Fonda La Catrina – Seattle, WA
Queso Fundido with chorizo? Yes please! What are enfrijoladas? Three grilled tortillas dipped in creamy pinto bean sauce, topped with lettuce, onions, cilantro and prawns if I want? Oh my god I’ve died and gone to heaven! Yes please, yes please, yes please…take me back!!! Everything about this Georgetown institution is perfect. If you’re like me and could eat Mexican 7 days a week…this place is definitely for you!
It’s been really fun seeing Seattle’s culinary scene explode in the last few years. Tarsan i Jane is the perfect combination of Spanish and Northwest cuisine. Dinner there will cost you anywhere from $60-$250 depending on how many courses you choose. All dinner reservations are prepaid which is brilliant in my opinion. You commit and they’ll commit therefore no waste of food if they know how many people they’re cooking for. Although I don’t eat these kind of meals that often, I have to say I really appreciate food I know I can’t cook for myself. That and what a fun experience to have with a loved one or fun friends and family! Go…sit back and enjoy! You’re guaranteed a wonderful night here.
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
Located in the new Palladian Hotel downtown on Second Ave (and Virginia), Shaker + Spear surprised me in a good way. Without many photos online of the space itself, I didn’t know what to expect but it’s gorgeous with tons of natural light and well chosen interior design details. I especially like the chandelier above the bar as well as the bar stools themselves.
We started with cocktails at the bar and then moved onto wine and dinner once we were seated. Between four of us eating family style, we were able to order quite a bit which is always fun when trying a new place. Overall I was very impressed from start to finish from the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out (being the last to leave means you had a great time right?!). I would suggest making reservations if you’re planning on going Thursday – Saturday at least! *Not pictured are the delicious oysters we had served with rose bitters and tarragon. Yum!
Special that night – ROASTED CARROTS, pickled jalapeños, kimchi puree
GRILLED OCTOPUS, salsa verde
TEMPURA SQUASH BLOSSOMS, foie mousse (on the side because I don’t care for foie)
YELLOWTAIL, local mushrooms, english peas
ROSEMARY COULOTTE STEAK, spring garlic, fava beans, avocado chili puree
WHOLE FISH CHEF’S WAY (DORADE), panzanella salad
HALIBUT, black garlic, asparagus, baby artichokes, pak choi
BRULEE CARROT CAKE, cream cheese ice cream, ginger syrup
HOUSEMADE COOKIES
MINT DARK CHOCOLATE SEMI FREDDO, chocolate crumb, cacao nib, micro mint
ROSEWATER RHUBARB, pistachio meringue, preserved lemon ricotta, orange
The London Plane – Seattle, WA
My husband and I made reservations here on a warm and sunny Thursday night since we were in Pioneer Square for First Thursday Art Walk. Located on Occidental Plaze, it’s a beautiful and airy space with lots of natural light. The menu is fixed, offering 3 courses for $35. Talk about fresh and seasonal – cherries, garlic scapes, apricot syrup – the whole dinner was dancing with summer flavors. They also fancy themselves part market/cafe/floral workshop so even if you don’t come in to eat, you can still stop by to grab delicious and beautiful things to go.
arugula, fennel, cherries & walnuts, dressed with citrus & mint
bucatini with pancetta, tremiti olives, garlic scares & breadcrumbs with housemate tomato sauce
chocolate torte with coffee cream, apricot syrup & candied almond
I’ve been meaning to go here for a while, ever since I noticed construction going on while dining across the street at Terra Plata. The space is gorgeous and without knowing you’re in Seattle, this could easily be in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. Very urban and edgy.
And the food…I honestly can’t say enough great things about it. A blend of Lebanese and Syrian food, it’s absolutely delicious and unlike anything else in the city. Lots of bright spices and fresh vegetables, perfectly cooked meats and sauces that you can’t help but sop up with whatever bread you have left on the table. Each dish is so uniquely different from the last that you end up having a hard time picking a favorite when it’s all over. I went with a group of 6 and after eating there I think it’s probably best to go in a group so you have the opportunity to try a bunch of different things. That or you’ll just want to immediately go back to try what you didn’t have room for. We ordered a lot…primarily vegetarian heavy items…and I walked away satisfied, content and excited to go back!
Be sure to order one of the khobz – specialty breads, the bateresh – charred eggplant with minced lamb, fatten hummus – fresh chickpeas, grilled bread, green garlic yogurt and pine nuts (one of my all time favorite dishes to make in culinary school!) and the kefta – minced lamb, onion, pistachio and baharat. YUMMMM!!!
The Good Eater 