Two Seattle Restaurants Named To Eater's 'Best New' List

EATER NATIONAL—Eater's roving restaurant critic, Bill Addison, has unveiled this year's list of The 21 Best New Restaurants in America. In a rare twist, not one but two Seattle hot spots made the cut for 2016: James Beard Award-winner Renee Erickson's latest, Bateau, and first-time restaurateur Edouardo Jordan's Salare.

WEST SEATTLE—It's been almost a year since Eater last wrote about Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya's forthcoming West Seattle shop. As of today, the wait for the fourth Seattle-area outpost is over; the restaurant opened softly over the weekend and marked its first official day in business yesterday. Originally named Kukai, the Japan-born company changed its name in January after it discovered that "kukai" means "poop" in Hawaiian, which didn't bode well for a company apparently wanting to leave open the possibility of opening on the islands. The company's first restaurant opened in 2002 in Tokyo, and the first U.S. branch opened in 2012 in Bellevue. The Northgate shop followed in August 2014, and the Capitol Hill Kizuki debuted last April. There are also locations in Portland and Olympia.

CAPITOL HILL—Capitol Hill's Madison Street walk-up window, which once dispensed Little Uncle's pad Thai to the masses, is now home to Manu's Bodegita, a spin-off of Manu Alfau's popular Pioneer Square establishment, Manu's Bodega. The space got a Latin American-themed makeover, with tropical colors adorning the exterior walls and garage doors that cover the windows when the restaurant is closed. Alfau opened his new take-out spot last week, and is serving Dominican Republic-influenced sandwiches, ceviche, and empanadas. He's also serving breakfast tacos in the mornings.