Happy Hour, Twisted

It's a newer, thinner Dan Thiessen presiding over Bellevue's 0/8 Seafood Grill and the adjacent bar, Twisted Cork. "I stopped drinking and lost 80 pounds," he confides, no mean feat for a dude who clearly wants to become the Tom Douglas of the Eastside.

His most recent accomplishment: winning the Seattle leg of national poke championship with a three-level, "Walk on the Beach" theme: a palate-cleansing spritzer of Kestrel Viognier and Dry Soda Lemongrass; the poke itself with ponzu-spiced ahi tuna, topped with wonton and sesame seeds; finished off with a refreshing moscato from Chateau Ste. Michelle. Next stop on the poke trail: the finals, in Oahu next month.

Meantime, there's New Urban Eats, a promotion promising a cocktail and a couple of small plates for 15 bucks. Twisted Cork offers decent ravioli and nicely spiced calamari, along with Thiessen's signature: Peruvian scallop sashimi doused with soy-miso vinaigrette and wasabi aioli. (Scallop farming is a valulable new fishery along Peru's cold coastal waters.) Tasty? Life-changing.

Then, hints of a future project nearby, something involving martinis. Not to mention his Saturday morning radio show on KVI (Tom's on KIRO, same day, but late afternoon).

0/8 Seafood Grill & Twisted Cork Wine Bar, 900 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue