It was an explosive year in Seattle’s Food + Drink Scene –

It was an explosive year in Seattle’s Food + Drink Scene – full of exciting new restaurant openings, some (unfortunate) good-byes, Kickstarter campaigns, food truck expansions and farmer’s market menus, national recognition, a proliferation of breweries and small-batch distilleries, and many a strange or sensational trend (depending on your perspective).

While Ballard solidified itself as the culinary epicenter, new restaurants and bakeries began opening throughout Fremont (Roux, Rock Creek, Le Petit Cochon, Rachael Coyle’s pop-ups at the Book Larder, soon-to-come Bourbon & Bones), potentially positioning the neighborhood as the coming year’s hottest culinary hood. Meanwhile, downtown also appears to be getting a chance to beckon not just tourists, but locals, with places like Aragona, Miller’s Guild, and Loulay proudly joining the likes of other notables such as RN74 with its French-based food (foie gras sliders, tomato soup fondue) and exhaustive wine list.

Though many chefs in our weekly Temperature Check column expressed boredom with all things pork-related, the popularity of pork belly and other parts of the pig were still undeniable, popping up on menus everywhere in some form or other. At Radiator Whiskey you could eat an entire pig’s head, and bacon proliferated in cupcakes and ice-cream. Yet as restaurants pandered to meat lovers, more vegetarian and vegan options edged in, with even Canlis offering vegetarian and vegan tasting menus. Kale appeared as often as pig—served as a braised side, raw in salads and in oils, gelees, and foams—and even as an accompaniment to…pork. Kale chips could be found in just about any grocery store and entire books were devoted to the gratuitous green, like 50 Shades of Kale (ugh).

While there will always be a clientele for meat, 2013 closed indicating a larger role for vegetable-focused dishes in 2014. Even the Foie-Gras loving French are in on it. One of my favorite cookbooks this year, in fact, is The French Market: Vegetarian Recipes from the Parisian Kitchen. We’re also seeing Asian flavors and Asian-fusion predominance (sesame, soy, mirin) give way to Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian-inflected food; Ras el hanout and berbere were a welcome presence on many a trendy menu this summer and fall.

Likewise, while dark liquors like Whiskey and Bourbon had a seriously strong run in craft cocktails, gin, piscos and bubbles are gaining momentum—their light, bright nature complementing the spicier, bolder plates. And speaking of craft cocktails, there’s no arguing that diners wanted the moon when it came to their drink; with fresh herbs, house-crafted infusions and liqueurs, aperitifs and digestifs joining standard spirits in novel ways at nearly any sophisticated restaurant. While it’s easy to poke fun at what some might consider overwrought cocktail menus, I don’t foresee the trend dying down—yet. They’re just too tasty, and bartenders enjoy the creativity. Specialty cocktail bars as addendums to restaurants are even on the rise (ala Barnacle beside The Walrus and the Carpenter and GROG in the Ballard Oyster House & Annex). Same goes for beer. In a city that’s dominated the coffee scene for decades, Seattle’s breweries rival any others in both number and quality. We may be burnt out on IPAs, but other beers (like oatmeal stouts and wheat beers) are ready to take over. Expect to see more mash-ups: like coffee and beer in Elysian’s new “Split Shot” with espresso and milk Stout and “Sour Beers” which blend Woodinville wines and local brews (like Epic Ale + Long Shadow winery). And, of course, more breweries teamed up with Food Trucks.

Desserts were all over the place, with lowbrow “cronuts” stealing the show from donuts and cupcakes, and pasty chefs working hard to re-invent sweets in the way that bartenders played with cocktails. Herbs and vegetables made their way into various confections and more savory style desserts dominated. While it was entertaining to see, I predict (with hopefulness) a return to more classic (and sweet) desserts, especially French ones—well-turned out tarts, galettes, souffles, cakes and the like (though, of course, made with our delicious and plentiful local fruits). There’s a reason they’ve stood the test of time.

And what of the chefs themselves? While Ethan Stowell, Matt Dillon and Tom Douglas continued to build their empires, food truck cooks opened restaurants to great fanfare (think Matt Lewis of Where ‘Ya At Matt) and sous chefs at established restaurants broke out on their own (like Derek Ronspies at Le Petit Cochon; brother of Dustin Ronspies, Art of the Table and Eric Tonnelly at Rock Creek, formerly of Toulouse Petit). Clearly, there is room for everyone.

But what may have been the ultimate trend of 2013 is the nation-wide recognition our city got as a culinary heavyweight. From “Best of” lists and awards to profiles in major publications and a demand for our products in competitive markets like New York City, many mouths watered as our farmers, chefs and bartenders made impressive use of the Pacific Northwest’s culinary resources. Though the phrase “Farm to Table” is one that’s been played out, the concept is still going strong. In fact, the commitment our chefs have to serving the freshest, closest, most sustainable food is just business as usual—rendering the term practically obsolete. As I sit down to more great meals in 2014, I won’t be disappointed if my menu is cleaner, with less references to the specific farm whence my beef heralds or the local marsh my watercress was foraged from… Just keep it coming

Now, THE LIST…

We’ve culled our archives for the most memorable culinary happenings of 2013. Happy Eating and Drinking in the New Year!

CHEFS

* Matt Dillon took on Pioneer Square with gusto, opening two new places—Bar Sajor and The London Plane—and helped fuel a revival of the historic neighborhood, which also includes newcomers Little Uncle for authentic Thai, delicious delicatessen and sandwiches at Rainshadow Meats, homey pasta dishes at Tinello, and German sausages and beer at Alstadt.

* Josh Henderson expanded his popular Capitol Hill Skillet diner to Ballard, and proved that diner food could be both comforting and sophisticated. Over on North Lake Union, he’s helped ignite the seafood scene with Westward (serving Seafood with Mediterranean flair), and opened a Napa-style restaurant, Hollywood Tavern, in Woodinville.

* Ethan Stowell came to Tangletown with his latest, tiny restaurant, mkt., and announced the much-anticipated Madrona 2-fer that will include Red Cow (a French Steak Frite-style brasserie) and Noyer, a high-end, exclusively small dining area with a daily-changing menu that will hearken back to his first (now closed) restaurant Union. This will bring Stowell’s growing empire up to 9 restaurants

* This year’s Bravo’s Top Chef contestant Carrie Mashaney joined her Spinasse boss, Jason Stratton, to open a southern Spanish restaurant, Aragona, downtown. Reservations are already booking through January. It’s no wonder since Seattle is noticeably lacking in authentic Spanish cuisine. The Catalonian menu includes dishes like Black rice with squid meatballs, baby turnip and ink meringues and Spot Prawns with cider sauce.

* Food truck favorite, Matt Lewis of Where ‘Ya at Matt?, finally opened his first brick & mortar restaurant, Roux, in Fremont where he continues his popular Cajun/creole theme—with gussied up specialties like “Barbequed Whole Roasted Yard Bird” “Spicy Turtle and Pork Bolognese” and “Pork Ribs, Root Beer Barbeque and Watermelon Pickle.”

SWEETS

* With donuts being so 2012, marketers had to figure out a way to keep the fried dough love alive. The result: a hybrid croissant/donut, the “cronut” found in dive joints like Lost Lake and The Five Point, on beach boardwalks and even on trendier menus, including Ba Bar’s. But when Ba Bar rolled out its “Croughnut”–spelling change to avoid trademark infringement–the creator of the Cronut sent a letter insisting the name still be changed. In typical Seattle fashion, Ba Bar asked patrons to help come up with an alternative moniker. The winner: “Double Happiness.” Runner-ups included Glazed and Confused and the Croughbar.

* A moment of silence, please, to mourn the end of Rachael Coyle’s monthly pop-up bakery at the Book Larder in Fremont. The veteran pastry chef (Herbfarm, Le Pichet) brought in lines down the block on early Saturday mornings as customers clamored to get her Parisian-style croissants, her sinfully-delicious scones and other world-class executed desserts like Toffee Sticky Pudding and Passion Fruit tarts. Fortunately, Coyle is now on the hunt for a permanent space to sell her delicacies.

* Starbucks, too, got plenty of press about their new line of pastries supposedly of higher quality than the subpar ones they’ve been known for. Despite all the hoopla, no one seems to be singing the new pastries’ praises.

* Ben & Jerry’s rolled out a Seattle Churned Ice Cream that residents voted to have include Theo Chocolate and Caffe Vita coffee (natch). Then local creamery, Full Tilt, joined the icy action by debuting a “Mudhoney” mix of fudge, cinnamon and honey. The band showed up at the White Center Full Tilt location to play on the first day the ice cream was unveiled. What’s next? Mackle-S’more

BOOZE

* In other vices, let’s talk alcohol. Ballard now has 10 breweries, all within walking distance of each other. What better way to spend a Saturday?

* Seattle’s weighed in on the whiskey craze too. Among the many distilleries working to create their own, Westland Distillery’s first batch of scotch gets major props.

* Local based spirit company Sun Liquor proved that small-batch brands can win over the masses by partnering with Alaska Airlines, which now serves cocktails with Sun alcohol on flights.

* And we certainly can’t forget about Rachael’s Ginger Beer opening in Pike Place Market. The ridiculously popular lemon/sugar/ginger concoction can be found there in its pure form as well as in milkshakes (including boozy ones) and in on-tap cocktails like Moscow Mules and Dark and Stormy’s. Rachael Marshall has even gone national with her product.

FOOD LEGISLATION

* Amid the flurry of the new, there was also some loss, particularly for the city’s hungry. With 5.5 percent cuts to the national food stamp program, Washington families can lose up to $36 a month in food stamps (read: meals). That cut was followed by Seattle’s diversion of $400,000 for soup kitchens and food banks to other “competing priorities.”

* Many a passionate chef and diner were devastated by the failure of Intiative-522 to pass. The initiative would have ensured that genetically modified foods (GMOs) were labeled in the state of Washington. Ardent supporters of GMO labeling are gearing up for the next election.

* Other state legislation of note involved Trader Joe’s. The courts upheld Canadian Mark Hallat’s right to buy products from Washington Trader Joe’s stores and sell them in his own shop – dubbed Pirate Joe’s—in Vancouver. The grocery store chain does not have presence in Canada, despite popularity of the products there. Hallat will continue to “pillage” area stores for treats like Triple Ginger Snaps (the most favored by his customers) while Trader Joe’s plans to appeal the copyright infringement case.

NATIONAL KUDOS

* The Whale Wins & Joule made Bon Appetit’s Top 10 Restaurants in 2013.

* Barnacle and Loulay made Zagat’s 2013 list of The 25 Most Important Restaurants.

* Stumptown, Victrola and Zoka made Fodor’s list of America’s 15 Best Indie Coffee Shops.

* Our food writers aren’t doing so bad either. The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America by Seattle writer Langdon Cook made #6 on Amazon’s 2013 Best Books of the Year in the Sports & Outdoors category.

* Donuts may have had their day in Seattle, but apparently New Yorkers aren’t over them. Seattle’s Top Pot Donuts announced this year that they’re bringing their Valley Girl Lemons and Pink Feather Boas to the Big Apple. Top Pot follows in the footsteps of other Seattle establishments, Via Tribunali, Caffe Vita and Beecher’s, who’ve already imported their popularity to New York.

* Arguably the truest indication of Seattle’s rightful claim as a world-class culinary city is the recent appearance of Rene Redzepi, who’s Copenhagen restaurant Noma was the 2010, 2011 and 2012 San Pellegrino best restaurant in the world. Rene hosted a $200 dinner along with Matt Dillon and Blaine Wetzel (Willow’s Inn, Lummi Island). The 160 diners ate under canopied tents in Occidental Square. Elk tartare and King Bolete mushrooms with honeycomb were among the fanciful dishes.

NOTABLE EXPANSIONS AND CLOSINGS

* Many Seattle’s culinary icons took to Kickstarter to bring their coveted creations to our mouths. Notably, Sheri Lavigne of The Calf & Kid cheese shop in Melrose Market raised TK $$ via Kickstarter to open Culture Club in Ballard, the city’s first cheese bar.

* The proprietors of the Soda Jerk stand at numerous farmer’s markets is taking to the streets, using Kickstarter to fund the purchase of a truck. Expect to find cardamom blueberry soda and beyond all over the city.

* The Calf & Kid isn’t the only Melrose Market business to expand. Taylor Shellfish announced it’s coming to Queen Anne. Now slurping oysters, and eating fresh Dungeness and Geoduck isn’t reserved for Capitol Hill cool kids only.

* This summer’s amazing weather made for some of the best farmer’s market days and nights. But summer isn’t the only season to get great produce and artisanal foods. Now, lovers of the Broadway market can enjoy it year-round, rather than just from May-October.

* The city bid farewell to beloved vegetarian spot Carmelita. The Phinney Ridge favorite opened back in 1996, before the serious upswing of veg-friendly food.

* Capitol Hill’s North Hill Bakery also shuttered after almost eight decades there … Owner Margaret Rumpeltes posted via Facebook: “Good Bye North Hill! Landlord kicked us out. We have loved serving the Capitol Hill neighborhood, you have all made work a kick to come to every day.”

My 2013 Top 15 Culinary Peeves

• Girlie-branded alcohol

• Oyster gurus

• Smears (if it’s worth eating, I want more than a finger lick’s worth)

• Organ meat (there’s plenty of tasty offal, but let’s not romanticize it)

• Small plates

• “Family Style” or “Feasting and Sharing” menus (just another way of pushing small plates)

• Dinah’s Cheese on every menu (it’s good, it’s local, but let’s mix it up)

• Grits (I love them, but does everything need to be served on top of them?)

• Flavorless fried chicken (why bother?)

• Ubiquitous minimalist restaurant spaces, read: concrete floors with reclaimed wood. Let’s show some personality in the decor!

• Desserts served in jars, especially “pies.” These should stay on the covers of magazines like Good Housekeeping. Give me a real crust!