Skip to content

Tom Douglas Teams Up With Nordstrom, Stepping Out of Seattle for the First Time

Department Bento is the latest concept for Nordstrom at the Bellevue Square location

By Daria Kroupoderova June 26, 2018

BELLEVUE, WA - JUNE 17:  Department Bento at Nordstrom Bellevue Square on June 17, 2018 in Bellevue, Washington.  (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)
BELLEVUE, WA – JUNE 17: Department Bento at Nordstrom Bellevue Square on June 17, 2018 in Bellevue, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Nordstrom)

Seattle chef Tom Douglas and Nordstrom have partnered for a new dining experience at the local mega-chain’s Bellevue Square location called Department Bento. The quick-service concept is, you guessed it, Japanese-style bento boxes that lets you build your own meal.

“Bento service is one of my favorite ways to eat,” said Douglas. The chef, a strong proponent of using sustainable and seasonable ingredients, said  a bento box concept lets you easily change dishes based on what’s in season.

When you first walk up to order, you’re greeted with trays of colorful onigiri, rice balls that are formed into a triangular shape, sitting on a piece of nori. The flavors, though, are decidedly not traditional Japanese—look for carrot ginger or red beet.

The visually stunning appearance of the onigiri is intentional. “It came down to color,” said Adrienne Chamberlain, director of Seattle Kitchen Partnerships at Tom Douglas restaurants, when they were deciding on which onigiri flavors will make it on the menu. You get a choice of two onigiri for your box, so choose wisely.

As you proceed through the line, you get a choice of vegetable such as matcha green beans or honey sesame carrots and a protein such as Bristol Bay salmon, teriyaki skirt steak or seared tofu.

All bento boxes come with a miso deviled egg, kimchi, cucumber and daikon pickles and ginger apricot. Ask for extra ginger apricot—trust me, you’ll want more than one piece. Pair the meal with a sake slushie—I recommend the original, but there are fruity flavors available too.

This is the first partnership for Douglas outside of Seattle and the first partnership for Nordstrom with a local chef. Vincent Rossetti, vice president of restaurant operations at Nordstrom, made an analogy of working with Douglas as if a cruise ship was working with a speedboat. Could you guess who is who in that situation?

Sources say that there are other projects in the works between Douglas and Nordstrom, though no solid details have been released.

Follow Us

Restaurant Roundup: Dutch Bros’ Seattle Debut and Hatch Green Chiles

Restaurant Roundup: Dutch Bros’ Seattle Debut and Hatch Green Chiles

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Stay updated on Seattle's food scene! From Dutch Bros' SoDo debut and Bite of Seattle to Hatch green chile pop-ups, here is the latest restaurant news.

Opening Night: This Tiny Pioneer Square Restaurant Is About to Be Standing Room Only

Opening Night: This Tiny Pioneer Square Restaurant Is About to Be Standing Room Only

In the former Salumi space, Doris serves martinis and playful snacks at tables close enough to make a new best friend. 

Welcome to Opening Night, our new column about hot new restaurants around Seattle. For our debut edition, we went to a media preview at Doris, a teeny-tiny Pioneer Square spot that oozes style. Longtime Seattleites may get a bit of a shock when they walk into Doris. The narrow, hallway-shaped space on the corner where…

House Special: Soondae Gukbap at Busan Jeong

House Special: Soondae Gukbap at Busan Jeong

Every component of the signature pork soup is made in-house to create a lasting impression.

Seattle is not short of quality Korean restaurants, but many offer similar menus built around the best-known, most popular dishes. When global restaurateur Hoyeon Park moved to Seattle, he noticed that it was difficult to find authentic Busan-style pork soup, a beloved comfort food in Korea but largely unknown in the States. Park currently operates…

Restaurant Roundup: Cold Noodles and Underground Italian 

Restaurant Roundup: Cold Noodles and Underground Italian 

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Noodles might not be at the top of everybody’s list when it comes to treats to cool off this summer—but they should be. Slurping down cold udon, naengmyeon, or bún is as refreshing as it is tasty. There are plenty of Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese restaurants putting their best chilled dishes forward for the season,…