Monsoon East

Seattle came of age as a Pacific Rim city the instant Monsoon unleashed its splendors upon the residential eastern side of Capitol Hill. Until then, unbelievably, there hadn’t been a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in town: no sleek love child of a worldly European bistro and a seasoned Vietnamese kitchen; no ingenious hybrid of Northwest (as in freshness) and Southeast (as in Asian). By the time an even more elegant branch had opened in Old Bellevue, the place had become a bona fide legend—and all because of some of the region’s most extraordinary, and consistent, food. The grilled beef wrapped in la lot leaves and the drunken chicken are two of the most famous dishes in town, with good reason. It’s no wonder folks are so forgiving of the slow service. Weekend morning dim sum features both French and Vietnamese selections.