Sitka & Spruce

I went to Seattle at the end of July. There were plenty of places to eat on my wish list of to-do's as Seattle has quite the food scene. Lately, I've decided a good way to choose restaurants is by looking at the list of James Beard Award winners. Local Seattle chef Matt Dillon was a 2012 winner, so his restaurant, Sitka & Spruce, moved to the top of my list.

I had Friday night dinner reservations with a hot date - we'll call him Mr. Right until I can think of a better pseudonym. Sitka & Spruce is located in Melrose Market, and in classic Kimberly form (brain-dead), I couldn't tell exactly where to enter, so I walked around the perimeter of the whole building trying to figure it out.

Eventually we made it in. The restaurant was fairly small, with only a few tables, and an open kitchen. The décor was very Northwest, unfinished wood, brick, exposed ceiling beams, etc. The big windows provided a nice view of the bright evening.

Everything was plated beautifully. See gratuitous food photos below.



We began with slices of sourdough bread baked at The Corson Building in Georgetown, accompanied by lovage butter with sea salt and salmon mousse. The mousse was quite good, but the butter was better.

Next we had Saucisson D’Alsace Salami from Olympic Provisions. I think this was Mr. R's favorite course. Not sure why I don't have a picture of it.



The next course was my favorite. It was some sort of amazing delicious roasted fava beans topped with an egg, salt, and edible flower petals. Underneath was a piece of toasted sourdough, and the sauce had a distinct Thai flavor, perhaps some sort of coconut milk curry.



The next course of Neah Bay king salmon, shelling peas, and summer chanterelles was adequate, though a slight let down after the incredible fava beans.



The last course was on two plates, the first, a Barley salad with heirloom tomatoes, some sort of creamy, tangy dressing on the side, and flatbread.



The other plate, roasted pork, dandelion greens, and peaches. The dandelion greens were beautiful, though bitter, but the pork and peaches were perfect.

Mr. Right was quite charming. Holding his hand across the table and discussing the food made for a perfect evening.   

Update: The Amateur Gourmet listed Sitka & Spruce on his list of romantic restaurants: http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2012/10/where-do-you-escape-for-a-romantic-dinner.html. This just happened.