Cicero Crushes on Restaurant Zoe; Raskin and BJC Smitten By Bainbridge's Restaurant Marché

Seattle Times' Providence Cicero is the last of the city critics to review Restaurant Zoe, and time may have fixed some of the lapses noted by previous reviewers--because Cicero awards Zoe three stars and uniformly praises it. Of Scott Staples' new Restaurant Zoe, she says, "the food bears chef Scott Staples' trademark stamp of rustic refinement. Flavors murmur but seldom shout; multifaceted tastes and textures make every plate interesting to explore."

Seattle Weekly's Hanna Raskin is so taken with Restaurant March&eacute's flan that her writing takes a poetic turn: "The splendid flan, made from pea vines and morels, is a springtime tramp, fast with its fresh, grassy flavors. As pale green as mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, the dish tastes like May remade as a spoonable pudding." Raskin's complaints center on lackadaisical service: "The rhythm of dinner here is determined by the servers' aptitude, not the diners' desires." In her reviewing the review post, Raskin notes that after eating meals at Marche, she left somewhat hungry--and interesting fact--consoled herself with Tapatio Doritos.

The Stranger's Bethany Jean Clement is similarly impressed with Restaurant March&eacute's food--the flan "was as light as a cloud, both vegetal and eggy, and the prettiest pale green." The trout and roast duckling were revealatory, though some dishes fall into the "merely good" category. Of the service, BJC kindly says, "As for service, it was winning—they're trying hard and really nice."

· Restaurant Zoe: Rustic flair at new digs on Capitol Hill [Seattle Times]
· Restaurant Marche: Flantastic [Seattle Weekly]
· Ferryland [The Stranger]