Counting down at last, this time with slightly different typography. And, to get it out of the way at the start: the Spanish word très is pronounced more like "tress" than "trays." Which explains why the Trace restaurant at the W Hotel has no issue with the new Tr3s restaurant in Belltown.
The new venture in the historic Austin Bell building on First Avenue by three veteran Belltown operators opens Friday with a menu featuring fresh, unusual seafood.
David Toland will be the GM, with Zack Nethercutt as dining room manager. Erwin Arceo is taking the role of Executive Chef. He's veteran of Seattle's franchise and fast-casual restaurant scene, including stints at Consolidated Restaurants and Wingdome, in addition to the five years the team has put in at Belltown Pub.
As Cornichon reported last month, the menu will emphasize recipes uncovered by exec chef Erwin Arceo over of 25 years of traveling in Mexico. "There will be salmon and halibut, of course, but also parrot fish, pompano, goldband (snapper), and pink snapper," according to Arceo. The fish will be sourced not just from the Gulf of Mexico, but also the waters of Vietnam and southeast Asia, Some of the more exotic items will be air-freighted from Honolulu; others will come from Emerald City Seafood and City Fish.
The space, at nearly 5,500 square feet, is one of the largest in Belltown, with a licensed occupancy of over 200. The build-out, however, included a vast bar "island" on the main floor, reducing the number of seats to about 100. Half the seating rings the bar; the remainder are booths along the wall.
For the next couple of weeks, Arceo says Tr3s will be open seven days a week from 4 PM to 2 AM, with lunch and brunch coming once the crew settles in. Early happy hour from 4 to 6:30, late happy hour from 10 until 1.
If you get into a cab and tell the driver you want to go to "Trace," you could still end up downtown, at the W, so give them the street address: 2328 First Avenue.
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