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Restaurant Roundup: Celebrating Seaweed and a Humble Cuts Steakhouse

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

A woman on a beach takes a snack from a bag labeled “Sea Salt & Pepper Seaweed” that is being held by another person.
Could seaweed be the next go-to pantry grab? Seacharrones are working on it—and the Pacific Northwest might be just the place to make it happen.
Photo courtesy of Seacharrones

How are we feeling, Seattle? Fresh off of winning the Super Bowl right into… checks notes… Friday the 13th? Nay, we refuse to let a day that’s notorious for bad luck ruin the mood, although you certainly will need some good fortune if you’re still looking for Valentine’s Day reservations.

Perhaps we can help.

Can you taste the love?

‘Cause Cupid is in the kitchen at Copperworks Kenmore. Today and tomorrow (Feb. 13-14), the distillery and De La Soil are offering a special Valentine’s menu headlined by a decadent foie gras pot pie made with celery root, chanterelles, Oregon white truffle and Parmigiano Reggiano. You’ll also find a yellowtail crudo plated with red beet and costeño chile aguachile, Mexican sour gherkin, pomegranate, green oil, and coriander blossom, as well as a duck breast for two, and a heart-shaped churro for dessert. Wash it all down with a special St. Valentine’s Seelbach cocktail and a Peatsmith rosemary salted caramel.

Take a deep dive on seaweed

Chef Grant Rico can’t kelp himself—as a proponent of incorporating the abundant local ingredient into various cuisines, he’s also part of a growing movement across the Pacific Northwest that celebrates seaweed for its diverse forms, flavors, and nutritional value. In the past, Rico’s appreciation for marine algae manifested in “sugar kelp pita” at the recently closed Greenwood American Bistro, as well as the seaweed bread he served as executive chef at Bainbridge Island’s Seabird restaurant. For those looking to delve into the world themselves, locally harvested products include the “seacharrones” from Blue Dot Sea Farms and Lummi Island SeaGreens.

A new coastal kitchen is coming to The Charter Hotel Seattle

The Curio Collection by Hilton property will debut a new signature restaurant this April called Cinder + Salt, honoring “Seattle’s seafood tradition and global coastal flavors cooked over a wood fire grill.” At its center will be a raw shellfish bar where guests can enjoy fresh Pacific Northwest oysters, clams, prawns, and crab. Beyond that, the menu will hit all the favorites: bountiful seafood towers, wood-fired miso cod, Dungeness crab rolls, grilled octopus, and prime steaks for the landlubbers, plus a bar program leaning into handcrafted maritime-inspired drinks. Executive Chef Scott Lutey brings more than 30 years of culinary experience to the restaurant.

“Humble cuts”

That’s the new approach for James Beard Award-winning chef Renee Erickson, who will reopen her Capitol Hill steakhouse under a new name next month. Bateau closed temporarily last summer, and although its reconfiguration has taken longer than originally planned, the new concept, Jeffry’s, will offer hanger steaks and tri-tips at a lower price point. “After 10 years of doing the same things at Bateau, we are excited to reopen with a refreshed space and a menu focused on bright, fresh seasonal ingredients and accessible steakhouse classics,” Erickson said in a statement. Attached spaces—the former Boat Bar and General Porpoise—will become an oyster bar and private dining room, respectively.

Sharing is caring

Do you guard your dinner plate with resolute determination? Then these meals-for-two deals might not be your thing. But, if you are looking to share an experience with your sweetheart, or grab an economically efficient bite with a friend, the spread at Canteen by Meesha, “Girl Dinner” at Aslan Tangletown, JINYA Ramen Bar’s “Ladle of Love” special, and Brimmer & Heeltap’s “Spaghetti Sunday” will all give you plenty of bang for your buck.

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