Food News: There’s Something About October

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When it rains, it pours. This is true lately of restaurant openings: all of the sudden, a handful of tempting restaurants are opening in October.

To wit: Marché at the Market, aka the new concept moving into the Campagne space. Daisley Gordon, longtime Campagne and Cafe Campagne chef, is the mastermind behind Marché’s menu. Soft opening is September 30th, with a public opening October 7th. The other Marché, which I told you about way back in May, is opening on Bainbridge Island later this fall or in early winter.

The Bricco space on Queen Anne has been sold to Sam Crannell, the chef that made Quinn’s so delicious when it opened. Eater has the details on LloydMartin (Ed note: why not LloydDobbler? Anyone?).

This is especially intriguing, no? “[Crannell’s] looking “way back” for inspiration, particularly to the turn of the century and the days of Auguste Escoffier…. The core of the menu, even larger dishes, will be less than $18.”

Snails on a truck! I dare you to eat escargot (in shallot butter, and just $7!) from the polka dotty Crème de la Crème food truck when it relocates from Portland to Seattle at the end of September. Also yummy-sounding: French onion soup, caramelized onion tarts and croque monsieur.

And finally, one restaurant bucking the trend and opening… a few days ago: The Coterie Room, from the gentlemen behind Spur and Tavern Law. I have high hopes; these guys do exceptional food in limited spaces in both of their established bars. What can we expect when they’ve got a fully decked kitchen to work in? Homestyle cooking, say McCracken and Tough, which translates to sweet onion mac-n-cheese with duck ham, seared scallops atop cauliflower puree with pickled grapes and capers, ham cracklings with warm truffle dip …so, not exactly meatloaf and mashers.

The chefs, who’ve dabbled in “modernist cuisine” or molecular gastronomy (pick your perferred term), are aiming for a more approachable concept at The Coterie Room. Which, well, I was little disappointed to hear. Modernist Cuisine-lite just doesn’t have the same impact as the full-bore experience. 

So here’s my plea to Nathan Myhrvold: Open the country’s best, most daring, boundary-pushing, exciting, outrageous and gorgeous modernist cuisine showcase restaurant here in Seattle. You’ve written the ultimate guide, now make it real. Ferran who? Grant Achwhat? It’s show and tell, right? 2,438 pages…I think we can agree you’ve told. Now I’m ready for the show.