Treating fish like fine steak, Sea’d In brings ‘dry-aged seafood’ to Capitol Hill

(Image: Huan Nguyen/Google Maps)

(Image: Sea’d In)

Heong Soon Park’s approach to “dry-aged seafood” and “open-fire cooking” is now on display at Sea’d In, the chef’s newest addition to the Capitol Hill food and drink scene.

Bringing a technique traditionally reserved for fine steak to fresh seafood, the Sea’d In kitchen dry-ages fish to draw out moisture, intensify umami, and create a richer texture before finishing it over open flames using a wood-fired hearth and grill.

“At Sea’d In, we believe that the finest seafood isn’t just caught—it is crafted. We have stripped the modern kitchen back to its two most honest foundations: Time and Fire,” the Sea’d In pitch reads.

The prolific restaurateur’s latest project has opened inside Capitol Hill’s Chophouse Row, replacing wine bar Light Sleeper after its closure earlier this year.

CHS reported here on the growth of Park’s efforts in the neighborhood. Park’s first venture in Capitol Hill’s restaurant scene was Meet Korean BBQ which has been part of Capitol Hill since its inauspicious opening in the winter of 2020 only weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns hit.

In 2024, Park took on the reinvention of a space that had been home to a deeply rooted Capitol Hill food legend with the transformation that saw his Grana Padano and Parmesan-laden Cheese Room take over the longtime Melrose at Pine home of Machiavelli as its ownership decided to focus on its Edmonds location.

Park’s most recent Capitol Hill reboot came last year on E Pike where he opened  Gol Mok Korean Market Bar, a new start for the Taku space created by Seattle celebrity chef Shota Nakajima.

Sea’d In is much more than reboot. Whole fish selections are dry-aged, charred on the bone over wood flames, and paired with house sides like Whole Pacific Dover Sole with shaved fennel and yuzu kosho, Whole Branzino with preserved lemon and shio koji glaze, and thick-cut Bluefin Tuna Steak with house-smoked chimichurri.

Small plate offerings include Dry-Aged Pacific Mackerel served with herb butter and sourdough, Dry-Aged Sea Bream Ceviche with wood-fired pineapple, and Charred Cabbage tossed in gochujang butter and tahini. Additional hearth dishes feature Black Cod glazed in black koji tare with a wasabi-buttermilk emulsion, and Wood-Fired American Wagyu Coulotte.

A full cocktail and drinks program is in the works.

The restart of activity in the space revives the food and drink energy inside Chophouse Row as Sea’d joins a mix in the 11th Ave complex including the elevated Vietnamese of Xóm and Tailwind Cafe, now under new ownership

Sea’d In now open inside Chophouse Row at 1124 11th Ave. Learn more at seadinseattle.com.

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