What's all this fuss about "small plates," anyway? Three or four people ordering five or six items, the dishes arriving at your table at the whim of a stressed-out kitchen? Can be fun, sure; can be fatal, too.

At Belltown's venerable Queen City Grill (2201 1st Ave., 443-0975), they've come up with an alternative to small plates, basically an update on family-style: Call it the Platter Experience. Everyone's order is served at the same time, but on a single, elegant platter along with individual sets of serving implements. Share or hoard; it's your call.

A recent midweek visit found Miles Davis on the sound system, dark wooden booths, and generous cocktails. Genial GM Robert Eickhof (Il Terrazzo, Rosellini's 410, Il Bistro) sends over bottle of Pommard 1er Cru. Fabulous wine list, moderate prices. We divvy up appetizer platter; favorite is generous nugget of seared foie gras with lush currant & star anise sauce. Caesar salad follows, with freshly made garlicky dressing. Entrees next, including grilled lobster tail with saffron butter, New York strip loin, and uhu (fancy name for Hawaiian parrot fish).

Desserts also arrive platter-style, along with after-dinner drinks. Kudos to chef Alan Davis, who's been part of the Queen's kitchen since it opened.

Too cute! Too sweet! Blogger Wonkette is so obsessed with Butterstick, as she calls the baby panda Tai Shin at the National Zoo in the Other Washington that the New York Times even ran a sober report about the phenomenon it calls The Cute Factor. Premise: we're hard-wired to adore helpless, big- eyed babies.

Someone ought to do a piece now about The Sweet Factor, explaining to Starbucks (among many others) that just making something sugary and chocolatey, like Chantico, isn't enough to make it yummy. (Granted, I've been spoiled by a transcendent cup of hot chocolate I had last month in Sicily.) Anyway, Chantico's already been fingered for extinction: there's not enough lush chocolate flavor, just annoying and cloying sweetness. Hopeless, not helpless. Sorry, Starbucks, saccharine ain't cute.

Historic football game: first playoff appearance for hapless Hawks in decades. Best-ever season earns them home-team advantage, supposedly worth a "12th Man." Capacity crowd at Qwest Field raucous, capacity crowd at Sport Restaurant in Fisher Plaza pumped as well. TV monitors everywhere, unattached women everywhere! (Who knew?)

Order a Manny's, finally. Bartenders slammed. Endless draughts of ESB and Bud, non-stop shots of tequila and Knob Creek, gallons of cosmos. Occasionally the kitchen sends out a burger or a pizza. Four women at the bar down shots of Jaeger, then switch to greyhounds. Alexander fumbles, leaves the game with concussion; bar goes quiet. Then Jackson catches TD pass; another round of Jaeger! Hasselbeck runs for TD, another! Hawks win! Euphoria!

Return of the Pleasure Police: First an international caveat on caviar, now a fatwa against foie gras? That's what Rep. Brendan Williams of Olympia says; he's introduced legislation to ban the force-feeding of birds. Never mind that most American foie gras is produced out-of-state, by a French family (of course) in upstate New York, Williams is against it. Williams admits he did eat foie gras once, but tells the Everett Herald he didn't know where it came from. (Right, and Clinton didn't inhale.) Shocked, shocked he was to learn it involved gavage, overfeeding to enlarge the duck's liver, a centuries-old practice that engenders modern outrage when applied to animals but remains enshrined as freedom-of-choice when it comes to Twinkies, Big Macs and venti double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino. With extra whipped cream, please.

By the way, there are some ghastly alternatives to foie gras out there for the PC crowd, made with mushrooms and tofu. Be my guest.

Missing the boat: How's this chronology for the reopening of the much-loved and long awaited Boat Street Cafˇ, after two years of buzz:

A dreamy online review ("an exciting development for our neighborhood") at Urban Seattle. Buzz!

A complimentary write-up ("charming and complete") a couple of weeks later in the Stranger. Buzz!

A loving review one week after that in Seattle Weekly ("sublime yet homey"). Buzz!

Yet another enthusiastic review online in Seattle BonVivant ("I'm happy, happy, happy!"). Buzz!

Then the ultimate two-fer, just before Christmas: adulatory same-day reviews in both the Post-Intelligencer ("Expect culinary magic") and the Seattle Times ("A joy to behold"). Buzz! Buzz!

What great endorsements, and just in time for the holidays, right? Wrong! The ink wasn't dry on the pages before Boat Street had shut down for a two-week holiday break.

Oops.

Belltown Buffet: Some strategies work, some don't. Le P'tit Bistro thought French-style breakfasts might be a good idea, but the croissants and pain au chocolat went stale. Regular "French Music Nights," on the other hand, sell out. Next up on the menu: Duck breast. Worked at Campagne, where January's "20-Buck Duck" specials were a big hit.... Wild Fish is doing well with its dollar-a-pop sushi during happy hour. Technically, it's a four-piece, $4 "sushi set."... Around the corner, it's clear the ban on indoor smoking is taking its toll on Mira. The whole damn Labor Temple smells like smoke.... Portfolio Room is doing "4 to 6" tastings on Fridays, and a winemaker dinner Feb. 16. with Matt Loso of Matthews Cellars... Cascadia is being honored again by the Wine Spectator with its Award of Excellence.... Rockin' Burrito is catching onto the New World Order with Thai chicken burritos ... Corner of 2nd and Vine sporting a notice that Project 70 has applied for a liquor license. The space used to be a furniture showroom. (Hey, there are empty restaurants all over Belltown ... why would anyone invest a hundred thou to build a new one?) ... No liquor-permit posting required at 2319 First Avenue, formerly Torero's, now Twist; a sign on the door announces imminent opening.

Finally, a look back at that heck-of-a-year, 2005. I know, shoulda done this last month: My annual Belltown Bravo! Aw@rds. First, though, we pause to remember the dear departed: Zoey BluePlate, Afrikando, U-Wa Kitchen, Barocho, Torero's, Alexandria's, Axis.

Now, the menu, check, whatever:

Belltown restaurant of the year, 2005: Flying Fish. Celebrated its tenth anniversary, completed its transition to suppliers who practice fully sustainable and organic agriculture, continues to reward patrons with treats like oyster happy hour. No mean feat. Bravo, Chris Keff!

Best newcomer, 2005: Black Bottle. Knows what it wants to be, does it. Bravo, Chris Linker, Brian Durbin and Judy Boardman! Newcomer runner-up: 94 Stewart. Bravo Cindy and Lindsey Nelson! Best new lounge: Suite 410. Best new happy hour menu: all those miniburgers at Cascadia. Bravo, Kerry Sear!

Wish list for 2006: a pho parlor, please. Pretty please.

More tasting notes and culinary dispatches are at www.cornichon.org, recently named one of the Internet's "Top Ten Food Blogs" by About.com.

More tasting notes and culinary dispatches are at www.cornichon.org, Recently named one of the Internet's "Top Ten Food Blogs" by About.com..

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