Seattle Times at Westcity Kitchen; Seattle Mag at Le Zinc

[Photo: Westcity Facebook/S. Pratt]

After only four months in West Seattle, the new Westcity Kitchen gets its first review from Seattle Times critic, Providence Cicero. The aesthetic of the place wins her over more than the food. She refers to the menu as "a collection of good ideas executed with varying success."

The pasta was lovely, but the finished dishes lacked finesse. The ravioli were drenched in brown butter, beleaguered with unevenly cooked cubes of butternut squash and burdened with too many whole hazelnuts. Layers of delicate handkerchief noodles clumped together under a heavy short rib ragu; the questionable addition of a fried egg that was anything but "over easy" didn't help.

She did, however, really enjoy her appetizers, especially the sardines (the working title of Westcity Kitchen was actually Westcity Sardine Kitchen):

...two grilled beauties with a salad of shaved fennel and arugula and a salty, fiery relish of coarsely chopped capers and Calabrian chilies — make a great shareable starter. So do warm olives (sharp kalamatas and rich Castelvetranos) baked with cherry tomatoes, mustard seed and garlic, served with crostini.

Cicero notes that chef Kym Goheen is leaving, and that sous chef Colin Sabbatelli will take over for her (both previously cooked together at Pair). Two stars.

Seattle Magazine's Allison Austin Scheff bids a not-so-fond adieu to Capitol Hill newcomer Le Zinc after her meal, which she calls "dated":

The menu here, overseen by Jaron Witsoe, is a kind of French throwback, with its foie gras, frog's legs, escargot and a green salad that brings to mind the cheese-and-fruit-salad '90s.

And while the onion tart is good if eaten with eyes closed—the flavor rich, the onions soft and caramelized—because the tart is served stacked, it arrives in a soft, eggy, crusty mess.

The younger sibling of Maximilien in Pike Place Market gets high mark for its cocktails.
Highlights at Westcity Kitchen [Seattle Times]
French on 15th Avenue: Capitol Hill's Le Zinc Reviewed [Seattle Mag]
Westcity Kitchen [Facebook]
Le Zinc [Official Site]