‘Seattle Eats’: Toasting restaurants we lost recently — and new ones, too

Our dining scene is constantly in flux, with a flurry of new openings and closings every head-spinning month.

On Episode 7 of “Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh,” Season 2, I looked back at several big-name restaurants that have closed recently — a few after decades in business, citing reasons like increased labor costs, inflation, food prices, retirement and more — and also looked forward to some big-deal openings in Seattle, including suggestions for what you should order.

You can listen to the new episode below — and wherever you listen to podcasts.

On the latest episode, you’ll find out more about the recent closures of Heaven Sent Fried Chicken, Taku, Harbor City and others mentioned in our latest list of 24 closures. I also highlighted recent openings in and around Seattle, discussing why locals are so psyched about the recent openings of Jiang Nan in Bellevue and Triumph Valley in Shoreline.

Beyond closures and openings, I handed over the mic to one of my dining companions to give you the lowdown on what it’s like to eat with a food critic.

Some readers, listeners and students requesting job shadows say they wish they could be a Seattle Times food writer … or at least tag along on our dining excursions. Well, it’s not as fun as you might think. On this episode, my dining buddy and longtime New York Times contributor Chris Solomon dished on eating three to six meals a day on food benders with me. (Alka-Seltzer is recommended for this bumpy ride.)

Hear all that and more in the new episode.

“Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh” is a joint production between The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR network. New episodes come out every Thursday.