Nancy Leson: Maria Hines to open new restaurant

On Friday, Seattle Times food writer Nancy Leson reported that Tilth owner and chef Maria Hines plans to open a second restaurant in North Seattle:

The chef envisions the new place, dubbed Golden Beetle (named for one of the classic components of the spice-blend ras el hanout, and considered an aphrodisiac), as an ‘upbeat, fast-paced’ gastropub with an Eastern Mediterranean focus and a North African accent. ‘The flavors are going to be big,’ she insists. ‘Hot-spice, earth-spice, salty, crunchy, sweet, sour.’ As at Tilth, the menu will be 95-percent certified organic.  She’ll turn to the cuisines of Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco for inspiration.

Hines hasn’t yet picked a location though, Leson writes, she “has her eye on the North End and a turn-key space that she can turn around fast. Her wish list includes proximity to Tilth, and seating for fewer than 60 patrons.”