A James Beard Award-winning chef debuts in White Center and 23 other restaurant openings around Greater Seattle

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James Beard Award winner and former Canlis chef Brady Ishiwata Williams will open his vegetarian bistro Tomo September 9th at the White Center. All reservations for September were fully booked in four hours when it announced its opening. (Psst, your next chance at a reservation will be October 1st when his online reservations go live at 10 a.m.)

The arrival of Tomo – depending on who you ask – is either a boon to this neighborhood or a sign of gentrification. White Center is an underserved, diverse community with many immigrants and refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, and Somalia. In recent years, pedigree bars have expanded from Ballard and Capitol Hill to the White Center to take advantage of the lower-priced real estate in this unincorporated area southwest of Seattle.

But the White Center has never attracted a star like Williams, who was named Canlis’ “Best New Chefs” by Food & Wine magazine in 2018. After six years at Seattle’s most famous fine-dining restaurant, Williams hit the road this year, and many expected him to fly his flag on Capitol Hill or in Ballard. But the 35-year-old chef said he cares about the White Center – he lives 10 minutes away in nearby Holly Park and “hangs out at the White Center outside of business hours.”

“I want to open a restaurant in a community where I spend time,” he said. “It’s a warm … lively, diverse community.”

In the Tomo with 47 seats, vegetables from the region are the main attraction. Guests have two five-course options ($ 68): a vegetarian option or the regular menu. Even if you opt for the latter tasting menu, the meat and seafood will be minimal, which puts the focus on the vegetables. Williams works with a farm in the North Cascades to raise duck, turkey, lamb, and chicken for his restaurant.

The acclaimed chef recruited a few past colleagues, including Diana Mata Garcia, who has cooked at Canlis and two Michelin-starred Blanca in Brooklyn, New York, and his pastry chef is Richard Garcia. who prepared desserts in Canlis and also worked for the renowned Mister Jius in San Francisco.

Speaking of White Center – just three blocks east of Tomo is another newcomer: Apsara Palace restaurantwho prepares Cambodian and Southeast Asian noodle and rice dishes, including the Khmer fish curry dish Amok.

East Side

STK steakhouse, the chain with locations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Ibiza, Spain, is debuting in Lincoln Square in Bellevue and is aimed not only at expense reports, but also at the party-hungry audience, with half cocktails at happy hour and plans to Turning up the volume at night with DJs. There are also “Date Night” specials with set dinners (three courses for USD 69 per person).

Dave & Busters opens August 30th at Wilburton Village with more than 100 arcade games spread over 40,000 square feet. The sports bar could be a good place to watch the Seahawks play, as Dave & Buster’s has a 12-meter high HD screen for a “stadium-like viewing experience,” a press officer said. This comes after another popular chain with a young target audience, the Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which opened in this mall earlier this summer.

Aqua S, the popular soft ice cream chain, lands in downtown Bellevue and offers a colorful selection of Asian flavors such as durian and orange fruit tea. (Our reporter Jade Yamazaki Stewart reviewed this international chain along with other new ice cream parlors that opened this summer. You can read it here.)


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Tian Fu, which has a location in Northgate, now offers Dan Dan noodles and spicy Sichuan dishes in Bellevue.

The Marketplace at Factoria lands a branch of the Seattle-based Ten sushiwhich already has a following among younger audiences visiting their locations in Uptown and the Chinatown International District.

In Kirkland, The Village at Totem Lake, believed to be a major food destination on the East Side, is adding tenants Bok and Bok Fried Chicken, Stack 571 Burger & Whiskey Bar and Taiwanese Boba chain do not yell at me.

Woodinville gets Sidekick coffee and Poisonous snacks; The latter serves ceviche and desserts.

South end

Katsu burger, which fries its meatballs, opens its ninth branch in Kent. Conquering Mount Fuji at Katsu Burger means finishing what is arguably the tallest sandwich in the Puget Sound area. The 8-inch stack contains three deep-fried patties (pork, beef, and chicken), three rich sauces, three cheeses (American, Pepper Jack, and Cheddar), bacon, pickles, and other condiments, all topped with a fried egg. Who is ready for it Challenge?

A James Beard Award-winning chef debuts in White Center and 23 other restaurant openings around Greater Seattle


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Even in Kent, Miss Boba served brown sugar bubble tea.

Federal Way achieved an outpost of MyungIn dumplings, a coffee shop in Koreatown, Los Angeles. According to Eater, this dumpling house made a cameo on the late Anthony Bourdain’s show “Parts Unknown.”

Hiss & Crunch, a popular fast-casual rice bowl and banh mi spot in Seattle, is expanding on Federal Way with a 5,000-square-foot space that includes a kitchen / kitchen to prep all three branches, including in South Lake Union and the University District . The setup allows Sizzle & Crunch to streamline its grocery stores to make the chain nimbler and add more franchises. Owner Paul Nguyen hopes to open a fourth store in Bellevue in the near future. Sizzle & Crunch made our list of the best banh mis in Seattle. You can read it here.

More Vietnamese Food: Banh Mi train station lands in Tukwila. Nearby Westfield Southcenter welcomes tenants Mochinut and Crpe legendwhile Renton gets Jazzys Snacks & Jellies, Snacks, milkshakes and fruit and cream desserts are served here.

North end

The sandwich counter The Cuban Shoreline was full on Fridays and Saturdays. The “classic” Cuban sandwich made our list of the best sandwiches our food reviewer ate this month. El Cubano is owned by Kim Gianotti and Geordanys Rodriquez, the same couple behind Geo Cuban Bar & Grill in north Seattle.

The “Classic Cubano” for 10 US dollars at El Cubano in Shoreline is a pressed sandwich with hickory-smoked ham, roast pork, pickles and melted Swiss cheese.  (Tan Vinh / The Seattle Times)


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Located one block south of El Cubano Good burgerwho also makes fish and chips and other fried foods you would find in a fish stall. But you see the name of this restaurant and you know what to order, right?

In Lynnwood, LASA sandwiches & pearls specializes in Filipino home cooking, from a pressed adobo sandwich to sisig-style fries with pork, egg, onions, chillies and lime. Sitting two miles south of it Q sushi bar & kitchen, which, in addition to its cuisine of the same name, also serves chicken karaage, poke and other rice dishes.