Ballard clutches several ‘Best of’ awards

Meghan Walker Ballard

The Seattle Weekly just released their “Best of” awards, and several Ballard establishments made it on the list. O’shan Sushi (5809 24th Ave NW) was voted best sushi in town, and Le Gourmand was voted “Best Restaurant to Die in the Last Year,” for example. (Le Gourmand shut its doors earlier this summer.)

Keegan Hamilton writes about O’shan:

…A small, family-owned joint with the stately patriarch expertly wielding a blade behind the bar, O’shan’s menu features both traditional fare and modern rolls. The place excels at elegant classics, such as the negi-toro roll, chopped fatty tuna blended with scallions. Fish lovers will savor the decadent flavor of sake beni nigiri: two fat slices of wild, in-season sockeye salmon resting atop twin pillows of perfectly seasoned rice. The beauty of O’shan’s uncomplicated combinations—like cucumber and fuji apple or salt-cured mackerel with a sprinkling of fresh ginger and shiso leaf—is reflected in the restaurant’s decor: a minimalist painting of a green sea and a blue sky that towers over the large table in the corner. And while it doesn’t serve Guinness, big bottles of Sapporo are available to wash down all that sashimi.

Mike Seely laments the loss of Le Gourmand:

Before Seattle was a restaurant town, there was Le Gourmand, quietly espousing, in a clandestine East Ballard storefront, all the values and proficiency that would ultimately put Seattle on the culinary map. Until it opened the cocktail bar Sambar next door, Le Gourmand was the opposite of a pop-in place: If you went to Le Gourmand, it was a dining event, with courses. Every customer who passed through Le Gourmand’s doors expected their dining experience to be memorable. Hence, it could be argued that the bar was set higher for Le Gourmand than for just about any restaurant in Seattle. And man, did Le Gourmand clear it, time and again.

Also on the “Best of” list in Ballard:

To see more “Best of” awards in Ballard, click here.

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