| Rosemary Ciabatta Rolls | +8 | |
| Chive Blossom Butter | +10 | |
| Yearling Pacific Abalone with Sea Bean Tempura Rosemary Mussel Skewer with Oregano Aioli Warm Kumamoto Oyster in Lovage Cream with Paddlefish Caviar | +10 +7 +7 |
(1996 St. Innocent Oregon Blanc de Noir) |
| Morel Mushrooms with Chervil Flan with Minted Snap Peas and Pea Vines | +4 | |
| (1998 Amity Vineyards Pinot Blanc) | ||
| Sage-Wrapped Foie Gras with King Bolete Mushrooms, Sage Blossoms and Currants | +5 | |
| (1996 Terra Blanca Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer) | ||
| Herb-Smoked Alaskan King Salmon with Sorrel Sauce, Golden Beets, and Young Carrots | +4 | |
| (1999 Elk Cove Pinot Gris) | ||
| Sorbet of Douglas Fir | +2 | |
| Lavender-Grilled Squab with Bing Cherries, Roasted Baby Walla Walla Onions, Broccoli Raab, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and Braised Garlic Shoot | +8 | |
| (1996 Panther Creek Pinot Noir, Winemaker's Cuvee) | ||
| Watercress, Radish, and Mache Salad with Quillisascut Ash-Coated Goat Cheese and a Thyme Cracker | +1 | |
| Rose Petal Foam with Single Strawberry Strawberry Shortcake with Bay Leaf Cream Strawberry-Rose Geranium Ice Cream Cone | +2 +6 +4 |
|
| Rose-Cardamom S'mores | +2 | |
| (Vintage 1901 Barbeito Malvazia Madiera) |
I usually don't provide much detail about wine pairings, but am making an exception because the pairings for this dinner deserve mention. I tend to be fairly indiscriminate--yet dogmatically cabernet-partial--when it comes to wine, especially when consumed with spicy or rich food. But each of the wines at the dinner was more distinct and delicious than any wines in recent memory, both on its own as well as with its accompanying course. And, with the exception of the strict, one-ounce Madiera pour, chugfests are rewarded with refills.
The butter was also superb, though, each time I requested a new ciabatta, the bread girl seemed to take great pains to set the roll directly on top of my butter pile.
Previous experiences with abalone have been underwhelming but the little baby abalone surpassed the hype.
Some of their trademark herb and herb-technique novelties struck me as ineffective. Using rosemary branches as skewers, for example, in order to impart flavor from the inside, was too subtle for my palette. The Douglas Fir sorbet, on the other hand, succeeded in refreshing my mouth pinily-fresh. But would I have preferred key lime? Possibly.
My biggest complaint is that many of the plates were not cohesive; were the sides to be eaten in the same bite as the main components? As chasers? As palette cleansers? Although each component was tasty on its own, combining them left my mouth confused and tired. The squab, cherries, and potatoes worked better unmingled...which is fine, but I like exploring flavor combinations the way one might with a fresh bag of Skittles (the candy, not the cat).
Except for the errant roll placement, service was very good. Pleasant and attentive, and no hovering.
The resident guitarist was well short of spectacular. He seemed to have solid classical and latin chops, which would have served him well enough had the set list not strayed into uninspired, weakly-swung jazz standards...
Dinner lasted five hours, which included an intermission-stroll at about the 3.5 hour mark. Five hours of herby food and yummy wine, and five hours of being leered at by the couple next to us. Had we been minding the best interest of this trip report, we would have asked what their fucking problem was, or thrown a beer bottle. Something! Instead we inhaled the pinot and tried to feel becoming. Like cowards.
The food isn't quite as good as at Charlie Trotter, Renoir, Aqua, or Lumiere, but if you have the patience for long dinners, the overall experience is worthwhile.
| Lampreia | +8 | |
| Mistral | (but small portions) | +8 |
| Szmania | (Spaetzle!!1! And beer!@!@) | +6 |
| Wild Ginger | +6 | |
| Than Brothers | (great pho and cream puffs) | +6 |
| Chez Shea | +5 | |
| Credenzia's Kitchen | (now closed) | +5 |
| Icon Grill* | +5 | |
| Jazz Alley* | +5 | |
| Sapphire | (Poirier loves their salads) | +5 |
| Cassis | +4 | |
| Noodle Ranch | +4 | |
| Carmelita | (exquisite vegetarian) | +4 |
| Orrapin | (good Thai) | +4 |
| Peso's | (good Mexican-American) | +4 |
| Rover's | (very creamy, expensive) | +4 |
| Stars* | +4 | |
| Harvest Vine | +4 | |
| Cyclops* | +4 | |
| Mayuri | (good Indian) | +3 |
| Buongusto | (creamy) | +3 |
| Capitol Club | +3 | |
| Dulces Bistro | (mostly good, one awful dish) | +3 |
| Paragon | (very greasy) | +3 |
| The Hunt Club* | (greasy) | +3 |
| Macrina Bakery | (inconsistent) | +3 |
| Palace Kitchen | (very greasy) | +3 |
| Chinoise Cafe | +3 | |
| Gravity Bar | +2 | |
| Dahlia Lounge | (very greasy) | +2 |
| Kingfish Cafe | (very greasy) | +1 |
| Cafe Flora | 0 | |
| Pacific Desserts | -1 | |
| Coastal Kitchen | (greasy) | -3 |
| Axis | -3 | |
| Melting Pot Fondue | -3 | |
| 5 Spot | (greasy) | -4 |
| Nishino's | -4 | |
| Salty's | (AYCE oyster crackers?) | -6 |
And finally, a very honorable mention to Pagliacci Pizza for their Centioli: a thin, crispy-chewy disc of crust with a lattice of mozzarella, parmesan, chili flakes, and minced garlic. Sounds simple enough to make, and probably is. But no one I know does so. It is arguably the best thing about Seattle. Pagliacci: pizza +2, centioli +10.