Hitchcock's Brendan McGill quietly opened this German beer hall in Pioneer Square in mid-November to the sound of growling stomachs that can only be tamed by wurst, soft pretzels and a dozen brews on tap.

Spinasse's Jason Stratton took over the old Thoa's space across from the Four Seasons Hotel to open a contemporary Spanish restaurant with a top-notch crew that includes Top Chef's Carrie Mashaney, Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe and bar manager David Nelson.

Six months after closing his beloved French restaurant Rover's, Thierry Rautureau opened up this pretty kitchen and bar next to the Sheraton downtown. The bustling bistro offers a menu based on chef's childhood memories, such as salmon, sweetbreads, duck confit sliders, braised rabbit and oysters on the half shell.

Sighs of relief all around when Matt Lewis finally opened his New Orleans-inspired restaurant in Upper Fremont in November after years of teasing. Turtle bolognese, gator wings, pig ears and shrimp & grits are standouts. In short, Roux is worth the epic wait.

Linda Derschang's stylish new restaurant (arguably her most grown-up venue to date) on the "so hot right now" corner of 19th and Mercer is a nod to her daughter, Tallulah, as well as an homage to mid-century design and the vibe of Big Sur in the 1970's.

Former Revel chef Mike Whisenhunt has partnered with industry vet Jen Doak to transform the old Le Gourmand space into a neighborhood bistro-pub. The menu spans everything from pork shoulder with kimchi to creamed spinach with rice cakes, braised turnips, and a basket of fried lardo with pickled quince. The staff's family meal du jour is also available on the late-night menu.

The popular dumpling house that already resides in Bellevue now has a home in U-Village. The new DTF not only has a bar twice the size, it's about 1,000-square-feet larger than the 7,000-square-foot Eastside behemoth. The good news here is that when you're told there will be a (long) wait for a table, you'll be notified via text.

Ethan Stowell’s latest opened in Madrona last month in an 1,800-square-foot space most recently occupied by Restaurant Bea. The meat-centric menu features French brasserie classics like pate de campagne, moules frites, and (of course) steak frites: Red Cow serves its crispy fries with four different cuts of beef paired with any of four sauces, including red wine reduction and horseradish cream.