On Memorial Day, we eschewed the traditional family barbecue and met with Betty Ann and Louie Richmond, of Richmond Public Relations fame, for a movie at the Seattle International Film Festival, followed by dinner at The Signature. The Signature has taken the space of Moxie, a popular pre-theater/concert/movie resto in lower Queen Anne that closed due to changes in the chefs’ family situations.

Family is a big part of The Signature’s zeitgeist as well: Tony Ly and his brothers and sisters created the restaurant to honor his mother’s “signature” dishes (get it?). Although we ordered what seemed a reasonable amount of food off the menu, the ever-hospitable Tony kept supplementing our choices with some of his own favorites such as the yummy Vietnamese Chicken Baquette shown below in all its toothsome glory. 

The Vietnamese Crepe, one of my all-time favorite dishes, was redolent of coconut milk (a brilliant taste accent!) and perfectly cooked–crispy on the outside and with a creamy interior. I love this way of playing with my food when I eat by wrapping the crepe inside lettuce leaves with fresh thai basil and cilantro. Refreshing and healthy!

Although I don’t eat beef, the Rare Beef Noodle Soup, the ever-popular Vietnamese Pho, was hearty and could have been a meal in itself. All the Pho dishes come with a side of fresh bean sprouts, basil, lime, cilantro, and green onion for seasoning to taste. 

The Signature offers comfortable inside seating with a fireplace, plush pillows for the wooden banquettes, and a friendly bartender who’s a holdover from Moxie. On warm summer evenings like we’ve been having lately (karmic payback for our snowy winter?), there’s a narrow outdoor seating area with just one row of tables. These are sure to get snapped up as summer continues, as will the many memorable signature dishes at The Signature.