Story Published:
Oct 10, 2006 at 7:18 PM PST
Story Updated:
Mar 31, 2008 at 12:23 PM PST
SEATTLE - There's something new being unveiled on Seattle's lower Queen Anne.
"The idea of Veil is something that reveals beauty," says Erik Lindstrom, who opened Veil with his childhood friend, Shannon Galusha, in November - less than two years after being reunited at their high school reunion.
"Our friends were like, Erik is back in town and he's been in restaurants in the front of the house aspect and you've been in the back. He wants to open a place and you guys should do it together," says Shannon, whose resume includes The French Laundry, Campagne and the now defunct 727 Pine.
Erik was a Madison Avenue ad executive for four years before deciding he wanted to open a restaurant in Seattle. With Shannon's help, the two present a menu of Progressive American Cuisine six nights a week at Veil.
"It's very minimal here," says Erik, who has a self-described knack for design, "but we did that on purpose so that the food could really be the art. What we're trying to showcase here is Shannon's creations."
"We didn't want that dark-mahogany-booth-ale house type of look. We wanted clean, warm, inviting and comfortable; very Miami-meets-New York, but without the attitude and French waiters," Erik says.
Housed in a 1930s brick building on the corner of Taylor and Aloha, Veil is the latest example of a chef-run restaurant featuring avant-garde ideas on presentation, service and food.
As Erik explains, "We wanted to offer the five-star dining experience with three or four star prices. That's why we spent so much time and energy in the design, the china, the glassware."
Shannon agrees, "We're in a neighborhood. We're not some hot downtown place. We want the people who live up the street to be able to come to dinner once a week. So, we keep our price-point affordable and we keep our portion sizes health conscious."
He adds, "It's great to see the torch being passed in Seattle. There's probably a huge generational gap between the icon chefs in the city and places like Union, Lark and Crush, where young guys have progressive ideas on all aspects of the dining experience."
The two friends, who've known each other since they were Boy Scouts together on Bainbridge Island, say they want their customers to leave with more than just full tummies.
"We want everyone to have that full dining experience from the moment they put their hand on the door. We want them to leave comfortably full with money still in their pocket."
Something else that definitely needs to be revealed - the wine! Two-thirds of the wine list at Veil features bottles under $40.
And if you want a cocktail, pony up to one of the 45 cushy seats in the lounge. These non-traditional libations are inventive, beautifully presented and developed by the bartender at Sambar.
Places Eric likes to Go Eat!: Crush, Matt's in the Market
Places Shannon likes to Go Eat!: Taco Trucks in White Center, Ezell's Fried Chicken
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Veil restaurant
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