Branzino
Renee McMahon
HTCAW is bigger than a breadbasket (but just barely).
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When the greeter leads you to a booth by the window, saying he wants you there because you and your date are just so good-looking, you know Branzino takes customer obeisance to tongue-in-cheek levels. But if the restaurant represents a new excess of attentiveness, I can only say: Bring it on. In a town full of slipshod $25 entrées indifferently served, this 9-month-old Italian bistro makes you feel like you've splurged a bit and absolutely gotten your money's worth. There's no scene here, just warmly romantic decor and delightful, carefully executed food, like a ribeye steak with figs and the lovely namesake fish. Branzino spares you the Belltown annoyances while delivering all the perks. If you love basic Italian and are looking to expand your horizons, Branzino is the perfect place to do it—and get a little flattery to boot. MARK D. FEFER
Serves: dinner. 2429 Second Ave., 728-5181. BELLTOWNbranzinoseattle.com
Carmelita
For a pre–bachelorette party dinner, there are a few absolute musts: decadent food, a good wine list, and elegant desserts. That order gets even taller when the bride-to-be is a vegetarian. Enter Carmelita. The small bistro, decorated in warm reds, believes that just because you don't eat animals doesn't mean you can't have a haute-cuisine experience. Goat-cheese-stuffed beet rolls, fried and served with greens and a Dijon aioli, aren't the first thing that come to mind when I think light, healthy veggie fare—probably because they're substantial and delicious. The cauliflower crepe, smothered in parsnip cream and an apple balsamic, is so rich that a friend and I could barely polish it off, though of course we did, using leftover bread to sop up the remaining sauce. But not to worry, dear vegans, Carmelita's menu does not skimp on options for you either: Two of chef Nicole Burrows' five entrées are created with no assists from the animal kingdom. And there's always the pear-cranberry crisp for dessert, which should provide the energy you'll need for the long night at Chopstix. LAURA ONSTOT
Serves: dinner. 7314 Greenwood Ave. N., 706-7703. PHINNEY RIDGE/GREENWOODcarmelita.net
Chiso
Tucked below street level, Chiso is easily overlooked. But if you're distracted by the Fremont sidewalk action, you'll miss out on a great no-fuss meal. Sit at the sushi bar to watch the sushi chef's quick hands and hear recommendations on what's freshest. While you're deliberating between oily saba or delicate uni, consider a shochu cocktail. A Japanese liquor distilled from rice, barley, or sweet potatoes, shochu is pungent, colorless, and strong. While the sushi menu offers both more and less traditional rolls, the gari saba roll, containing mackerel, ginger, and shiso, straddles the middle ground nicely. Though the decor leans toward austere, the mood at the bar is neighborly: As soon as an 8-year-old regular wiggles her way into her bar stool, she is handed plastic training chopsticks. ADRIANA GRANT
Serves: lunch, dinner. 3520 Fremont Ave. N., 632-3430. FREMONTchisoseattle.com
How to Cook a Wolf
Slipped into a storefront just past the crest of Queen Anne Hill, this small, sleek wooden box, with just a low counter separating the eating space from the cooking space, feels home-sized, as if your friends with the cool apartment have invited you for dinner. And as if Ethan Stowell and his team know just what kind of luscious, comforting food you love: satisfyingly crispy-chewy panini with beef short rib, Taleggio, and golden raisins. Semolina gnocchi, puffy cylinders tasting of pure Parmesan essence. Succulent pork-cheek ravioli with parsley, walnuts, and garlic. And bread pudding, with silky, warm cream to pour over the top, studded with tart little huckleberries to cut the richness. All preceded by lots of hard-to-resist nibbles: focaccia, almonds, olives, and more. Plus, everything's served family-style, and they don't take reservations. So intimate and convivial it is, upon your return you'll be tempted to bring a bottle of merlot and a bag of mint Milanos to share. (You needn't.) GAVIN BORCHERT
Serves: dinner. 2008 Queen Anne Ave. N., 838-8090. QUEEN ANNEhowtocookawolf.com
Joule
The inventive plates at Joule might take you from Koreatown to Sicily to an izakaya and back. Maybe you don't want this, but for those who like their palates piqued, stretched, and pulled in as many directions as possible, get ye to Wallingford. The best seats in the house number eight, right in front of the open kitchen where you can watch chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi grilling, sautéing, and plating around each other like a ballet duet. Come early or you may miss the nightly fish preparation, lately a daurade with sweet-and-sour eggplant and almond piccata. When Joule gets condimental, the disparate become inspirational as the chefs disregard cultural boundaries to pair flavors like the above with impact. Oxtail ragout with soy-cured egg yolk? Like they were separated at birth. Leave your preconceived notions at the door, forget what you think you know about kimchi, and open your mind and gullet. MAGGIE SAVARINO DUTTON
Serves: dinner. 1913 N. 45th St., 632-1913. WALLINGFORDjoulerestaurant.com
Palace Kitchen
Everything's big at Palace Kitchen: the ceilings, Boeing-hangar high. The mural along the south wall, which seems to depict the entire history of the Western hemisphere. The U-shaped bar, where a hundred Pee Wee Hermans could do the "Tequila!" dance. The famous crouton on the Caesar salad. We all feel bigger dining at the Palace, as if we were protagonists in our own urban epic. In the kitchen, Tom Douglas and his crew swagger with as much flair as they always have—serving up brawny whole chicken wings that have been marinated in soy and spice, then grilled over a wood fire; crinkle-edged plin (a type of agnolotti pasta) fat with ground pork and cabbage; an endive-apple-hazelnut "white" salad with a multivalent crunch. It's the perfect food either to complement the bartenders' potent cocktails or to soak up the three you downed before determining a midnight feast was in order. JONATHAN KAUFFMAN
