Skip to content

Food & Drink

Ballard’s Sawyer Delights With Playful, Refined Dishes

A veteran of Lark finds his own voice in the best new restaurant in Ballard

By Chelsea Lin November 30, 2018

1_78

This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the December 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Just a few years ago, the trend in finer dining was to create ultraprecise “tweezer food,” as it came to be known—artistic (though arguably too fussy) dishes in which chefs used tweezers to meticulously place ingredients, such as each leaf of microgreen. Thankfully, the backlash from diners, food critics and some fun-loving chefs has resulted in more whimsical, playful food that is no less delicious—or less beautiful, for that matter. The perfect example of this is at Sawyer.
Former Lark chef de cuisine Mitch Mayers opened the Ballard eatery in early August in the 4,700-square-foot space that formerly housed Kickin’ Boot (and long before that, a sawmill in the 1920s). Where that restaurant was dark and broody, Sawyer is bright, timeless and manages to feel intimate for a place that seats 115, thanks to a puzzle of little booths.

The menu of shareable plates is light-hearted but substantial: oxtail nachos ($17), cheesy bread with ’nduja and pimento cheese ($8) and s’more choco tacos ($9) are all hits. They draw on Mayers’ family history of running concession stands at fairs. With dishes like the excellent rotisserie porchetta (served with house-made flatbread, $32), he also shows off the skills that earned him Seattle’s top spot for two years running in the annual Cochon555 porcine cooking competition. “I love junk food,” he says. “I think it’s fun, approachable food.”

KITCHEN CAPTAIN: Chef Mitch Mayers takes his love of junk food and turns it into creative, playful dishes 

The key to getting the most out of a visit to Sawyer is to go with a big enough group that you get to try a little of everything on the menu; it’s a menu that taps into our collective nostalgia. Mayers’ version of “junk food” has a way of making us feel like kids again—kids with a (slightly) more refined palate and bigger bank account.

Mayers is hoping this will become a neighborhood staple. I just wish I lived next door. 

MUST TRY: Although the choco tacos are excellent and shouldn’t be missed, also be sure to order Mayers’ version of a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar, which comes covered in a Theo dark chocolate magic shell and is presented stuck vertically in a bowl of cookie dough semifreddo ($4).

Ballard, 5309 22nd Ave. NW, Suite A; 206.420.7225

Follow Us

Simple Goodness

Simple Goodness

Plum Bistro chef and owner Makini Howell’s new cookbook makes vegan recipes easy

Plum Bistro restaurant owner and chef Makini Howell recently created some tasty vegan recipes for Stevie Wonder. Now she wants to do the same for you — sort of. Howell, who launched the popular vegan restaurant in Capitol Hill 20 years ago, just released a new plant-based cookbook, Simple Goodness: No-Fuss, Plant-Based Meals Straight From…

Seattle Mag

Seattle Chocolate Rebrands With Inspiration from Irish Queen

Seattle Chocolate Rebrands With Inspiration from Irish Queen

Company will now be known as Maeve

Seattle Chocolate is no longer. It is not, however, out of business. It does have a new brand and name: Maeve. The company, known for its meltaway bonbons and chocolate bars, rebranded after more than 30 years, drawing inspiration from a first-century Irish warrior queen who believed women should make their own choices, own land,…

Sarah Stackhouse

Try These Emerald City Elixirs During Seattle Cocktail Week

Try These Emerald City Elixirs During Seattle Cocktail Week

Annual spirits soiree kicks off this Sunday

Seattle Cocktail Week founder Amy Faulkner is doubling down on the “Seattle” in Seattle Cocktail Week this year. The week-long festivities kick off Sunday, March 2 with an Oyster Happy Hour at Vinnie’s Wine Shop in Belltown from 2 p.m-10 p.m., and “Jimmy Jams,” a karaoke and cocktail competition at Belltown Yacht Club, also on Sunday from 7 p.m.-10 p.m.   Seattle Cocktail…

Chris S. Nishiwaki

Frying High With Chick-fil-A

Frying High With Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A and other franchisors will be in Seattle next week to pitch their wares

My son would eat at Chick-fil-A every day if he could. There’s one right across the street from his basketball club, and it’s not unusual to see 20 idling cars in the drive-thru line waiting for a spicy chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets. Company executives, along with representatives from four other franchisors, will hit Seattle…

Rob Smith