In the time it takes you to say the name, chances are all 23 seats of Queen Anne's newest dining hot spot will already be filled.

"I think people like this place because they don't feel like they're settling for their neighborhood joint," said Ethan Stowell. As the owner of both Union and Tavolata, How To Cook A Wolf is the next chapter in his culinary repertoire:

"You feel like a cool neighborhood joint is there for you. It's designed to be an intimate, cozy neighborhood joint. And that's what it is."

Let's start with the most popular question: what's with the name?

"My mom's a huge MFK Fisher fan. And one of the names we were considering for Union was one of her other books, 'With Bold Knife and Fork.' We settled on Union because of where it was (corner of 1st and Union). But the MFK Fisher, naming a restaurant after one of her books just kind of stuck."

Ethan opened the restaurant with his business partner Patric Gabre-Kidan, his new wife Angela, and his father, Kent Stowell, who recently retired from his post as co-artistic director of the Pacific Northwest ballet. Dad's new role? Host.

"He will talk to anybody that wants to listen to him, you know. He's super funny, super nice, super charming and he's great. He makes people feel comfortable. He's a really down-to-earth guy."

In creating Wolf, Ethan combined the stylized food of Union with the laid-back Italian vibe of Tavolata.

"How to Cook a Wolf has got the casual pasta sense of Tavolata and it has the appetizer-heavy list of things like crudo and poached squid salads and seared sea scallops and all the things that we do down at Union."

What's the best part about having a third restaurant?

"The best part about it? It's been the same thing I've always said, you know. I like being able to open up restaurants and give people good jobs. And also the food aspect is great. I could see myself at some point having just a place this size and me cooking every night. That'd be kind of sweet."

Places Ethan likes to Go Eat!: Cafe Campagne, Monsoon, Cafe Lago, Green Leaf, Shiro's, Shuckers for oyster happy hour, Marjorie, Harvest Vine, Beato, La Carta de Oaxaca.

For more information:

http://howtocookawolf.com/

Tavolata:
http://tavolata.com/

Union
http://unionseattle.com/