Restaurants around Seattle are offering three course meals at a discounted price as a part of Seattle Restaurant Week.
The event began last Sunday and continues all this week from October 16-20. More than 165 restaurants are participating, and all of them offer a special $32 three course dinner. Many of them offer a three course lunch for $18 as well. Any King County restaurant is eligible to participate.
Seattle Restaurant Week is “a celebration of the cuisine that makes our region a culinary hot spot,” according to promotional materials. The special discounted prices are meant to encourage people to immerse themselves in new, unusual cuisines that they might not normally try.
Here are five Globalist picks for the best new cuisine to try during Seattle Restaurant Week:
The Olive and Grape
Located in Greenwood, The Olive and Grape is owned by Paola Corsini, a third generation Italian Levantine who was born and raised in Izmir, Turkey.
Corsini’s Italian Levantine background means that she is of Italian origin, but with other French or Euro-Mediterranean roots. She serves a unique cuisine at her restaurant, with most of the recipes being passed down through her family.
“We are a mixture of three cultures, and we do everything from scratch,” Corsini said. “The food really tastes different. It’s not a Greek cuisine, it’s not an Italian cuisine, and it’s not a total Turkish cuisine. In our menu you can have three different cultures.”
The Olive and Grape has been a part of Seattle Restaurant Week since 2011, and Corsini said that being a part of it has brought many new people to her restaurant.
“I would like to show my cuisine, which is very unique, to everyone,” Corsini said. “I think Seattle Restaurant Week helps us to grow our business, because a lot of people are coming and trying it every time.”
The Twisted Cuban Café and Bar
Owner Julio Ortiz was born and raised in Havana, Cuba and came to the United States at the age of 24. The Twisted Cuban Café and Bar in Woodinville serves authentic Cuban food, with many recipes coming from Ortiz’s mother.
Cicchetti
Cicchetti, in Eastlake, was founded by Susan Kaufman in 2009. Kaufman was inspired by the Venetian tapas bars she visited while extensively traveling the Mediterranean, and decided to bring the flavors back home to Seattle.
Tango Restaurant & Lounge
Tango, on the Downtown slope of Capitol Hill, serves Spanish cuisine. The head chef, Kelvin Morales was born in Nicaragua, and their El Diablo dessert was featured on the Food Network.
Salted Sea
This family-owned restaurant in Rainier Valley opened in Spring of 2015. They serve Vietnamese food with a Pacific Northwest twist.
