Interview with Eric Tanaka, Executive Chef of TanakaSan (Tom Douglas Restaurants)
The following interview was made possible by the NW
Tastemaker, a culinary travel publication forthcoming from Northwest Travel
Magazine. To read more interviews with the best chefs in the Pacific Northwest,
visit Northwest Travel Magazine and
TableTalkNorthwest.com.
Eric Tanaka, Partner/Executive Chef of TanakaSan (Tom Douglas Restaurants)
Eric Tanaka is well known as partner and executive chef of Tom Douglas Restaurants, based in Seattle, Washington. The restaurant group's restaurants range in cuisine style from Italian and Greek-inspired, to Pacific Rim, and the Dalia Lounge in Belltown was the first Tom Douglas Restaurant, opening in 1994.
Eric Tanaka, Partner/Executive Chef of TanakaSan (Tom Douglas Restaurants)
Eric Tanaka is well known as partner and executive chef of Tom Douglas Restaurants, based in Seattle, Washington. The restaurant group's restaurants range in cuisine style from Italian and Greek-inspired, to Pacific Rim, and the Dalia Lounge in Belltown was the first Tom Douglas Restaurant, opening in 1994.
Creating fun concepts that can both stand alone and fit
within a group is an art, and doing so quickly and efficiently while keeping
everything steady is Chef Tanaka’s expertise. He is a major contributor to the
success that has been Tom Douglas restaurants since he began working for the
company in 1997. This has led to the opening of his own restaurant, TanakaSan,
within the Tom Douglas family, in 2013.
Located inside of Belltown’s Assembly Hall, TanakaSan is described
by Tanaka as an American Asian restaurant. The concept is both high-energy and
casual. Sit at the counter and watch the action while enjoying the delicious
and eclectic menu, which is greatly inspired by the food that Tanaka grew up on
as a Japanese-American in Los Angeles, CA.
1. How do
you describe Northwest cuisine?
Historically,
I don’t find that there is a Northwest cuisine, but more an ethos. That ethos,
centered on the amazing seafood, foraged jewels and small ranched or farmed
products, results in a diversity of personally tinged cuisine. So to me, the
Northwest ethos is about telling your personal chef story through the regional
goods of the Northwest. The Northwest cuisine ethos isn’t hampered by a strict
set of rules or ideas that need to be followed in order to be considered
“Northwest Cuisine”.
Modern
French food had an identity crisis and cuisine evolved. The French, mired in
tradition, fell by the way side in regards to what was cool, hot and
interesting. This identity crisis has led to a non-traditional bistro movement
and has re-invigorated the idea of what is French cuisine. Northwest cuisine,
which to me hasn’t had an identity, is growing and evolving into itself as we
speak.
2. Who are
six of your favorite purveyors, whether farms and ranches or hot-sauce, salt,
or olive-oil producers?
Prosser
Farm— Our farm, in its eighth season, produced around 55,000 pounds of produce
for our restaurants.
Big Barn
Farm— Located in Sequim, they produce unique Andean root crops.
Jacobsen
Sea Salt— A wonderful Oregon salt company.
Bonache
hot sauce— A tiny hot sauce maker in Ballard.
Appel
Farms— They're a small cheese maker, and I love their paneer.
Big Gin— A
Ballard micro-distiller bringing big flavor to the gin world.
3. When
you go out for a nice meal, what are two or three of your favorite spots?
My
favorites for a nice meal are Brimmer and Heeltap in Ballard and Monsoon in Capital
Hill.
4. Who are
two other Northwest chefs that you admire?
Two chefs
that I admire are Bruce Naftaly and Melissa Nyfeler. They both had highly
curated visions for their restaurants, and they stuck to it.
5. In your
opinion, is there an area of Northwest cooking that doesn't receive enough
attention?
I
personally feel that The Pacific Northwest gets a lot of media coverage. We’re no New York by any means, but for the
size that we are, we get a ton.
6. Looking
toward the future, what about Northwest cuisine most excites you?
What
excites me most is the diversity and plethora of restaurants in the city. First
and foremost, I love to eat, and there are more options than ever as a
diner. Whether you go downtown or in a
neighborhood, there’s going to be a joint that fits your fancy. As far as what
I’m most excited about, it’s cooking with my son, who’s taking an interest.
We’ll smoke some ribs and make ramen for the Super Bowl. My son will make the
dashi, and we’ll team up to make the broth.
Tanaka San
2121 6th Ave Seattle, WA
206.812.8412
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