Among the restaurants counted as the nation's "most popular" by Urbanspoon are five Seattle stalwarts.
Urbanspoon, you may recall, was actually invented in Seattle by a young programmer named Ethan Lowry. Like other online directories before and since, Urbanspoon had its ups and downs, but it was quick to develop an app that searched nearby restaurants by price and cuisine. Urbanspoon began expanding across the country.and was soon acquired by IAC Interactive.
The most recent numbers tell familiar stories but share one nagging question that a prospective diner might ask: "Remind me, exactly, where this place is?"
Leading the Seattle list is Ray's Boathouse, the venerable temple to fresh salmon on the shores of Shilshole Bay. Chef Wayne Johnson recently left the building, no verdict yet on the new guy, Paul Duncan.
Matt's in the Market, with its iconic view of the Public Market Center sign, is an always-crowded favorite.
Capitol Hill's Lark is much in the news, with a James Beard nomination for chef John Sundstrom and an IACP award for his cookbook.
No surprise that Canlis is on the list; it's been Seattle's beacon of quality for three generations. Brothers Mark and Brian Canlis are smooth-as-silk hosts, and chef Jason Franey brings a touch of east coast sophistication to his palate of Northwest ingredients.
Finally, Book Bindery, on the banks of the Ship Canal, where the ministrations of chef Shaun McCrain make you forget you're in the built-out end of a wine warehouse at the foot of the Fremont Bridge.
Worth reminding readers that Cornichon is Seattle's second-most prolific blogger in terms of "Spoonback" links to Urbanspoon.
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