Kenmore gets Roaster along the lakeshore

There was a time when we could barely keep up with all the big, splashy restaurant openings around here. Well, that's ancient history, though it's worth noting that many far-less-splashy openings have occurred of late — with others scheduled soon.

October marked the opening of the Lake Washington Roaster & Ale House (6161 N.E. 175th St., Kenmore; 425-482-2670), with a lengthy menu specializing in slow-roasted meats and poultry. This lakeshore venue, complete with views of Lake Washington and Kenmore Air Harbor, is the site of the former Lake Washington Grillhouse, closed since July.

If the restaurant's name and concept sound familiar, it should: owner Greg Lucas bought the "Roaster" name and concept from longtime Seattle-area restaurateur Tim Firnstahl. As former president of operations for Firnstahl's Satisfaction Guaranteed Eateries, Lucas oversaw operations at Sharp's Roaster & Ale House, the Kirkland Roaster & Ale House and Von's Grand City Café before buying and renovating this bar and eatery.

Now happily ensconced in Kenmore, Lucas says his intention is to focus his energies on "a single, non-corporate restaurant," bringing together a team of experienced professionals to offer a casual, comfortable eatery with broad appeal.

To that end, prices are moderate ($4.95 to $9.95 at lunch, $9.95 to $19.95 dinner) and children are welcomed with crayons, coloring books and a $2.99 kid's menu. The Ale House lounge offers big screens for watching sporting events, a nosh-worthy menu, 30 draft beers and a vast selection of single-malt scotches and small-batch bourbons.

Other draws include boat moorage, banquet facilities and a deck for warm-weather dining. The dining room is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Ale House lounge remains open until 12:30 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

La Vita è Bella Pizzeria (2407 Second Ave., Seattle; 206-441-5123) quietly opened next door to 3-year-old La Vita è Bella Cafe in August, offering a taste of Italy with 20 authentic Italian-style pizzas served whole and uncut. From the classic mozzarella- and basil-laced Margherita ($9.95) to the frutti di mare-wearing "Scoglio" (with mussels, shrimp, calamari, garlic, parsley and tomato sauce, $14.95), these — and a short list of antipasti and housemade desserts — would be reason enough to check the place out. But wait, there's more!

Owners Giuseppe Forte and Corino Bonjrada bring us Italian beer on tap! A world of Italian wines! Italian marble counter tops! And Bonjrada's mama is here each morning making bread and pizza dough! What are you waiting for? La Vita è Bella Pizzeria is open Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday till midnight.

November marked the grand opening of Ruth's Chris Steak House in Bellevue Square (425-451-1550). Poised between Crate & Barrel and Nordstrom and owned by local residents Anne and Steve Queyrouze, Ruth's Chris is much admired for its custom-aged steaks, broiled at a searing 1800 degrees, and for its deep wine list.

Ruth's Chris is the latest addition to the newly dubbed diners' destination known as the Restaurants at the Corners. Comprising 13 restaurants within walking distance of the corner of N.E. 8th Street and Bellevue Way, the Restaurants at the Corners recently welcomed the first full-service Pagliacci Pizza (Ruth's Chris' next-door-neighbor), open since the end of October. Ruth's Chris serves lunch and dinner daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 10 p.m. Sunday. Pagliacci's operating hours are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Cinnamons Grill (4926 196th St. S.W., Lynnwood; 425-670-1000), open since late October, is distinctive for a menu that marries East Indian and traditional Northwest favorites at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dining room and its adjoining 30-seat wine room (outfitted with a fireplace, piano and low sofas) are meant to provide a comfortable respite from the commercial excess that defines this busy Lynnwood shopping district.

Owner and executive chef Geogy Chacko continues to tweak the menu as he gauges audience reaction to such breakfast possibilities as tandoori chicken frittata and dosa pancakes served with coconut chutney and stewed apples. A lunch buffet ($6.95) encompasses dishes from East India "and beyond," and the standard lunchtime menu includes salads, sandwiches and such cross-cultural items as tandoori Alfredo. Dinner may start with hot wings or chicken pakoras, moving onto such entrees as Northwest-styled crab and potato cakes, classic curries, kormas and tandoori-cooked meats and seafood (main courses run $9.95 to $17.95).

Got a sweet tooth? The lunch buffet morphs into a smorgasbord of desserts presented daily from 4 p.m. till closing. Cinnamons Grill opens at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 8 a.m. on Sunday. Dinner service ends at 9 p.m Sunday through Thursday, with extended hours Friday and Saturday.

Lynnwood will soon say "aloha" to the state's first L&L Drive-Inn, scheduled to open next month in Lynnwood Center at 19709 Highway 99 North. The multi-unit Honolulu-based chain known for its quick-service, Island-style, "plate-lunch" now numbers more than 60 and is beloved for its carbo-loaded menu of terrific cheap eats. Plate lunch, for the uninitiated, consists of a heap of steamed rice, "mac"(aroni) salad and a variety of meat, seafood and chicken dishes. In L&L's case, the latter includes such big sellers as shrimp curry, fried mahi mahi, BBQ chicken and teriyaki pork chops. Mixed plates, mini-plates, sandwiches and noodle dishes (saimin with Spam!) round out the Hawaiian-accented menu, which is priced to compete with your neighborhood teriyaki joint.

First came Matt Jones's dog stand, Matt's Famous Chili Dogs. Then came Matt Janke's happening hideaway, Matt's in the Market. Now on it's way: Matt's Rotisserie and Oyster Lounge — scheduled to open by late January in Redmond Town Center (16651 N.E. 74th St., Redmond) adjacent to Cucina! Cucina! and above Ruby's Diner. Spawned by a trio of fun fellas who helped create the Eastside's popular Coho Cafe, Matt's Rotisserie and Oyster Lounge is envisioned as an affordable surf- and turfy hangout and takes its name from business partners/management team Chris Matthew Hill, Matthew Stuckens and Matt Fleck.

The restaurant's design includes an exhibition kitchen where chef Chris "But-You-Can-Call-Me-By-My-Middle-Name" Hill will preside over a wood-fired grill and rotisserie and prepare his signature paella. The star attraction of the big oval bar known as the Oyster Lounge will be a two-tier iced shellfish display backlit in cobalt blue. Once open, Matt's hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.