Bourbon & Bones, Hollywood Tavern, Le Petit Cochon

It's less of a review and more of a first glance as Nicole Sprinkle from the Seattle Weekly checks out newbie Bourbon & Bones, which officially opened in the former Anita's Crepes space on Leary Way on January 20.

After a lengthy back story on B&B's mastermind (and Wandering Goose alum) Michael Law, Sprinkle gets down and dirty with the food:

I go for a "Carolina" fried-chicken breast; the key to getting it crispy but not greasy, Law had told me, is "to fry it at 300 degrees the whole way." He marinades it overnight and coats it in the flour mixture right before it hits the fryer. "It's all about maintaining the proper temperature. If the oil isn't hot enough, the chicken absorbs the oil."

She seems to have like it:

Across the parking lot, Bad Jimmy's brewery is lit up, and I think how brilliant it would be, given B&B's tiny dimensions, to order carry-out and eat it over a glass of beer in the large, soaring brewery with its radiant heater.

It should be noted that everything left in the Bourbon & Bones case after 10 pm is half-off.

Seattle Met's Kathryn Robinson's heads north to Woodinville's Hollywood Tavern to enjoy (which she did) some good ol' Americana fare proprietor Josh Henderson perfected at Skillet:

That includes genuinely killer salads (best is the mix of kale, raisins, pine nuts, and hummus) and a nice comfort-food double-patty burger with pickles and American cheese and special sauce which tastes exactly, bizarrely, like the yellow-mustard flavor of a Dick's burger. Terrific fries, and not a fresh vegetable fixin' in sight.

She also questions the future of Henderson's Huxley Wallace, which in addition to taking Skillet under its collective belt, ushered in Westward just months before knocking on wine country's door.

Hollywood Tavern is conflicted at the most basic level of identity. It's a problem Henderson is already addressing, with menu tweaks and plans to mellow out the lampshade room. Now we just hope the visionary isn't already spread too thin.

Over at Seattle Magazine, Allison Scheff digs into a four-inch thick phat-ass porkchop (and many other things) at Le Petit Cochon.

Among the entrées, the black cod impresses. It's moist and supple, with bitter orange playing off an octopus-head ragu (they're not kidding about the nose-to-tail mission). But the big Olsen Farms "phat ass" pork chop—presented on a cutting board—stole the show.

She says the chocolate lardo pâté served on top of almond butter and topped with cinnamon-and-sugar chicharrónes and house-made ice cream is one of the best desserts she tasted all year.
· Bourbon & Bones [Facebook]
· The Hollywood Tavern [Official Site]
· Le Petit Cochon [Official Site]
· Bourbon & Bones: Beyond Barbecue [Seattle Weekly]
Woodinville Roadhouse [Seattle Met]
Excellent Eats at Fremont's Le Petit Cochon [Seattle Mag]