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Travel + Leisure
12-08-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Coastal City in Washington Is a Foodie Hidden Gem—Here's Where to Find Great Oysters and an Incredible Live-fire Restaurant
Stepping out of my car at Little Squalicum Beach, I was overwhelmed by the briny scent of the sea. It made sense, as I was in Bellingham, a city on Puget Sound around 20 miles south of the U.S.–Canada border, in the heart of the West Coast's oyster region. Kumamotos, the small variety prized for their sweetness, are plentiful there, as are other Pacific oysters that are creamier and more plump than their East Coast counterparts. Wanting to try some of the area's prized bivalves for myself, I drove 30 minutes south to Taylor Shellfish Farms, where five generations of the Taylor family have raised oysters since 1890. The farm also has an oyster bar that serves chilled seafood, local beer, and crisp white wine. I sampled Shigokus (meaty with a saline punch) and slurped Fat Bastards, their melony finish lingering on my palate. Both varieties originated at this farm, where they're grown in bags floating in Samish Bay. As the bivalves tumble in the tides, they develop firm, flavorful flesh. From left: Short rib with bone marrow, plums, and grilled onions at Carnal; a selection of beer at Wander Brewing. From left: Carnal; Wander Brewing Visiting Taylor Shellfish is what sold chefs James Zamory and Aaron Saurer—the duo at the forefront of Bellingham's culinary boom—on moving from Brooklyn to Washington in 2020 to open a live-fire restaurant, Carnal. When I stopped in for dinner one evening, Zamory served me a behemoth beef short rib, seasoned with bone marrow and pickled-green-chile relish, and a crudo of king salmon caught by a local fisherman in nearby Canadian waters. Next door at Accomplice , a casual burger joint also owned by the duo, my cheeseburger arrived with a spread of mayo infused with roasted beef bones from the Carnal kitchen. The accompanying fries, crisp and well-seasoned, were also cooked in beef fat. Home base throughout my trip was Hotel Bellwether , a 66-room property with a private boat dock and a three-story lighthouse suite with wraparound views of Bellingham Bay. It was October, and snowcapped Mount Baker, which I was eager to explore, loomed on the horizon, while huckleberry bushes and vine-maple shrubs electrified the landscape with shades of orange and red. On my way to hike the mountain, I stopped at Camber Coffee for a cappuccino and a pillowy biscuit served with blueberry jam. Afterward, I refueled at Pel'meni, a hole-in-the-wall that's popular among college students for generous, $9 portions of Russian dumplings filled with meat or potato and dusted with curry powder. Then it was time for a cold beer. Cocktails, Manila clams, and roasted carrots at Bistro Estelle. Bellingham's craft-beer scene has exploded in the past 10 years: fewer than 100,000 people live there, yet there are almost 20 breweries, including Wander Brewing, housed in a historic warehouse, and Structures Brewing, a waterfront spot focusing on hoppy IPAs. Dinner that night was at Estelle , a French restaurant. Linguine laced with spicy 'nduja, Meyer lemon, and local Dungeness crab was a standout, as was the roasted butternut squash with pumpkin-seed salsa verde. My server, who arrived in Bellingham by camper van last year, told me she had been lured to the city by friends from Vermont—a common immigration route, apparently. 'It's like Burlington, but on water,' she said. On my final morning, I walked along Taylor Dock, an elevated boardwalk with breathtaking views of Bellingham Bay. A handful of ships sat steady in the water as pink-tinted fog rose slowly above the San Juan Islands. I entered Cafe Blue and ordered a brown-sugar-pecan scone and coffee from Micah Gutróm-Abram Jones, the young owner, who was chatting with regulars at the register. 'Within the past seven years, we've seen five or six different specialty-coffee shops open,' he told me. 'People in this region often point toward Seattle for that, but now there's a little tiny dot on the map for us.' A version of this story first appeared in the September 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "A Bite of Bellingham."
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Fire damages a popular Rhode Island restaurant known for its 'pond-to-table' menu
SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. (AP) — One of Rhode Island's most famous restaurants has been damaged after a fire broke out early Tuesday morning. Union Fire District Steve Pinch told reporters firefighters arrived at 3:45 a.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the Manutuck Oyster Bar in South Kingston. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. No injuries have been reported. A phone message seeking additional details was left at the the Union Fire District of South Kingstown. The oyster bar has operated a seven-acre aquaculture operation on a local salt pond since 2002, and later opened the restaurant on the waterfront in 2009 where it quickly became a 'pond-to-table' destination for diners. The restaurant regularly offers oyster farm tours for the public. The oyster bar's littlenecks and chourico dish was lauded one of the ' Best Dishes ' of the year in 2023 and USA Today listed the location on its ' Restaurants of the Year ' list in 2024. 'Everybody in town either works or knows somebody who works at the oyster bar, or comes here and enjoys the oyster bar, so we are just saddened for all of the employees and the owner,' Pinch told WPRI-TV. The fire comes just days before Memorial Day weekend, marking the unofficial kick-off to summer and a boost in business for New England's seaside businesses. 'I'm grateful there were no injuries and thankful to first responders for their quick response at a treasured local institution,' U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The Dynamo Room Conjures Classic New York Next to Madison Square Garden
Opening The Brooklyn-based Sunday Hospitality Group, which runs everything there is to eat in the Hotel Chelsea, is opening its first stand-alone Manhattan restaurant. Steps from Madison Square Garden, the group is installing a 200-seat steakhouse that embraces some New York traditions with an oyster bar and décor that references the old Penn Station. The chef and a partner, Derek Boccagno, formerly at Café Chelsea, has a menu of classic steaks ($42 to $210), prime ribs, chilled deviled lobster and maitake steak with mushroom bordelaise. (Opens Friday) 2 Penn Plaza (West 33rd Street), 203-297-9477, Part of a larger group, this restaurant, with an elaborate dining room with black marble, gold veining and plush banquettes, is well represented across India, the Middle East, Canada, London and even in Bellevue, Wash. The food, by the chef Gaurav Chawla, takes liberties with tradition, with dishes like paneer lasagna, charred avocado tikka and smoked lamb curry. Chicken tikka made with goat cheese, keema pie, spiced broccoli florets, and truffled asparagus and mushroom bharta are a few of the dishes that will be served only in New York. (Thursday) 78 Leonard Street (Church Street), 646-499-9040, Nikki Zheng's career trajectory has taken her from Tokyo to New York to work with sushi masters at Masa, Sushi of Gari and Sushi Nakazawa. Now, she's in charge of her own 12-seat counter in a simple storefront with pale wood finishes. Her omakase consists of 18 courses for $195 and might include smoked Spanish mackerel and several cuts of tuna, some aged along with excellent rice. At her side is the chef Jeff Lam from Hong Kong. 317 East 75th Street, 917-921-3239, Guy Vaknin, the chef and restaurateur who first attracted attention with his clever vegan Beyond Sushi and has gone on to open more vegan restaurants, is adding this kosher dessert (and appetizer) spot. The pastry chef Makenna Hale comes up with complex, fruit-forward confections like the Sun, which delivers tastes of almond, orange blossom, passion fruit, cantaloupe, apricot, tangerine, caramel and white chocolate. Salads, salt-baked potatoes and mushroom sliders make up some of the savory side, and cocktails with dessert on their minds are part of the picture. (Thursday) 135 Metropolitan Avenue (Berry Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, This spot has relocated from its original location in Syracuse, N.Y., where wines were poured to match a tasting menu, to the former Veritas space, in Manhattan. In the hands of the chef and owner Jared Ian Stafford-Hill, the choices are a four-course tasting ($148), or seven courses ($188) with inevitable optional extras. The menus change from time to time and have a regional focus. There's Côte de Beaune to start. Flights of wines to go alongside are priced according to their pedigree. 43 East 20th Street, 646-375-0945, Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
