What better way to spend my last day in Seattle, but for brunch in the district of Wallingford. Can you say proud to be organic? The chef and owner of Tilth, Maria Hines, has done a fantastic job of creating a menu that pleases all and most.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 piggies
(I only blog about the best, unfortunately... I have yet to bring myself to slam places.) My only drawback is the atmosphere. I have to be honest that I didn't always feel comfortable kicking back and it didn't feel like my house even though the restaurant is a converted house. I was well aware I was still in a restaurant--the light flowed freely through the place and the noise level was not disturbing. Upon entering without a reservation, we were seated promptly and assured it was no hassle--greatly appreciated when travelling with a somewhat-sleep-deprived 3-year-old.
Among the dishes that we ordered, there was the Cardamom French Toast, the Croque Monsieur, and the Dutch Baby Pancake. Can I just say... never had I ever seen French toast prepared in such a fresh and cute way! The orange bread toast was shaped like a cube and the strawberries were diced on top and a dollop of creme de menthe mousse--with a strawberry sauce swiped on the plate. There was no need for syrup!!
I put it on the comment card and I will say it again... the Croque Monsieur was one of the best that I've ever tasted. I'm originally from San Francisco, and there is a restaurant my family and I frequent called Baker Street Bistro (California). The Croque Monsieur is good there. But this one kicks it's a*ss. (Pardon my french! hahahaha) I was skeptical at first when they offered us a complimentary (someone ordered it/it was made in error) Croque Monsieur with a fried egg. It was delicious. If I hadn't eaten all that french toast and I hadn't nibbled on some of the biscuit and gravy (we ordered on the side), I would have finished that entire Croque Monsieur. Alas, I could not. Oops! For those of you who do not know: A Croque Monsieur, I like to describe it, is a fancy grilled gruyere cheese sandwich with ham and in this case filled with a bechamel sauce (which is a white sauce--containing simply milk, butter, flour and pepper.) And if you want to be filled til dinner--you might as well get the fried egg on top. MMM... I can't lie... my mouth is watering thinking about it.
Lastly, let me comment on the Dutch Baby Pancake. It's definitely not what we expected. It had a more flaky consistency and it was shaped like a pot pie crust (a personal sized one--think Swanson's pot pie size) and filled with caramelized apple, pork sausage and apple gastrique (fruit, in this case, reduced with wine or vinegar and sugar to be poured over meat or fruit.)
Overall, I would definitely come again. Especially for dinner!
Do not be afraid:
http://www.tilthrestaurant.com/
Bonus link:
Caffe Vita is the coffee pictured with the french toast--it was good! I'd range it about tasting like Peet's because it had the acidic kind of aftertaste and I'm fairly sure that they were rockin the French roast in this case.
http://www.caffevita.com/
Rating: 5 out of 5 piggies
It's called The Kitchen. And you'll never have the most amazing eating, food education, and unique dining experience as you will at this place. Hats off to the brilliant man or woman who came up with this place, and I can only pray that no one steals or exploits your idea (amen!).
My good friend, Mike and I are in the car--he takes a couple twists and turnarounds but we make it there... and my evening begins with a turn off the road into a typical parking lot. And as I make my way to the double glass doors, there's already a lady and a gentleman there to welcome us. I am... about to embark on a "quest for the perfect bite." But really, the experience (you heard me! it's not just your ordinary meal) turns out to be beyond my expectations.
I'm sure I've looked at the menu a half dozen times before my "appointment" (reservations only)... but I can't seem to remember every part of every course of my prix fixe 5-course meal. The chef, Noah, ensures me that I'm free to ask and get anything I want *smile* (in my own words).
To get ready for our meal, of course I must begin with the wine selection. I'm perusing the wine BOOK (not just a wine list)... and a helpful spirit ascends upon us, it's Doug--the wine guy. Fighting my feelings to stay loyal to my one and only wine guy (sorry tio). I listen. (Doug, if you're reading this: I sincerely apologize if I was cutting you off and being extremely hyper about picking a wine. It's just so exciting to me! I understand, now, that I have just touched the surface and I have a long way to go, me being the young grasshopper that I am--I need to do my research (mmm... tasting!) and experience (trying new things)--I will do it all in time. I respect you and your line of work--your suggestions were impeccable!)
M and I start with a white wine. We take Doug's suggestion for a wine "in between a sauvignon blanc and a Reisling". We go with an "alternative white", the 2006 Stefan Bauer Gruner Veltliner. I really liked it because it was exactly what Doug had said it was. It was mellow enough that we could sip on it over the first three courses. Then, we moved on to a red... a 2008 Melville Pinot Noir. I'll tell you what I told Doug--I'm usually not a fan of the pinot (hear me out--I'm not contradicting what I had said before about not being afraid to experience), and I was caught by this one. It was good to go with our entree... unfortunately, I had to have coffee with my dessert. Quick note: I was "spot on" (Doug's words) with my evaluation of the pinot--I thought it was oaky and a little bit fruity.
Prepare yourself:
- July 2010 Dinner Menu -Presented by Chefs Nancy Zimmer, Randall Selland
and Chef de Cuisine Noah Zonca
______
White Corn Chowder with Lobster-Chive Bread Pudding
Sturgeon Caviar Cream and Buttered Potato
~~~
True Wagyu Shaved Ribeye and a Live Salad of
Forni-Brown Greens and Lettuces with Salt Cured Capers,
Grained Mustard, Fresh Summer Herbs
and Hard Cheese
~~~
Sushi ~ Sashimi ~ Crudo
~~~
Local Sturgeon and Ham Hock with Pork Broth,
Duck Egg Hollandaise, Croutons and
Crispy Green Beans
~~~
Slow Poached Local Beef Tenderloin with
Chanterelle-Black Truffle Stuffed Squash Blossoms
and a Red Wine-Shallot Butter
~~~
Brenner Ranch Peach Turnover and Honeyed Brunoise
with Chocolate Ice Cream, Sugared Shortbread
It was a LOVELY experience. "Fantastic", according to M. I hope it's okay to say that my favorite was the soup. I had about 3 bowls of the Corn Chowder. The droplets of potato were amazing!!! It adds such a luxurious touch to the dish. It definitely set the stage for the rest of the meal!
The second dish was Wagyu Shaved Ribeye with the salad, salt cured capers, and grained mustard... oooh and a large thin slice of Pecorino Romano. The presentations are indescribable--but I'm going to try my best. Before serving the corn chowder, Chef Noah showed us the lobster!! Luckily I wasn't as mortified as I thought I might be... I felt a touch of sadness, until I ate up my soup. Also, when wandering around "the kitchen", there was a hunk of somethin on the counter, and later I was to find out it was the Romano cheese! It was like the size of my head!! Anyways, back to the second course--it's a carpaccio--raw steak salad pretty much. I loved the grained mustard that I was able to smear over my steak! I literally noted, "Yummo!" on my menu.
Food 101. Instructor: Chef Noah
Mr. Zonca taught me about fake wasabi. Fake wasabi is basically horseradish dyed green with some Chinese mustard! (See photo exhibit... ummm.. i haven't numbered it yet.)
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from the sushi-sashimi course. I was impressed with the sake 101 presentation and also the explanation of the fresh wasabi. I made myself a sushi-sashimi plate and the wasabi was made FRESH!! I put that straight onto my sashimi and it was phenomenal! The kind you would get in a authentic Japanese restaurant (I would think). I could see in the consistency of the wasabi that it had chunks of the wasabi root--no worries, honestly, it didn't have as much punch as a "fake wasabi" would and that was probably due to the lack of horseradish flavor. I much preferred it, none the less--It was great!
*pause* for the sturgeon swimming thru the room... (guess you had to be there)
I can't say that I have had sturgeon before. I describe this fish as similar to a swordfish--I felt it was meaty and hearty (and this is when in the meal I started to worry. I knew I had one more entree and dessert and a side of foie gras to finish). I appreciated the ham shank that was underneath the fish. It was flaky and added a good flavor and complemented the fish's consistency well. The Duck Egg hollandaise was filled with buttery goodness!
*sigh* If you're getting tired and full just reading this, deep breath please I have a couple more to go.
I curse the day that I am so full that I can only take two bites of the foie gras and a couple of bites of beef tenderloin. Of the parts that I had, it was great. I wonder about how all those health nuts can say that they can taste the chemicals in processed meat. The menu says that the meat is "naturally raised" and if I remember correctly, it was from Montana. And I think I could taste it. It's really something when you can taste the freshness of the meat. On another note, the dungeness crab stuffed squash blossoms were awesome!! Stuffed with crabbigoodness! They were up to par!
Coffee break: They serve Boulevard coffee (from Carmichael, CA). It's "The Kitchen blend" which I found out to be half French roast and half Sumatra. It was good. Nice way to clean the pallette before starting desert.
Dessert! Dessert!
Last but not least there was the peach turnovers with chocolate ice cream and sugared shortbread. Honestly, before I even stepped through the door, when I read the menu--I was not very excited about the peach turnover. But since I was able to stroll through the kitchen before dinner--I noticed that they were using fresh peaches in the turnover, and I could see how carefully those perfectly ripe peaches were wrapped in filo dough. Truth be told, there is always room for dessert.
In all, I cannot tell you enough what a lovely evening it was. And here's my plug, call to make reservations about a month in advance and you won't be sorry. It is definitely a good place to take a foodie, and especially nice (but not limited) for a special occasion. Bon appetit!
pictures: (there were so many good photos, I could not post them all to the blog)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192677&id=744268591&l=e23d6d2a04restaurant website:http://www.thekitchenrestaurant.com/dinner/index.html
