Raskin on Tom Douglas Trio; Amore Infused; Taste of Chicago

Hanna Raskin reviews Tom Douglas's trio of Terry Avenue restaurants together, finding the three venues "have their way with grains, churning out a global array of carbohydrate-packed plates." The layout "is reminiscent of a cruise ship, where cheek-by-jowl themed restaurants operate as seemingly independent entities."

Ting Momo, "the outlier of the building's culinary combo," was conceived expressly for longtime Douglas employee, and native Tibetan, Dekyi Thonden. She leans heavily on tamarind, cumin and orange zest, "a mix that becomes monotonously familiar halfway through the restaurant's short menu." While Raskin finds the noodles gummy and the signature dumpling "gluey and bland," she finds "hints that Ting Momo will sparkle once the restaurant overcomes its opening jitters."

Downstairs at Cuoco, "The prices are often ludicrously high, and the portions are measly." The lasagna and tagliatelle dishes were excellent, but "when the noodles were gone, the bowl was disconcertingly shiny". Most of the pastas "were drowning in butter and oil." And yet, "some dishes match the upscale earthiness of the candlelit room," namely the calamari, cured beef and duck gizzard spiedini.

The "clear winner of this three-restaurant race" is Brave Horse Tavern and its "spectacularly on-target cuisine." Raskin "couldn't quibble about anything made of pig" and enjoyed the house IPA as well. The personal-sized cherry pie "pairs with beer as well as the courses which preceded it do." [Seattle Weekly]

Tan Vinh happy hours at Amore Infused, where bartender Ernie Salotti makes "some of the most labor-intensive candy cocktails" he's ever seen. The bar food is fairly typical, but the approach of celebrating, rather than disparaging cosmos and fruity drinks is refreshing. [Seattle Times]

Brendan Kiley says other places in Seattle make Chicago-style hot dogs, but they're "all pretty anemic compared to the one at Taste of Chicago" in the U-District. The little cafeteria-style place has "Chicago-style things you can't find anywhere else." Though nothing as raunchy as the conversation he recalls from a trip to Chicago's Wiener Circle restaurant a decade ago. [The Stranger]