Pizza, bagels, best date night spots and the unwritten rules of hot pot etiquette. Culinary luminaries J Kenji López-Alt and Rachel Belle covered a wide range of topics with Tan at Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on November 10, 2025.

Recommendations in this episode:

Favorite bagel spot

• Hey Bagel - University Village
• Backyard bagel - Fremont
• Mt. Bagel - Madison Valley

Favorite sandwich

• Post Alley Pizza - Pike Place Market - try the hoagie with side of hoagie jazz
• Fortuna - Greenwood - mortadella sandwich
• Tivoli - Fremont - mortadella sandwich

Favorite pizza:

• Lupo - Fremont
• The Independent - Madison Park
• my friend derek’s - Tangletown
• AK Pizza - Othello
• Ben’s Bread - Phinney Ridge
• Windy City Pie - Phinney Ridge
• Sunny Hill - Ballard

Best date night spot:

• The Tin Hat (Taco Tuesday) - Phinney Ridge
• Hattie’s Hat - Ballard
• Sushi Kappo Tamura - Eastlake
• Serafina - Eastlake
• Canlis - Queen Anne

Favorite third place

• Open Form - Capitol Hill
• Olympia Pizza III - Capitol Hill
• Metropolitan Grill - Downtown Seattle
• Empire Roosters and Records - Columbia City
• Standard Brewing - Central District

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:

• Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
• Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our town was made for soup. The sooty dusks of December. The dampness of March. We dive into caldrons of smoking pho and ramen.

So, why not udon?

On today’s episode, Tan ventures out to find some of the best udon in Seattle. He visits Azuki in Madison Valley to learn about how Chef Ryuji Miyata makes his noodles by hand. Later, Tan recommends some more casual and budget-friendly udon places.

Read more about Tan’s udon picks.

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:

• Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
• Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

Recommendations in this episode:

• Azuki, Madison Valley
• Marugame Udon, Tukwila
• U:Don, University District and Capitol Hill
• Onibaba, Chinatown International District

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s that time of year! Seattle Times food critic Tan Vinh is back with the best Costco wines you will want to buy for holiday dinner parties… or last minute gifts. Plus, Tan has pairings to go with the top three wines! Seattle Times politics reporter (and former French sous chef) David Gutman, joins Tan for an early morning wine tasting and review.

Read more about the top rated Costco wines of 2025 in The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/costco-wine-best-cheapest-bottles-rated-by-our-holiday-sommeliers/

Recommendations in this episode:

• NV Prosecco Rosé + Roy Thai, Phinney Ridge
• 2023 Gigondas + Meat Moot (take out!), SLU
• 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino + Stevie’s Famous Pizza

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Support the show at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another round of closures hits the Seattle food scene. But when one door closes, the employees buy it to save it?? Seattle Times restaurant critic Tan Vinh shares his latest closing and three new spots that have the restaurant industry buzzing.

Read more about the latest restaurant openings and closings in The Seattle Times:

• https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/22-new-seattle-restaurant-openings-for-november-2025/
• https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/22-recent-seattle-restaurant-closures-including-a-few-big-names/

Recommendations in this episode:

• Carmine’s on Fifth, Downtown
• Meat Moot, South Lake Union
• Kingfisher, Bainbridge Island

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades Seattle fine dining has been synonymous with Canlis. But things have changed since 1950 when Canlis first hit the scene creating dishes that highlighted Pacific Northwest cuisine. Seattle Times food critics weigh in on their controversial review of a beloved special occasion spot as Canlis rings in its 75th anniversary on December 11th this year. Plus, they tell you where they’re seeing Seattle better celebrated on the plate.

Read the Canlis review in The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/review-why-our-critic-no-longer-recommends-seattles-famous-canlis/

Recommendations in this episode:

• Tomo, White Center
• Houlme, Orcas Island
• La Marea, Ballard
• Ramie, Capitol Hill

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The holiday season is a great time to hit happy hour with co-workers, friends or out-of-town visitors. But where should you go? Tan and friends of Seattle Eats share their favorite happy hour spots.

Happy Hour recommendations:

• Lupe Situ Tacos (Ballard, all day Mondays) – Bethany Jean Clement
• Vindictive Wings (Belltown, 99c Wing Wednesdays) — Jackie Varriano
• Rumba (Capitol Hill) – Adam Weintraub
• Oyster Happy Hour at The Garrison (Ballard) Half Shell (Pike Place) Taylor’s Shellfish and Kokkaku (Wallingford) –Rachel Belle
• Tamari Bar – (Capitol Hill) Trevor Lenzmeier
• Donna’s (Capitol Hill, every day from 4-6PM and 10PM-12am) –Brandi Fullwood
• Rockcreek (Fremont and Kirkland) –Tan Vinh

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an excerpt from Tan’s conversation with J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Rachel Belle about their Thanksgiving meal preparation tips. But mostly it’s about green bean casserole.This was recorded at a Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on Nov 10, 2025.

References from this episode:

• The recipe for Tan’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish, green bean casserole.
• In Memory of Dorkus Reilly inventor of the green bean casserole

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year it seems like there’s a new way to make the dry, beige Thanksgiving turkey taste…better. Deep fried, spatchcocking, herb butters. But what about a Seattle way? Seattle Times food writer, Tan Vinh, sits down with Taichi Kitamura, chef and co-owner of Sushi Kappo Tamura to talk about his teriyaki turkey twist. Plus, this recipe revolutionary comes with sides!

Read more about teriyaki turkey (and grab a special bonus recipe) in The Seattle Times here.

Recommendations for sides:

• Steamy, hot rice
• Kenji Lopez-Alt’s roasted potatoes
• Green bean salad with sesame
• Peach cobbler

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.