You've come a long way, Ballard. Lately, the land of lutefisk and fish and chips has been as much a Mexican food mecca and even a fine-dining destination. It seems the neighborhood that showed Seattle how to pickle a herring knows a thing or two about foie gras as well. Sure, you can still get some of the best clam strips around at the little joints along Seaview Avenue Northwest and Fishermen's Terminal, and Old Ballard still produces all the greasy diner food and hearty pub fare a person could crave. Yet tour Ballard not with the intent of visiting old favorites but with an eye for the fresh, and one will find four new Mexican restaurants, first-rate Thai, enough souvlaki, barbecued ribs, pizza, and pasta to feed a Viking army, fabulous pho, revolutionary chai, and a Reuben to be reckoned with. If the flashy condos lining Ballard's industrial core aren't evidence enough that the humble burg is now hip, take a culinary trip down Market Street, where blue collar meets blue ribbon. Here, at least three honest-to-goodness destination restaurants pull in dinner crowds from as far as Laurelhurst and even Languedoc. Katie Millbauer
Robin Laananen
Market Street Grill chef Frank Springmann.
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Seastar
Bellevue is a thriving, sophisticated city with a first-rate retail core. But it is not notable for first-rate sophisticated dining establishments. In fact, until chef John Howie opened Seastar two years ago, one would have been hard put to suggest any Bellevue restaurant to a discriminating visitor. On the edge of downtown off an office-building plaza, Seastar looks not much different than other upscale suburban enterprises, but the arrival of the first dish puts any doubt to rest: This is a kitchen that can hold its head up anywhere. The emphasis is on seafood, and the restaurant sports a full-bore raw bar, but Seastar is not a "seafood restaurant." Without compromising the freshness and quality of his ingredients, Howie puts a unique spin on every dish. Asian culinary touches abound, particularly among appetizers, and there's something Asian in the elegance of presentations, though there's no tendency to err on the side of flossiness, either. The wine list is remarkable, both for its range and its accommodation of modest pocketbooks as well as the wide-open wallets of big spenders. R.D.
205 108th Ave. N.E., 425-456-0010. BELLEVUE $$$
www.seastarrestaurant.com"
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Barking Dog Alehouse
If you were to look only at the entrée lineup, you'd conclude that Barking Dog's culinary ambitions did not push the pub-food envelope—meatloaf, halibut and chips, Cajun gumbo. But turn your eye to the appetizer column: wasabi-pork wontons? Thai seafood cakes? Boar satay and tofu fries? No, Barking Dog is an alehouse with ambitions in both food and drink: It aspires to be the place in town for sampling the exotic seasonal beers of Belgium as well as a rotating lineup of fine Northwest brew. It wants to be your choice for weekend breakfast, too, offering classics like corned beef hash–and-eggs and eggs B, along with livelier fare—hot-sausage tortilla- wrap and Mediterranean tofu scramble. (Hmmm . . . beer with breakfast to smooth the wrinkles from the night before. Now there's a fresh idea.) And don't forget the nightly pizza and sandwich specials, either. Like Fred's Rivertown Alehouse in Snohomish (owned and operated by the same family), the Dog wants to be the dining spot of choice for people who take their food as seriously as their beer. R.D.
705 N.W. 70th St., 206-782-2974. $$
Carnegie's
Ballard's old Carnegie Library feels a bit like a forgotten castle inside. You may expect ghosts, but, luckily, the only surprise is finding high-quality, classical French food in the heart of Ballard. Carnegie's is an event—grand foyer, crimson-walled dining rooms, oversized antique wood furniture, thick white table cloths, and all. The formal service and hushed classical music make it apparent that one is to be serious about one's dinner here, and it's easy to be serious about food this good. It's not "creative," just remarkable for its fantastic flavor and skillful preparation. It's prepared in the tradition of the great masters—simply, allowing superior ingredients to speak for themselves. The choice tenderloin Roquefort with wild mushrooms is melt-in-your-mouth good. The rustic chicken stewed in red wine, mushroom, and onions is superb. Don't skip dessert. K.M.
2026 N.W. Market St., 206-789-6643. $$-$$$
La Carta de Oaxaca
Part of Ballard's new wave of Mexican eateries, La Carta is tiny but highly stylized. Spartan and clean, its white walls covered with framed black-and-white photos of Oaxacan people and scenes, it looks more like an art gallery than a restaurant. But the dishes coming out of the open stainless-steel kitchen put any doubt to rest. The house specialty, mole negro, is on the sweet side and tastes great atop pork or chicken, served with rice and tortillas. Other standouts are spicy fish soup and molotes: three fried tortillas stuffed with potatoes and beef sausage and garnished attractively with guacamole, hot sauce, and Oaxacan cheese. The plates are small but so are the prices, so the menu's great for sampling and sharing, tapas-style. The margaritas are practically perfect, which isn't a surprise, considering La Carta's bar shares management with Fu Kun Wu, Thaiku's trendy lounge. K.M.
5431 Ballard Ave. N.W., 206-782-8722. $$
Le Gourmand
Eating at Le Gourmand is a little like visiting an artist's studio. Each dish is an original—a product of seasonal, textural, and gustatory impulse. The menu is dedicated to hearty, rustic-style foods: game, the woodsy fragrance of mushrooms, and the delicate flavors of organic, local vegetables and herbs cooked with care and affection. Local cheeses, wild mushrooms, and breads decorate plates of wild and wind-dried salmon, rabbit liver pâté, organic beef tenderloin, and Washington lamb. If you hear French being spoken at the next table, no surprise—after two decades in business, Le Gourmand may be better known in Rouen and Caen than here at home. Though its new little sister, the adjacent shoebox-size Sambar lounge, is pulling in as many young local trendies as can fit. If Le Gourmand recalls the French countryside, the mod, colorful Sambar recalls A Clockwork Orange. The only sign that they're connected—other than that they share the same building—is Sambar's exquisite bar food menu. K.M.
