Six-Course Menus Become a Reality at Willow, a Chef's Counter in an Apartment-Like Setting

Willow, the cozy chef's counter restaurant by chefs John Pickett (Biwa, Bluehour) and Doug Weiler (Glyph, Bluehour) is now full-throttle, offering a six-course menu of "barrier-breaking" Cascadian cuisine. Similar to Farm Spirit, Willow aims to further a true Pacific Northwest, or Cascadian, style of food, and perhaps it will all make sense after you've had Willow's vegetarian take on poutine, a playful dish of parsnip chips, dehydrated carrots, squash purée, house-made ricotta, and a gravy-like shiitake mushroom purée.

The food at Willow is built on hyper-local ingredients, and chefs Pickett and Weiler say this commitment will carry through the barren winter months. "What we really want to do is create food that touches the soul," chef Pickett tells Eater, and many of the dishes use modern techniques to make old-school food. Everything is prepared from scratch to create what Pickett and Weiler call "rare flavors."

Those flavors come at a good value, too, which is one of the primary goals at Willow: $50 for six courses, with playful "snacks" thrown in for good measure—things like an addictive mini egg sandwich, already getting a "Doug McMuffin" nickname. As the menu shows, non-alcoholic, alcoholic, and reserve beverage pairings are available, with mocktails made in-house, and the vibe in the a space is supposed to make you feel like you're at a private dinner party.

Willow is now open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and it accepts reservations through its website.

Willow Menu, 4.1.2016