Cuoco, the First of Tom Douglas's Terry Ave. Trio, Opens in SLU

strong>Tom Douglas's rapid-fire expansion across South Lake Union continues today with word that his Northern Italian eatery Cuoco opens tonight.

Cuoco is one of three restaurants T-Doug has in the works in the historic Terry Avenue Building, nestled in the midst of Amazon's giant new complex. Douglas sources say the other two restaurants, Tibetan dumpling spot Ting Momo and beer-heavy Brave Horse Tavern, will follow in the next week or two.

The menu at Cuoco highlights the handiwork of longtime Douglas pasta maven Martha Francis, as well as chef Stuart Lane, known for amping up the already-impressive pasta program at Cafe Juanita. He has also spent a bit of time in the Piedmont region of Italy and is a rare Douglas restaurant chef who did not come up among the T-Doug ranks.

Douglas did a trio of preview dinners, inviting people to buy a $25 ticket to sample the menus-in-progress for each restaurant. The Cuoco dinner featured some head-to-head competition between Lane's version of each dish and a similar recipe from inside the Douglas empire.

·Tom Douglas's Cuoco Opens Tonight, Ting Momo and Brave Horse Tavern to Follow Soon [Seattle Mag]
·Cuoco [Official Site]
·The Pasta Queen of Tom Douglas' World Is Taking a Big Leap Across Town [Seattle Weekly]
·Seattle: Cuoco Preview Dinner [All-Consuming]