Award-winning Chef Maria Hines is making last minute decisions for her newest restaurant, Golden Beetle (1744 NW Market.) The new “casual Mediterranean restaurant and bar” is scheduled to open Friday, February 18th.
Hines recently toured the Eastern Mediterranean, namely Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco looking for inspiration and the menu reflects that. “Our rustic menus draw upon the spices, flavors and heat spiced dishes of the Eastern Mediterranean,” the website states. Golden Beetle will be a casual lunch spot starting this spring with walk-up ordering and self-seating, then the lights will dim for dinner.
The glass-tiled mosaic on the oven. Photo courtesy Seattle Mosaic Arts.
The focal point of the restaurant will be the glass-tiled mosaic on the stainless steel oven created by Seattle Mosaic Arts in Wallingford. “Maria wanted the mosaic to feature the warm blues she is painting the restaurant, and to be abstract in nature,” Seattle Mosaic owner Claire Barnett tells us. “Given the fact that Golden Beetle and Maria Hines will feature local seasonal organic foods, we themed our colors around the seasons giving us four blue mixes (winter, spring, summer and fall) to work with. And the golden path going through it all was an obvious addition!” Barnett says the mosaic took a total of 300 hours to create “with the vast majority of this time being in the laying of the tiles.”
This is Hines’ second restaurant. She currently owns Tilth in Wallingford.
Belly dancers?
Something about “beetle” just takes away my appetite completely.
Belly Dancers would be great!
It’ll say, ‘welcome to exotic Ballard’!
Love food from this region, so here’s hoping the food is better than it is at Tilth. Given its rave reviews, Tilth was quite the disappointment.
It makes me realize how much I miss Market Street Grill and John and Kendell. Hope you have great success!!
beautiful oven!!! :)
The Golden Beetle is a strange name.
Mine, too. The word “Tilth” does nothing for my appetite, either.
I am SOO with you dineoutguy! We miss MSG and John and Kendell TONS!! They are well and enjoying life in the wine country (CA). I wonder if Hines kept the great map on the back wall??
Did you read up on the lady? The skill involved, and the creative feasts that will surely please anyone that doesn’t have a closed minded, picky Wopper and fries mentality. I think the creative goodness that is surely in that place, will trump over having the word Beetle in the title…so get over it and give it a try, unless of course you’re used to eating bland, uncreative garbage. Personally, the word McDonald’s is more offensive than the word beetle and besides, beetles are pretty cool :0)
What is a “picky Wopper”? It sounds vaguely British.
It is the name of a spice blend
Yes, everyone who doesn’t like the name is a whopper eating f*&^tard!
As wonderful a chef as she may be, and as wonderful a restaurant as this may or may not turn out to be, I too don’t get the best response from having an insect in the restaurant name and also can only think of “filth” or the sputterings of a child with a speech impediment when I hear the word “tilth”.
oH bOY…gET over the name already…you beetle hating, freaky wOPPER tards…heh heh!
Maria Hines is an amazing chef, lets just hope the service matches. Every time Tilth comes up in a conversation, mostly great things are said about the food, but there is always something negative said about the service, myself agreeing on two occasions.
That be said..cant wait.