We’re proud to announce that Cafe Juanita and Spinasse are both on the list of Seattle Metropolitan magazine’s 10 Best Restaurant in 2009 by Kathryn Robinson.
Here’s a little taste of what she has to say about each, pick up a copy of the October issue for more of her mouthwatering reviews.
Lindsay Borden
Cafe Juanita:
The 2008 James Beard winner–turned– Iron Chef contestant (airing on the Food Network this month—and no, we don’t know how it turns out) rocks one feisty culinary aesthetic, developed years ago under Tom Douglas and refined to Northern Italian specs within an insanely dynamic imagination. The recipe for her signature Arneis-braised rabbit? Came to her in a dream.
So a hunk of buttery, pan-seared sablefish arrives over whipped Yukon Golds, speckled with pancetta, ringed with warmed cantaloupe-lime puree, and topped with truffle-oiled arugula leaves. If it all sounds precious, it never is. It tastes real. Executionwise Smith’s simply never off: in the gelati Smith now peddles out of her mobile business, Poco Carretto Gelato, or even in her menu’s few unadorned classics, like the ravishing tangle of tagliatelle Bolognese.
That menu, along with the admirable wine list, springs to life in the care of Smith’s fleet of career waiters, who intelligently flesh out descriptions and hold diners’ special occasions in trusty hands.
Lindsay Borden
Spinasse
Yes, the new regime brought changes: less of an emphasis on communal dining, friendlier and more grounded service, and desserts—cue that semifreddo—more various and memorable than before. But the food continues to pay dazzling tribute to the authentic cuisine and wines of Piedmont. Every bottle on the list is from that region. Side dishes and salads make glorious use of seasonal and simple ingredients, like chicory, common to the Northwest and Northern Italy. And Spinasse’s underheralded meats remain its best-kept secret, as in a recent preparation of roasted quail, its crispy golden joints perched on a bed of polenta sweetened with whole corn kernels and the first of the year’s chanterelles. It’s every bit as good as the pasta.
Another shout-out to Campagne and Cafe Campagne for their mention in Kathryn’s piece on The Rest of The Best, 40 of the city’s top restaurants.
