Skip to content

Tom Douglas Teams Up With Nordstrom, Stepping Out of Seattle for the First Time

Department Bento is the latest concept for Nordstrom at the Bellevue Square location

By Daria Kroupoderova June 26, 2018

BELLEVUE, WA - JUNE 17:  Department Bento at Nordstrom Bellevue Square on June 17, 2018 in Bellevue, Washington.  (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)
BELLEVUE, WA – JUNE 17: Department Bento at Nordstrom Bellevue Square on June 17, 2018 in Bellevue, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)

Seattle chef Tom Douglas and Nordstrom have partnered for a new dining experience at the local mega-chain’s Bellevue Square location called Department Bento. The quick-service concept is, you guessed it, Japanese-style bento boxes that lets you build your own meal.

“Bento service is one of my favorite ways to eat,” said Douglas. The chef, a strong proponent of using sustainable and seasonable ingredients, said  a bento box concept lets you easily change dishes based on what’s in season.

When you first walk up to order, you’re greeted with trays of colorful onigiri, rice balls that are formed into a triangular shape, sitting on a piece of nori. The flavors, though, are decidedly not traditional Japanese—look for carrot ginger or red beet.

The visually stunning appearance of the onigiri is intentional. “It came down to color,” said Adrienne Chamberlain, director of Seattle Kitchen Partnerships at Tom Douglas restaurants, when they were deciding on which onigiri flavors will make it on the menu. You get a choice of two onigiri for your box, so choose wisely.

As you proceed through the line, you get a choice of vegetable such as matcha green beans or honey sesame carrots and a protein such as Bristol Bay salmon, teriyaki skirt steak or seared tofu.

All bento boxes come with a miso deviled egg, kimchi, cucumber and daikon pickles and ginger apricot. Ask for extra ginger apricot—trust me, you’ll want more than one piece. Pair the meal with a sake slushie—I recommend the original, but there are fruity flavors available too.

This is the first partnership for Douglas outside of Seattle and the first partnership for Nordstrom with a local chef. Vincent Rossetti, vice president of restaurant operations at Nordstrom, made an analogy of working with Douglas as if a cruise ship was working with a speedboat. Could you guess who is who in that situation?

Sources say that there are other projects in the works between Douglas and Nordstrom, though no solid details have been released.

Follow Us

Restaurant Roundup: Game-Day Brunch and Last Calls 

Restaurant Roundup: Game-Day Brunch and Last Calls 

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

January is a month of reinvention and fresh starts—and Autumn Seattle in Phinney Ridge is taking that idea and running with it. The restaurant’s last day of service will be tomorrow (Jan. 17), but in the first week of February, it will reopen as GH Pasta & Pizza. Executive chef and restaurateur Brian Clevenger wants…

Restaurant Roundup: Mocktails, Blindfolds, and an Oyster Soiree

Restaurant Roundup: Mocktails, Blindfolds, and an Oyster Soiree

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Making dinner reservations, like New Year’s resolutions, means looking ahead and committing to something without being entirely sure of the outcome. To help you know what you’re signing up for in your forays into Seattle’s dining scene, the newly minted Resy Hit List has some valuable tips on where to focus your efforts. Taking the…

5 Things to Eat in January 

5 Things to Eat in January 

Make trying a neighborhood restaurant your New Year's resolution.

It was a long wait to get into Kabul, Wallingford’s longtime favorite Afghan restaurant. This was the last week of service before it shuttered. I have passed by this place for years and even worked at a restaurant across the street. Kabul’s mural of the National Geographic Afghan Girl cover—an image that has come to…

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Sometimes the best gift you can receive (or even treat yourself to) is to not have to cook during the holidays, so why not take advantage of the restaurants that are staying open? From Blue Water Bistro in Leschi to Ben Paris downtown and Maximilien in Pike Place Market, there are plenty of options on…