with the risotto and it was quite nice as well as affordable. Overall we had a mixed experience at the reopened Coastal Kitchen. The interior has been cleaned up and the service and the salmon were great, but we miss the rotating menus which was one of the reasons we frequented the restaurant pre-covid.
The owners of Maiz Antojitos & Tortilleria in Pike Place Market expanded last fall with a new Denny Regrade/South Lake Union location, Maiz Molino, 2325 6th Avenue, 206.402.6142, https://www.maizseattle.com/molino. Moino means corn mill, and the name is appropriate as the owners have made specially sourced heirloom corn from small scale farms the central theme of their restaurant, even many of the bar specials feature Mexican corn liquor. We were lucky enough to be there on an evening with both owners and the head chef present and they clearly take pride in their work.
We tried the pico de gallo to check out their approach to corn chips and we received toasted whole tortillas. Upon inquiry we learned we had exemplars of tortillas made separately from pink, white, and blue corn, and we even learned about the individual farms in Mexico from which they came. For our main course, the Chochoyote Caldo, a seafood stew with small cone shaped corn pasta, and the Mole de mi Ama, a peanut butter approach to chicken mole, and we would order both again (except there is more we want to try on the menu). The Chocohoyote Caldo had mussels, prawns and clams (although the menu suggests a fin fish instead of clams) and the seafood was ample and fresh and the broth was good to the last drop. The chicken had a strong peanut butter flavor, but it worked. It was accompanied by rice and beans and tortillas (corn, of course). We tried one of their specialty drinks, the Petracon, a slightly spicy slightly sweet margarita style drink made with a Mexican corn liquor. We liked it enough to plan to order it again next time.
Maiz Molino is one of those restaurants to which we plan to return to sample the rest of its menu. It has only been open a few months but it has already been discovered. There are only seven tables plus some more space in the bar, and the venue, which opens at 5:30 for dinner, gets full by 6:15, so consider making reservations.
Another reopening is the relocation of Taurus Ox from its small, take-out-oriented location on Madison to a full restaurant at 903 19th Ave. East (just North of Aloha — the long-time location of Cafe Vios), 206.972.0075, www.taurusox.com. We stopped by early one weekday (they do not take reservations) to enjoy their Laotian cuisine at their new location. This new larger location has a decor vaguely reminiscent of a tropical or Polynesian theme, but in a subdued way. The menu is very similar to its prior location, and mostly gluten free (except for their signature Lao Burger) with clear marking on the menu for vegan and gluten.
We tried the Phad Lao, with chicken, and the Lao Sausage Entry and we enjoyed them both. The Phad Lao is a rice noodle dish with ample vegetables; it starts as a vegan option unless you choose to add a protein. It is flavorful, with a vague touch of vinegar, and has something of a punch in the spice/heat department. The Lao Sausage was accompanied by assorted vegetables (cauliflower, bok choy, cucumber and cabbage that evening) and served over a choice of jasmine or sticky rice. We tried the sticky rice on the server’s recommendation and it was an appropriate accompaniment to the seasoned pork sausage (but it is very sticky). We would order both of these items again, but if we had to pick one to try it would be the Phad Lao. We also tried an Ox Mule from the bar, their take on a Moscow Mule, and it was good although a tad on the sweet side.
Taurus Ox is a fine addition to the East Capitol Hill neighborhood. It had friendly and prompt service and was very reasonably priced for Capitol Hill. We will be back.
Christopher Howard has recently retired from Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. For comments on this article or to share your favorite places to eat or drink, you may contact him at 206.669.5956 or CHH@f2t.com.
