Belltown’s latest culinary arrival meets cuisine halfway between American and French.

The Scoop: Chef and owners Dana Tough and Brian McCracken must hate smiling in pictures for their business but they sure like the food they send out and so does the rest of the world. Gayot, Star Chefs, Food and Wine Magazine and more have listed the two in their premium chef registry, alongside chefs of New York buzz and stature.

The Coterie Room, the “New American version of a French brasserie” in the old Restaurant Zoe location, features small plates that can be shared, entree sized plates for those who like to keep their food to themselves and family-style dishes to spread the love around. For the first time, the chefs will offer guests weekday lunch, weekend brunch and dinner service commencing by 4:00pm, as well as valet parking Thursday through Saturday.

Crave Factor: The rabbit terrine is found on the family-style charcuterie platter ($24) and served next to a selection of cured meats and terrines with pickled vegetables, mustards and a toasted baguette.

A fancy way of cooking meat loaf in a bed of water, terrine is similar to pate, but essentially with more coarsely chopped ingredients. The rabbit, which is arguably the healthiest meat on the planet, is cooled and served up in slices which sounds simple enough but terrine has a knack for getting screwed up easily – skipping a step for time’s sake or laziness can lead to lack of a loaf. Thanks to the scholarly kitchen minds at the Coterie Room, charcuturie is child’s play for them and luxury for us.

Fun Fact: Patrons can order a six-pack of beer for the Coterie Room crew off the dinner mneu for a mere $10, all to show the table’s appreciate for the great food and drink.

The Coterie Room | 2137 2nd Avenue, Seattle | (206) 956-8000