The Whale Wins

“Renee Erickson showed up as a young chef in the late nineties and took Seattle by storm. She has since opened many popular spots, including The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard and Bateau in Capitol Hill, but her Fremont restaurant, The Whale Wins, has an airy, personal feel of plopping down and dining with friends on the stylish summer patio. Eating family-style is encouraged, and many of our dishes cater to this kind of convivial atmosphere. We have always been dedicated to sourcing the most exquisite local ingredients, and we have a discerning sense of what pleases and delights most palates. There is no better place for these ingredients to shine than in the six-foot Mugnaini wood oven from Italy.”

Whole roasted McFarland Springs trout with pickled green strawberries, bread and butter cucumbers, and house-made tartar sauce; Painted Hills Farm côte de boeuf, a double-cut ribeye served with house-pickled artichoke hearts and potatoes in rose harissa; Matiz sardines on toast with curried tomato aïoli and fennel.

Renee Erickson has taken her accolades – she won a James Beard Award in 2016 for best chef in the Pacific Northwest – and used them for good by dedicating her public sway to help the cause of ocean conservation. Her voice as a chef was instrumental in changing the fishing laws governing the Puget Sound. Go for her alone, stay for the food. Fresh, innovative, and simply delicious.