Chef Blaine Wetzel, previously at Copenhagen's Noma, brings Scandinavian elegance and refined, precise technique to a remote outpost on Lummi Island, located two hours north of Seattle. His vision of "food telling a story of the land" breaks new ground in celebratory...

If summer in the city is sounding a little too hot and hectic, we have the remedy you're after: A quiet, close-to-nature break on a little island just beyond where Washington state stops and the mighty Pacific begins. We've seen our gloating friends' Instagram shots...

If you drive two hours north of Seattle and hop onto a ferry, you'll arrive at Lummi Island, home of the Willows Inn. While the guest rooms are cozy, most people are there for the food. In 2011, the New York Times named this restaurant one of 10 worth an entire plane...

Rank Name Chef Cuisine Location 1 The Willows Inn Blaine Wetzel Progressive American Lummi Island, WA 2 Saison Joshua Skenes Progressive American San Francisco, CA 3 Blue Hill at Stone Barns Dan Barber Progressive American Pocantico Hills, NY 4 Alinea Grant Achatz...

The Willows Inn on lovely Lummi Island — a couple hours’ drive and a very short, very picturesque ferry ride north of Seattle — was named one of Eater’s Best Restaurants in America in December. And chef Blaine Wetzel won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest...

Each year, AAA reviews 31,000 Diamond Rated restaurants. Of these, only 665 earned AAA’s four-diamond rating for 2017—less than 3 percent. Restaurants at this level are committed to distinctive fine dining, including creative preparations, skillfully served, often...

"Best" is the most subjective word in the English language, and narrowing down this group is as grueling as it is exhilarating. Of course these places all serve wonderful food: avant-garde noodle bowls in Manhattan, soul-soothing roast chicken in San Francisco,...

For the third year in a row, Eater’s indefatigable restaurant critic, Bill Addison, has cross-referenced his travel notes, dining receipts, and napkin scribbles from the past 12 months and compiled his unparalleled list of America’s 38 best restaurants, all of which...

Our trip began with a two-hour car ride north from Seattle. To the west, we passed the Olympic Mountains, their peaks scribbly against the horizon, and the network of sister waterways (including Puget Sound) that comprise the Salish Sea. The Cascade Range stood...

Last year, Willows Inn chef Blaine Wetzel masterminded this crazy caper—a large-scale Freaky Friday wherein 37 chefs across the world swapped kitchens for a night. Now 40 chefs from Brazil to Russia to Japan are taking part in this year’s iteration, which will include...

When you feel compelled to leave the city and immerse yourself in nature, when you seek to sit in quiet amazement at the wondrous foraged and farm-raised foods our Pacific Coast region provides, and to be waited on with warmth by a knowing staff but without the...

Tucked away on the secluded island of Lummi in the San Juan Islands, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island is a romantic and tranquil retreat. Luxurious accommodation, exceptional cuisine and warm hospitality make this charming inn a veritable treat. Comfortable...

2 The Willows Inn Blaine Wetzel, a native of Olympia, Washington, has come a long way. After spending a year and a half in the Noma kitchen, he decided it was time to go back home to Washington and open a restaurant of his own. He checked out a bunch of locations and...

Making a name for yourself as a young, brilliant chef is never easy. Doing it from a tiny and remote island in the far northwest of the country is nearly impossible. And yet, when Blaine Wetzel looked for a way to move back to his home region after spending time in...

The Willow’s Inn, Lummi Island, Washington At this Inn and James Beard Award-winning restaurant, one could say the entire island is its pantry: chefs forage for seaweed on the shore below the main house, pluck wild berries off the property’s bushes, and fish the Puget...

Looking to expand your local dining options at highly remarked restaurants? We've asked AAA Inspector 39 to share some favorite foodie recommendations and memorable experience throughout the inspection process. Q: What is the most unique, yet appetizing meal you've...