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/
4 comments:
somebody is going to owe me biggie piggie time! tio
Wow, that's an awesome looking ham & cheese sammy!
Don't worry, Sammy--our next Seattle excursion has that place written all over it! Brad, if you ever find yourself at a French place for brunch, please try the Croque Monsieur; and if you're really hungry--don't be afraid of to throw on the fried egg for an extra $1.
we just went there last month. now you got to post our pics on your blog.
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