Upscale Italian, seafood or sports: new restaurants to suit your taste
Troiani (who lent his name to the restaurant in the space that briefly housed Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and his pal Pisano (long associated with Tulio Ristorante, named to honor his father) have put years of experience to work here where their vision — and their restaurant's marketing tag-line — is "Defining the Upscale Italian Grill." That definition translates, true to Mackay form, as a swanky, mosaic-tiled, leather-wrapped bar facing an artfully lit, Art Deco-inspired dining room augmented by three private dining salons.
At Troiani, one might begin a meal with a cured meat selection ($13) and move on to ricotta gnocchi with parsley pesto ($10). Grilled meats and seafood (complemented by a carefully considered wine list) set the menu's tone and include Roman-style rack of lamb with artichoke and grilled onion salad ($36), wild salmon with fennel salt and braised fennel ($26) and Steak Troiani — a New York strip stuffed with salame cotto and fontina cheese — carved tableside for two ($85). Contorni (side dishes, $6-$8) include balsamic-roasted beets, garlic-stoked rapini and wild mushrooms with prosciutto. Dinner is served 5-11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Weekday lunch is scheduled to begin after the first of the year.
The Mackay Restaurant Group isn't the only local outfit to jump on the Italian-grill bandwagon. Last month marked big changes at Schwartz Brothers Restaurants' 11-year-old Spazzo Mediterranean Grill, now known as Spazzo Italian Grill. Spazzo, perched atop Bellevue's Key Bank building (10655 N.E. Fourth St., Bellevue; 425-454-8255), has long been popular for its pan-Mediterranean fare, casually upscale atmosphere and family-friendly service.
Its new all-Italian menu has been designed by recently appointed chef/exec Julie Hawkinson. Highlights from her oft-changing lineup include shrimp sautéed with pancetta ($10) and Sicilian-styled calamari ($9); housemade gnocchi ($14) and lobster linguine ($19); and such hearty fare as osso buco with lemon and sage risotto ($23) and Italian pork pot roast with braised winter vegetables ($18). From the applewood grill, king salmon might come dressed with Tuscan beans and fennel ($22), while prime beef tenderloin wears a cap of truffle butter ($28).
With the changeover, Spazzo's tapas bar has morphed into a handsome wine bar whose Italian-leaning list features some 200 wines by the bottle and approximately 80 wines by-the-glass, with special "flights" — a trio of 3-ounce pours — also available. To complement the vino (and cocktails) is a bar menu complete with appetizers, snacks (Parmesan fries, anyone?) and Italian sausage sandwiches. In other happy news, happy hour is in effect from 4:30 to 6:30 and from 9 p.m. to closing, when appetizers, wines by-the-glass and selected draft beers are half-price in the bar. Spazzo serves dinner 5-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and till 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bar is open from 4:30 p.m. till midnight.
South Lake Union's Outback Steakhouse has a new next-door-neighbor (and corporate cousin), Bonefish Grill (711 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle; 206-405-2663). Monday marked the opening of this seafood-centric restaurant whose specialty — fresh fish, brought in daily, blazed on an oak-fired grill, served with a choice of sauces and sides — will set you back $20 or less and includes a complimentary salad (or soup, for two-bits more). For those who'd rather let the kitchen do as it may, Bonefish offers signature sautés including rockfish piccata ($16.90) and pistachio Parmesan-crusted Idaho rainbow trout with artichokes and basil-lemon butter ($17.90). Grilled steaks, pork and chicken ($16.50-$20.90) augment the menu with a choice of sides and salads inclusive.
Seattle's Bonefish is store No. 33 and the first West Coast venture for this fast-growing Florida-based company started in 1999 by co-founders Tim Curci and Chris Parker. Bonefish's Floridian lineage extends to the interior design. Florida artists get the credit for the mangrove sculptures, fishing scenes and fish rubbings found throughout the dining room and bar. With seating for nearly 200 guests, one might ask: Where are we going to park? Fear not. Valet parking is an added plus. Bonefish serves dinner nightly, 4-10 p.m. Sundays; 4-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; and 4-11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are welcome.
John Howie, owner/chef at Bellevue's seafood-star, Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar (N.E. Second St., Bellevue; 425-456-0010), has leased space in the new Fisher Plaza. Here near Seattle Center, he plans to open a sports-themed restaurant and bar (ETA: early summer). A certified baseball nut, Howie's the man who introduced us to a tropical-themed seafood spectacle at Palisade in Magnolia, where he spent 10 years as executive chef, later selling us his cedar planks (as seen on Martha!) for home use.
Now, after gifting Bellevue with a much-needed high-end dining spot, he's planning on tapping Seattle's love of sports at a restaurant to be named Sport, teaming up with several high-profile sports personalities such as Gary Payton as investment partners. Howie envisions his new venture as classy but casual, with a menu to include Kobe beef burgers, prime steaks, thin-crusted pizzas and big salads. Expect to see plenty of sports memorabilia, a "500 Club"-case filled with autographed baseballs, high-definition TVs and (get this, couch potatoes) booths with "personal TVs" for viewing the game up-close and personal.
There's a new chef at Market Street Grill (1744 N.W. Market St., Seattle; 206-789-6766.) If he looks familiar, here's why: He's opening chef Frank Springmann, who spent three years at Flying Fish before signing on at Market Street in 2000, helping the Ballard bistro earn raves before leaving, a year later, for Los Angeles. Turns out Springmann has had enough of sunny Southern California. When Market Street's owner, John Sillers, called him to ask for recommendations to replace departing chef John Paul Kunselman, Springmann asked, "What about me?"
He didn't have to ask twice, says Sillers. "With Frank back, the menu will be more reflective of what it started out to be. Frank had a terrific style, and we're excited to have him back." Market Street Grill is open for dinner Mondays through Saturdays 5 to 11 p.m.