As fireworks go, it was precisely right, not over-the-top, in keeping with a year that we managed to muddle through. We lost a slew (or is that slaw?) of restaurants and a couple of artisan cheesemakers, but look what all we've gained:
In no particular order, Seatown Rotisserie, Lecosho, Staple & Fancy Mercantile, The Walrus & Carpenter, Book Bindery, La Bête, a new Sitka & Spruce, Revel, Bisato (replacing Lampreia) Blueacre (replacing Oceanaire), Luc (adding to Rovers), BuiltBurger, Delicatus. Al Colozzi moved from Belltown Billiards to Pioneer Square. Belltown's Clever Bottle doubled its space. Wasabi Bistro still promises to reopen "next month." A market called Local 360 is about to replace Flying Fish, which moved to South Lake Union. Txori closed but Pintxo opened in its place. Marjorie returned, to Capitol Hill. Noodle Ranch will morph into Dope Burger. Blackboard Bistro opened in West Seattle where Ovio Bistro and Beato closed. Japonessa opened downtown where Union closed. Acquabar takes over from Kelly's. The drumbeat of whisks and ladles in new kitchens continues.
In the midst of it all, somehow, the most venerable restaurant in Seattle managed to reinvent itself. That would be Canlis, founded in 1950, whose management didn't need focus groups to understand its fearsome reputation as a high-priced, high-society dinner house. Another 20 years and its current client roster would be six feet under.
The brothers who now run the place, Mark and Brian Canlis, dreamed up the year's best campaign to celebrate Canlis's 60th birthday, instantly capturing the attention of a younger generation conversant in social media. Rather than apologize for today's high prices, they hid copies of the original menus and sent out clues on Facebook and Twitter: Find the menu and you'd get dinner at 1950 prices! Then they invited the winners to a final scavenger hunt, a "Canlis for Life" card that the finder had to give away each year to a local non-profit. The whole story, including clues and solutions, is here. The restaurant employs a PR firm, but Mark and Brian came up with this project entirely on their own, creating a whole new image (youthful and civic-minded) for their family restaurant. It doesn't get classier.
Canlis, 2576 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle, 206-283-3313 
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