Cicero Gives Cantina Leña Two and a Half Stars

This week, just one new review from the city's restaurant critics: The Seattle Times's Providence Cicero on Tom Douglas' new Cantina Leña. After the restaurant's rough December opening, Cicero resolves that Seattle's biggest restaurateur has figured out Mexican—in "the audacious Douglas style," of course. (Incidentally, Eater is also a fan, as shown by Cantina's slot in our brand new Mexican dining map.)

Cicero rounds up the following highlights from chef Brian Walczyk's (formerly of many T-Doug establishments) kitchen and Renee Somerset-Mucha's bar: "Achiote-rubbed pork shoulder is a standout dish, but so is chicken roasted with serrano chilies, lime and cilantro. Both meats are spicy, aromatic and subtly smoky ... Smoke is a flavor wielded particularly well here. It haunts the tomato sauce cushioning a chile relleno, and wafts from a soothing, hot-and-sour ancho chile soup thick with pork and hominy ... Part of the fun at this fast-paced, Yucatan-inspired kitchen and bar is fueled by the salt-rimmed margaritas and inventive cocktails." Two and a half stars.