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A straight-on view of a floral mural, lamps, light wood tables, and the bar of a new Green Lake restaurant called Eight Row.
Eight Row will be open daily.
Suzi Pratt

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Promising New Green Lake Restaurant Digs Deep Into Family Farm Roots

Eight Row opens tomorrow, with elements from the orchards of Wenatchee

North Seattle is about to get a taste of central Washington. Eight Row — the new farm to table restaurant from up-and-coming chef David Nichols — will open on Woodlawn Avenue NE in Green Lake tomorrow, showcasing the ingredients, influences, and aesthetics from the Wenatchee, WA, orchards that Nichols’s family owns and operates. That means a constantly rotating menu heavy on seasonal produce and meats. For instance, the late summer-early fall items will include venison and pork sausage with stone fruit and fermented jicama, sweet corn cavatelli with tomato confit, and bison tartare with pistachio puree and pickled Rainier cherries. The restaurant’s name is borrowed from a term referring to large cherry size.

Diners can also expect influences from Mexico and Central America, whether it’s the black cod ceviche with tomatillo granita, the equites alongside the half-smoked chicken, or the hot sauces and beef fat tortillas that go with the braised lamb shoulder. “Many of the people we worked with on the orchards growing up were from those areas, and you’ll find many flavors of our childhood come out in our menu,” says Nichols, who worked at Queen Anne Beer Hall and the well-received downtown restaurant Rider before this venture (he will run Eight Row with his younger brother, Ian, a financial analyst).

A closeup view of venison and pork sausage with an orange stone fruit marmalade and greens.
A closeup view of fried eggplant with jicama and green herbs.
A plate of half smoked chicken with grilled lime and corn, drizzled with green herbs. Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle
A closeup view of black cod ceviche with green herbs, red peppers, shaved radishes, and a yellow sauce.

Clockwise, from top left: venison and pork sausage; fried eggplant; half smoked chicken with equites; black cod ceviche

In keeping with the family farm theme, customers will find plenty of pickled and fermented goods in jars along the walls in the bright, fetching dining room (with seating for around 70 and some additional tables on an outdoor patio). There are green walnuts soaking in grain alcohol that will eventually be used to make nocino for cocktails, and plums fermenting for wine. Green plant life adorns pretty much every nook and cranny, and the bar is decorated with a striking floral mural.

A view of plants hanging throughout the Eight Row dining room, with light wood tables and a view of the large windows looking out onto the patio. Suzi Pratt for Eater.
A closeup view of colorful jars filled with fermented fruit and vegetables on a shelf.
Top: the dining room at Eight Row seats 70; bottom: fermented jars of vegetables and fruit line the shelves.

In case the countryfied vibe wasn’t obvious enough, those at the bar will no doubt notice the sharp implements on the taps — those are old pruners that Nichols’s family once used, sanded down to take the edges off so that bartenders can avoid major flesh wounds. There are also some other farming tools lying around the place, including a hog holder (which is exactly what it sounds like). “Might be useful for the drunk guys at the bar,” Nichols jokes.

A closeup view of sharp cherry tree pruners that are being as bar taps.
Cherry tree pruners used as bar taps.
A view of the Eight Row sign and outdoor patio, with orange umbrellas and wood fencing. The restaurant has exposed brick on the outside.
The patio seats around 30.

Customers can expect an extensive cocktail list, with drinks named after apple, cherry, and plum cultivars (a term for desirable cultivated plants). The happy hour — available Monday through Friday, from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. — will include four or five food items, including a king crab corndog. There will also be a brunch menu that has a pig’s head dish and a rockfish sandwich with grilled kimchi, and a kid’s menu with some healthy options.

A closeup view of three cocktails, from the left: a foamy yellow drink, a brown drink garnished with mint, and a light yellow drink sprinkled with spices and salt.
Eight Row’s cocktails are named after fruit varietals.
Suzi Pratt for Eater
A view of the dining room, with light wood tables, plants hanging on the right, a mirror in the middle, and curtains that filter sunlight from the street.
The dining room looks out over Woodlawn Ave NE.

Ultimately, since the elements of his childhood are written all over Eight Row’s DNA, Nichols says he wants his restaurant to be a family-friendly place that “people can come to a few times a month and always find something new.” For him and his brother, that’s a key part of delivering the flavors from home.

Eight Row

7102 Woodlawn Avenue Northeast, , WA 98115 (206) 294-3178 Visit Website

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