By Janette Turner

“Let me tell you what happened when I was on jury duty,” said Nancy Leson, Thursday night’s speaker at Edmonds Literary Series. The punch line was how the judge recognized her from her “fork travels” as a food and restaurant critic for Seattle Times and KPLU’s Food for Thought. That’s the price of being one of the most beloved food writers around.

Now back from a six-month sabbatical, Leson writes short pieces (“it’s harder to write short”) for the Times’ weekly magazine, while she contemplates selling her Edmonds house and buying a condo – but first she’d have to get rid of 20 boxes of menus from a fellow food lover. And it sounds like she’s not interested in leaving Edmonds any time soon because she sees this town hitting a restaurant Renaissance. “We’re about to get all the good chefs moving north from Ballard.”

For now, said Leson, the Edmonds area is an Asian food hotspot with Than Brothers Pho, Seattle Deli, Hoysooni Korean Barbecue, Taka Sushi, and the new Five Corners’ Bar Dojo . But where would Leson take out-of-town guests? “I’d take them to Seattle’s Sitka & Spruce or Staple & Fancy for the best deal in town with the $42 Fancy Menu.”

And she’s still looking for an Edmonds restaurant that lives up to the old Olives. Based on a recommendation from an audience member, she’s got one more place to try: Happy Cat Pizza, near Edmonds Community College. We doubt it’s as good as Olives, but we’ll have to wait for Leson’s review to know for sure.

Editing note: The link to Leson’s favorite local sushi place, Taka Sushi, is now correct.