Goodness gracious. This place is great, plain and simple.
Just walking up and entering the small restaurant, it doesn't feel like you're in the city. We got there at 5:45PM, pretty much right when they started serving dinner, so things were still calm and it had much more of a cafe feel. Looking around, it seemed that all of the tables were reserved, but we were lucky enough to still get a table.
It's a small venue, but there is outside seating as well. Granted, it's Seattle, so I don't know how often they'd get to use the outside seating, but indoors, there was plenty of space except for in between the tables. For some reason I had much more trouble getting out from between the tables than I did getting in. This and I think the air conditioning may have had a problem because it got really warm inside. But that's it for the negatives.
Unfortunately, I couldn't read/understand what was on the chalkboard for the days charcuterie, but I think most of it was the same as what was on the menu. You get 5 selections if you order the large plate and select the items yourself, 8 if you let them select. We went with the 8 as we had no idea what to order, but everything that came out was absolutely delicious. The terrines were so smooth and delicate, and adding dijon just accented the flavors. The salami's were hard and salty and also complimented the bread and mustard. Then there were cuts of types of prosciutto which brought a much more solid, meaty flavor to the plate. If you like charcuterie, this is a must-have, and next time I wouldn't mind splurging on a plate of fromage to go with it.
This was a great start to the meal and kept us busy until the entree's arrived.
Salmon: I ordered the salmon and the way they cooked it was quite impressive. The salmon meat was firm, yet flaky when biting into it. Alternating between bites of salmon and the dumplings provided great contrast texture and flavor wise. The salmon was flaky and tender while the dumplings were crunchy on the outside and smooooooooth on the inside. But the true highlight of this dish was the skin on the salmon. It was cooked perfectly to become more than just skin of the fish. The skin was made to be extremely crispy, almost like a natural tempura batter, but there was no oiliness like you get from the frying and biting into a tempura batter. It also had a slight singed flavor that brought out a smokiness to the salmon. I was very careful to divvy up the skin to make sure I had enough to go with each bite!
Quail special: My friend ordered this. The sauce smelled heavenly when it came out, and the quail was well-doused in it. This dish was devoured and thoroughly enjoyed.
Skirt Steak: My brother ordered this and I tried a bite. Absolutely delicious. If I went back, I would definitely order this. The steak was so juicy and flavorful, and when you put it in your mouth, it melts. The juices of the meat will be soaked up by the fries, enhancing the flavor of the fries. The potatoes used for the fries taste extremely fresh, and the frying was definitely done to order and done while the oil was hot so that the crispiness was instilled into the outside of the potato.
To finish the meal, we ordered the house special cup of chocolate with whipped cream. Very simple, but the chocolate was incredibly rich and when mixed with the whipped cream, it will become spoonfuls of some of the best hot chocolate you will ever have. Even comparing it to hot chocolate is an injustice to how good it tastes, but that's the only way I can describe it to give you an idea of the taste.
Service was excellent, and our waitress read the dish items and descriptions in French first before explaining them, adding to the charm of the restaurant. It really makes you wish you spoke French, just to be able to roll the names of the dishes and ingredients off of your tongue.
Our meal was masterfully crafted, and this is a wonderfully run establishment. We will be most definitely returning whenever we are in town. read more