Breaking up is hard to do, but it helps if you’ve got something new waiting in the wings. That’s the case for Danielle Philippa, whose 10-year-old, Latin-flavored Eastlake eatery, Bandoleone, is moving around the lake to Fremont at the end of July, and for the most urgent of reasons—the building that currently houses it is being torn down. As for the restaurant’s new home: According to Philippa, it’s a beauty, “with parking and a patio and a wonderful view of the lake.” Other improvements over the prior space include a larger kitchen, a walk-in refrigerator, and a dividing wall between the dining room and the bar, “to allow our customers the freedom to dine without fear of being smoked out,” Philippa reports. (The new bar space, incidentally, is twice the size of its Eastlake predecessor.) In terms of design, she’s doing the best she can to keep customers from suffering relocation shock, “roughing up the floors” and adding texture to the walls to make the place resemble the old venue. Philippa herself has been logging “about 40 hours a week . . . on top of my normal work at Tango [which she also owns] and Bandoleone: painting floors and walls, pouring the cement bar and staining it, refinishing lights, and so on.” The results of this real-life reality show—call it Extreme Makeover: Restaurant Edition—go on display Aug. 4, when the Fremont-fresh Bandoleone debuts, with live music from MangoSon to liven up the proceedings.
Fusion deluge
Nestled among the fast-food joints and chain restaurants on 196th Street in Lynnwood, Cinnamons Grill & Wine Room is one of the few local restaurants where you’ll find traditional Indian cuisine, steak, and pasta on the same menu. The New Yorker— weighing in at a hefty 10 ounces of meat—is just one of the decidedly Western dishes on Cinnamons’ extensive menu. Beef tenderloin, clam chowder, and chicken wings are present and accounted for as well, and in case you want traditional Indian food, a variety of chicken, lamb, and meatless Indian favorites are available, too. But fusion is where Cinnamons really stands out. Ravioli smothered in a curry cream sauce, mango-glazed chicken, and salmon, halibut, scallops, and shrimp in a curried tomato broth are just the tip of the West-meets-East iceberg. Located at 4916 196th St. S.W., Cinnamons is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, with brunch on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wine tasting will begin in August on Monday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. Call 425-670-1000 for additional information.
Salad Days
Fresh from the Seattle Art Institute’s culinary program, graduate Mary Lokar recently proved her cooking expertise to the American Culinary Federation. Endive petals, tomato petals, and asparagus tips may not sound intimidating, but for Lokar, the immaculate arrangement of these ingredients in a salad meant success in the July 19 national ACF cook-off. Lokar won Student Culinarian of the Year in the western division of the competition, preparing the aforementioned salad along with sole Florentine and chicken chasseur. You can check out Lokar’s abilities at Brasa, where she works as an assistant on appetizers and desserts.
Food and/or beverage news? E-mail Hot Dish at . food@seattleweekly.com
