First, it was the announcement that Eater had chosen Kamonegi  as one of its best new restaurants of 2018. That’s national Eater, not just Seattle. In fact, it was the only Seattle restaurant to make the list. 

Today, Bon Appetit announced its top 50 best new restaurants—a list that will be whittled down to just 10 on August 14—and again, Kamonegi made the cut. (Seattle restaurants JuneBaby (duh) and Wa’z also were on the list.)

We’ve been following chef Mutsuko Soma for the last couple of years, since she was manning the kitchen at now-closed Miyabi 45^th. Her craftsmanship in making soba is unparalleled—not just in Seattle, but in the country. We’re happy to see her find success in Kamonegi. It turns out that Seattle was hungry for more Japanese food than just sushi and ramen. (Good luck getting a reservation now.) 

Chef Soma says: “It’s been non-stop surprises for us! I can’t believe how fortunate we’ve been. I didn’t expect for us, and also soba, to get this kind of attention. It makes me think we picked a good name: Kamonegi means duck and leek, namely that a duck bringing a leek in its mouth is one good thing that brings another. I think our fortune recently is a reflection of the name we chose. I hope to keep living up to the recognition we’ve received and just work harder to keep our staff sharp and ready for the busy weeks to come.”

Also, can we take a minute to recognize that all three of these Bon Appetit picks are from chef/owners who are not white males? YES. Stay tuned for the final 10 announcement—we’re guessing JuneBaby is a sure thing, but hopefully there’s room for another Seattle pick on their list.