Mike Easton’s Acclaimed Waitsburg Restaurant Bar Bacetto Has Reopened | Eater Seattle

"This Italian restaurant in Waitsburg opened in 2022 and last year scored a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant. It went on “extended hiatus” in June, with owner-chef Mike Easton saying the restaurant was “a success in many, many ways... financial longevity is not necessarily one of them.” After the hiatus Easton took other projects (he took over a fine-dining kitchen at a winery and briefly opened a Detroit-style pizzeria that closed after a few months), and — while remaining the winery kitchen’s executive chef — returned to reopen this small, 18-seat version so he can run the kitchen personally and “keep labor costs low.” “We had full intentions of reopening eventually,” Easton told the Puget Sound Business Journal. “It didn’t feel good closing a restaurant down on the heels of a James Beard best new restaurant in the country nomination.” According to the Business Journal, the restaurant’s first 60 days are almost totally booked out; Easton did not return an email from Eater Seattle seeking comment." - Harry Cheadle