FOOD MATTERS | Home for the new year

It used to be, a reviewer (restaurants, books, theater) was someone who’d been around long enough to know where the bodies were buried, who’d been fired by whom, who’d been with whom. 

In an age of smartphones, the notion of institutional memory has been discarded in favor of the latest tweet. In fact, in the age of Daily Deals and “What’s Trending (Hot) Right Now,” an encyclopedic knowledge of local history is a downright burden. 

Fresh, young faces prowling for a place to eat (and unburdened by a houseful of kiddies) rely on the spontaneous, untrained and unedited voices of fellow foodies (rather than food journalists) to tell them the who-what-where-when-why-and-how of what’s for dinner.

Still, it’s big news down at the waterfront end of Madison Park that there’s been a change of ownership at Bing’s (4200 E. Madison St.). 

A couple of notes before introducing the new guy, and it’s by way of saying goodbye to Bing’s previous owners, George and Kylie Marshall, who’d bought the place in 2011 from its founders, Stan Moshier and Lori Campbell. 

Marshall created a chorizo meatloaf sandwich, replacing an earlier version, that was named one of Seattle’s best in a magazine article. “Older customers were pissed when I took the old meatloaf off the menu. So I put one back on, but with a twist,” Marshall told an interviewer. “People absolutely love it.” 

And no wonder: It features Hempler’s bacon, chipotle cheddar grits, Brussels sprout leaves, cumin, cilantro, honey sriracha and cider barbecue sauce — all on Macrina’s Franchese bread. Not bad for $12, eh? Want just the sprouts? You can do that, too. 

Taking over from the Marshalls is Karam Slim. He’s a family man (wife teaches at Lincoln High School; son’s a high school junior) who was born in Lebanon, graduated from the University of Washington and had a career in aerospace before making the transition to restaurants. He was a general manager for chains like Sullivan’s and McCormick’s and has now taken the next step: his own neighborhood “living room.” 

He’s quick to credit the previous owners, “a good reputation, a great staff.” And he’s anxious to find out what his customers really like. (“Not customers,” he points out. “Guests and family.”) 

In addition to the meatloaf and the Brussels sprouts, there’s a list of nightly specials (salmon, scallops, seafood fettuccine, salmon ceasar [sic]). There’s also a house cocktail, currently the Winter Cheer, with bourbon, house-made cranberry shrub, Aperol, lemon, sweet vermouth and sparkling wine. And rotating art exhibits. 

Good things, in other words, and the distinct impression that Bing’s is in good hands. 

A rare ‘pride of craft’

The Basque Country is a political outlier, the coastal Atlantic region where the southwest corner of France turns into the northern coast of Spain. The Bay of Biscay, relatively shallow, provides local fishermen with abundant harvests (including, at one time, whales). 

The Basque-speaking political entity in Spain is the kingdom of Navarra, roughly the size of Los Angeles County; major cities include Bilbao, San Sebastian and Pamplona. Basque influences abound in the daily language, notably the “tx” spelling for the Spanish “ch.” Hence, “pintxos,” which is what the Basques call “tapas,” the precursor of Seattle’s craze for “small plates.”

Seattle’s original Basque restaurant, Harvest Vine (2701 E. Madison St.) has weathered some changes but continues to perform impressively. The founders were an extravagantly mustachioed chef, Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez, and his wife, pastry chef Carolin Messier. 

Twice, they expanded the seating in their Madison Valley restaurant; then they added a tapas bar in Belltown. 

Alas, the couple divorced and Joseba returned to San Sebastian (though he’s been back to Seattle a couple of times on consulting gigs). Messier has carried on with an admirable team, led by Joey Sirquinia in Harvest Vine’s open kitchen. 

One might wish for more innovation, dishes with a bit more culinary edge, but even minor seasonal tweaks are nothing to sneeze at. One finds, at Harvest Vine, a sense of professionalism and pride of craft that are rare in Seattle. 

I often complain about “tweezer food,” where the business of plating takes precedence over ingredients and flavors; the alternative, often, is that a line cook simply dumps the contents of a skillet onto the plate. Not at Harvest Vine, which has four cooks preparing every dish to order in a restaurant with maybe a dozen tables. 

I’ve always enjoyed the octopus here, served Galician-style (this winter, at least), with red potatoes, a generous dusting of pimenton (Spanish paprika) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

For connoisseurs, there’s also seared foie gras, served with apple compote and a sweet syrup of grape must. 

Where else in town can you get bacalao? It’s salt cod, finely pureed and served as a croquette, with a garlicky tomato sauce called viscaina. 

Another highlight of the menu is the pork shoulder, which comes from acorn-fed Iberico pigs. 

Desserts change regularly. At this time of year, the holiday tarta de musicos (a nut tarte served with a dollop of heavy cream) is also available to go. 

So splurge for dinner — and take home a tarta for your next party. 

RONALD HOLDEN is a restaurant writer and consultant. To comment on this column, write to MPTimes@nwlink.com.