Fodor's Expert Review Vif

Part coffee shop, part casual snack restaurant, and part wine retailer, Vif is all magic. The brainchild of a former pastry chef and wine director of one of Seattle’s bygone restaurants, the menu brings the kind of nuance and skill that you’d expect from a pastry chef but the elegance of a wine expert. The spare space keeps the focus on the coffee—as pourover, espresso, or drip—and food. Toast with ricotta and radish or avocado, tuna tartine, and lentil salads are the kind of simple, French-inspired food that peppers the short and often-changing menu. As it winds into afternoon, the wines by the glass start pouring, or diners can open a bottle from the shelf for a small corkage fee.