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Food & Drink

Food We Love: The Most Beautiful Tacos in Seattle

A change in chefs breathes new life into the menu at a neighborhood favorite

By Chelsea Lin September 17, 2019

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This article originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the September 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

We first fell in love with Brimmer & Heeltap (Ballard) when the light-filled corner spot, with its shareable dishes and excellent drinks, opened in 2014. The best flavors on the original menu were decidedly Asian, courtesy of then chef Mike Whisenhunt. But since Angela Ortez-Davis took over the kitchen last year, she’s slowly rolled out an all-new menu inspired by her California roots and the Mexican recipes of her mom (who is also a chef). Ortez-Davis’ hibiscus tacos ($14), with ginger-poached shrimp cooked with hibiscus flowers, and masa colored by hibiscus water, are the very embodiment of this new direction—as flavorful as they are beautiful, and best enjoyed on the restaurant’s perfect side patio.

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