Canlis

For the glass artist, see Jean-Pierre Canlis.

Canlis
The front entrance to Canlis
Map
Restaurant information
Established1950
Owner(s)Mark & Brian Canlis
Head chefAisha Ibrahim
Food typeNew American, Pacific Northwest
Street address2576 Aurora Avenue North
CitySeattle
StateWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°38′35″N 122°20′48″W / 47.643°N 122.3468°W / 47.643; -122.3468
WebsiteOfficial site

Canlis is a fine dining restaurant serving New American and Pacific Northwest cuisine in Seattle, Washington. Situated in the Queen Anne neighborhood, the restaurant has views of Gas Works Park and the Cascade Mountains. It was built by Peter Canlis in 1950, and remains family-owned. The restaurant currently employs over 100 people.

It is one of the most award-winning restaurants in the greater Northwest; it is ranked one of the top 20 restaurants in America by Gourmet Magazine,[1] Canlis has been hailed by The New York Times as "Seattle's fanciest, finest restaurant for over 60 years".[2] Since 1997, Canlis has been a recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award.[3]

History

The restaurant was built by Peter Canlis and opened on December 11, 1950. Prior to coming to Seattle, Peter had run the Canlis Charcoal Broiler which opened in 1946 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was convinced to open a Seattle location by Jack Peterson, a local contractor who had met Canlis on a trip to Hawaii.[4] Peter hired local architect Roland Terry to design the Seattle building which soon became an icon for Northwest-inspired Modern architecture.[5] Peter later opened additional Canlis restaurants in Honolulu (1954), Portland (1959),[6] and San Francisco (1965). The restaurant is "credited with inventing Northwest cuisine when it opened in 1950",[7] and Peter Canlis is personally credited for "singlehandedly develop[ing] what's now known as Pacific Northwest cuisine".[8] In 1977, Peter Canlis died of lung cancer and his son, Chris Canlis, took over the restaurant with his wife, Alice.[9] The couple ran Canlis for thirty years before handing off ownership to their sons, Mark and Brian Canlis.[10]

Canlis usually features a live pianist; Walt Wagner played there from 1996 to 2016.[11][12]

Awards

  • Wine Spectator: Grand Award Winner 1997–2022[13]
  • James Beard Awards: 15 total nominations with wins for Outstanding Wine Program (2017), Design Icon (2019), Best New Chef Northwest (2019) with Brady Williams

See also

References

  1. ^ Weston, Nicole (September 27, 2006). "Gourmet Magazine Top 50 Restaurants 2006". Gourmet Magazine. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  2. ^ Sifton, Sam (February 28, 2013). "Smells Like Green Spirit". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  3. ^ "Canlis". Wine Spectator. January 1, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  4. ^ Beers, Carole (December 7, 1996). "Obituaries: Jack Peterson, 92, home builder who created Mountlake Terrace". The Seattle Times. p. B8. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Henderson, Justin (2000). Roland Terry: Master Northwest Architect. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295979700.
  6. ^ Butler, Grant (January 17, 2017). "More tasty memories: 84 closed Portland restaurants we wish were still around". Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Laura Landro (August 19, 2006). "Travel – Destinations: How I got hooked on Seattle; an unexpected visit inspires 15 years of return trips". The Wall Street Journal. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Canlis", Food Arts, vol. 10, M. Shanken Communications, p. 110, 1997
  9. ^ Watson, Emmett (September 10, 1991). "A Fine Restaurant, A Seattle Institution, and A Family Affair". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  10. ^ Kahn, Howie (August 24, 2012). "At Canlis, Dinner With a Side of Camaraderie". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  11. ^ Perry, Julien (August 10, 2011). "Walt Wagner: Canlis' Key Player". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017.
  12. ^ Seely, Mike (December 23, 2008). "Ebony & Ivory at Canlis". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "2012 restaurant award winner". Wine Spectator. Retrieved April 19, 2013.

Further reading