Keeping up

Eaglet soars: Several blog readers reported seeing the Broadmoor eagles in flight with their offspring over the weekend (we and our camera, unfortunately, were late to the party).  But never fear, Montlake photographer and bird watcher Larry Hubbell took many excellent shots of the eaglet in flight on Saturday and posted them on his blog, Union Bay Watch, to be enjoyed by those of us who missed out.

Music in the Park:  The line up for the summer concert series has been announced. This almost-every-Thursday-evening-in-August musical experience, which has become a popular summer tradition, features the same line up as last year's: Two Scoops Combo on August 8, Jonathan Kingham on August 15, Gin Creek on August 22, and The Side Project on August 29. The music will begin promptly at 6:30 and end at about 8 pm. The concerts, which are free, take place in the grassy area of the park and are sponsored by the Madison Park Business Association.

Best Buds moving on:  The colorful neighborhood flower shop with its quaint red English phone booth out front will be abandoning its space at the end of this month. But Best Buds is not shutting down, it is simply going to begin a new life around the corner in the lower level of Cafe Parco (1807 42nd Avenue E.).

In the new location the shop will be more about cut flowers and less about plants for the garden, so we're told.  This move is apparently a win-win-win situation for Best Buds (which is happy to be vacating its current space), Cafe Parco (which was not making good use of its lower level), and restaurant-building owner Karen Binder (who gains another paying tenant).  Perhaps it's not a win for the red-phone-booth owner, however, since the soon-to-be vacant location is just too tiny to accommodate another bank.

Italian cooking comes to Madison Valley:  They're working away diligently on renovating the interior space of what for many years was La Cote (2811 E. Madison St.).  As we reported in June, the French bistro is being replaced by Bar Cantinetta, which is an offshoot of the very-well-received Wallingford-based Cantinetta. We've been told that the Madison Valley incarnation will be a more intimate affair (there's not much space, after all) and will feature small plates. The signs in the windows say the new place will be open in August. To this point the owner has been less than forthcoming about his plans, but perhaps as we get closer to the opening...

Bing's shakes things up:  There's a revamped website, new menu items, a seven-days-a week Happy Hour (3-6 pm), a Kid's Happy Hour (50% off all kids' items, M-F, 3-5 pm), gluten-free items on the menu, Bottomless Mimosas during brunch on weekends, and a new price point for many offerings, including the $8 Signature Burger during Happy Hour, that are all part of the new Bing's experience, says owner George Marshall. Details are available on the website and on Bing's Facebook page here.

Restaurant Bea closes:  Owner Kate Perry announced on the restaurant's Facebook page yesterday that Restaurant Bea is no more. This is the third well-received and highly-rated (but ultimately unsuccessful) restaurant to occupy the same Madrona space (1423 34th Avenue E.).  Cremant was first in the series, followed shortly thereafter by June. This three-strikes development is sad for foodies, for Madrona, and for the people who tried hard to make their dreams come alive.  We were fans.

[Eagle photo by Larry Hubbell.]

Upcoming in April

FlorAbundance returns

The big spring plant sale to benefit the Washington Park Arboretum will take place this year on Saturday, April 27 (10 am until 5 pm) and Sunday, April 28 (10 am until 3 pm). This is always a well-attended event, and because the regular venue at Magnuson Park is still being rehabilitated, FlorAbundance will be held in the Arboretum at the Graham Visitors Center, as it was last year.  So, for those interested in plants take note that this is your opportunity:  more specialty nurseries are slated to participate and the sponsor, the Arboretum Foundation, is also promising a greater diversity of vegetative options, including a selection of edible plants.

Even those not interested in plants or plant sales will want to take note of the timing of this event since the Arboretum will likely be clogged with traffic, as it was last year. Information on FlorAbundance (including details of the shuttle service) is available here.

Restaurant Week is underway

Six Madison Park and Madison Valley restaurants are participating this spring in Restaurant Week, which starts today and extends through April 18.  The purpose of the discount-dinner program, which has grown to include 160 Seattle-area restaurants since its inception in 2010, is to entice diners to get out and explore restaurants they might otherwise overlook.  The inducement is three courses for 28 dollars. This special offer does not apply to dinners served in these establishments on Fridays or Saturdays during the Restaurant Week period, however (the official Restaurant Week covers ten days, April 7-11 and April 14-18).

Our local participants are Cafe Parco, Cafe Flora, CRUSH, The Harvest Vine, Luc, and Voila! Bistrot.  Information on Restaurant Week, including details of all participating eateries is available here.

520 to close again (or not)

It may be true that there will be a weekend closure of the SR 520 floating bridge from April 19 at 11 pm until April 22 at 5 am. In point of fact, the two most recent supposed closings of 520 did not occur due to inclement weather, so it is quite possible that this shut down won't happen either.

We note that WSDOT's website today states that the closing will happen between April 22 and 25th, but the link to the bridge-closure page lists the April 19-22 dates (as does the press release we received this week).  These bridge closures (as least so far) only happen on weekends.

To get presumably-up-to-the minute information on 520 weekend closures you can visit the official WSDOT page here.


Community Center holds open house

The MLK F.A.M.E. Community Center (at the site of what was once the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, 3201 East Republican Street) will be holding an open house on Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m.  The purpose of the event is to "announce activities, share ideas for future programs, and to mingle with neighbors and friends."

Childcare will be provided. Call (206) 257-5572 or visit www.mlkfame.com for more information.


[Photo credits:  FlorAbundance photo by Kit 'Aerie-el', blogger at Gardener's Roost; Restaurant Week photo of CRUSH entrée by TEO on Urban Spoon; 520 photo showing a February aerial view of the new Eastside lid in Medina courtesy of WSDOT.]http://www.mlkfame.com/

A shout out for Restaurant Bea

'Cool comfort food' close at hand

Commentary 

While Madrona may be a bit off the Madison Park Blogger's beat, our near-neighbor up the hill is certainly not off the beaten path of many Madison Parkers who enjoy a good meal and prefer not to have to go very far to find it.  We've long been a fan of St. Clouds, a homey, family-friendly, good-food establishment that's been a staple of the Madrona community for a dozen years. Now, for those who haven't already made the discovery for themselves, we're shining our spotlight on Restaurant Bea, which made its debut in late March.

Originally a collaboration of Kate Perry and chef Tom Black, Restaurant Bea has garnered some solid reviews since its opening four months ago, including this from The Seattle Times ("winsome country charm with an urban edge") and this from The Seattle Weekly ("comfy and stylish").

The menu is both "down-home" and upscale, with dinner entree prices ranging from $12 (the Painted Hills burger) to $23 (the rabbit and agnolotti).  The food menu for Happy Hour (Tuesday through Saturday, 5-6 pm in the new 22-seat bar) includes clams & chorizo with fennel-tomato broth, mac & cheese, and braised rabbit pot pie, each for $5. Restaurant Bea has a full bar and a nice selection of craft cocktails (one of which, The Frankie, was the subject of a notice in a recent issue of Food & Wine).

Chicken roulade

Brunch, which is served 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, ranges from strata, brioche french toast and fritters to lamb burger and mussels---and, of course, as a side: fried Spam.

The restaurant also boasts a four-seat chef's table, located in the kitchen, at which a five-course tasting menu is served.

Chef's Table

The chef doing the serving, however, will not be Tom Black, who recently "parted ways" with Kate Perry (her words). There's a new guy in the kitchen, though Perry is mum about the details of the split and who, exactly is now cooking up the fennel vichyssiose. But he made his debut last week and "working with him has been smashing," Perry tells us. Seattle Met's Nosh Pitt blog quotes Perry as saying she doesn't want the place to be considered a "chef run" restaurant, and she said much the same thing to us.

In its short run to date, what Restaurant Bea has been offering its patrons is simply good food and friendly service in a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere. We can only hope that what's already good about this new entry on the Madrona scene is enhanced by the chef change and not undermined.

Restaurant Bea's space (1423 34th Avenue) was successively the home of Cremant (2008-2009) and June (2010-2011), two well-regarded restaurants that, for whatever reasons, just were unable to make a go of it.  Perhaps the third time's a charm for this location, with Restaurant Bea enjoying not only good reviews but longevity as well.

Cafe Parco to debut in the fall

Italian cuisine returns to the local restaurant scene

As early as October, after some remodeling to the Madison Park Cafe space is completed, Seattle Chef Celinda Norton and family, who until last month operated 94 Stewart in the Pike Place Market, will be bringing their talents to Madison Park with a new incarnation:  Cafe Parco.

As we reported yesterday, Madison Park Cafe has been sold.  Today we can give you some of the details, thanks to MPC owner Karen Binder, who shared with us her email to her patrons about both the sale and the new owners' plans for the space.  She describes the transition to new ownership as "good fortune," noting that Norton "has all the qualities of the person I was hoping to leave my legacy to:  a smart, quirky, strong, talented, capable woman chef."

Just last month, the Nortons sold 94 Stewart, confiding on the restaurant's website that "we are already working on our new adventure."  Now we know, at least in general terms, just what (and where) that adventure will be.  According to Binder, Cafe Parco will be serving Italian cuisine seven days a week, both lunch and dinner, with brunches on the weekends.  94 Stewart was known for its Fried Avocado, once chosen as a "Best Bite" by The Seattle Times. We understand it won't be one of the selections at the new place, however.  The Nortons (including Celinda's son Nic and daughter Lindsey) are planning "something new and different" in this new venue. Just what the menu will be is something we intend to ferret out in coming weeks.

Binder, meanwhile, will not be exiting from the Seattle culinary scene. She says she intends to continue both her catering and wine-selling businesses (madisonparkcafe@aol.com).  She'll be back in action after a several-week sojourn in Hawaii for the birth of a grandchild.  In the meantime, however, she is not taking a page out of the Sostanza exit strategy (sell the place and get out of town by morning).  She will be on board with the Madison Park Cafe through brunch on August 29, she says, "So, come on in for a swan song meal and say goodbye to the old joint!"


[Photo of Celinda Norton by Cris Bisch on SustainLane.]

Bing's is sold

Although the deal had been in the works for several months, it was not until Friday last week that the final documents were signed and Bing’s officially changed hands.  The transition from old to new went unnoticed by patrons, however, since there was not much change in evidence.  Stan Moshier and Lori Campbell, who first opened Bing’s Bodacious Burgers in 1999, were still on board this weekend, working side by side with the new owners—at least one of whom is a very familiar face on the premises.

Stan and Lori told us that the reason for selling is that they’re ready to move on to the next thing.  There will definitely be a different eating establishment in their future.  For Bing’s new owners, George and Kylie Marshall, on the other hand, getting this gig of owning and operating a neighborhood restaurant is a dream come true.  Both sides, therefore, see the ownership change as a win/win situation.

It’s a win also for fans of the current Bing’s, since this will not be another Sostanza or Sorella’s kind of transition (shut the old place down and replace it with something new).  When we asked if big changes should be expected, George responded, “Not at all.  If it’s working, why fix it?”  There could be some tweaks here and there over time, he admitted, but nothing that would change the basic atmosphere or cuisine of the place.

George’s wife, Kylie, is well aware of what makes Bing’s a successful local food joint, having been part of the crew at Bing’s for the last six years.  With this move, she goes from co-worker to co-owner.  It’s a change she says she’s still getting the hang of.

Bing’s has been a neighborhood institution for the last twelve years. The family-style restaurant replaced the pharmacy that had previously gone out of business at that location.  The restaurant had something of a serendipitous birth.  As described by Lori, she and Stan were in the neighborhood to have brunch at The Attic when they stumbled upon a “For Lease” sign in the window at 4200 E. Madison St.  At that time they owned and operated a neighborhood pub in Greenwood called Pig n’ Whistle, but they wanted to do something new. They decided that their discovery of that great space gave them the opportunity to make it happen. Stan came up with the concept and then designed and built the restaurant that occupies the space today. This was just another in a series of successful restaurant-building ventures by Stan’s construction company. He’s built 16 restaurants to date, of which four he’s owned and operated.

New owners George and Kylie have a romantic story of having met at the Cheesecake Factory, where they both worked at the time. George, who hails originally from New Jersey, has 22 years of restaurant experience--beginning at MacDonald’s when he was just 15.  Kylie, who grew up on Whidbey Island, is one of several mutual friends from the island who moved to Seattle and ended up working at Bing’s together.

According to George, soon after he and Kylie first started dating five years ago, he said to her, “Someday we are going to own a restaurant together.” But he had no idea when that might happen.  He had become familiar with Bing’s as a result of picking up Kylie after work, and Kylie liked the vibes at Bing’s and enjoyed her co-workers. So when the opportunity came along to consider buying the place, they were definitely interested. Though it’s taken some time to iron out the details, George says that he and Kylie have gone into the new venture well aware of both the challenges and the opportunities they’ll encounter.  All of those years in the business, he says, are presumably worth something.

The new management team will continue to have the help of the old team for the immediate future.  In the long run, however, Stan and Lori plan to develop a new restaurant, with both the location and concept still to be determined.  Stan’s construction company is currently building a restaurant in Columbia City that will be owned by two former Bing’s employees, Heather Anderson and Sam Allard.

Oh, and then there’s Stan’s other, absolutely unrelated business: Hamm Industries, a distributor of, among other things, “manure vacuums and arena rakes” for the equestrian circuit.   As we said, unrelated.

[Lower photo:  Kylie, on the left, with her former co-worker and now employee, Faith.]

New York Times does Seattle

It's not every day that a Madison Park establishment is mentioned in the national media, but the Madison Park Conservatory merited this honor today in the New York Times, whose reviewer, Frank Bruni, created a Seattle tasting menu based on his experiences during the several days he spent in our mostly-rainy-though-briefly-sunny city. His story, which will presumably appear in tomorrow's printed edition of the Times, cites MPC as "an excellent recent arrival to the shores of Lake Washington" and calls the brunch he was served there "fantastic."

Bruni's take our town's culinary standing is worth quoting at length: "To eat in and around Seattle, which I did recently and recommend heartily, isn’t merely to eat well. It is to experience something that even many larger, more gastronomically celebrated cities and regions can’t offer, not to this degree: a profound and exhilarating sense of place.  I’m hard-pressed to think of another corner or patch of the United States where the locavore sensibilities of the moment are on such florid (and often sweetly funny) display, or where they pay richer dividends, at least if you’re a lover of fish."

You can read the full story here.

Rating the neighborhood eateries: Part III

Cafes, delis, take-out and the like 

In this, the final installment of our survey of neighborhood eating places, we discover that a couple of compact, lesser-known establishments receive the highest ratings: Bella Dolce and Arosa Café, both located in or near Madison Valley.

As with our past overviews of the dining scene in the general area, we’ve relied on the reviews of patrons, as documented on websites Yelp and Urban Spoon (prioritized in that order), to help us create a ranking. We acknowledge the limitations of this method, but our goal is simply to make our readers aware of the range of eating opportunities available in the neighborhood and provide some guidance based on the experience of others.

With that said, here’s our final list of the eateries:

1) Bella Dolce
2711 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 4.5 Stars (30 reviews)/ 91% Like (23 votes)

This tiny bakery/café—located in the shadow of the Essential Baking Company further down the block—gets much better marks from patrons than its bigger and better known rival.

Bella Dolce’s reviewers give the place kudos for its sandwiches, salmon cakes, muffins, cupcakes (especially those of the red velvet and coconut varieties), scones, and other baked goods.  Soups, salads and potpies are among the other menu items, served in a very cozy (three or four tables at most) setting.

Says ChefSeattle in its review: “Bella Dolce will appeal to any culture enthusiasts who enjoy a European styled deli, with its quaint seating and intimate atmosphere.”

2) Arosa Café
3121 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 4.5 Stars (15 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 89% Like (49 votes)

Arosa gets points from patrons for great coffee, fabulous waffles, excellent grilled paninis, and friendly service.  That about covers every aspect of this “cheap eats” café in the Arboretum Court.  There are hardly any reviewers who give the place fewer than four stars, which is definitely unusual.  There’s almost always someone who claims to have had a bad experience, but apparently never at Arosa.

Quote from a review by The Stranger: “Arosa’s snack waffles are what Eggos hope to be in the afterlife.”   The Seattle Times raved as well.

3) Park Place Deli

4122 E. Madison Street

Yelp: 4 Stars (19 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 90% Like (32 votes)

This place gets consistently high marks for its sandwiches and soups, though there seems to be a huge difference of opinion on whether the staff is neighborhood friendly or aloof and unwelcoming.  Perhaps it depends on who’s behind the counter on any given day.

4) Teriyaki Seven
2739 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 4 Stars (13 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 88% Like (45 votes)

As noted by one reviewer, this place is not much to look at or a likely place to bring a date, but the food gets mostly good reviews, and several regulars claim it’s one the best teriyaki places in town.   Accolades, also, for friendly service.


5) Famous Northwest Catering Company
3131 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3.5 Stars/Urban Spoon: 91% Like (12 votes)

This popular neighborhood caterer makes soups, sandwiches, and quiche, among other lunch items, and they bake a wide variety of cookies, pastries and other delectable items each day.  For some reason, given the volume of business that the place appears to have, there are very few reviews on either major rating site, though Urban Spoon’s rating, for those who bothered to vote, is among the highest we’ve seen for any Madison Park eating establishment (equal to Bella Dolce’s).

The café portion of this establishment is not big, so for most patrons it’s more of a to-go opportunity than an eat-in situation.  And the service is definitely friendly.

Try the bread pudding.


6) Scoop du Jour
4029 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (23 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 86% Like (60 votes)

Primarily an ice cream parlor, Scoop du Jour also gets high marks from many reviewers for its large, carefully prepared burgers. Sandwiches are also on the menu board, but everyone who talks about something other than the ice cream definitely mentions the burgers.


7) Teriyaki Bowl
3121 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (6 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 93% Like (105 reviews)

Although Yelp reviewers rated it lower than Teriyaki Seven, Urban Spoon’s reviewers preferred this Arboretum Court teriyaki entry to its down-the-street, Madison Valley competitor. 93% said they liked it, which is the highest such rating for any neighborhood eatery except Independent Pizzeria.  “Not bad,” to quote one Yelp reviewer.

8) Essential Baking Company Café
2719 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (66 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 88% Like (110 votes)

Historically, Essential Baking has gotten pretty good marks from reviewers, but this year the average rating by customers on Yelp has been only 2.7 stars, which explains our ranking the cafe lower than the neighborhood’s other 3.5-star eateries.  It’s worth noting, however, that while 81% of Zagat’s reviewers liked the place, Zagat has yet to record any reviews in 2011.

Although Essential serves soups, salads, crepes, quiches, and sandwiches, it’s the baked goods that are most often mentioned in patron reviews. Some service issues have been noted, at least in the past.

**********

So that completes our three-part survey of the neighborhood eateries. Our goal has been to shine some light on both the well known and the more obscure choices that we Madison Parkers enjoy for getting good food without venturing very far to do so.

We’re gratified to know that as a result of our series some readers have tried places they’d never tried before or perhaps even learned about places they didn’t know existed.  We learned a few things as well, one of which is that not everyone believes in the value of consumer reviews posted on the Internet. As noted above, we admit to the limitations, which is why we encourage everyone to check these eateries out and form your own opinions.

[Note:  Our survey included only eating establishments where one could logically get breakfast, lunch, or dinner.]  Upper photo courtesy of Bella Dolce; middle photo courtesy of Cafe Arosa; lower photo of  Pugliese bread courtesy of Essential Baking.

Rating the neighborhood eateries: Part II

Burger joints, pizza parlors, pubs, and the like

Last month we surveyed the more upscale restaurants in the neighborhood (Madison Park and Madison Valley combined), ranking them based on the reviews of patrons.  Now we take on the remaining sit-down restaurants, not quite ignoring the opinions of the professional reviewers, but giving them less credence than the views of regular folks who took the time to record their comments.

As with our rankings of the “white-tablecloth” establishments, this list is based first and foremost on the reviews of Yelp users, since that site has by far the greatest number of reviews of each restaurant and a five-star ranking system. Urban Spoon’s reviews were given secondary consideration because of its smaller number of reviews and the fact that it has only a Like/Don’t Like differentiator.  For this list, we made a couple of adjustments to the ranking system, as noted below.  Most of these establishments do not have reviews in Zagat, but when such reviews exist they are noted.

So without further ado, here are the rankings:

1) The Independent Pizzeria
4235 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 4.5 Stars (18 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 94% Like (86 votes)

This recent addition to the neighborhood gets excellent marks for the high quality of the Neapolitan-style, handcrafted pizzas. But it also garners criticism from a few reviewers who don’t like to wait or feel the prices are high.  However, here is a typical response from a fan:  “If you don’t like the pizza here there’s something wrong with you.”

By the way, seriouseats.com, has an excellent review here.

2) Bing's Bodacious Burgers
4200 E. Madison St.
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (44 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 81% Like  (148 votes)

Only 50% of Zagat’s 37 reviewers said they liked Bing’s, but it’s quite possible that Zagat’s reviewers are a pretentious bunch. Bing’s is definitely not pretentious--and for most reviewers on Yelp and Urban Spoon, Bing’s works just fine as a family-friendly, neighborhood joint whose courteous staff serves up good eats.  Reviewers most often cite the burgers, the Huevos Rancheros, and the Key Lime pie as excellent fare.

The Stranger’s assessment: “Slightly classier than your regular burger joint, Bing’s serves fancy burgers…with a healthy side of joie-de-vivre.”


3) Attic Alehouse and Eatery
4226 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (55 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 80% Like (103 votes)

The Attic, a Madison Park institution, gets solid marks as a sports bar and is credited by most reviewers with good pub fare (especially the burgers, meatloaf sandwich, and chicken wings), and for the wide range of on-tap beers.  The place gets occasional dings for service issues, however.

The Weekly’s review points to another attribute:  “Known mainly for its incredible burgers and rough-hewn longevity in the face of Range Rover yuppiedom, the Attic, to the knowledge of a select few, serves a mean breakfast on weekends.”  Recommended:  the corn beef hash.


4) Thai Ginger
1841 42nd Avenue E.
Yelp: 3 Stars (24 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 93% Like (130 votes)

Fully 85% of Zagat’s reviewers (all seven of them) liked Thai Ginger, giving the restaurant a 16th-out-of-32 rank for Thai restaurants in the Seattle area.  Yelp reviewers, however, varied significantly in their assessments of the place, some knocking the service and others the food.  Still, the majority of reviewers found the food to be acceptable-to-good.


5) McGilvra’s Bar & Restaurant 
4234 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 3 Stars (36 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 68% Like (104 votes)

McGilvra’s is most often cited for its great outdoor seating.  For many, the venue clearly makes up for any deficiencies--but that’s not true for everyone. This is an establishment that has ratings all over the map, with a few five star reviews, but also a lot of other evaluations at the very low end of the ratings scale.  The bar and the bartender get good marks from many, but only a minority of reviewers cites the food as being the thing.


6) Philadelphia Fevre Steak & Hoagie Shop
2332 E. Madison St.
Yelp: 3.5 Stars (60 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 86% Like (90 votes)

Many reviewers over the years have sworn that this place serves the best cheese steak in town, and a fair number also mentioned great service.  However, in 2011 most the reviewers complained about the food or the service, or both.  In fact, the average of the eight reviews on Yelp so far this year is 2 Stars, which by itself would not be enough for this place to even make our list.  For this reason, we lowered the ranking.

Note, however, that the foodie website, Gayot, pronounces the food “authentic Philly,” praising not only the steaks, but the hoagies and crinkle-cut fries as well.


7) The Red Onion
4210 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 4 Stars (15 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 62% Like (8 votes)

Yes, The Red Onion gets a surprising 4 stars from Yelp reviewers, on average, but almost all of the reviews are based on karaoke or sentiment, rather than the food.  For this reason (and the fact that Urban Spoon reviewers, overall, gave the place tepid marks), we moved The Red Onion down the list.  Not that there aren’t some positive comments about both the food and the service from certain fans.

A review on Yelp: “I love how this place is a dive bar in one of the most upscale parts of the city.  It is cheap, good (food included) and cozy.  Very unpretentious and welcoming.  I love it!”


8) Mad Pizza
4021 E. Madison Street
Yelp: 2.5 Stars (16 reviews)/Urban Spoon: 73% Like (45 votes)

The neighborhood’s longtime pizza parlor gets low marks from Yelp reviewers for both food and service.  However, Gayot, the foodie website, recommends the place for quick bites, giving credit for “inventive, tasty pies.”


And with that, our survey of the neighborhood burger joints, pizza parlors, pubs and other dinner restaurants is complete. Next up: ranking the neighborhood cafes and delis.

[Upper photo of Independent Pizzeria pizza from Slice.  Lower photo of Bing's burger uploaded by Louis L. to Yelp.]

Rating the neighborhood eateries

Nishino scores highest

When it was announced that KeyBank would be moving into the neighborhood, filling space that was once home to three or more retails shops, a local wag commented that Madison Park was in danger of becoming a place where you do just three things: get a good meal, make a deposit, or have a spa treatment.  An oversimplification, to be sure, but still a somewhat legitimate depiction of our business district’s current critical mass. You may no longer be able to buy a book, rent a video, or try on a new dress in a Madison Park shop, but you certainly can still find a good meal here.  And if you roll nearby Madison Valley into the mix, the area's good-cuisine selection is both wide and deep, beginning with Crush at the top of Madison and ending with Madison Park Conservatory at the bottom.

Madison Park's claim to culinary excellence is a fact noted by just about every guide to the neighborhood we've ever seen, and of course those of us who’ve lived here for any length of time know there are plenty of great eats within walking distance. Nevertheless, we've been wondering how our restaurants actually stack up in the opinion of their patrons. To find out, we took a look at what the three principal customer-rating sites (Yelp, Urban Spoon, and Zagat) have to say. In addition, we looked at a top foodie site, Gayot, for its insights. With all of that information in hand, we compiled this ranking of the Top Dozen Madison Park/Madison Valley restaurants, as seen through the eyes of those who dined and then took the time to share their opinions:


1) Nishino (3140 E. Madison St.)

Average 4.5 Stars on Yelp (225 Reviews)

(Zagat: 96% Like / Urban Spoon: 89% Like)

Nishino scored high for its great sushi but gets occasional dings for service issues. It is Number 8 on Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten Food Ratings in Seattle list.

2) Rover's (2808 E. Madison St.)
Average 4.5 Stars on Yelp (146 Reviews)
(Zagat: 95% Like / Urban Spoon: 86% Like)

Rover’s is rated Number 10 on Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten Food Ratings in Seattle list.

3) The Harvest Vine (2701 E. Madison St.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp (183 Reviews)
(Zagat: 95% Like / Urban Spoon: 89% Like)

The Harvest Vine made Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten Seattle Small Plates list.

4) Cactus! (4220 E. Madison St.)

Average 4 Stars on Yelp (188 Reviews)

(Zagat: 92% Like / Urban Spoon: 88% Like)

Cactus! made Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten Outdoor Dining Restaurants in Seattle list.

5) Crush (2319 E. Madison St.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp (64 Reviews)
(Zagat: 89% Like / Urban Spoon:  80% Like)

Crush made Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten “Hot” Restaurants in Seattle list.

6) Café Flora (2901 E. Madison St.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp (301 Reviews)
(Zagat: 83% Like / Urban Spoon: 88% Like)

Gayot refers to this vegetarian mainstay as "delightful" and "upscale," noting the innovative menu and the joy of the atrium setting.

7) Voila! Bistrot (2805 E Madison St.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp (57 Reviews)
(Zagat: 79% Like / Urban Spoon 88% Like)

8) La Cote Creperie (2811 E. Madison St.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp  (57 Reviews)
(Zagat: 75% Like / Urban Spoon: 96% Like)

9) Madison Park Conservatory (1927 43rd Ave. E.)
Average 4 Stars on Yelp (27 Reviews)
(Zagat: Not Rated / Urban Spoon: 83% Like)

10) Madison Park Café  (1807 42nd Avenue E.)
Average 3.5 Stars on Yelp (45 Reviews)
(Zagat: 89% Like / Urban Spoon: 91% Like)

The Madison Park Café made Gayot’s 2011 Top Ten Seattle Outdoor Dining Restaurants list.

11) Luc (2800 E. Madison St.)
Average 3.5 stars on Yelp (89 Reviews)
(Zagat: 89% Like / Urban Spoon: 85% Like)

Gayot calls this "quintessential neighborhood bistro" a "casual-chic place," praising both the food and the hand-crafted cocktails.

12) Jae's Asian Bistro & Sushi (2801 E. Madison St.)
Average 3.5 Stars on Yelp (59 Reviews)
(Zagat: Not Rated / Urban Spoon: 86% Like)

Gayot cites Jae’s for its “innovative Pan-Asian cuisine in a stylish, lively setting.”

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In addition to having a couple restaurants noted for up-and-coming chefs (Crush and Madison Park Conservatory), Madison Park and Madison Valley are home to no less than five superior French restaurants (Rover's, Voila! Bistrot, La Cote Creperie, Madison Park Cafe and Luc), two top-rated Asian restaurants (Nishino and Jae's Asian Bistro & Sushi), and one of the very best vegetarian restaurants in town (Cafe Flora). Add to that great places for tapas (The Harvest Vine) and Southwest cuisine (Cactus!) and you have an excellent array of neighborhood dining choices. Not bad for a section of street stretching but 1.5 miles from hilltop to water.

[Note: This list is not an attempt to evaluate or make coherent the critical restaurant reviews of professional cuisine journalists. It is simply a ranking of neighborhood restaurants based on the evaluation of patrons, as cited by three major aggregator websites. The list was prioritized based first on Yelp's ratings, since that site has by far the greatest number of reviews of each restaurant and a five-star ranking system (the other sites only have a Like/Don't Like differentiator). Zagat's score was then evaluated, unless it was not available (as in the case of the relatively new restaurants, Jae's and Madison Park Conservatory).  The Urban Spoon ratings were given the last consideration.  Note that users of these ratings sites may skew towards a younger demographic than may be typical of the patrons of some Madison Park eating venues.  

Using Yelp as the principal determiner of the rankings has an definite impact on the outcome.  If the Zagat ratings had been given the highest weighting rather than Yelp's, for example, Madison Park Cafe would have moved from Number 10 to Number 6 on the list, though the other restaurants would have been basically ranked in the same order. If Urban Spoon's ratings had been given first priority, La Cote Creperie would have topped our list, with 96% positive customer response, and Madison Park Cafe would have been in second place, with 91% approval.]

Photo courtesy of Nishino. 

Local restaurants in Seattle Restaurant Week

One Madison Park restaurant, Madison Park Cafe, and four Madison Valley Restaurants (Cafe Flora, Crush, Luc and Voila! Bistrot) are participating in Seattle Restaurant Week, which begins on Sunday. The two-week celebration allows diners to sample 150 Seattle-area restaurants during the April 10-14 and April 17-21 periods and get three-course dinners at a reduced fixed price ($15 or $28, depending on the restaurant).  Madison Park Cafe, according to owner Karen Binder, will be offering $28 three-course meals with choices, and will have some "fun glass pours available that pair with the dinners."  This is Binder's 32nd year of operating the neighborhood's French bistro.

Madison Park Cafe, along with as Cafe Flora, Luc, and Voila! Bistrot, will also be participating in Dining Out for Life on April 28.  This national project, now in its 18th year, provides a fund-raising avenue for local AIDS organizations.  Seattle's Lifelong AIDS Alliance will receive a donation of 30% of each diner's tab the night of the event.

And speaking of local restaurants, Seattle Met Magazine reports on the return of Happy Hour and Cactus! in a posting today, and Madison Park Conservatory got a seriously good review from the Seattle Times yesterday.

Luc to open Thursday

Madison Valley gets another French restaurant this week with the much-heralded opening on May 6 of Luc, owned and operated by the famous Thierry Rautureau, aka “The Chef in the Hat!!!”tm, whose principal claim to fame for many years has been Rover’s, just down the block. Where Rover’s is a very high-end sort of place, the concept for Luc is—well, let’s just say not the same. And by now, I should certainly know the difference.

It’s a difference that was pointed out to me several years ago when my wife and I dined at Rover’s for the first time. While there, it seems I made a bit of a mistake. When Rautureau came over to our table to ask if we were enjoying our meal, I let drop the fact that we were new both to Madison Park and to his restaurant. I told him that we were at Rover’s because we were looking for a really good neighborhood eatery. Bad move. “This is NOT a neighborhood restaurant” he told me in no uncertain terms. “This is a destination restaurant!” He asked where we had lived before. View Ridge, I told him. “Well, you could have driven here from there!”
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And that was pretty much the end of the discussion.

So don’t call Rover’s a neighborhood joint. But I think Rautureau might not mind it if you applied the term to his new venture. This is what he had to say to SeattleDining.com about Luc: “My goal is to have it be a neighborhood anchor, the kind of place where you walk in and find just what you want, whether that’s solid or liquid. I want it to be fun, accessible and warm; a nice, fun place to be. It will be a casual, inexpensive American and French café with a bar. Food will be good, clean and simple. We’ll feature items like boeuf bourguignon, hamburgers and both French and American classic and contemporary food. I won’t be reinventing the wheel; everything will be recognizable."

A neighborhood joint!

It’s even got takeout. Well, after several months of renovation of the old Fast Frame shop location (2800 E. Madison Street.), it looks like things are ready to go (there was a private party there tonight to get things started). Those interested in knowing more about the concept of Luc can check out the details here. The restaurant’s new website isn’t precisely up and running yet, but Luc’s phone number is 325-7442.

Impromptu bites the dust

The outdoor Christmas lights are still on, but the restaurant itself is dark and most of the furnishings have been removed. Impromptu is no more.

At the end of 2009 there was a sign on the door stating that the restaurant was closed, but I assumed that was just for the holidays. Now it's clear that was not the case. An announcement on the restaurant's website says it all: "Impromptu Wine Bar Cafe is currently closed. We thank you for your patronage and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

The restaurant, located at 4235 E. Madison Street, had mixed reviews since the change in ownership (and executive chef) over a year ago. While many found the food good to excellent, the various restaurant-rating websites also documented some curious service issues (my wife and I experienced one there ourselves, for that matter). In spite of being a very small establishment, it was usually uncrowded even during the height of the summer season, which is a very bad sign for a Madison Park restaurant. Most of the higher-end ones live or die by what they earn during the good weather (in other words, before the Washington Park Tower crowd heads south for the winter).

I am sorry to see the loss of any decent neighborhood eatery. Hopefully, there will soon be a replacement for Impromptu.

Meanwhile, across the street, Cactus! is on a two-week hiatus in order to renovate. As we reported in July, the restaurant is expanding its kitchen into part of the space that was once the Yankee Peddler. This will result in some reconfiguration of the seating area by the entrance. Hopefully Cactus! will be back in operation by January 20 or so. Now there's a restaurant that doesn't have to worry about lack of traffic, summer or winter.

Rover’s spawns new eatery

This is a little bit off of the Madison Park beat, but in case you missed the story of Rover’s owner Thierry Rautureau’s latest venture, the Capitol Hill Seattle blog has the details (click here). If you are one of Rautureau’s regulars, you’ve probably received an invitation to purchase $1,000 gift certificates to his as-yet-unopened Luc, which will be located next to Rover’s. Opening in early 2010, it’s supposed to have a more casual atmosphere than its stuffier French neighbor (there will be take out!).

You have to give Rautureau credit for novelty. His idea is to finance at least some of the cost of Luc with the proceeds of the pre-opening gift-certificate sales. If you’re ready to invest you may start the process by clicking here.

Cactus! is expanding (again)

In a bold move that is counter to much of what’s happening elsewhere in the Seattle restaurant trade, Cactus! is about to extend its presence in Madison Park by taking some of the space vacated earlier this year by the Yankee Peddler. On Friday, the City approved a construction permit allowing the restaurant to make alterations to approximately 400 square feet of the space contiguous to its location at 4220 E. Madison Street.

Owner Bret Chatalas tells me that the planned remodeling will involve moving part of the kitchen into the new space. The principal advantage of this will be to create a better work environment for the employees and a more efficient operation. Expansion of the kitchen may also allow for a future relocation of the tapas bar into what is now part of the kitchen area, freeing up space in the front for 5-10 more seats. As anybody who has tried to get into Cactus! on a summer evening knows, the Mexican/Southwest themed restaurant remains very popular in spite of the current economic downturn.

At a time when some restaurants are really feeling the pain, and others such as Oceanaire and the Union Square Grill are shutting down entirely, Cactus! has a proven concept that continues to withstand the test of time. This Madison Park mainstay has been described by The Seattle Times as a “screaming success” since it opened in 1990. At least partly due to space constraints at the Madison Park location, Cactus! spawned two sister restaurants, one in Kirkland in 2002 and one at Alki in 2006. Anecdotal evidence is that all three locations continue to pack ‘em in, and Chatalas confirms that things continue to go well for each of the restaurants.

Cactus! Madison Park has already undergone one major expansion, when in 1999 it annexed the retail space one door to the north of its initial location. Now the restaurant is moving into space that is one door to the south (though the actual door and front of that space are now occupied by Red Wagon Toys). “I made the decision to make an investment in the future,” says Chatalas. “It was now or never.”

McGilvra’s reconsidered

In the month since we reviewed McGilvra’s (Much needed addition?) the new bar and eatery seems to have hit its stride. Reviews of the restaurant on Yelp during the past month have been significantly better than when the place first opened (the last seven reviews have averaged almost four stars out of five, whereas the average of the early reviews was only one star). Meanwhile, Urban Spoon Seattle gives McGilvra’s a 91% favorable rating, with 23 reviews to date (Urban Spoon voting is on an I Like It/I Don’t basis).

Someone who recently ate at McGilvra’s just commented our own review, stating that while the food and atmosphere were good, the staff seemed young and inexperienced (the food took 45 minutes to arrive). So perhaps there is still some inconsistency in the service, depending on whether things are particularly busy (as on a rare sunny day).

A friend and I checked out the lunch scene at McGivlra’s last week and found the service and the food excellent. He had the fish sandwich and pronounced it very good, and I had the toasted BLTA (A for Avocado) sandwich and rated it a 10. Personally, I think they’ve got their act together and the jury is now in: worthwhile addition to the neighborhood.

McGilvra’s: Much-needed addition to the neighborhood or big-time disappointment?

When long-time neighborhood eatery Sorella’s closed its doors for good following the summer season last year, Madison Park regulars began anticipating what would come next in that prime space (foot of Madison across from the Lake). Sorella’s had become tired, dispirited, and in need of a first-class upgrade. The owners, reportedly, just didn’t have their hearts in it anymore. Therefore, the opportunity fell to someone else to renovate and renew the location that had once been home to the venerable Hank’s.

Opinion is divided over whether McGilvra’s Bar & Restaurant, which opened April 3, is what was needed in the ‘hood. My wife and I, who ate there at the end of Week One, both think that owner Peter Johnson (who also operates Finn MacCools’s on the Ave) has done an excellent job of upgrading the space to create a more interesting and exciting atmosphere-- somewhat reminiscent of Hank’s. Moreover, our food was good-to-excellent, and our waiter was one of the best we’ve ever had (we eat out a lot and know good service when we get it). A neighbor of ours here in the Park and her friend were at McGilvra’s that same night, and they each had a very positive reaction to both the food and the staff.

Not everyone, however, shares this opinion. Some of the reviews of McGilvra’s on Yelp and elsewhere have been surprisingly negative (here’s a somewhat representative comment from a naysayer: “An hour after eating, I feel like I will need to drink a gallon of water to handle the ‘salt lick’ I ate for dinner”). Additionally, I talked to two other neighbors of mine (each of them a life-time resident of Madison Park) who tried McGilvra’s on subsequent nights and concluded (along with their spouses) that the food was bad (“1 on a scale of 1 to 10”), the wait staff was disinterested, and the atmosphere was loud and uncomfortable. One couple actually got up and left after an unconsummated five-minute wait for their initial order of beers.

What gives? Peter tells me he is mystified by the bad reviews on the internet site and by the unhappy experiences of my neighbors. Any new restaurant, of course, needs time to get the bugs out, he said—and they are working hard to get it right. All of the bar staff, he noted, and most of the wait and kitchen staff are well experienced. He told me there have been very few complaints made directly to him, but that if anyone has a problem with the food or service they should say so and he will do what he can to fix it. He did admit that the place is pretty noisy, but that’s principally the result of its early success. Frankly, McGilvra’s appears packed at both lunchtime and dinner, based on my own observations. Peter tells me that they have had way more business in their first four weeks than he expected. This may have over-taxed the staff to some extent, both in the kitchen and upfront. He invites everyone who felt they had a bad experience to try McGilvra’s again. He says he’s intent on having his place be a great addition to the ‘hood because he plans to be here and doing his thing for the next 15 years or so.

If you decide to make the judgment on McGilvra’s for yourself, here’s what you’ll find in the way of food: appetizers, soups, and salads (all under $10) and, in a possible nod to Sorella’s, seven kinds of pizza (including Greek). Sandwiches include the Meatball Sub and Pulled Pork, and there are burgers as well, including garden and chicken. In homage to his Irish (Northern Ireland, that is) heritage, Peter includes Guinness Beef Stew and Shepherd’s Pie among the entrees (and there are also Irish Nachos among the appetizers). The menu rounds out with fish & chips, barbecue pork ribs, spaghetti, London broil and chicken marsala, all in the $10-$15 range. I had the stew and thought it was great. My wife had a pizza and said it was good (though a little too saucy and too much for one person).

McGilvra’s appears to be rocking most of the time, and there are obviously a lot of very-satisfied patrons. Unlike Bing’s, McGilvra’s is not particularly family friendly—and if noise is not your thing, look elsewhere (I suggest Impromptu across the street, which generally looks like it could use the business). Peter says he is resisting the well-meant suggestion of one customer that he install sound-deadening tiles on the ceiling. (Some of us like raucous!) Note also that this is a bar with a restaurant and not the other way around. Peter, who worked for several years at The Attic and therefore knows the neighborhood well, says he is trying to fill a gap by providing the area with a great bar.

It’s typical for new restaurants to enjoy a lot of early success, as everyone rushes in to see whether they like the food, the atmosphere, and the service. So the real test will come for McGilvra’s after the summer season ends and the place becomes more dependent on the locals for its ongoing success. Will McGilvra’s become a neighborhood fixture on a par with Bing’s? For the answer, tune in again next winter.

In the meantime, if you’ve tried McGivra’s and have an opinion, please comment on it (or on this posting) by clicking on the pencil icon below. I’ve promised to share your input with Peter.

[McGilvra's is located at 4234 East Madison Street]