Bateau – Seattle, WA

My oh my this place is a beauty!  From the perfect interior design choices to the awesome meat cooler on display, Renee Erickson (along with her partners at Sea Creatures), has opened another stunner.  Bateau is going to get a lot of press and it will all be well deserved.  The focus is grass-finished beef (soon to be from their own farm on Whidbey Island) from Burk Ridge Farms and Painted Hills that is butchered and dry-aged in house.

I have no problem admitting that yes, I’m that person that typically orders fish at a steakhouse.  It’s not that I don’t care for meat but I just gravitate towards seafood most of the time.  Not here.  I couldn’t resist the filet topped with browned butter and preserved lemon (you get your choice of butter – nori bonito, brown butter and preserved lemon, bone marrow or anchovy).  My husband got the ribeye with the same butter.  Both were outstanding!  I couldn’t eat the full 8oz but it was delicious the second day with eggs for breakfast.  The steaks are served a la carte but there are so many great sides to accompany them.  We decided on the frites and aioli, roasted mushrooms and swiss chard.  We also started with the steak tartare (served with homemade potato chips) and octopus.  Both were unbelievable.  The octopus was served so beautifully like I’ve never seen before, sliced into little coin like disks topped with a small dots of burnt lemon, roasted pepper and ink aioli.

You’ll most definitely need a reservation to eat here so get one soon before they get more attention.  Bravo Renee!

Octopus – burnt lemon, peppers, in aioli

Steak Tartare – egg yolk, fried potatoes

Filet – Burk Ridge, Custer, WA, grass finished & dry aged 30 days, 8oz

Frites & Aioli

Roasted Mushrooms – egg yolk, toasted garlic

Swiss Chard – garlic, preserved lemon, créme fraîche

Boat Street Bread Pudding – rum butter cream