Scheff Says Tray Kitchen Is Terrific, But Go While It's Busy

This week, just one new review from the city's restaurant critics: Seattle Magazine's Allison Austen Scheff on Tray Kitchen.

Scheff loves owner Heong Soon Park's small dim sum-style plates, but says go when Tray Kitchen is busy, during the dinner rush or weekend brunch: "Particularly tasty are the Moroccan spiced lamb with mint and yogurt; Szechuan-style corned beef tongue, a totally delicious and clever mashup of Chinese and Irish flavors; and roasted cauliflower with raisins, hazelnuts and coriander, a fun play on a traditionally Sicilian sweet-and-savory dish ... But while the food is solidly delicious, boldly flavorful and often inventive, and the service is smart and informed, the tray concept only works sometimes. The wheels come off when the dining room isn't full ... [I]t makes sense that chefs wouldn't cook the entire menu for a semi-empty dining room, but during one visit we were handed menus and asked to order everything à la carte.