We went for the Widow Maker. We lived to tell about the healthier halibut. But let’s back up a bit. bin vivant (yes, the name and lowercase letters are awkward), the new restaurant in Kirkland’s Woodmark Hotel, recently invited Seattlest to its opening party, where underseasoned scallops surprised us. So upon being called back for a more formal dinner, the kitchen, seeking a second chance, immediately sent out its vanilla cognac scallops and awaited a......

Dinner at McCormick & Schmick, the seafood chain, to kick off eight-month halibut season. Exec chef in Seattle, Eric Naruszewicz, a Boston transplant who was quick to get the hang of local seafood, crusts a halibut filet with curried cashews, serves atop field greens with honey-mustard vinaigrette, Asian pears and red grapes. There's lots of halibut out there, a whopper of a fish (up to 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, 600 pounds) that lives......