Vestal, which opened in late August on the ground floor of the Amazon Bigfoot building in South Lake Union, is the latest from chef and restaurateur Josh Henderson and the Huxley Wallace Collective. It’s already drawing in crowds to sample the local ingredient-driven food, sip drinks and check out the giant seven-wood, wood-fired hearth. We stopped in recently and here are three impressions of the visit.

The Drinks: Our meal (and all meals, from what I saw) started with an unordered little non-alcoholic drink—delivered like a liquid amuse bouche the Cool Love, with rose tea, muddled cukes, lemon and a kiss of sweet. It was a wonderfully balanced palate cleanser, and a great representation of the care taken in the creations of all the drinks. There are six on the cocktail menu put together by creative and sparkly bar manager Ariana Vitale, including a Mojito Done Right (she’s determined to bring this classic back in high cocktail culture), and new creations like the Angel Face, with mezcal, Calvados, apricot liqueur, and expressed grapefruit peel. It had that distinguished mezcal smokiness, but rich undercurrents of Calvados and fruit. The Off Kilter, a lower ABV cocktail, was also delicious, with Verjus Blanc (the juice made from select pressed grapes), mingling with local Westland Peated single malt whiskey, Kilchoman scotch, Yellow Chartreuse, orange, and a Pacifique (also local!) absinthe rinse. Light on its feet, the drink still boasted layers of herb and smoke. There are also tight but well-thought-out beer and wine lists.

The Food: You can’t miss that open fire—it just draws the eye—and they use it to great advantage on a menu full of everything from chewtastic Sea Wolf hearth-warmed bread with sumptuous homemade cultured butter,  salads, mid-size plates, and pastas, all the way to larger, slowly cooked majestic meat dishes, like the cedar plank salmon with salmon skin “Chicharrónes” and yuzu kosho salt. You’ll see Northwest seasonal ingredients throughout, as well as a host of housemade items; the cultured ricotta in the thin shaven braising greens salad was impressive, especially when set off by pickled sunflower (the stem, amazing) and sunflower blossoms. There’s loads of creativity on the menu, including the un-missable livieto e pepe, or yeast and pepper with spaghetti and a smoked and toasted yeast butter. It’s so earthy, with a perfect al dente-ness to the pasta. A short list of desserts is available, and the zucchini cake with blueberries, candied squash blossoms, and corn ice cream is my pick. The last bite, an ending amuse, was an airy bit of magic in the form of a Fernet-Branca meringue.

The Space: While residing in a large office building, when you walk in to Vestal it does a great job of making the outside surroundings disappear, from the twinkle lights in the hall ceiling, to terrariums, candles, succulents on tables, macramé plant holders, and lots of wood and stone. It’s a little like being in a really neat living room, but with the fire roaring it’s also easy to imagine you’re at the best campout in the understory of a forest. A chef’s counter is available if you want to be really close to the fire, while other seating includes a big round cement table for larger groups, and lots tables of various sizes with low comfy chairs. A friendly atmosphere permeates throughout, and the chefs even come out to the tables to deliver and talk about the food on occasion. If you can, grab one of the four chairs at the small wooden bar so you can chat with Ariana and watch the cocktail creation up close.