4 Seattle Chefs Make the James Beard Award Cut; Ethan Stowell’s ART Restaurant & Lounge

Welcome to CascadiaWire, a weekly collection of restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.

AWARDS SEASON — The James Beard Foundation announced the final nominees for the 2015 James Beard Awards, narrowed down from the long list of semifinalists announced last month. And here's a big bummer: All of the Seattle and Washington state nominees in the nationwide categories have been eliminated. But moving on to the Best Chef Northwest category, familiar names like Renee Erickson, Blaine Wetzel, and Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi are sticking around to compete with a couple of nominees from Portland.

SPRING TRACKING — 2015 seems to be shaping up nicely for Seattle's restaurant scene. Sure, we're bidding adieu to spots like Shanik and Boat Street Cafe, but there are also a flurry of anticipated openings to look forward to, including Meat & Bread, Canal Market, and Kraken Congee.

DOWNTOWN — Ethan Stowell is planning to open a new restaurant this spring in the Four Seasons Hotel downtown. His new concept will replace ART Restaurant & Lounge. Many of the project's details are still in the works, including the name.