Chefs Dan Thiessen, Maria Hines opening new restaurants

When chef and KVI-AM talk-radio host Dan Thiessen opens his new 225-seat restaurant, O/8 Seafood Grill, his will be the only restaurant within the "footprint" of the Bellevue Hyatt. But it won't be the only place to lift a glass.

O/8, slated to open before Thanksgiving, is a dual concept set to combine a seafood-centric restaurant with a separately owned liquid lounge. The wine-bar component, the Twisted Cork, is owned by Matthew Bomberger and the idea for the business marriage took place at the urging of Yenta the Restaurant Matchmaker, Arnold Shain.

"This has been in the works for about a year now," says Thiessen, who credits Shain with the professional hook-up. "Matt's in business development and has an MBA in finance," he explains. "I'm heavy on the operational side, and he's heavy on the financial side." So when their restaurant-consultant pal suggested combining business plans, it sounded like a match made in heaven. Or at least in Bellevue, where weekday lunch, weekend brunch, late-night entertainment and a menu meant to encourage diners to "sip, sample and share" should be a draw, Thiessen says.

Running a high-volume seafood-oriented restaurant won't be a stretch for the chef who, incidentally, grew up on a cattle ranch in Eastern Washington. Thiessen was formerly the top toque at Salty's and Chandler's Crabhouse and has held positions as executive chef at the Golf Club at Newcastle and Sky City atop the Space Needle.

Hotel chef to put down roots in Wallingford

Quick on the heels of the departure of pastry chef Sue McCown from Earth & Ocean in the W Hotel came news that chef-exec Maria Hines — named one of Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs" in 2005 — is leaving, too.

This week marks the last of Hines' long, fruitful association with the hotel. Her climb to the top began when Earth & Ocean made its debut in 1999 (she was executive sous-chef), and moved on to similar posts in Washington, D.C., and New York. She returned to Earth & Ocean to take on the chef-exec's position when John Sundstrom left to open Lark in 2003.

Today, the vivacious 34-year-old is doing what McCown, Sundstrom and many other successful hotel chefs often do: taking her hotel experience and using it as a platform to dive into the wild wonderful world of independent restaurant ownership.

Hines' restaurant will be named Tilth — a moniker meant to underscore its mission as a certified organic restaurant. And cooking organic, says Hines, represents the lifestyle she enjoys living. What's more, "it's the perfect space," she notes, describing the "sweet little 1917 bungalow home" at 1411 N. 45th Street in Wallingford, due to open late September.

"It's a great location where we'll comfortably seat around 50 people, and it has the right feel for a neighborhood fine-casual restaurant doing organic food," Hines says. Her menu will be about 85 percent organic, and she hopes to offer the best wild, foraged and locally raised ingredients she can get her hands on.

Hines says that given the expense of organics, she'll ixnay luxury ingredients, choosing, say, Skagit River Ranch short ribs over beef tenderloin in order to keep menu prices from skyrocketing. "My take on it is that I don't want it to seem like going organic is something only for the privileged. But I don't want to pass costs onto the customer because all that's going to do is to discourage organics."

Each menu item will be offered in two portion sizes, with prices ranging from $6-$7 up to about $27-$28. "What I like about that is you can have a couple of small plates if you're going out after," says Hines. "Or if you want to sit for two or three hours and eat your way through a menu of small plates you can do that, too, without having to commit to a full entree."

For now, says Hines, her shoestring budget will be spent changing the restaurant's existing tabletops, buying new china, "throwing some paint on the walls" and doing the work needed to get organic certification from Oregon Tilth.

Tilth's address will be a familiar one for fans of Wallingford's Mandalay Café (nee Janny's Curry House), which closed to a big sob heard 'round town last night. Owners Erik McWilliams and Janny Mathias plan to move to Sooke, B.C., where they'll manage Mom's Cafe, a family business owned by his parents.

Mon Dieu! Another French cafe on Madison!

Two-week-old Saint-Germain (2811 A. E. Madison St., Seattle; 206-323-9800) lives just across the Rue Madison from neighboring Rover's and a couple doors away from Voila! Bistrot. This tiny cafe and wine bar, named as homage to owner Jean-Michel Omnès' favorite Paris quarter, specializes in tartines, open-faced sandwiches served on country bread. The brief menu also offers soupes, salades and petite assiettes (including assortments of cheeses and charcuterie), with prices topping out at $7.

Born in Paris, raised in Cognac and a proud deserter of the French army ("I stayed six hours, I did my time!"), Omnès is a world-traveler who expresses great love for his adopted hometown. "I came to Seattle on a vacation, fell in love with the city and have been here ever since." A musician and bartender by trade, you'll find him playing patron: waiting tables, pouring wine and, when time permits, providing the appropriate musical soundtrack on his accordion. Open 11 a.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays and till 2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

Save the dates!

From 7:30-11 p.m. Aug. 18, the 11th annual Sunset Supper at the Market turns everyone's favorite tourist attraction into one big block party. Guests are invited to "dine and dance under the stars" at Pike Place Market, celebrating its 99th anniversary while supporting the Market Foundation and its human services agencies. More than 70 restaurants, wineries, breweries and beverage companies take part in the event (see participating restaurants at www.pikeplacemarket.org).

Tickets are $85 (general admission), $100 (reserved seating), and $165 (VIP-status), with discounts if purchased by Thursday. Call 206-682-PIKE or buy via the above-mentioned Web site.

Twenty-one of the area's top chefs join 25 local farmers to celebrate their culinary alliance at the second annual Incredible Feast, where "Farmers are the Stars." Join them from 5-8:30 p.m. Aug. 20 as chefs and their farmer-partners meet, greet and show us how to eat — outdoors at the Phinney Neighborhood Center (6532 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle). Washington state wines and local microbrews will be served (at an additional cost) and live music, county fair-style games, prizes and a raffle will be part of the festivities.

Tickets benefit the 2007 opening of the Phinney Farmers Market. Cost is $50 (adult), $10 (children 4-12), free to kids 3 and younger. Tickets are available via www.brownpapertickets.com. Or (cash or check only) at the Phinney Neighborhood Center and the following farmers markets: Broadway (Sunday); Columbia City (Wed-

nesday); Lake City (Thursday); Magnolia and University District (Saturday) and West Seattle (Sunday). For market locations, go to www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.

More columns are available at seattletimes.com/nancyleson