Marjorie Still Vital After 12 Years; Coyle's Bakeshop Delivers in Both Savory and Sweet

In the past week, the city's restaurant critics have reviewed Capitol Hill's 12-year-old Marjorie and Greenwood's new Coyle's Bakeshop. Here's a roundup of what they're saying:

Angela Garbes finds highlights on Marjorie's menu, but most of all appreciates the friendly "dinner party" atmosphere of the restaurant: "Eating plantain chips and drinking one of Marjorie's house cocktails (very strong—"basically doubles," our server said with a knowing smile) while sitting outside on Marjorie's patio, elbow-to-elbow with other happy adults, is one of the best things you can do on a Seattle summer evening ... The thing is, Marjorie's food wasn't the part that left the strongest impression on me. More than anything, the restaurant feels like a dinner party at a good friend's home ... It's a place where everyone feels (and is treated) like family, where you can just show up and trust that you'll be taken care of."

Seattle Magazine's Jessica Yadegaran says Rachael Coyle's new bakery has loads to offer beyond the cretzel: "[W]hat sweets! The sinful texture of a flourless brownie with espresso and cacao nibs ($3.50) dissolved in my mouth, its strong flavor lingering like a wine's finish. If a dessert could be sexy, this one was. A passion fruit tart's ($5.50) just-plucked sourness was tempered with a sweet, marshmallow-like meringue ... Yet among all these killer sweets, a savory treat came out on top. Coyle's bacon-cheddar scone ($3.25), studded with scallions, had the flaky, buttery texture of a biscuit with the weight of a scone."