Robinson on Le Petit Cochon; Scheff Tackles Bar Cantinetta; One-Week Old Tallulah's Reviewed

LPC, Bar Cantinetta, Tallulah's [Photos: S. Pratt]

Third time's a charm for Le Petit Cochon. After getting panned by The Stranger and kind of liked by Seattle Weekly, Kathryn Robinson of Seattle Met delivers the Fremont restaurant's first (mainly) positive review. Of the two-month old "whole pig" restaurant: "...while the impassioned young chef-artiste wrests delectable flavor from unmentionables, old-school Euro connoisseurs will not be put off." Her favorite bit? The Phat Ass pork chop:

Ours arrived over creamy grits and collard greens, with a sweet smear of apple butter: It was enough for two. More than that, it was not overcooked, as one expects a two-inch thick slab of pork to be, but flawlessly moist.

She does knock some points off for execution, though.

For one of her last reviews as Seattle Magazine's food and dining editor, Allison Scheff takes on Bar Cantinetta, which she calls "a perfect example" of the everyday bistros we should be using to judge Seattle's culinary scene:

...every dish sounds (and, you later find, tastes) so good on the concise Italian menu, the service is expert and easy to engage, the small, cozy room is comfortable and superbly lit, and the price points are in that sweet spot—not cheap, but not expensive.

And, because it's been open for an entire eight days, Linda Derschang's Tallulah's gets reviewed by Capitol Hill Times.

Tallulah's is just posh enough to demand the use of indoor voices, and homey enough to feel welcoming to a larger cross-section than, say, the upscale wine bars and steak houses of downtown.

With "nary a hiccup" since opening the day after Christmas, the reviewer finds Tallulah's "fancy but not fussy, especially with comfort foods like lentils on offer. The staff are friendly and on-point, not pushy but happy to make suggestions."
· Le Petit Cochon [Official Site]
· Bar Cantinetta [Official Site]
· Tallulah's [Official Site]
· Le Petit Cochon Gets Piggy in Fremont [Seattle Met]
· Bar Cantinetta Has an Impressive, Everyday Bistro Appeal [Seattle Mag]
· Tallulah's: A Hill Restaurant for Everyone [Capitol Hill Times]