End of year, thus time for annual Belltown Bravo Aw@rds. Don't get too excited; I'm not. Hasn't been a particularly good year for restaurants in this nabe, in my view. We lost some good ones (Cascadia, Qube, Marjorie), got some interesting new ones (Branzino, Kushibar, Tilikum Place, Spur) and the very promising Taberna del Alabardero, but overall, it hasn't been mouthwatering. Best promotions are still coming from the shoebox-sized Txori (the Tamborada, the San Firmin festival, the monthly Txoco dinners). For consistency and value, previous winners Steelhead Diner and Black Bottle contiue to lead the pack. The real restaurant action these days is in Ballard, Capitol Hill, and (gulp) Bellevue.
That said, Tavolata has a new happy hour, 5-7 weeknights. For $2, you get a bowl of that wonderful beet salad, or garbanzo bean salad, or roasted chestnuts, or a plate of prosciutto. Txori, for its part, starts happy hour in January, 4-6 every night. A buck off wine or Basque drinks like Kalimotxo (red wine & coke), $4 wells. Food specials not set at press time. And at Taberna. an early-ending happy hour (3-6 at press time, though that barely brings a smile to Belltown these days) with half-price wines, $4 glasses of delicious red or white sangria, and half-price appetizers. Some great values here, especially the skewered prawns and octopus, the peppers and anchovies, and the jamon iberico, all under $2.
And value we're looking for, folks. That $65, 2-lb T-bone at Tavolata? Don't count on selling too many. Nor the $45 (up from “only” $42 two weeks ago) veal shank at Branzino. For two, you say? Funny, the menu doesn't.
Posted by Ronald Holden at December 30, 2008 8:07 AM | TrackBack
The International Kitchen
Cooking school vacations in Italy, France & Spain.
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